Nice staff working in this place. Sold my 5 years old laptop for $25 within couple of minutes - very rapidly !

I would rather not even give this ONE star, but I am posting here to warn anyone else who makes the same mistake I did: Do NOT DO NOT take your computer in here for repair. They will have had my computer for THREE MONTHS TO THE DAY on the 23rd. Meanwhile, they are treating me like a clingy ex-girlfriend. Once, I called twice in the same day because I was sick of people telling me they'd call me back and not calling me back, and the person who answered the phone told me I should keep calling until I reached Bill, who is seemingly the only person who actually works on the computers, and of course no one would call back. I'm actually screwed right now, because they have my laptop AND my $270 dollars, and I'm having trouble making it in for my weekly "Is it ready yet, since you said it would be ready on Tuesday at the latest THREE WEEKS AGO?" visits since I'm back in school for the fall semester and badly badly need my computer back. Do not, do not, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. read more

I am not sure why I thought these guys would know what they are doing, but they don't. I tried to use their hard drive recovery service, and it was like being trapped in a Monty Python sketch. Their service was bad, it took them forever to get back to me, and their conclusion was entirely wrong. Impressive combination of arrogance and ignorence. read more

I have been helped by Bill at the Used Computer store for many years. He is extremely competent and goes out of his way to help. I have read the other reviews which are all over the place, but my experience has been outstanding, and I even had him custom build my pc for me, and it is superb. read more

This place is great. I've bought RAM, a 24" monitor, keyboards, etc. It's probably where I'll go to buy my next laptop once my Macbook core duo is obsolete. I've also sold them surplus monitors and keyboards. I have trouble understanding the reviews that criticize the price difference between this store and craigslist/ebay. Hello.... there is always a price difference between online and a storefront, it's called : rent, maintaining stock, customer service and repairs/returns. I bought memory here that I needed the same day, it was 20% more than at dealram.com. But I didn't have to pay for overnight delivery and hope that it arrived on time. And if it hadn't worked they would have replaced it on the spot. That's why you go to a store. The fact that they sell used and refurbished machines is just an added plus: one less toxic addition to the landfill. read more

i about bawled like a baby when my new-to-me computer wasn't sending a picture to my brand-new-&-awesome monitor. i pushed all the buttons, checked the connections, then called for help. my uber nerd was on the case stat, & pulled out the video card with surgeon-like precision. after carefully depositing the poor thing into a tiny shopping bag, i said, "Now what?" he said, "Best Buy." i said, "Hell no, let's head to Shattuck." just weave between to the homeless people leaning in the doorways & you'll find The Used Computer Store in what used to be a music store. they didn't do much in the ways of sprucing the place up, just set up dozens of refurbished Macs & what-not & called it a store. no matter, i spotted the video cards in the glass case & pulled mine out & looked interested. the clerks, however, did not. they saw me walk in & eye them patiently, but attended to 2 other customers before i stepped in front of the guy so he couldn't disappear into the doorway marked "Employees Only." i told the guy my problem, & he doubtfully eyed my video card & recommended another one of comparable or better quality. he doubted that the card was the issue, but i could get it, try it, & return it if it didn't work out. i took it, might as well try it, right? he bolted for his lunch break as soon as i signed the receipt. we head home, pop the thing, & my monitor glows with life back at me. i commence with squeals of delight. i suppose the mid-range rating comes from the poor service, but it turned out to be the video card, so i am overall pleased with the experience. read more

Crap Crap Crap. It's okay if you need a part last minute, but the used computers they sell cost as much or more than better, new equipment! I'm all for cutting down on e-waste, but this should be run as a not-for-profit in a warehouse out of downtown where they can sell things for what they are worth. It's sad, because they prey on poor people who don't know the market or the quality of the equipment. read more

DO NOT TAKE YOUR COMPUTER HERE TO BE REPAIRED. The customer service is horrible and the technician work subpar. Customer service example: They take forever to fix and they have this messed up queue system. Also, they don't get back to you when they say they will. In my case, they replaced the keyboard. But, did not QA/check to make sure all the keys were working. So, when I got it home, keys were sticking. Back again. This time, the specialist was out to lunch - the front desk person said they sometimes take 2 hour lunches. I have a question. If you are servicing computers, why wouldn't you keep staff there at all times? Here's an idea - rotate lunch schedules!! What is this Spain with the 2 hour lunches? Anyway, that burned another day and they replaced the key board. When I got it back the second time - the battery was dead. At first, they refused to look at it until my husband offered a solution that would prove right/wrong. Turns out, it was dead. So, that was not their fault, but the fact that they were at first unwilling to take a look at the computer. It was a huge coincidence that after they opened the computer 2x my battery would die, but we couldn't prove negligence. Overall, I think these people are smug and don't really care about the customer. It's not well run and it's freaky inside. I wouldn't go again - it's not even set-up to have a winning experience for the customer. read more

HOLY CRAP!!! HOW DO YOU SEND A MACBOOK REPAIR HOME WITH NO SCREWS IN IT?? I am only giving them a star for the speed of the repair. Their prices were insane, their service was sub par AND like i said, i sent it in for a keyboard repair on my macbook and it came with a new keyboard, but no f-ing screws to hold it on! Looks like I'm going back! For a $200 repair, you would think they would have replaced the screws! read more

This place is consistently great. They take a little long to complete repairs sometimes, but they've saved my machine twice and have always been polite and professional. When the Genius Bar quoted me $99 + parts, Used Computer Store were able to do it for $15. read more

I couldn't survive without the Used Computer Store! Bill has saved my computing life for nearly two decades now,. No one else in Berkeley does what he does. (Detractors, have patience: once he knows you, he'll really go out of his way for you. ) read more

Went to the store with a stubborn, computer-challenged friend who needed an upgrade from his barely working XP laptop. They spent over an hour with him, and he walked out a happy camper with a surprisingly inexpensive Windows seven desktop that was very easy to assemble at his house. Hopefully I will no longer have to try to fix his computer The place is lacking in ambiance and charges fair prices. I think most of the bad reviews are due to people looking for rock bottom bargains. read more

I've happily bought laptops, peripherals, parts, and repairs from this store (UCS) for more than 15 years. Bill, the owner, sets the tone: steady, gradual, no freak-outs, absolute integrity. If you can sync to that pace, you'll probably be very pleased. He will get to everyone who's arrived -- in order, and without rushing anyone. He will recommend only gear and software that he's found reliable. And his recommendations are trustworthy. Many of his prices are very competitive. And where they aren't, he'll have no hard feelings if you grab a better price elsewhere. If you like a faster pace, you might want to pack a chill pill. But there are good reasons why this modest-sized, locally-owned store has outlived CompUSA and prominent online sellers. Here's what I love most about UCS: They reward customers with enough DIY initiative to save them work. They've almost never made me check in a computer and pay an evaluation fee. Whenever I've been able to isolate the failing part (like a laptop fan assembly), they've been happy to order the part for me, and to explain how to replace it myself. They've often given me free, crucial advice -- including pointers to free software -- to help me independently resolve things like software conflicts and disk-partition glitches. The one time I actually had UCS do a repair -- they replaced my laptop display for $300 -- I found some sealed, boxed software there that saved me more than $300 off the market price. Entirely legally. How's that for good karma? If you object to paying an evaluation fee before committing to a repair, I'd recommend Laptop Rescuer in Santa Clara. read more

This place saved my butt. Cat peed on and ruined my $1200 laptop; I had serious work to complete that same day: they had a perfect laptop used for a great deal that I bought, pulled my info off my hard drive so I could finish my work in it the same day!!!!! And for an extremely reasonable price. I live this place. LOVE IT read more

Dreadful. Asked them to salvage a single file folder from the desktop of a laptop hard drive. Asked them to tell me if they couldn't read the drive. Asked them when they could tell me either way. They said they'd call the next day if they couldn't read it. They also said it would be ready in three business days if they could recover the folder. Asked me to put down $30 for the recovery. Said it could go as high as $60. Didn't call the next day. Didn't return my call on the third business day, when I asked whether it was done. Went to the store the next day, and was told the drive was unreadable six days after the date they'd promised they'd tell me that information. Then I was told the clerk I'd talked to was wrong, and it was $30 simply to take a look, regardless of whether they could recover any data. The clerk I'd talked to, who was in plain sight, skulked downstairs when I pointed out I was misinformed each time I'd asked a clear, direct question. I wouldn't buy a toothpick from them. read more

Terrible service - do yourself a favor and find somewhere else (like the Mac shop on Shattuck near University). I took a Mac Powerbook in to sell - it still had a year's warrantee. The owner quoted me a price, and said he'd need it for 30 mins to test. I took it home to take the last of my data off it, and returned next day. The staff said the owner wasn't in, couldn't reach him on phone, and would have to call me in the afternoon. I left it with them to test, and made it clear I was leaving town at the end of the week. No call ... Went in the next morning, still no boss, and not reachable on phone, but supposedly would be in in the afternoon and call. This time got a call (which went to voicemail) and said the machine tested fine, drop in before 8pm or next morning for the check. I turned up in the morning, no check, no boss, boss not available on phone. Took the machine back and walked out. Walked three blocks to the Mac store, he looked at it, offered a price (significantly better than the first one) if it checked out ok, asked for an hour to test it and closed the deal promptly and efficiently when I returned .... read more

My HS senior came home from school with six hours of homework only to discover that his computer charger had died. He was panicked. I called Best Buy in Emeryville where we buy everything. Let it ring 20 times. Let it ring 20 times again. Was there really nobody working there who could pick up the phone in the sales department for a customer? While on hold I started searching for alternatives. SO GLAD to find this store and discover it was open until 8 pm. Read the most recent review which was great, but a little concerned about the lesser reviews. I called anyways and chatted with Jeff. He put me on hold to check the inventory to make sure he had the correct charger before I drove over from Oakland. The price was appropriate. When I arrived he grabbed the charger, ensured that it worked properly, and reminded me that there was a 90 day warranty. Drove home, son plugged new charger into old laptop and he has been happily working on his school project for hours. I completely recommend this store! The guys working there were nice, helpful, and certainly deserve our business. Prices seemed fair. The charger was $59 for my son's HP. My charger for my Dell recently died and Dell charged us $150!! read more

Can't you give half a star? The phone rings for twenty minutes and when they answer you are placed on hold for another minutes...so you I want to give you my computer? I have been in your shop there is no one in there where you can't answer the bloody phone! The staff members when I was there are smug, with a bit of a mocking attitude as if they are repulsed by your presence. I really wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and my business that's not possible if you can't even answer your phone. Your smug so that must mean you have a lot of money in your business is doing well I wish you the best success. Good luck! read more

This place is awesome I bought a new battery for both my laptops and it was not expensive ...

I really needed a charger for my macbook. I contacted Apple, who told me they had one in stock for $100. I got one at the Used Computer Store for $50. They are very helpful! read more

The Used Computer Store has saved my life. I brought in my lifeless computer not thinking it had a hope in the world since the shady folks at Eid's had uploaded an incompatible Russian version of Windows onto my computer. I couldn't even get to my main page. Not only did the incredibly polite and amicable staff at The Used Computer Store diagnose and fix the seemingly impossible problem, they did it for cheaper than Eid's staff charged to ruin my computer in the first place. Great success and patient, pleasant staff; I definitely reccomend The Used Computer Store. read more

I have bought 2 computers from these guys and what was paid was more than made up by their further service. admittedly their return policy could use some work but Bill and the other staff there have been very patient with all my stupid questions and I would use this store again. read more

When someone goes the extra mile like this store did, how can they earn anything less than 5 stars? If there were a high rating, Bill, the owner would have deserved that too. My laptop, out of extended Apple warranty needed a new screen. Apple and it's dealer would charge $400 and $650 for fixing it, and were downright condescending, from interacting in the store to requiring a long wait time for an appointment to scope the problem. By contrast, Bill, the owner of the Used Computer Store was instantly refreshing. He diagnosed the problem and gave me an estimate range for the repair work and time when it would be ready. The cost was 25-50% less than Apple and its dealer. He then took the computer to his workshop and reaffirmed that the estimate was good. Bill was immediately credible. He has owned the shop for 22 years, and for 9 years in this location. He is a thorough professional. Confident about his work and deliberate about setting the right expectation. Now comes the part about going the extra mile. I needed to travel to another state and still needed the computer access as soon as it was ready. Bill fixed the computer on time, had one of my friends inspect it, and readied it for shipment by FedEx. The cost was below what he has estimated. He arranged for a laptop shipping box and packaging at no added charge, and when FedEx was unsure of pickup for the fastest way to ship it, he volunteered to go the extra mile. Rather than having FedEx pick up the package the next day, his shop delivered the package to the FedEx-Kinkos shop. This expedited delivery, and it also saved me on shipping cost. I travel all around the world to transact business. This service was exceptional. When an owner is running the business, the business reflects his/her values. In this case, I could ask for no more. Bill went the extra mile in every way, even before I needed to ask for anything. Bill is the reason I would return to this shop. I will do business with Used Computer Store again, because of Bill. He is honest, sets the expectation carefully, and meets the estimate he has provided. Then he exceeds all expectations of quality, schedule, and service. read more

Worst service ever. They promised to contact me within one day, I waited for 6 days, they never did so. I went to the store, they didn't do anything to repair my device, and did not even apologize for not keeping their words. AVOID this place. read more

It goes without saying: their computers (especially the used ones) are overpriced. But more than that, the staff there are either incompetent or dishonest. I needed a CPU thermal compound as quickly as possible (within the space of 2 days, I had four computers that needed their heatsinks reseated), so I went to this store despite the high prices---for one, no delays with shipping. But, as it turned out, they didn't have it on the first day I went. O.K. That could happen. But even though they said that they will have it a couple days later, for 2 days after the day on which they said they will have more CPU thermal compounds, they didn't have it, and the best thing they can say is "Sorry, we will have it tomorrow." So, to me, this means either their staff is so incompetent so they don't even know when they get shipments of certain items (and yet pretend to know), or they are dishonest---i.e. they know I'll simply go buy the thermal compound online if they will have it, say, one week from the day I needed it, so they lie about when they will have the item and simply delay it day by day. Either way, this place lost my business FOREVER. Before, I thought that this store, despite their sky-high prices, was good for some things (there are things that local stores can do that you can't do via online stores), but not anymore. read more

I really love this store. I know it's gotten mixed reviews on here but every time I've been there, I've come back very satisfied. Same goes for everyone I've sent there. The owner is awesome, and will work with your schedule to make sure that you're not unduly inconvenienced by the repairs you need to get. Case in point: I had to get my laptop fixed after spilling some water on it and he kindly scheduled it so that I only had to give up my laptop for just-about 10 hours! I know there are complaints on here that the service isn't much to holler about, or that the products aren't very great, but I've been here countless times and I've always come back satisfied. It's a small store though so I guess you just have to be a little more pro-active about what you want/need. One of the friends I sent there didn't need her laptop back urgently so she got hers back only after 3 days. When I had to get my keyboard fixed, it took forever for them to get the replacement keyboard in, but once they had it, it took a little less than 2 hours from drop-off to pick-up. The owner is really, really helpful (and knowledgeable), and will go over things in detail with you even if you're not getting anything. And he's not out to make a quick buck either; he's never recommended something overpriced to me at the expense of something equivalent that's cheaper. The downside though is that yes, you do have to wait your turn for service, sometimes for up to 10 minutes, but the prices here are waaaay cheaper than the Mac store so I've got no complaints. read more

I just bought a laptop here, and I think this is a great place. Bill was so helpful and patient, and they know what they are doing. I'm a bit concerned that they got some bad reviews on yelp. The time and care Bill took to set my laptop up just the way I needed it was really admirable. There was another guy working there who seemed a bit less personable, but since he didn't play a big role in the sale and setup I can't say that it affected my experience. I would recommend this store to anyone who is looking for reliable service. read more

I must say I come from europe, and living in a big city I'm used to having a large panel of stores I can go to, so I know which one to go to when I need something. I think the biggest problem of this store is the mess. The employees that I've met there sometimes had problems finding things that where obviously in sight. The employees still try to be helpful but are not always really knowledgable. Sure, it is hard to keep up with all the hardware, but the difference between a hub and a switch shouldn't be that hard to tell. The price also... ayayay, I think $20 for old keyboards, $25 for a second-hand switch are way too much. I only go there when I really need something quick, because it is close to where I live. The choice offered is definitely limited, but the quasi-monopole position they hqve in Berkeley surely explains it... If you want something there, ask for advice from the staff but try to check with a friend or on the net before buying, you probably will be able to spare a few bucks on a lot of stuff. read more

I had a great experience here. The screen on my expensive laptop cracked, and the tech guys at work told me it would cost $700 or more to fix it. After spending far too much time trying to decide how to replace the laptop, it occurred to me to ask Bill how much it would cost for him to fix it. He did the job for half the price. I got a great repair. Best of all, Bill called me when the replacement screen came in, I brought the laptop down and I was able to pick it up the same day, so I didn't have to worry about not having it available. Several months ago, I bought a laptop battery here, and got a good product for a good price. read more

It bothers me to give them even one star. They used to have a great guy named Mark who knew his stuff but replaced him with an incompetent called James, who is a real idiot. Although they were quick to take the money they did literally nothing with the computer. The computer sat there for two weeks, only when I came in to ask why it was taking so long did they bother to actually look at it. Then when I got it home I discovered they had destroyed months worth of work and damaged the computers ability to play music that had taken me months to upload. When I complained about it they said "that's too bad." They virtually destroyed the ability of my computer to operate in several ways, kept the computer for almost a month and stole my money (in the sense that they charged me and refused to give me the money back. read more

They lost our laptop. They can't find it, and they won't return my calls. I brought in my boyfriend's MacBook Pro 13" on 9/16/2017!because the screen became pixelated after a friend dropped it. The owner/front desk guy told me to leave the laptop. They needed to order an $800 part to fix the problem. It would take a couple of weeks to arrive and fix the issue. So after two weeks, with no word, I visited the store. The laptop wasn't ready. I came by again a week or two later. It wasn't ready. The front desk guy told me to wait for them to call before returning. I waited. I live in San Rafael, so traveling to Berkeley isn't very convenient, but I have had positive experiences with the store before when I was a student, and I wanted to support a local business. I understand it took time for the part to arrive at the store then more months for the problem to be fixed. Then one day we got a mysterious call from the store. The person said maybe three words on my and my boyfriend's voicemail. We both laughed, I guess the computer's ready. I admit I went to the store to pick up the laptop maybe 2 months after we got the call. No one called us again so I thought everything was ok. When I finally made it over, two people shuffled around downstairs and when they came back up, I was told to come back. They couldn't find my laptop. They would call me when they found it. A month passed no call. So I left messages with them. No call back. So I drove to the store and again the guy said they couldn't find it. They would call me. So I went back again. The guy said I waited too long. But they would still look for it. Now I see they've moved their shop to Oakland. I left another message on their voicemail and have not received one call back from them. It's hard to take actions against a company when you're hustling to pay the bills. But we're going back to the store this weekend to demand that they give us our laptop or one of their used ones. I will post an update soon. read more

If you're dying to pay $75.00 for a computer widget that you can buy on-line for $2.89, this is your store. All the while the cocky attitude is a bonus. Dare ask a question, that doesn't imply that you are loaded and ready to pay whatever they want, expect to be treated like a fool that shouldn't be in the store. It pays to be central to a major university in a Computer savvy town, I suppose, but the nerve it must take, as the world gets more access to reasonable pricing, to keep up this charade? amazing! read more

So I managed to score a broken ergonomic mouse from work. The cable was loose and would work every now and then. I took it a part and found that the cable was just held in with a 5 port plug that I could remove. I decided to head over to the Used Computer Store to see if thye had any replacement cords or at least buy a used one. I looked for about 10 min, found nothing. I grabbed a used mouse that was dirty as hell and sticky. Went up to the front desk and wait patiently for 10 min because of another customer in front of me. When it was my turn, I told the dude my situation and asked him if I could open the mouse to see if it had the same cord so I could replace it. He said the mouse wasn't meant to be opened. I said that it was because it had a screw. Then said I couldn't open it. I told him that's fine I guess I won't be buying it then. and walked out. I ended up going to radioshack and buying some shrink tube and just fixing the cord myself. The mouse was clearly a POS that wasn't worth much (they had new ones on the wall for $10 and a huge box of used ones). Mice are easy to take apart and put back together. It was sticky and gross so I don't know why anyone would buy it to begin with. This place doesn't know how to run a business. If I can i'll go out of my way not to go there. read more

The Used Computer Store is an awesome place to buy and sell electronic products. They have tons of Mac products at exceptional prices. And their associates and manager are incredibly resourceful and knowledgeable. I highly highly recommend this place. read more

Love this place :) they're really helpful. Once, when my laptop broke during finals week, they even let me borrow a laptop while they were working on mine so I could get my work done. I love the owner. He may come off as a little socially awkward but he is a sweetheart and has always thrown in extra deals for me ! read more

I thought this place was going to be good at first. But upon further experience, they have poor customer service. They don't meet the deadlines that they give you and don't call to inform you that your computer isn't ready when they said it would be. They had my computer for over two weeks and the repair cost half as much as when I bought it from them six months prior. As a student, it's hard to get by without a computer and you think they would try to cater to that market based off of their location near campus. I highly DON'T recommend this place. read more

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. Three times I have been there and three times I have been totally ignored. Just now, as I was standing at the counter, the next guy to walk in the door was acknowledged ahead of me. As I approached the display case and knelt down to look at some USB burners, a man sitting in a chair blocking a portion of the display case which contained the burners (he was either an employee who was confused about the function of a sales floor or a friend of the shop leisurely blocking patrons from shopping--I couldn't tell) looked at me like I was encroaching on his personal space never once offering to get out of his reclined position to allow me to shop while another man behind him looked on and chatted away with him. Apparently, these guys have enough money that they can afford to let customers or employees lounge around in front of their showcase blocking customers view; They don't need mine. Or perhaps I'm not good enough for them. In any case, I'll never be back. I recommend you save your time and go elsewhere. read more

Had a freelance repair guy diagnose my laptop's grave display problem and referred me to UC (I just noticed the triple pun in the initials). Their price was reasonable, communication was good during the estimated week-wait for parts, the people I spoke with used plain English. Don't be put off by the no-inch-is-wasted decor of the store-and-shop. This is a nerdy place in the best sense of the term and they are refreshingly agnostic about apple vs PC... read more

Simply the best place to go in the east bay for used computers and great repairs. Save my bacon in computer emergencies, dead drives and smashed thumb drives several times. Thanks guys read more

A friend of mine went there thought she could by a used laptop at a reasonable price. The price 400.00 and it isn't even half as good as what she could have got a best buys for 369.99. Come on Guys predatory doesn't begin to describe this behavior. So we will try to take it back. If they let her take it back I will give them two stars otherwise they have taken advantage of a community activist and you all know we adore or community activist here in berkeley. So they took the laptop back and charged 10% restock. I note the laptop had 500 meg ram and vista, whereas the new laptop at bestbuy came w/ 2000meg (2gig). So the new laptop sold at a price cheaper than the used laptop, and the new laptop had 4x the amount of Ram as the older/used laptop. However, the young technician at the Used computer store was very polite and accommodating. I think he's "not" a party to the "need to make margins" at that store. I mean a used laptop they sold to my community activist friend was extremely crippled at 500meg ram, vista and only one cpu, this a recipie for slowness. And that's what the activist experienced. A fair price for the laptop in question would have been 150.00, because any one would have had to add another 1.5gig to make it operational at a cost of another 70.00, not including time spent ordering the mem or installing it. Also the battery on the older laptop would be suspect. At about another 50 to 100 $ to replace. So enough said, buyer beware. Generally used laptops are no longer the deal they used to be because new ones can be had for under 400.00, and if you goto craigslist and look for those sporting xp w/ 1gig, or vista w/ 2gigs, you generally can't go wrong, except the battery generally on older laptops are shot. Meaning you've gotta keep them plugged into the wall. read more