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Computer Courage
Rating Details »
Categories: IT Services & Computer Repair, Web Design [Edit]
Neighborhood: North Berkeley1700 Martin Luther King Jr Way
(between Francisco St & Virginia St)
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 525-2226
Free Business Consultation
Free consultation for qualifying businesses. Give us a call today to learn more about our offer.
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
10 reviews for Computer Courage
Brought in my desktop and laptop for repair. Desktop had a nasty virus on it and I thought the charger input on the laptop was bad.
Fixed up my desktop beautifully and Beth gave me some great pointers on how to keep it running fast all the time.
Turns out the power cable for the laptop was bad so they helped me order a replacement.
The folks who work there are pretty friendly and didn't talk me to like I was an idiot (although when it comes to computers, I pretty much am!).
I hopefully will not need their services again, but if my computers go on the fritz, I'll be knocking on their door.
Computer Courage to the rescue - My girlfriend and I have now used Computer Courage twice, and have been more than satisfied each time.
Our first experience with Computer Courage was short and sweet. My girlfriend's Mac was having wireless problems - it couldn't pick up wireless networks. We first took it to the Apple store, who wanted to charge $400 to resolve the problem! They gave us a confusing answer and didn't actually open up the computer to see what was wrong. I had a hunch there was an easier way.
We brought the PowerBook to Computer Courage where the businesses owner (Adam) offered us his immediate attention. Instead of discussing large fees, Adam just opened the computer up to take a look. Within 3 minutes, he popped the wireless card out and just pushed it back in, suggesting it might have been a loose connection. Adam then booted the laptop up, checked the connections (twice), gave us a bunch of advice about wireless security and what to do if the problem returned, and sent us on our way for $25!
Then lightning struck twice. Two days later own PC laptop started to give me problems. It slowed down, and suspicious "virus removal" messages started popping up. Within a week, I couldn't even boot the machine. I called Computer Courage and they told me to just bring it on in.
They asked me a series of simple questions to determine the problem. It turns out they have two ways of solving problems like this - the "bandaid" and the "surgery". Essentially, the bandaid can handle most but not all troublesome situations. The surgery is a simple, fixed price service that handles almost any computer problem you could have. The Computer Courage team walked me through my options, explaining clearly what they thought was wrong with my computer, and discussing the pros and cons of both solutions. They spent at least 20 minutes with me before I made any commitment.
In the end, I opted for the "surgery". It costs a little more but has numerous advantages, including the fact that my computer now runs faster than it did when I bought it. They saved all of my data, including my school work and my pictures, and had the computer back to me in 2 days, for $250. Also- I didnt know you that free anti-virus software exists. I had been paying too much for Norton for years.
I can't say enough good things about Computer Courage and I recommend them to all the Yelpers out there.
So the reason I made it to Friday in one piece this week is because of Computer Courage.
On Monday morning I went into my office, pushed the big on button on my desktop, and started to make my daily cereal and tea. Oddly, my dear desktop did not begin to sing it's little Bill Gate/Microsoft song.
Uh, oh.
Within a twenty minutes my dear tech-savvy friend had arrived to find me eating raisin brain and attempting to cope with the fact my professional life in a box was not turning on. He opened it up, found lava-like dust, and dangling heat sinks. Heat sinks? How about my heart sinks?
Before he could begin explaining my options, I began to freak out. I needed my data. My data...............
So, three hours later, (Yes sometimes you just have to give up and go to lunch with people that love you when your computer doesn't wake up on Monday morning.) , I was led by Yelp to the multiple reviews of beleaguered thesis and paper writers as well as regular Berkeley folks that had already found Computer Courage.
I called at 4:45PM and then actually received a call back at 4:57PM from the phenomenal Beth. She told me CC could come to me, or I could come to them in the AM. She told me everything was going to be okay. Ah, I went home and went to sleep. I could not even make eye contact with my desktop.
The next morning I jumped out of bed and took my desktop to CC at MLK and Virgina (Bonus points for being in the neighborhood of my beloved Montessori elementary school as well as for having a SUPER diverse staff of techies--- yes so diverse, I, a Berkeley-borne and raised person, was impressed.). Beth told me it was okay to put the desktop down. (Yes, I was literally clutching it too my chest.) She said it maybe the power supply or the mother board and CC would call me as soon as they knew.
The next day I just happened to be in the neighborhood at the BAR office. I stopped by and found Adam sitting with my dear desktop's remains. He reported the motherboard was melted, BUT the data was alright!
Oh yeah! My data! My data! My data! (I promise, I promise I will back up for the rest of my life!)
He popped it into a case. Barely flinched when I started writing notes on his business card and laughed at my joke that I could now store my data under my pillow. Little does he know.........
I was able to pay with VISA---their first official customer to charge it, arrange for the remnants of my dear desktop to be reused/recycled, and on my way in less than 24 hours. That' what I am talking about.
All I can say is TGIF and TG for CC.
I recently received a refund of my $100.00 from the business owner. He agreed that he had not fixed the primary problem that prompted me to look for assistance. Apparently there was a miss communications concerning my expectations
Comment from Adam S. of
Computer Courage
9/24/2009
Computer Courage works hard to satisfy all of our customers.…
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Adam is simply the best! Knowledgeable, friendly, and professional, I wouldn't take my computer anywhere else!
Currently, I am a student at Cal writing my senior thesis, and when my computer completely crashed the other day, I tried not to panic as I believed my work and all my data was gone. After seeing all the rave reviews on Yelp, I took my computer to Adam at Computer Courage, and he and his staff totally live up to all the praise!
Adam not only did a complete operating system restore, he managed to save all my data and put it back on my computer for me! I'm talking my thesis paper (Hallelujah!), iTunes, pictures, all my Microsoft office files, outlook, and internet faves. When I went to pick my computer up, he took the time to go through and explain the services he performed on my computer, as well as ways to keep it safe in the future. And for someone like me who isn't that computer savvy, it was really great.
Seriously, if you're a CAL student, or anyone for that matter, who runs into a computer problem, large or small, Computer Courage is the place to go!
I'm a grad student at Cal. I'm always working on several papers simultaneously. Last week, my laptop totally crashed. Like I had never experienced before. I had no idea what to do....
I know Yelp has gotten some questionable press lately, but what is a girl to do when needing a computer repair person, wanting someone reliable and affordable?! They had great reviews on here, so I called immediately.
Adam, the president/ technician extraordinaire, answered my call and talked me through some possible issues, then told me he could work on my laptop that day if I brought it in and possibly have it back to me by the end of the day. THAT VERY SAME DAY!! He gave me several options, explaining each as he went and answering all of my questions. The "band-aid" and the "surgery" were presented. I opted for the surgery because I just wanted it fixed and done with, for the problem to disappear forever. He guaranteed he could save my data with either option (not only my academic work, but thousands of photographs and hundreds of mp3s).
My computer gave him trouble. As Adam put it, they'd never seen a computer that far gone come back to life. But bring it back to life, they did. ALL my data was recovered, it runs faster than ever, and Adam walked me through some additional programs he added for free to keep my computer in tip-top shape. All in all, it cost $250 bucks. The band-aid would have been a cheaper way to go, ($50 to $150, he estimated), but even though I'm a pretty frugal student, the surgery was money well spent. Especially when I consider my sister - several years ago she paid several times that to get her data off her computer when it crashed.
Lastly, even though I got some laughs, Adam agreed to write a "doctor's note" upon the request of one of my professors, who agreed not to dock me points for turning in a paper late because I was having computer issues.
I would firmly recommend Computer Courage to anyone who needs help...
One of our computers at the gallery died a quick, unexpected death over the weekend. Sad, but these guys rocked! All data saved thanks to David and Adam. They are very reasonably priced and were so easy to work with. We have a few things to tighten in the office and plan on working with this neighborhood biz again. They have a lot to offer!
Thanks again!!
I have been lamenting the death of customer service to my friends and family for many years now but in this small corner of the world I've found it's still alive and well. Thanks so much to Adam, Beth and everyone at Computer Courage.
I sat down at my desk one day last week and much to my chagrin my 3 year old laptop failed to boot up. I used my Blackberry to search Yelp for nearby computer support (having had a bad experience with Best Buy about a year ago) and up came Computer Courage with all it's glowing reviews and within "spitting distance" of my home no less. When I took my machine in to the office I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. After I described the problem, Adam spent time with me explaining the potential causes and the choices we had in moving forward. He really made sure I was fully informed and engaged me in the decision making process. Throughout the repair process Beth called to keep me updated and collect relevant information. After little more than a day with my machine Computer Courage had it back to me and running faster and better than when it was new. Adam even took 15 minutes with me to explain everything that he had done and why before I took my machine home. I would strongly recommend Computer Courage to anyone looking for IS/IT/Computer Repair Services. They are fast, efficient, courteous and reasonably priced. What more can you ask for from any service provider?
My half year old computer recently developed an irritating noise like an airplane engine. I poked around inside and figured the fan in the power supply was the culprit. I had replaced a power supply before, but all those leads coming out and going every which on this computer was too challenging.
I called Computer Courage; Adam answered the phone and told me to bring in the computer. As I requested, Adam worked on the computer while I waited. He observed his company motto, "Making Technology Make Sense", by explaining what he was doing and why. Even though other problems were discovered during the repair process, Adam only charged me what he quoted for the intial problem.
I recommend Computer Courage for computer repair.
Best in the business. My wife and I are Computer Terrified, and after spending too much money on terrible customer service, we discovered Computer Courage. We've used their services every time we have a question or trouble. If they take 20 minutes, they charge 1/3 and hour. Awesome. Affordable. My wife and I are both self-employed, and we've figured out it's ALWAYS better to pay Computer Courage to solve a problem than stress over it ourselves. I never have to worry about my computer again. These are all young guys, courteous, and they give me hope for the future of small businesses.
