Imaginet Computers - Bristol, CT

My complaint is regarding a transaction I just had with Imaginet Computers (899 Farmington Ave, Bristol, CT). I took my laptop there based on a recommendation from a colleague at work. The colleague had the same problem that I had (loose input jack). He told me that Imaginet charged him about $80 to fix that problem. So I proceeded to call them and told them that the reason I was contacting them is the price. I told them that I was anticipating a similar charge. They never expressed that - for that kind of work - the price was too low. Well, not until they provided me with the "quote". That was after I dropped it off (which committed me to the diagnostic charge of $45), it sat someone's desk for about a week and a total price was worked up. That price was $361. Talk about sticker shock. After discussing the price with the guy on the phone, I quickly found out that that included a new power adapter. The one I had was only a few months old. So the price would come down to $261. A price that was still too high for me. I had purchased this laptop for $600 and now it's worth a couple of hundred, if even. So, I asked about my expected $80. They proceeded to tell me that there was no way they could do this job for that much. So it left me wondering why they never told that before. I can see if the quote was just over $80 or even twice that, but three times ?? They refused to work with me on the diagnostic charge. I had to pay it.

If it ended there, I would not have got to the point of writing this complaint. What happened is that I proceeded to repair the laptop myself at a cost of $20 (the cost of the jack). And, guess what?, I never had to change the power adapter. So, the diagnostic charge that I paid for provided me with the wrong diagnostics (more accurately, NO diagnostics). This left me feeling that this place was just "throwing parts at the problem". And, of course, if you change enough parts, things will work eventually. Bottom line is that I was not impressed with their diagnostics ability nor their customer service skills. I don't even know why they charged me diagnostics. I told them what needed to be done when I dropped off the laptop. As I told the guy, you got me once and you got $45. But you'll never get another penny from me ever again. Had they had better customer service and diagnostics, I would have spent more this time (up to $150) and I would have gone back. I believe that $120 is reasonable. I tried to persuade the guy that it made sense. Take the cost of the part ($20) and double it (100% mark-up). Add to that 1 hour of labor at $80 per hour. This adds up to $120. I have no experience in laptop repair, and it took me less than an hour to repair it myself.

Don't get caught by this establishment like I did. Anybody can throw parts at things. Only smart places give you good diagnostics. Go to a smarter place where you can get your money's worth.