TechRoom

So, so disappointed after the excellent ratings Tech Room had received… I hope they fix computers well (haven’t had a chance to check that out yet as I finally just got my computer back). Their customer service is atrocious… Left my computer on a Tuesday and was told it would be ready the next day. I never heard a word, so I called on Friday, then Monday, then Wednesday… finally got a call back after the 4^th call (and a week later!). I was told that there was nothing wrong with it (could have been true — fan just seemed to run longer than it should) and I set up an appointment time to pick the computer up for Friday morning. I showed up at my appointed time and no-​one was there, except another woman who had been promised that she could get her computer then also. Finally got a call from the owner who was out of town… very apologetic… apologized and said that he’d get back to me and that my computer would be delivered to my home since I had received such terrible service. NEVER heard back from him! … empty words! Finally got a hold of TechRoom on Monday… was told that the technician had just changed out something (after I’d been told the previous week that the computer was completely fine)… I went immediately to pick up my computer, paid the $ 100 (they should have compt the service fee since there was no service!)… I just wanted to get my computer out of there while I could! So sad that this didn’t live up to the hype — is run by UCI students — would have loved to have supported their efforts!

I’m mixed about the Tech Room. If they had better follow-​through on their customer service, they would have had a 5-​star rating and more of my money for my household tech needs and they would have had my business for my private practice’s tech needs as their are several other people in my practice with less comfort technology comfort would have benefitted from their service (when they provide it).
They nicely repaired a notebook and a desktop computer. The estimated work was explained well and nicely completed. I have been there probably three times in total. This last time was sadly the most important and the worst outcome: a home visit to work on increasing the wifi throughout the house. Diego was always business-​like in his presentation though the third-​party contractor used was somewhat less dependable. Sadly, the contracted work was sub-​standard, i.e. holes drilled in the house’s siding were not sealed and one of the holes drilled resulted in a severed electrical line causing short-​term electrical/​lighting problems. Also, several calls to the Tech Room though answered promptly by James Coleman never met with a solution to my inability to access my work’s secured website from my household workstation. The last voicemail I received from James Coleman promised a callback that never transpired.
Therefore, I am mixed about the Tech Room’s usefulness. Given the few companies out there who appear to be able to complete with the Tech Room, it’s probably a decent gamble. It is difficult to find good Mac help out there. I’m left with a ¾ completed domestic set-​up and now no idea of who to hire to set up my private practice consisting of a four office suite and a need for secured wifi for the staff and easily used, separate, wifi for the visiting clients.
I guess I sealed my fate with the Tech Room when I declined their $ 500/​month concierge service offer.

I am surprised to see so many 4 & 5 star reviews. I can only guess that these are plants or friends of the company.
My 87 year old Aunt called these people to help her with her email. All she wanted was to get her email working. James Coleman went over, charged her and convinced her she needed a domain name with GoDaddy and got her to sign up. She was charged $ 50 for the domain. That plus the $ 100 she paid Techroom… and her email was never fixed.
I spent a few hours on the phone with Time Warner and straightened the email mess out.
My Aunt called several times over the past month to ask Coleman about the domain and why she was charged and he refused to take her calls. One of his associates promised he would call back. He still hasn’t gotten back to her.
Who in their right mind or with any sense of honesty or decency would convince an 87 year woman that she needs a domain name simply so she can get email?
Ever heard of a gmail account?
Instead, this scam was perpetrated on a woman who was unable to realize she was being taken advantage of.
Unilocal will not be the only place I report on this story.
Shame on you.

The hard drive of my 1.75-year-old MacBook Pro committed spontaneous suicide and I had almost nothing backed up. Hard news on a broke-​ass writer. The Genius Bar guru told me that the prognosis was pretty grim (he explained why — something about specs and overwriting and who knows what-​all) and said I shouldn’t get my hopes up for anything to be recovered, but he sent me to TechRoom.
I was happy with TechRoom from the get-​go. Kevin at the front desk was enormously patient and friendly. I appreciate that he walked me through every step of the process: what would be done to my computer, how much it would cost, what my Plans B-​Z should be if the processes didn’t work out. He even gave me advice about what kind of external hard-​drive to buy. (Better than my usual plan of buying the cheapest cute-​colored one at Target by a brand I recognize.)
I dropped my computer off on Monday morning and by Tuesday evening, I got the call that my data was recovered. Once I dropped off my external drive, my data was loaded onto it by the end of the business day.
The upshot: something like 95% of my data was recovered, for $ 175, which seems cheap considering I came very, very close to losing two-​thirds of a short story collection.
My only little quibble: they told me that they’d saved EVERYTHING, and every day I keep finding new, completely random files that were, indeed, purged. Old drafts of my students’ papers, a short story called «The Last Erection in Brooklyn,» an Excel spreadsheet in which I calculated the cost-​per-​mouthful for various topping/​crust permutations at every decent pizzeria in town… I think that’s just my computer’s sense of humor, though, and my fault for not backing up my dang data.

I was referred to the TechRoom from the guys at Apple — Fashion Island. I had to buy a new computer because I had a vintage mac and my screen went black. I took my computer to the TechRoom to do the data preservation. From the moment I walked in the door the customer service was amazing! Kevin was so helpful and explained exactly what needed to be done and what that all entailed. I use my computer for my business so being with out a computer is so hard for me. I dropped it off on Wednesday and they called me saying it was completed Thursday am. I HIGHLY recommend the TechRoom. Awesome customer service and great quick service.

This group is great! The company I work for made the switch from PCs to Mac and the Techroom Team could not have made it any easier. It just so happened that my 2 year old Dell crashed the week before the scheduled switch, so they rushed to get me up and running on a new machine within a day. Since then, the transition has been seamless and everyone on their side has been great to work with. Definitely go to these guys with any tech issues.

It is rare to come across such honest and friendly customer service. James Coleman, the CEO of Techroom, was extremely helpful with my Macbook 13″. I had dropped my laptop sideways with the charger still plugged in, so there was a dent and damage inside the charging port. My laptop wasn’t charging and I was in urgent need to get it fixed before I headed back to college in LA.
I went to Techroom and James explained his company’s honesty policy, stating that he puts customers first and only fixes what needs to be fixed, preventing customers from paying unnecessarily high costs. (Apple charges over $ 400 – 600 for a damage like mine) I put immediate trust in him and paid $ 50 for a diagnostic review.
Raul, one of the technicians looked over my laptop and reconnected some pieces that were loose and my computer was now charging! They did the work quickly (2 days) and did not fix what was more than deemed necessary and they also did not charge more after the diagnostic fee. However, once I got back to LA, I found out that the connection that my computer was making with my charger was temporary. I had no time to go back to Techroom in Newport Beach to get my computer checked up again so I had to take it to another computer place near my college. I understand that it was partly based on my haste to get my computer back as soon as possible that the technicians at Techroom only looked over what was necessary to get it charging again.
I emailed James about it after getting my computer re-​fixed and explained the situation, along with a service statement from the other tech service company. He recognized the situation, apologized, happily returning the $ 50 diagnostic fee that I initially paid. In short, I am glad to have come across such a praiseworthy business because everything could have been a nightmare but Techroom was helpful throughout the end. I have never experienced this type of honesty and customer service that I believe all the laudatory reviews on Unilocal are not enough to praise this business! Thank you James and all the technicians at Techroom!

They found the problem with my computer that others had told me was impossible to fix, they repaired it and I just wanted to be sure that others knew about there great service

Brought my computer in for repair after some accidental damage. Team there was knowledgable and responded in a timely manner.
Based on the damage, they could of taken advantage of the situation and made money off my repairs. Instead they were honest and recommended a replacement. It is nice to see a computer repair company put their customers first, and the wallets second.

Great Customer Service!!! Cheapest Price for Data Recovery I could find. Great with mac Products.
When my wife’s hard drive crashed I tried to get the data recovered from the apple store and they were unable to save the data. The Genius Bar at the apple store said a customer had a good experience with this place so I thought I’d give it a try, and I’m glad I did. I called several other tech shops and this place was indeed the best bang for my buck.
Also, I came in 10 minutes before closing on a Friday in desperate need to recover a file for a presentation on Monday morning. I explained my situation and they were able to recover the one file for me no problem, right there and then! They didn’t even charge me!
These guys are great, I highly recommend.

TechRoom was extremely helpful in recovering my harddrive from my failed laptop. They were extremely helpful, friendly, knowledgable, and transparent in laying out potential hurdles in recovering my files. As it turned out, they were able to recover my files successfully, in less time than they’d originally estimated. They made a difficult situation easy to handle, and I’m extremely grateful.

Took one of my macs in for a consultation and was very happy with the service and quick evaluation. They gave me a couple options.
Thanks tech room!

I had to get estimate for extended coverage from American Express because my dvd drive doesn’t work.
I had gotten a written quote from apple genius bar. They quote me of 160. I ask them are there anyway to determine that they are absolute that the replacing the dvd drive will fix it because i don’t want to give another estimate and and go thru insurance claim again. They say no, must replace the dvd drive first.
So i went to TechRoom because i have been there before. Told them that i had a price quote from apple genius bar telling me replace the dvd drive. I want TechRoom to determine for sure that replacing the dvd drive will solve and that i don’t have to go back insurance company telling them it didn’t fix it and start the new claim process again. I was quote 50 for complete diagnosis. I told them that is fine. After a day later, got a call telling me that i have to replace the dvd drive. I ask the technician, are you for sure, can you at least tell me the problem is not anything else. He said no, i have to replace the dvd drive first and then they can determine. I was like WTF, i pay 50 bucks for them to tell me what apple already told me? I ask him does that make sense? Guy still insist that i replace the dvd drive first and they can determine if the optical issue or not. I told the guy again, does that make sense? Apple already told me that i have to replace it and the reason i pay the 50 dollar was to tell me YUP. the problem is the dvd and nothing else. instead i got the same answer from apple. Guess what? Apple didn’t even charge the 50 for telling me that.
The real kicker is that the company want to charge me 250 to replace the dvd drive where apple charge 160. So let’s do the math, apple charge 160 and here they are charge 250 to do that same thing as apple does. Sorry i rather pay 160 for Apple to repair than these clown. I pay the 50 bucks and leave and vow never to come back to them ever again.
The other scary part is that they try to swipe my credit card and somehow the machine couldn’t read it. So he was able to retrieve my credit card on their system. That mean all employees can have access to customer credit data. That i believe is a violation of PCI compliance.

Love this place! I will come back if I have any future problems with any device!
Apple at fashion island referred me here after I had brought in my MacBook Pro because the screen was broken (my own fault). Apple had quoted me a super high price and I was devastated.
When I called TechRoom they said they couldn’t guarantee that they would be cheaper because they order the parts from apple, I took it in to them anyway to get quoted and it was close to $ 300 less which made me extremely happy.
They told me it could take up to 3 weeks to get the part because of a back order on stuff from apple, I took it in at the end of a Friday and they called me Monday morning saying they had gotten the part already which was amazing! And it only took them a day to replace the screen.

I had been referred here by an Apple employee as my daughters Apple laptop had some keys that were sticking and a few were missing. She was out of warranty. They did such an amazing job, replaced the whole keyboard within 3 days and the cost was so reasonable I could not believe it. I thought the people were very nice and patient. I will never forget what an awesome experience I had, the level of competance and the excellent work. As an IMac user myself I am beyond pleased and impressed. Highly recommend these guys.

When I called to make an appointment, whoever answered the phone at Tech Room didn’t even have the courtesy to inform me, before I packed up my computer and drove to their place of business, that it would take five business days just to run a diagnostic. That’s right… my computer would sit on their shelf until they got darn good and ready to look at it. When I expressed surprise that any business person could be without his/​her computer for five days, the tech person said, «It’s because of ‘who we are’ that Mac owners will wait that long. A diagnostic costs $ 50 but you can move to the head of the line for $ 300.» [So much for integrity.] We could easily work 12 – 14 hour days and still not be caught up.”
I don’t know who Tech Room thinks they are, but Apple thinks they’re one of numerous Apple-​certified service providers in Orange County. Apple’s requirements for certification of third party vendors are exacting. You would do just as well with any other Apple-​certified specialist – without your computer gathering dust on Tech Room’s shelf.
In fact, another Apple-​certified specialist recently moved into Tech Room’s territory, and I hope they will soon be eating Tech Room’s lunch. I couldn’t wait five days to be graced with Tech Room’s self-​proclaimed golden touch, so I took my computer to MacMall, a mere 10 miles north in Huntington Beach.
MacMall charges $ 95 for a diagnostic (credited to repair work, if any), but they completed the task in one day; the repairs (successfully) in one more day. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather drive ten miles farther down the road for timely service – without the bad attitude displayed by Tech Room.
I think many Mac owners who turn to Tech Room and put up with their insufferable attitude just don’t know that alternatives exist. Here are several more.

I’ve just read through several of the reviews, and I think it’s pretty apparent that many of the one star ratings are folks who barely understand computers or have the ability to take responsibility for their own mishaps.
My experience has definitely been a top notch one. Having watched Apple store geniuses devolve from real experts to hipster douchebags who «think» they know anything about computers, I’m VERY happy to find an alternative.
My Macbook Pro motherboard fried. I took it to the Apple store to be examined. The techs there told me it wasn’t my board, but a partial ROM install. This was definitely a load of crap, and having more than 25 years experience servicing all things Mac, I knew they were trying to skirt the issue of the board. I was going to let the Apple store send it off to wonderland when the guy realizes I had swapped out their crappy hard drive that died within a year. He then smiled and told me he couldn’t fix my computer, because I had replaced my old drive. Thanks Apple. Love you too. I kept the old drive, and could have easily put it back in, but then he gives me this little red card and says there is a place right down from my office in Costa Mesa that will fix my computer without the fascist attitude regarding foreign NON-​DEFECTIVE parts.
So I drive down, drop off my system. I tell them what I experienced, and within a couple business days, I get a new motherboard. Simple. The technician knew 10 times the amount of information than the wannabe morons you find in the Apple store today. I can’t vouch for PC repairs, but for Mac repairs, the process was simple and under warranty.

I’ve been coming here for a few years and I always refer Techroom. I’ve taken 3 separate computers here and they’ve helped me out greatly.
One on the my MacBooks had parts which were recalled and they fixed it for me for free (under the recall).
Staff is friendly and helpful. Greatly recommend for the Mac consumer.

I am forever grateful to the staff at Techroom for everything they did to help me! Long story short: I was working on my Macbook that I’d had for 13 months when it randomly just died on me. I wasn’t doing anything weird… it just completely stopped working and would not turn back on. I took it to the Apple store and the «genius» bar consultants were absolutely worthless and basically told me that my hard drive had crashed and they could not recover ANYTHING (sooo not impressed with their «geniuses»). Thankfully, they were able to refer me to the Techroom :)
I took my old hard drive there last week and received a phone call the following morning letting me know that they were able to recover EVERYTHING off my old drive. And it only cost me $ 125! I was expecting to have to pay a LOT more. Even better news — I could pick it up within 24 hours of dropping it off! I am forever grateful to Techroom for their amazing computer hard drive prowess, and for their extremely timely service. They were so humble and didn’t even seem to realize what angels they truly are… everyone with computer problems should take a trip to Techroom!

My Epson scanner was having some minor issues, so I called Epson and they referred me to Techroom. The guys over at Techroom were professional and always kept me updated with the progress of the work that they were doing. It did take a while for me to get my scanner back, but I was aware of the timeline within a day or two after I dropped it off (the part was backordered).
Bottom line is, I don’t know how much they cost normally, but they did very good work for repairing my product which was under warranty.