Hello
I joined Dokuga a short time ago, and enjoy this site. But my computer crashed and I took it to a man that my friends recommended who fixes computers. He told me that my total cost would be $50 to repair my computer; that was our agreement. When he finally fixed it, he told me that I have to pay $200 or else he'll hold it until I pay. Since I never dealt with anything like this before, I don't know what to do. Is it legal for him to do such a thing?

I have to ask is the guy working for a PC Repair Shop or an Computer Outfit like an electronics store?

Your description is too vague. Generally if a person is fully qualified, as in they're a computer technician, than they are fully justified in charging you more than $50, saying that they're supposed to tell you the base charge per hour of any labour work they will do while checking your PC.

You will always pay more than $50 dollars for this service. Depending on where you are in the world the charge can be from 25 to 75 dollars per hour just to check your PC to identify what the problem(s) could be.

And that's without fixing anything too.

If they find a problem or problems than for example if you need replacement parts for your PC, dependent on what it is (e.g. a new PC CPU Unit), you can expect to pay for a new unit, and for the labour to put it inside your PC.

And that's if it is replaceable. My own PC last year for example had problems overheating because of a blocked cooling fan. I didn't figure that out until I checked it myself. That being said I have a base degree in IT and I'm familiar with taking PCs apart and diagnosing problems and fixing them. I don't need to go to a computer technician.

In the end after the overheating could have damaged other units inside I cut the cost by buying a new PC which can be cheaper than repairing the old one.

The base cost for a powersupply unit for example, dependent on the make and model, can range from 300 to 450 to 500 dollars.

It can get quite expensive.

~ Pyre

Thank You for that information, I really didn't know that.
And I'm sorry for my description being vague... When my computer crash, I took it to the man and I asked straight up how much will it cost. He told me $50 and my friend who recommended him said he doesn't charge a lot. I don't mind paying, I just thought it was iffy to change the price at the last minute before pickup.
Again Thank You very much

I had a similar problem with my laptop. I'm not sure if it crashed or what. I was just using it one day and it turned off in my face and refused to turn back on. I took it in to best buy to the Geek Squad a while later to see if it could be fixed, and after examining it they told me it would cost between $600 and $700 to fix it. I was like forget that! I could buy a brand new laptop with all the accessories for that price, which is exactly what I did. It even cost a lot to have some of the data from the old laptop transferred to the new one.
So I don't know about this guy who told you $50 would be the cost. I wonder if he was qualified.

Not a problem. Do be careful though. If he said the cost was $50 dollars please to ask him to clarify what that cost covers. You need to ask him what the $200 dollars was for too. He should tell you without being dodgy. It should be an honest answer. If he tries to add on additional costs without explaining to you why they're neccessary than do not under any circumstances pay him.

He's fleecing you.

Any qualified IT practicioner, especially one that regularly fixes PCs, should be straight forward, honest, and be able to explain what is wrong with your PC, and how much it will cost you to fix it.

They should not be saying "It costs this many $ more. You need to pay it before I do anything".

No.

He's being unprofessional, and you as the customer have a right not to pay him. It is your money. He may have checked it, yes, but he needs to be honest about what is wrong with it, and what needs to be done to fix it.

Period.

If you feel under pressure or uncomfortable take someone you trust with you the next time you see him.

It's always good to have that extra personal support there with you.

~ Pyre

Thank You, both of you
I will follow your advices. Tomorrow I'm taking someone there with me, and asking pacifically what's wrong with my computer and what are his qualifications.
I'm taking this as a life lesson to be more careful next time. Again thank you for the advice. This is my first time dealing with such a situation, I'm ashamed to say how clueless and confuse I've been. I can not thank you two enough.

Storygoddess21 wrote:
Thank You, both of you
I will follow your advices. Tomorrow I'm taking someone there with me, and asking pacifically what's wrong with my computer and what are his qualifications.
I'm taking this as a life lesson to be more careful next time. Again thank you for the advice. This is my first time dealing with such a situation, I'm ashamed to say how clueless and confuse I've been. I can not thank you two enough.

Hey!

Don't be ashamed! It's totally okay.

I know how you feel.

It's a huge headache and a major worry especially when you're not sure about how to resolve any kind of technical problem, or how much things would and should cost to get it fixed.

I had nightmares about my last PC if I went to a PC Repair Shop to get it fixed. All I could think was 'It's gonna cost alot of $'. I had to go a year without a PC too and no internet. I was so sad. XD. It's seems really trivial now. LOL!

Chin up!

And good for you.

You'll figure it out too.

~ Pyre

Storygoddess21 wrote:
Thank You, both of you
I will follow your advices. Tomorrow I'm taking someone there with me, and asking pacifically what's wrong with my computer and what are his qualifications.
I'm taking this as a life lesson to be more careful next time. Again thank you for the advice. This is my first time dealing with such a situation, I'm ashamed to say how clueless and confuse I've been. I can not thank you two enough.
I'm glad my experience could help you in some way. And no need to feel ashamed. It happens, that's what asking advice is for. Not to mention what the professional technicians are for when it comes to computers. I hope things work out for you.

I hope your situation gets resolved without issue!!! I have, myself, been in a similar situation, to a degree, and have learned much from it myself.

Early on, when I first got into computers and gaming, I wanted to get a gaming laptop custom built for me. I got it done at an actual "reputable" computer shop. At the time, the cost the shop charged me to have it built and the cost of buying one with similar capabilities were vastly different. It was so much cheaper to have it built! Mind you, I sat with the sales person and handpicked each component. When I got the laptop, I loved it at first, but soon it started giving me issues. I took it back to the shop to have it looked at and found that what was in my machine WAS NOT what I had picked out. I had been foolish enough to not check over my purchase. In the days of SATA drives, I found I had an obsolete IDE drive. I was pissed and wanted a refund or rebuild. The shop closed its doors before a resolution was had. Since then, I gained in knowledge and experience and am capable of building and fixing computers, both hardware and software.

So I do hope that you get your computer back without it coming to a further problem, but know that you can move forward and make lemons out of lemonade. A fool who learns today is wiser on the morrow.

Little builders tip in case of a next time: computers ARE not as expensive as before, but if you learn how do to it yourself or have a friend who is knowledgeable, buy either a barebones kit or upgradeable system. I'd stay away from Compaqs, Toshibas or Sonys for laptops. Apple brand, works very well, but too overpriced and not upgradeable or easily part fixable. This way, if stuff goes bad, you can just switch out components, instead of a large overhaul. Or, if you can, wait until Cyber Monday in Nov. Got a gaming laptop on markdown for $300 and it's a beauty. In fact, this computer I'm using just fried its video card the other day, swapped it out in 15 mins and back online. No trip to a computer store needed. You can just buy parts online, if you have another way to get there, from a reputable site like Newegg or Tigerdirect.

Good Luck to you!!