Column:

Local computer repair shop trumps Tiger Tech

By Spencer Engel

Published Oct. 24, 2008

Dear local computer business MacXprts,

As a Mac laptop, I've been through a lot the past three years. My dumbass owner spilled water all over my white skin during my first semester at MU - I'd never felt so violated in my life. I couldn't start, my charger wouldn't even communicate with me and, even worse, Tiger Tech refused to fix me for less than $800. Luckily, my owner heard about your wonderful computer business through the grapevine. He heard that you guys sold Apple merchandise, computers, accessories and that your specialty was fixing ailing computers.

I rode in the passenger seat to my appointment with you guys and you said the prognosis wasn't good. My hard drive was fried and the battery was ruined too. However, you gave me back to my owner a week later with a new battery, a new hard drive and charged only $250. I felt great and on the 15-minute trip back to campus, my owner promised me nothing like this would ever happen to me again.  My components and wires inside smiled.

Unfortunately, my owner broke his promise almost exactly a year later. He was on the Internet checking fantasy football and NFL scores when his friends suggested they go out to eat. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I was feeling good - until I realized my owner left me on the futon instead of my normal spot on the shelf. I became very nervous, but eventually calmed down when I checked my surroundings and realized I would be OK. Only I didn't see the half-full, uncapped bottle of water sitting in front of the full-speed fan on the TV tray to the right of me. Sure enough, the water spilled all over me.

My horrified owner, instead of learning his lesson from a year ago and drying out the hard drive for a while, panicked and tried turning me on three consecutive times before realizing I was most likely toast. This time, Tiger Tech was out of the question and I went straight to you guys. My devastated owner thought he would be at least $800 poorer when he heard the initial diagnosis. This time, you guys kept me for two weeks and my owner was sure he would be bankrupt after he paid the bill.

My owner walked in to pick me up and was amazed that you guys had actually charged just less than $1,000. Right before my owner slipped into a catatonic state, he noticed that you guys had actually gone out of your way to cover all repairs under warranty and you managed to recover all my data. If I were human, I would've shaken every repairman's hand.

So when I once again was on the fritz two weeks ago, my owner didn't even think twice about taking me to your business located at 2001 Corona Road. This time, my problems weren't my owner's fault. I'm just getting old. My battery lasts only about an hour before dying. Sometimes I don't start up after not being used for a while. I have bumps, bruises and dirt all over myself. It was no surprise that my hard drive simply stopped working. This time, my owner was prepared for the loss of all my data so it wasn't a big deal that my hard drive couldn't be recovered. My owner's dad had the foresight to buy me an extended warranty after my first incident so my owner paid no charge. However, the care you guys have provided me is priceless. Thank you MacXprts.

Sincerely,

Spencer Engel's laptop

P.S. I probably haven't seen the last of you.