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my local computer/repair shop did a stupid thing

Nah, I didn't realise he was disabled. I don't frequent the forums enough any more.

He states he's disabled in the OP.

Glad the card is still working for you buddy as if you'd brought it back saying it wasn't working they probably wouldn't take any blame, by the sounds of the way they've put it back together warranty is most likely shot as well if it has any remaining.
 
Gareth, next time you need help with something and don't want to trust your PC with the local repair shop you should just post on here and see if anyone local is is available to have a look.

Plenty of far more skilled and helpful people on here than the local shops and most will work for a burger or a pint :)
 
So basically they're just another little dodgy independent computer shop, I'd have a word but then just mark it down to experience and not use them again.
I imagine there's plenty of people on here from around leicester that wouldn't mind helping you out doing quick jobs like that for a couple of beers.

This.

I'd say most of these independent shops are exactly the same; they exist solely to make a profit. It should not take nearly two hours to remove a graphics cooler and give the card a clean. You can guarantee others would be charged that aren't known personally to the people running the place.

These people are an absolute disgrace.
 
Show me a business that isn't in it to make a profit? Small businesses have to be sharper in order to stay in business. Whilst this doesn't excuse doing a shoddy job, which they seem to have done here, it's not as if they were charging the earth. End of the day, if they don't make a profit, they close, and then we're just left with online outlets and large hopeless retailers who charge the earth for any sort of support.
 
Show me a business that isn't in it to make a profit? Small businesses have to be sharper in order to stay in business. Whilst this doesn't excuse doing a shoddy job, which they seem to have done here, it's not as if they were charging the earth. End of the day, if they don't make a profit, they close, and then we're just left with online outlets and large hopeless retailers who charge the earth for any sort of support.

The only reason they didn't charge Gareth is because they know him. He said he's sold parts to them so they don't charge because they know he'll be back at some point. If they need to operate profitably to survive why didn't they charge him?

And a company doesn't need to be in profit to stay in business, there are more than you'd think that operate in the red and are more than surviving. Especially when they do shady deals.

Any company that buys a touch screen PC off someone for £60 claiming it to be knackered, then selling it on for £350 are, in my book, a disgrace. If the screen was so dirty that it stopped working, dirt would have been visible on it. They knew exactly what they were doing.
 
This.

I'd say most of these independent shops are exactly the same; they exist solely to make a profit. It should not take nearly two hours to remove a graphics cooler and give the card a clean. You can guarantee others would be charged that aren't known personally to the people running the place.

These people are an absolute disgrace.

Exactly, you could put together a full ststem and have windows up and running in that time. Assusiming there was no problems somewhere along the line.

2 hours to remove, clean and (incorrectly) re-assemble a gpu cooler is a ****take, whether they were getting paid in cash, McDonalds, beer whatever.
 
I co run a small shop like this, and thankfully I know what im doing. There are 3 other shops in town who undercut and would not know how to deal with high end hardware.

I guess the same goes for garages.... you have to know the person working on you're hardware and trust that they know what they are doing, or more to the point will double check before they do something new to them!

However if you asked the same of a purple shirt repair centre I dread to think how it would turn out!

I lose business due to not installing dodgy windows, and other software but I can sleep at night and get return custom due to not messing up!.... 7 years now and not one problem that caused an angry customer *touches wood*
 
just got back from town (4 hours in town with my carer sorted afew things) . I went in to the shop and seen one of the guys it looked shocked to see me back, I told him what happened and explained that the heat sink wasn't touching the gpu's due to the pads being to thick, and I said it very nearly killed the card, if I left it running another 10-15 seconds it would have killed it. he basically said he doesn't understand how that could happen, because he tightened all the screws up tight but I said the pads was stopping the heat sink making contact with the GPU's then I said when I told my mum to open the graphic card you could see it didn't make contact because there was no thermal compound on the heat sink side, it was still clean. then I told him what I had to get my mum to do, (remove the pads then put a little ocz freeze thermal compound on the ram, bridge, vrm's chips then close it) and then he was saying u shouldn't be using thermal compound on the ram, bridge, vrm's chips has it will damage it and unsafe. I just laughed and said what you did yesterday would have killed it within seconds and besides ocz freeze thermal compound is non-electrically conductive. then he said well he can order some thinner pads and if I bring the card back in to the shop he would put them on. but i'm thinking hmmm.
 
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I co run a small shop like this, and thankfully I know what im doing. There are 3 other shops in town who undercut and would not know how to deal with high end hardware.

I guess the same goes for garages.... you have to know the person working on you're hardware and trust that they know what they are doing, or more to the point will double check before they do something new to them!

However if you asked the same of a purple shirt repair centre I dread to think how it would turn out!

I lose business due to not installing dodgy windows, and other software but I can sleep at night and get return custom due to not messing up!.... 7 years now and not one problem that caused an angry customer *touches wood*


See, this is the type of shop I'd like to run/work in, instead I'm just doing a crappy apprenticeship and can't get hired anywhere yet I'm pretty confident in what I'm doing and have vastly superior knowledge to all 3 of the local stores.
 
I cant believe that he didn't test the card after working on it!? I mean he would have seen the problem in seconds after hearing the fans go mental speed. I always visually check the heatsink is touching, usually I apply a small amount of compound then sit the heatsink, be it cpu or gpu and tighten then undo and check the compound has spread... then clean and do it again with the correct amount etc.

In all honesty you rarely see anything other than brand boxes or laptops... you almost never get a machine with a gpu newer than 3 or 4 years old in a machine that gets brought in, usually because anyone with a high end machine knows how to fix it themselves.... so just working in a shop fixing pcs doesn't not mean you get to play with expensive stuff! unless its an outfit like ocuk that specifically caters for enthusiasts.
 
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Sorry to hear about that, Gareth, but at least it's all sorted now. Your Mum is ace for knowing how to sort out hardware problems. :cool:
thanks mate

yeah she's good by being my hands and listening what to do. but if I didn't tell her what to do, she would be lost..
 
In all honesty you rarely see anything other than brand boxes or laptops... you almost never get a machine with a gpu newer than 3 or 4 years old in a machine that gets brought in, usually because anyone with a high end machine knows how to fix it themselves.... so just working in a shop fixing pcs doesn't not mean you get to play with expensive stuff! unless its an outfit like ocuk that specifically caters for enthusiasts.

That wouldn't bother me.
Just working in a field I'm capable in and like and not ripping people off I'd be alright :p
 
I cant believe that he didn't test the card after working on it!?
no he didn't test it but I don't know if he had a powerful enough PSU there.

so just working in a shop fixing pcs doesn't not mean you get to play with expensive stuff! unless its an outfit like ocuk that specifically caters for enthusiasts.
I asked him before he even touched it, has he done this before with graphic cards, i.e opening them and cleaning them out and he said yes many times.
 
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Probably best to get someone off here to help next time m8 (at least someone with a fair bit of knowledge), and if no one local to you can sort it I'd be happy to make the trip and help :)
 
I co run a small shop like this, and thankfully I know what im doing. There are 3 other shops in town who undercut and would not know how to deal with high end hardware.

I guess the same goes for garages.... you have to know the person working on you're hardware and trust that they know what they are doing, or more to the point will double check before they do something new to them!

However if you asked the same of a purple shirt repair centre I dread to think how it would turn out!

I lose business due to not installing dodgy windows, and other software but I can sleep at night and get return custom due to not messing up!.... 7 years now and not one problem that caused an angry customer *touches wood*

We need more of your type in the PC industry, we really do.

I'm amazed how most of the dodgy retailers actually get away with it, though i've seen it first hand and it's all too easy for them to do I suppose. It's entirely possible for a small, independent PC retailer to not be shady, I just wish I had the cash to prove it around where I live.
 
I would just like to say what an amazing MUM you have :) poor thing must have been really nervous and nothing worse than someone overlooking what your doing.

You should nominate her for "MUM OF THE YEAR" AWARDS :D
 
I remember a few years back I applied to work in a store building gaming PC's. Got timed on how long it took me to build one and apparently I took too long and wouldn't be able to get through the workload, I was 10-15 minutes out from the guys who'd worked there years and their standard was worse, they were literally rushing through when I was watching them, they must have had quite a few returns.
 
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