I worked here back in the 1980s. Bill was my boss and I was the Apple II guy. Yeah, that was a thing back then. I loved working there and I was with them when they moved. After I finished Cal, they moved again. But I used to visit. His prices were never cheap, but he was absolutely, positively ethical in his dealings. I am distressed to see the poor reviews here. I got along well with him and the customers and my fellow staff members. Working with old computers, sometimes parts aren't so easy to come by and delays DO happen. As an employee I bought a lot of equipment here and sold a lot here too. (I do notice Google now shows "permanently closed") read more

I have been coming to the store since 2000 when it was on Shattuck Ave in Berkeley Bill is a wonderful guy. He has helped me with restoring my computers and files back and transferring files to a new computer if need be. read more

Tom provides quality service at a reasonable price. He hires only the best from Cal so that he can provide first quality service while not charging an arm and a leg like they do at Apple. read more

He'll hang on to your equipment for ages if you pay the door fee of $40. Then he'll take forever to tell you you need a part and that will take more money and more time. Then mostly your problem remains unresolved but hey, if he can't fix it after several months, at least you're out the door for $40 bucks. What a deal! This has happened to me and two other people who went here for a computer or Hard Drive repair. I think the guy makes most of his money on that initial, un-refundable charge. read more

Be very careful dealing with this individual. As a visitor to the Bay Area, I needed a replacement power cord for an older laptop. He very conveniently had one, and was able to charge me roughly four times the normal price, $40 for a part that sells new on the internet for $12.95. Very unethical, and I would strongly suspect that this gentleman will maximize to an extreme profit whenever he can get away with it. read more

Ok, they have finally contacted me about my computer. I was very upset and agitated that I could not get in touch with them! It made me a bit paranoid and would like to resend the 1 rating I had originally provided. read more

The Used Computer Store - How to Contact! They never answer the phobe or text! BS - Computers Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great data retrieval service. I've had several computers or drives die on me and every time the Used Computer Store has recovered almost everything at a fraction of the cost data retrieval services ask. I've also bought computer gear here, always been happy with price and quality. I see people have had issues, but I've never had a problem with them. I recommend them. read more

This dump has been a predatory business and local joke since at least the early 2000s, preying on the uninformed and desperate. I'll admit, many years ago back in high school I used to enjoy occasionally wandering in there with my buddy and openly insulting their "merchandise", which appeared to be garbage found at an e-waste drop-off site. I've been building and fixing my own computers for 15 years and trust me--UCS charges outrageous prices for very outdated junk. All of their random peripherals and components are obsolete and more expensive than what you could order online. Their repair costs are out of control, often totaling the price of a new computer itself. They often inflate labor-hours for minimal repairs. They're notoriously slow, rarely upholding their promised turnaround times. If they screw up your machine, they shrug their autistic-narcissistic shoulders and refuse to take responsibility. Don't support these decrepit shysters. read more

I found the Used Computer Store in a hurry when my laptop started refusing to boot in the week immediately preceding finals. I was in a panic, as I require a functional computer to fulfill my research and teaching responsibilities. I chose them because they waived their rush fee for students and I needed my computer back in a hurry. The diagnosis took them longer than they initially promised, but once they figured out the problem, they worked really hard to get my computer functional by the end of the next day. Apparently my computer was especially stubborn and they had to go through a whole bunch of troubleshooting steps before they finally narrowed down the cause of the problem. However, rather than simply closing up shop, they stayed an hour late so that I wouldn't have to wait until Monday to get my computer back. When it turned out that they would need to order a new solid state drive for my computer, they transferred all my data to a loaner hard drive so I could have my computer for finals. I'm going back next week to get the part replaced once and for all. The fix took about 28 hours total. I'm so grateful to the guys at the Used Computer Store for their hard work and their clear communication. He explained every step of the way what they were doing to solve the problem and gave me fair quotes for what the service would cost so that I could make an informed decision. My one point of complaint is that the diagnosis took much longer than they said it would and they weren't great about communicating that. They originally told me when I dropped the computer off that they would call me at the end of the business day with an update and I had to call the next day and then wait an additional few hours before I had any news about whether I would be able to get my computer back. I wish that they could have called just to tell me that the diagnosis was taking a little longer than expected so that I wasn't left in the dark. Other than that, I would happily recommend this business to my computer challenged friends. read more

I love this place! This guy knows his stuff and is super patient. He's my go-to guy: real, smart and honest and what he doesn't have he knows how to get. You'll have options and know why and how to address your need or solve your problem wisely. Sometimes he's hard to reach, but he's thorough; if you're able and willing to take some time he'll see you through. read more

My cat killed the detachable keyboard to my Surface Pro with an unfortunate spilling of a water glass, a few days ago. Amazon wanted a week to deliver, and I fly out on a biz-trip tomorrow. UCS saved my ass and gave my PC a purple facelift. read more

Took my Mac Computers for repairs and never gave them back. Filed police report against this company.

Despite all the haters on here, I had a great experience. I've been lagging on getting a replacement battery for my 4 year-old G4 and after too much searching online for "the best deal" and not even knowing the batteries were a reputable brand or even reputable for generic, I decided to walk in to these guys. I spoke to Bill and he was extremely helpful and stood behind their generic brand for batteries. He assured me no one has ever come back with a problem with the product but promised a 6-month warranty. He also gave me lots of unsolicited advice about how to keep my G4 happy 'til its very last day. Which in this economy, you bet your bottom's dolla that's what I'm gonna do. 1 star docked cuz I probably could've gotten it a bit cheaper "somewhere" --- but who knows where. Peace out. read more

I don't know this owner, but back in the day I would frequent this store. It was ideal for finding misc random things. Yes, the prices for refurbished equipment was more than I could afford. Looking at the reviews now I see the same complaints repeatedly. Nobody seems to realize that rent for this location is probably astronomical & in order for him to make a living wage & pay employees makes it necessary to charge more than what you would pay on Amazon or Ebay. Not a fair comparison at all. You felt overcharged for something you NEEDED NOW and he happened TO HAVE? Well, next time wait for Amazon to deliver it! He's probably over-burdened with answering phone calls and manning the counter...time when he could be fixing computers & making the $ needed to keep the doors open. Undoubtedly, he's mired in computers waiting to be repaired. He probably told you that when you dropped it off, but you ignored it because you had no other options. Pay attention to what you're being told rather than being impatient after waiting in line, responding to that message or worrying about the meter running. This type of business is rapidly disappearing. It costs more to diagnose & repair computers than to buy new, that's a simple fact! He can't pay you full price for used memory when it costs a fortune to turn around and sell it for under the original price. All the complainers who choose to be Karens & complain about your perceived injustices need to lose your data when your hard drive dies, or buy a new device & pay those prices, or fix it yourself. It's VERY unfair to sit on your couch & complain here on Yelp without even thinking about the reasons why these things might be happening. See this business for what it IS and not what YOU EXPECT it to be. Technical knowledge is RARE. It deserves to be compensated appropriately. Someday when Apple & the other evil companies have finally killed RIGHT-TO-REPAIR and you must deal only with them & THEIR ridiculous prices to repair or buy new devices you'll realize what a gem this business USED TO BE. Enjoy your new world order where buying new & paying high prices is your only option! read more

For those techies in the know, this store has been in the area for a long, long time. It's a great resource for parts and accessories that are no longer sold in new computer stores. This location offers parts and accessory sales on the first floor and an internet cafe on the second floor. The sales people are pretty knowledgeable too. A couple of problems I have is one, the store is pretty disorganized so you have to know what you're looking for and be able to find out of a pile. Two, the prices of everything is the same as if it was new. Not cool, but if you're in need of a part that is obsolete, you'll probably find it here, hence the price. Street parking is tough here. read more

The Used Computer Store - Front entrance - Computers Near Me - Berkeley, California

these days, perfection is perfectly impossible--but this shop keeps delivering its practical best. When you're up to your assets in alligators, the guy who's hanging from a branch with a rope and a shovel is the sweetest sight on earth! read more

I can't stress how good this place is. I had to re-write my computer because somebody put a chip block, it was terrible, but then they fixed it. But the main thing is they were patient with my bullshit and they spent hours making sure that my computer firewalls (or lackthereof) was resolved. Finally it's the price, it's soooo good, you would be missing out if you didn't go there first. Highly recommend 20 stars if you ask me read more

BE CAREFUL going here! I went in about a week ago to ask about having some additional RAM memory put in. I guess there was possibly some miss communication going on here or something, but I felt like he was somewhat arguing with me about if I needed the RAM or not ??!!??!! We had also talked about a tune up. I ended up having something else come up and was not able to come in with my PC for the tune up. So, I went in today because I find out that in order to improve the performance of the software I need what is called an ASIO driver. I am not good at installing and configuring such things, so I went back in to see if he could do that. Several people came in after me and he helped them first. When he went to help another lady I said "Excuse me, but I have been standing here for 20 minutes." He replied that he has helped me 2 or three times and I never brought my computer in without any consideration that something else might have happpened so I could bring it in after all! Basically he just ignored me even though I was standing right in front of him the whole time. So, if YOU don't bring your PC in after he helps you, he might just start to ignore you too! He then proceeded to tell me that he did not know what ASIO drivers werfe and that he would charge me $40 mto diagnose the problem. There is no problem! As far as I know, ASIO drivers are a very common thing aren't they? If not, please tell me! All in all, I feel that I did not get treated well just because vI went in to talk to them and since I never brought my PC in that I am no longer welcome to come there! I guess this guy gets offended if you don't bring your Pc to him after he helps you! read more

Visited to see if they would purchase a nearly-new gaming machine with VR that I had bought during the pandemic. They took a description and promised to call me with an answer but never did. read more

We walked into this store looking for a used computer monitor; nothing fancy, just a plain ol' monitor that works. What did we find? A couple of over-priced, relatively snazzy monitors. Did we buy them? No. I suppose, it would have helped if the person managing the store had bothered to help us or at least ask us what we were looking for. He ignored us from the minute we walked in and despite standing in front of his desk, we received no acknowledgement from him. The store definitely had some cool (and reasonably priced) items such as VHS tapes, CPU frames and an assortment of random nuts and bolts. They also have lots of extension cords, chargers, computer parts and mobile accessories, however they were all on the pricey side (read: not worth it!) I would recommend that you check this store out just for its "antique" electronic (and buy your electronic items elsewhere) Overall rating - -1/5 read more

I use my laptop for work thus it is essential that it perform and perform well. I cannot do my job as a financial advisor without my laptop, They have been miracle workers! They've been able to retrieve information from what appeared to be a dead laptop and on another occasion they were able to resurrect previously lost information and transfer it to my new laptop. They do rush work for those like me who need their computers returned ASAP. Finally, their prices are very reasonable. read more

Just do yourself and your day a favor and skip it. I've been in there twice for unrelated reasons. Once, to buy an Airport for my Itunes and once for a repair. The Airport never worked. Not once. The guy who sold it to me made it really clear from the moment I finally asked him to help me after being ignored (from 3 feet away, not another customer in sight) that he hated answering questions, and my last couple of attempts at extracting information were met with some combination of grunts and shrugs. The "repair" cost me about $135, which is reasonable except that it didn't fix the original problem, or even have anything to do with it, and again, a style of customer service that makes you feel like you have no right getting between them and your money in the first place. Really. Go somewhere that *wants* customers. read more

The store is rather dumpy and cluttered, it's clear that the people running it are bums. Their selection is greatly lacking and the guy usually working there is not real friendly. Their return policy is an absolute joke, aimed at shafting customers. More of a scam than a store. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. read more

OMG, these guys *SUCK* These guys are maddeningly horrible. The service is awful, the machines don't work properly half the time, and they *CHARGE* you *$1 per minute* if you need them to fix one of *their* machine's problems! They suck big time, avoid them at all costs. read more

This place is pretty bizarre. It's pretty typical for a used computer store, only worse than most. If you want accounting software for Windows 95 or to learn how to be a Windows 3.1 power user, the book selection is for you. If you want a copy of Mandrake Linux 8.1 you can probably get it here. All of the used computer equipment is really crappy and ridiculously marked up. I feel terrible for the old people who actually buy things here and get their computers serviced here. The one redeeming feature of the place is there's an "Internet Cafe" upstairs. You can use the Internet for I think ten cents a minute. You can also print stuff out here (I forget what the rate is for that). The printers are decent, the computers are mostly Pentium era computers running Windows XP with lots of pirated software. Probably this is not a good place to use a computer to check on your bank account or something like that. That said, this Internet "cafe" has been a lifesaver for me a couple of times. I came here once to buy a mouse. They had mostly PS/2 mouses (read: old, won't work on a newer computer) and only a couple of USB mice. I can't remember how much I paid for the mouse but as I recall it was pretty steep (something like $8 for a generic Microsoft ball-mouse). Also, they had about fifty used IBM keyboards labeled as belonging to San Quentin State Prison. For at least the past year they've had a TiBook displayed in the window[1]. They love that thing, they're never gonna sell it. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_G4 read more

Here is the deal. Pro: If your older PC/mac needs a part that you wont find in the retail stores - they will more than likely have it here. Con: They are insanely overpriced. If you can wait, order off of ebay/craigslist/whatever. ------ Ive been in the store a few times. Bought a Win XP license from them in a pinch because I needed XP and not Vista. I paid $50-60 more than it would have been on ebay. I just called to quote a SVGA cable. I figured id save a few bucks from going to radio shack - seems simple enough, esp given they have older type monitors and such. I was told they have 15ft and 25ft. Huh? No 6 ft? Who has 15ft of monitor cable for their computer. I was then told $25 for the 15ft one. I stopped listening at that point. You can get the same 15ft (if i wanted one) for about 8 bucks delivered from monoprice and $25 is more than twice the cost of a 6ft cable at radio shack. Id go here only in an absolute emergency for an old computer only - and id be grumbling the whole time. read more

Yeah so not feeling this place. I had a paper jam in my computer... please tell me why it took them a day and a half to fix it. Yes yes, I understand that there were people in front of me, but it's a paper jam people. Also.... I feel 20 dollars is a bit much for a paper jam, but I didn't have time to argue. People were kinda rude too. read more

I sent my computer in to have a copy made of the files on the hard drive copied to another hard drive. Not only is my external hard drive now unreadable, destroying 15 years of information, they tried to blame me for it when I called to ask what happened. They are unprofessional and incompetent. I urge you to go somewhere else to fix your computer issues! read more

My pet rats chewed up the wire that was connected to our keyboard for the computer, so we had to get a new keyboard. Came here, and looked around. The people working at the store didn't even bother to come up to us to ask if we needed any help. We were there for maybe 15 minutes. They just stood behind the counter doing nothing. Anyway, we bought a keyboard, but costumer serice could be better. read more

Went to The "Used" Computer Store today to look for a couple things, My first time visiting this place as well. When I found the place, It looked nice walking into, but when I started browsing around I saw their prices on things. They were outrageous. After seeing their prices I was wondering if I should even ask for the parts I needed. Well, I did. Me: "Do you have airport cards for the older Macs?" Rip Off: "Uhhh umm hmm yeah.... we do, the price is $120" Me: "Really... I see them all over eBay and Craigs List for under $40" Rip Off: "Then there is your best bet - most likely then." Go take a look on eBay right now. There are airport cards all over the site for under $40. What kinda crap is that? Me: "How about laptop ram? PC100" Rip Off: "Yeah for 512mb the price is $89.95" They have to be kidding me. Cheap old memory cost nothing. Except when you go here. The last thing I needed was a CD ROM drive. Me: "Well how much is a CD drive gonna be?" Rip Off: "$69.95" Basically I would recommend not going to this place. Their prices are so high. Almost 3 times over. I know how much this stuff costs, and how hard it is to get, and there are no reasons for these high prices. I honestly feel bad for the older people who take there computer here for repair and get ripped off. I ended up leaving and buying nothing. I suggest you do the same ! read more

Definitely knowledgable and helpful. I come to them with some pretty silly questions about my laptop, and they are always spot-on with the answers. Service can be a little bit slow at times, but it's worth it. read more

This place is pretty good. The customer service isn't fantastic, but overall I like it. I'm an engineer, and I often need to get some obscure part of a computer. This is the only place in Berkeley that will root through their old parts for me. They found an Intel IWI4965 wireless chip for me, which is almost impossible to find as it was sold as part of a set of Gateway motherboards. They gave it to me for $15. I've been there many times since, and I can generally get what I want for a hell of a lot cheaper than other stores around, like Eid's. If it weren't for the shoddy customer service that I've witnessed other people getting, I would give 5 stars. The clerks appear to treat the technical illiterate a lot worse than technicians. read more

GOT SCREWED BIG TIME! I took my 1 yr old laptop to have them fix the audio jack. I paid $40 diagnostics and $30 rush fee (since I use my computer for work). After the diagnostics was complete they quoted me $195 for everything. I went to pick it up and they plugged in some headphones for me to test, audio worked! Took it home, and found out now the audio ONLY works with headphones. Took it back, they kept it and called me later that day to tell me it's finally fixed. They played the audio, seemed fine. Took it home and plugged in my speakers and now theres a low hum that wont go away! Now it ONLY works without headphones or speakers. When I took it back the manager told me I'd have to pay EVEN MORE to fix it. WTF? After MUCH discussion he finally gave me a $30 refund, after I had just blown $195 and a week of non-audio. THESE PEOPLE ARE THIEVES. RUN read more

I wouldn't say the customer service is great (it's the same stoned-out, clueless, vague shit you see throughout most of B'kly), but they've saved my ass several times at top dollar. Fuck me for being so hooked on my goddamned laptop. * EDIT 3-1-07 * So my laptop is working again. Cue Erasure's "Reunion" or whatever gayed-out, happy song you want to sing. Now the bad stuff: Used Computer Store, you pissed me off. And I'm telling the Yelp world on you. See, the hard drive died. And the Used Computer Store guys said: "Sure, bring it in, we'll see what we can get of it." Meaning my Firefox and my LimeWire with all my porn -- I mean, gospel. Anyway. I pick it up, bring it home, eagerly turn it on. I've missed "Jack the Janitor", which if you haven't checked it out, you must, it's one of Hustler Barely Legal's best. And my computer CHIMES as it turns on. You know THAT chime. That lame-ass da-da-da startup noise that, thank the lord for freelancing, I don't have to hear while sitting in a sea of cubicles. And I'm like -- huh? I bitch-slapped my computer out of EVER making that noise! Used Computer Store, you gave me back a Stepford computer. No porn, Office Space noises, this lame-ass wallpaper, some picture of pretty flowers and mountains and shit. I mean, what the hell? One pissed-off phone call later, I found out my hard drive was too hosed to pull any data off. Okay, that's fine. My fault for twirling around in my rolly chair, catching my foot on the AC adapter, the thing falling to the hardwood floor -- the thunk, the thunk, I can't take it. So it was my fault. And I couldn't have 100 percent counted on ANYTHING being recovered. But Used Computer Store, you got my hopes up. And then you dashed them. Worst of all, you didn't call me to let me know this was going on. I did get a phone call from the manager to smooth things over after the aforementioned pissed-off phone call from me. He hinted that they might take something off the $120 pricetag. While I wait for him to call back, I'm going to re-download Jack the Janitor. I have a feeling I'll be getting more satisfaction out of him than from the Used Computer Store. Sorry, guys, but currently you suck ass in my book. read more

My previous review was removed for being "not recommended." I'm posting it again, because there are better alternatives, and I think the people of Berkeley should take that into consideration. But anyway, here it goes: On 5/20/2012, I came here to get the CCFL backlight bulb on my HP laptop's screen replaced, and it took them a week to fix it. The receipt said they only worked on the laptop for 3 hours. How does that take a week? Furthermore, the man at the counter said he would call me Monday (the next day), and it'd be fixed by Wednesday or Thursday. They didn't call until the next Saturday. When I finally got my computer back, the screen, upon starting up, still flickered. (Flickering is a sign you need a new inverter or CCFL bulb in the first place.) Not only that, but the web cam stopped working. From the HP website, I found that this was a hardware problem, not an issue of downloading new drivers. This means that UCS broke my web cam. Great. Best part? No refunds. So basically: a) they didn't fix it completely and b) they broke more things than they fixed. When I called them to notify them that the webcam didn't work anymore and the screen still had issues, they said they had to charge me extra for that. When I tried to explain that it was completely fine until they worked on it, they said it wasn't their problem. What. TL;DR? Don't go here. I do not recommend it.. Go to the place across the street. Yeah, that's right--go to the movie theater. They'd probably do a better job. P.S. I just found out that the price they charged me for fixing the computer was only thirty dollars cheaper than buying a brand new one of the same model. read more

I came in here hoping to buy a used LCD monitor as my old one had gotten pretty banged up and was starting to die. The dude behind the counter ignored me for 10 minutes after I walked in. No hello, no greeting, just a glance up, after which he glanced back down onto something behind the counter. After walking around awhile and finally getting some help -- the only LCD monitors they had was 3 busted, dirty, dusty old ones just sitting in a pile under the counter -- and a fourth one that had speckles of dried paint all over the back of it. Now -- I know they're "used" -- but, do they need to be pieces of junk ? I asked him how much the cheapest one was -- he said fifty dollars ($50) -- for the one with the paint all over it. As I was desperate, and I made the trek on BART over to Berkeley (just to patronize them) -- I seriously considered it. I asked him how much for one of the other 3 under the table, at which point counter dude walked away from me - in order to help this other prissy - looking broad (with a British accent) -- that just walked in. As I stood there for 15 minutes -- (waiting for him to get done with her) -- I felt like walking out. But again, I was desperate -- so I waited for him. And I waited -- after the two gang-banger type dudes walked in and asked about laptops, (which he helped). And I waited -- after this suburban soccer - mom type complained about her modem repair job, (which he also helped). Finally, he staggers over to me (as I was just standing there) -- and he mumbles "Oh, yeah - fifty dollars for that one too". I asked him if he would go lower on the price -- (for the one with the paint on it) - but he refused. I said "Okay, thanks anyway", and walked out -- took BART all the way back to The City -- and bought a monitor on Craigslist for fifteen dollars -- ($15) the following afternoon. read more

Admist the have it repaired yesterday crowd of customers, this store and folks in there may not be the best people to talk with. The Used Computer Store follks are honest and stand up though. When one wants to be told most anything about just how long it will take to find and fix complex computer problems and you have to have your computer fixed yesterday, please reread the first sentance above. When you want quality gear and repair from good people, check this place out. This review is from a very satisfied return customer that was not in some emergency fix it yesterday mode though. James read more

I had an issue with a computer that I wanted to trouble shoot by buying a replacement power cord. (In case the problem was the cord, not the computer.) The gentleman here advised that I could feel for warmth in the cord block to test whether the cord was functional, rather than replacing it. The issue was probably the computer itself rather than the cord. He advised not buying the cord, but just bringing in my computer to test it. I really appreciated his frank advice. He didn't need to close a sale. He just wanted to help. read more

This place is great! I've gotten much-needed odd's and end's for my computer (like: a wireless card, an a/c cord for half of my battery charger). All at good prices too, I don't know why every else's reviews are so bad! True- the store is, without a doubt, aesthetically UNpleasing. BUT! While my mom was visiting me for a week from FL, she went to this store and they spent probably 2-3 hours with her teaching her how to use her computer! Which is incredible! Thank you, thank you, nice people who work there! read more

I've been patronizing the Used Computer Store on Shattuck for over a year now, but only as a customer at their upstairs cyber cafe, during a period of time when I did not own a personal computer. I noticed they seemed nice and mellow, and not the type to make big deals out of little things. Nothing phony about them, I always paid upon leaving, and sometimes they gave me a break. My impression was that they seemed to be honest folk who wouldn't tell me a lie just to make a sale. So I decided, after a couple disappointing experiences obtaining new computers at major retailers, where the computer I bought didn't wind up meeting my needs (for whatever reason), I decided to give these guys some more serious business, buy a used computer from them, and see how things worked out. I then learned that my initial impression was correct. At no point did I feel I was being lied to. I didn't pick up any of that irksome hype one finds so prevalent these days. I looked at a number of computers, selected one I figured would be best for me, and I am sure glad I did. The machine I purchased has exceeded my expectations and then some. I was also able to get it at an amazingly decent price, with headphones and a hand-held mouse included. I'm not a person who uses his computer for home entertainment or recreational purposes. I'm a person who needs a certain type of system on which to run specific programs that I rely on for my work. This is how I was able to detect the rarity of honesty untainted by sales hyperbole. Now that it's all played out positively, it would have been remiss of me not to have headed to Yelp to give these guys a five star rating. I did read some of the other reviews, and I would concur that this is probably not the place to go if you're in a particular hurry. So try not to be in a hurry next time you visit them -- it may make a huge difference. read more