CompUSA I lost my business due to their negligence San Marcos California

Deb,
I agree with you as far as the customer's responsibility to back-up their data religously. Absolutely!!! Without a doubt!

We all hope that we have a pristine current back up just before the computer dies...

Fortunately for me, my daughter bought me one of those keychain hard drives for my birthday. The day after I transfered 2 years worth of college papers onto it the hard drive on my lap top died. It wasn't my only back up... but thank God it now has everything on it.

A professional technician would be aware of the consequences of the actions he would be taking on a computer. Replacing the motherboard/cpu, video card, RAM or anything else along those lines would not hurt the data on the hard drive.

Any work done on the hard drive should only be done after consulting with the customer.

I would explain if the operating system was corrupted or the hard drive possibly being bad. Before reloading the operating system or reformatting the hard drive I would give the customer some options.

There are companies out there that specialize in retrieving data from defective hard drives. If I suspected the hard drive I would recommend replacing the hard drive and having the customer send his defective hard drive out to get the data off of it.

Computers are a unique equipment. It isn't often where the cost of the equipment is the smaller value of the appliance. Therefore, foremost in the mind of the tech should be a way to preserve the data. They are the specialists and should be fully aware of the consequences of their actions to the value of the customer's data.

Therefore, even though a person is wrong to not back up... I would hope that the person servicing the computer would be an exceptional technical and responsible person and work with the customer to come up with imaginative solutions.

A rule of thumb, such as it is the user's fault for not backing up his data makes it easy for another person to become lazy and uncaring... because he can blame the customer. Shrug his shoulders and not go the extra bit.

I think that is where a professional consutant comes in. Someone with experience with business computers versus gaming computers.

Thanks,

To All,
I have to agree, the experience of the technician is very important. Especially since the data can often be 100's or even 1000's of times more valuable then the cost of the computer. Some young guys may think that it is simply a matter of the customer re-installing the games on the computer. No biggie.

A good computer consultant (i.e. approx. $65 an hour) is usually very aware of the value of what is on the hard drive and makes that their most important concern.

There is a lack of trust between store's salesmen and consumers. Is that DVD burner really necessary or just a way to jack up the price? Luckily most computers now days come with one.

It is also very important to have a back up protocol in place... this can be a problem where computers are bought at major retailers for a business that doesn't have an IT department.

I know that it has been a couple of years since this report was posted... do they even have CompUSA's any more?

ABOVE ALL ELSE... remember, for a business, the hardware is the cheapest cost of a computer! Look for professional help with them.

Thanks,

It is your responsibility as a business owner to back up your data files on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. Shame on you for blaming CompUSA for your own negligence. It is not their responsibility to do a back up on your computer prior to doing work on it. When I send in my own personal PC for ANY type of work, I do a complete system backup just in case. Shame on you!!!

The problems with CompUSA techs are as follows:

Generally techs that CompUSA employ are fresh out of school and are working towards their certs, with no real experience. They are paid close to minimum wage and are "pushed" to sell extras to the customer (which they earn a percentage of) and work usually 10 hour days. Also, there are sales and service quotas to meet(which the job hinges on).

If you or your company needs computer service do yourself a favor and stay away from chains

I have owned and operated several computer businesses before I was disabled in the beginning of 2004. Your machine sounded misdiagnosed in the beginning, but they did find the problem with the hardware.

Now here is where Nate screwed up.

Any good tech knows that when you are running a computer with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, and change the motherboard which most likely has a newer chipset, you will get errors when you try to boot the computer afterward. This sounds like what made Nate think the first motherboard was faulty. Now your data was safe at this point. He most likely changed the motherboard (again) to find the same errors. An inexperienced technician would at that point erase and reinstall Windows, not knowing there are ways to fix the issue because of inexperience or negligence. He sounded like he tried to cover his tracks and play "dumb". All technicians are fully aware of the potential damages of data loss.

SHAME ON YOU TOO!!! Any business that does not back up their data regularly deserves the fate you incurred. Let this be a hard lesson. If it is not too late and you still have the drive, you may be able to recover some of the data on that drive. Depending if Nate was lazy and performed a "quick" format when reinstalling. Hope the best.

The guy that fixes what you can't.

I would just like to state - while I understand your frustation and it sounds like the employee broke company policy of notifying the customer before erasing any data or restoring the system to avoid exactly this type of situation, I would like to point out a few things -
First - all of the items suggested to you, are appropriate, and should be "must have's" for any consumer, business or personal. I am referring to the Anti-Virus, Firewall, and Battery Backup.
Secondly - It is, and should be - the business or individual's responsibility to have ALL of their date backed up, regularly. This can be a daily, or even a weekly - but if it is for busienss use - the more often the better. What if instead of a RAM/Motherboard issue, this had been a dead hard drive - you would still have been out your data, and no one but you would have been responsible.
Thirdly - I suggest to ALL consumers - ALWAYS back up data before you take your computer into ANY shop. If you had read the service agreement that you signed when you checked it in, there is a paragraph right above where you sign that SPECIFICALLY states - Data is the responsibility of the customer, and that, due to the nature of electronic's is alway's subject to being lost or destroyed.

Last, I would like to point out that the consumer should have sent a complaint letter to the Corporate Office - 14951 North Dallas Parkway, Dalla TX 75254 to let them be aware of the incident, as well as to CompTIA - the organization responsible for certifying technicians. CompUSA employ's A+ technicians and works with CompTIA to post A+ certified techs within the store.

Be smart - protect your computer, protect your data RELIGIOUSLY!!!