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Pham Computers Reviews (1)

Review: I brought my laptop to Pham Computers as it had presented with issues to the display. While at home I performed rudimentary checks myself and identified that everything bar the LCD monitor was in working order. I had used an external monitor to verify an outgoing signal and additionally, the in-built screen was still displaying but with no backlight and was visible when shining an exterior light source onto the screen.

I took the laptop to Pham on approximately 08/28/2013 and communicated to the person behind the desk that it was a display issue and mentioned the possibility of a lose connection due to travel and dropping. I also ensured to communicate that I had tested the graphics card by setting to display through an external monitor. I was told to expect a phone call to keep me updated the following day. I paid $60 in an up-front charge for the first hour's work.

On 08/29/13 I returned to Pham Computers having received no phone call and was told there was a waiting list and my laptop would not be looked over until Saturday at the earliest. I spoke directly to the technician and made sure to relay that I had done my own checks and that it was a problem with the display itself. I reiterated the possibility of a loose connection.

On 09/03/13 I received a phone call from Pham informing me that the checks were complete and that my monitor was faulty. As a result, I would need to buy a new monitor which Pham would then install for me. I went the same day to collect my laptop and was told there was an additional $61 dollars to pay. I questioned what had been done to take two hours' worth of labor: from some fleeting glances at the work sheet, it seemed that a number of software checks, including a full scan using AVG anti-virus software that was already installed, had been performed: this I could have done myself and would see no reason to pay for a technician to run an automated scan that requires no supervision. I said that I saw no reason for this to have been done, nor for me to pay for it. The attendant (who I believe may have been the owner /manager) called the technician and left the store to make the phone call, taking the work sheet with him. When he returned, he finished the call in the back room before returning to me, making comments about how it had been a waste of time and that it had been fixed. He did not answer me as to whether the computer had been taken apart or accede to my request to further scrutinise the record of work. He did, however, waive the outstanding $61 and I was extremely grateful for this. Nevertheless, I was wary about the service I had received and the same day went to [redacted] and purchased tools.

On 09/04/13 I disassembled my laptop at home, ultimately removing the screen to check the connection behind it. I discovered that the connection was indeed loose, despite being told the screen itself was faulty and I would require a new one. After having pushed the connector back in, my laptop is once again fully functional. Now extremely dissatisfied with having paid $60 for a misdiagnosis, I returned to Pham in person and communicated that after a relatively small amount of time I had resolved the problem myself. I asked what work had actually been done and was told that software checks had been conducted, including virus checks, and a hardware check to confirm there were no conflict issues. It was admitted that at no point had the actual hardware been checked through disassembly as this would require "three hours up-front" to check all hardware components and this was a simply a checkover. I asked for a refund as I could not discern any work done that would require actual man-hours and ultimately my issue had not been resolved. The technician said that he could not remember me mentioning a loose connection but did not dispute me telling him I had done checks of my own: why, then, was anything that was done necessary at all? Surely it would have been reasonable to check the monitor hardware itself, even if he could not remember me having mentioned a loose connection as without this, his advice to obtain a new screen was flawed. He became increasingly irate as the conversation continued until I thanked him and his colleague for their time and left.Desired Settlement: Full or at least partial refund

Business

Response:

September 16, 2013

Dear Sir or Madam:

Upon investigation of the incident in question it was found that the customer’s laptop was dropped off for service on 8/28/13 with the description “Customer believes that the backlight is defective on the laptop. Can get video on an external monitor” with no specific mention about an internal connection. In accordance with our store policy, the pre-payment of our minimum service charge of 1 hour was paid at our service rate of $60 per hour. This charge is clearly marked on signage at the point of check-in as follows... “First hour service includes hardware diagnostic (hard drive and memory tests) and is non-refundabie”.

Once on the bench for diagnostic it appeared that the backlight was indeed not functioning properly on the laptop, which is a common problem with laptop screens. The technicians performed tests on the hard drive and memory which are automatically done on all PCs/laptops in for service to rule out issues related to memory errors or corrupt files, both of which could affect the display functions of the laptop. In addition any available security or antivirus updates are always checked and installed if available. After properly updating the customer’s previously installed AVG Antivirus, (9) virus issues were found and removed from the laptop. Due to the fact that most root-kit viruses attach themselves to device drivers and can disable the associated device this prompted the technician to run two additional scans with other software resulting in the removal of an additional (14) virus issues from the laptop.

At this point it was determined that the backlight appeared to be defective and to be properly fixed the laptop would need to be disassembled to replace the LCD screen (which the backlight is a part of). This LCD screen is not an item that is carried or sold by Pham Computers and the customer was contacted, at which point it was explained that in order to replace the screen he would need to acquire the part directly from the laptop manufacturer which we could then install once it was received. It was also explained that the service involved with disassembling a laptop to replace a screen is typically a minimum of two hours of service.

The customer did not wish to pursue the advised action and came in and checked the laptop out. At check-out the customer disputed the additional charges that were applied to the service ticket for time spent on the virus checks, which did result in the removal of multiple unrelated issues from the laptop, as well as the hardware tests that he felt were unnecessary. After checking with management the employee performing the check-out politely waived the additional $61.00 charge beyond the non-refundabie first hour bench fee of and the customer left with their laptop.

Several days later the customer returned to the store explaining that he had then went out and purchased tools (a screwdriver) and had disassembled the laptop on his own and gotten the screen functioning again and demanding refund of the additional ($60 prepay) service charges he paid. The store manager was in at the time and explained that the first hour of service was non-refundabie and attempted to explain the reasoning behind the service performed, at which point the customer left the store.

Sincerely,

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Description: Computers - Dealers

Address: 1545 Oregon Pike, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States, 17601

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