Seattle Laptop

About a year ago I brought my laptop, with the LCD screen functioning intermittently, to Seattle Laptop for repair. I called around before, and chose Seattle Laptop for this because they told me they had some trick equipment that could repair any loose mainboard connections for the graphics card.
After the laptop sat on the shelf for a week awaiting its turn in line, they fired it up and the screen was working. Instead of determining what might be causing the intermittent function, they performed antivirus and malware cleaning (that I did not request) and charged me over a hundred dollars for that work. They advised me that if the screen stopped working again, I would be better off to junk the computer.
When I brought the computer home, the screen stopped working again. I believed what they told me about the screen, so I just put the computer away and bought another one.
Yesterday, I decided to take my computer apart and see if I could determine what was wrong. After removing the keyboard and the front plate, I saw that the ribbon cable for the LCD screen was slightly dislodged from its connector. I reinserted the cable firmly into the connector and the screen functions again.
Ironically, I paid Seattle Laptop a few hundred dollars a couple years earlier to replace the LCD screen, and they are the ones who initially inserted that ribbon cable into the connector.
When a customer describes symptoms such as those I described, an energetic, curious and interested repair company ought to do more exploring than simply turning on the computer and seeing that the screen works at that moment. Seattle Laptop once had a great reputation, but I think they’ve lost interest in doing first rate work. I will definitely look elsewhere next time I need a laptop repair.
Finally, after I removed the keyboard and its surrounding cover, I noticed that one of the screws that holds the left side screen hinge was missing. Evidently Seattle Laptop lost that screw when they replaced the LCD screen and didn’t bother to install a replacement. Reinstalling all removed fasteners is basic.
Take your laptop elsewhere, people.

Good products, though a series of snide comments came out of the gentleman which caused great concern about the customer care. Felt like more about making money than caring about customers.

I had to buy a basic Windows laptop to run some lightweight software. I got a great deal ($ 220!). The computer came wiped of all the OEM junk, ready to go. All the stock they had out were shown working on battery power. I said I needed a little more on the memory side, he threw in an extra 1gb of ram. I bought a monitor for another purpose for $ 30, another great deal.
I used to do this work for a living many years ago, and I appreciate the state they sold the machine in. Just a great humble shop stocking nicely refreshed computers in a very sellable condition.
I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a cheap, usable used computer.

My husband came home from Seattle Laptop and said, «Our new best friends.» It was one day after I went in (desperate, what else) and brandished an old Macbook and left 15 minutes later with confirmation (after ruling out something simpler) that the hard drive was dying and a younger refurbished Macbook ($ 350) later. The next day my husband went to have a hard drive wiped in preparation for the transfer they’d explained to me. He expected a quote but minutes later the tech returned and said, «Done.» No, no charge. So yes there’s a place that carries Macs and PCs, that can answer your questions right away and if «it» can’t be fixed they can point you to what you want to be as close or far from what you had. You can go from desperate to saved in 15 minutes. «Our new best friends.»

Blended review (5 star for one experience a few years ago and 2 stars for recent visit).
First, they rescued a laptop and extracted all needed data — that was several years ago — 5 stars for that experience.
More recently, I took a laptop in to be wiped clean so I could give it to a relative of mine, a data back-​up and installation of MS Office. I was very clear upon drop-​off what I wanted. The intake tech and I even had a discussion about whether I had the email with the security key for the Office suite — I said «no» but he said he found it on a sticker on the side of the adaptor.
I dropped it off on a Saturday and was told it would be ready in about week. I received a call more than a week and half later asking me a question about what was to be done so they hadn’t even started working on it yet. I needed it two days later and it was ready by then.
When I arrived to pick it up I was told that it would take about 20 minutes to transfer the backed-​up data — no had told me this before and I didn’t have 20 minutes to wait. Very poor communication on their part.
Also, the Office suite I had on the computer beforehand was not activated. Then the tech proceeded to speak condescendingly to me about how I must have misunderstood that Windows and Office are two different things — really? When I told him in knew the difference between the two and that I had specifically discussed Office with the other tech, he proceeded to argue with me about what I had asked for on drop-​off.
They do a good job, technically, but don’t count on them meeting their own deadlines and don’t expect very good communication from them. 2 stars for the most recent experience.
Parking is a bitch if you go anytime the bus lane is open.

Never again. I should have read all of the reviews, including the unauthorized.
My local computer guy recommended that I take my wife’s HP laptop to Seattle Laptop and tell them to replace the Bios Battery (about $ 3 to $ 5 on ebay-​look it up). He highly recommended Seattle Laptop.
I’ve taken work laptops to them for years, so I thought they would do a good job.
I knew it would be a long lead time (unless you want to pay the «jump the que» charge).
Well, after weeks, Dan called to tell me that they installed the battery, but Windows 7 would no longer open! So, no operating system! No access to files. no Office, no nada !!!
He told me that if I had the CD they would install it for a fee. But, they recommended that I do it myself. I told him that I didn’t have the CD, so «now what? «He said that he would call me on Monday after testing it some more.
On Tuesday after no call, I went in to pick up the laptop. No progress; I was told that the reason that Windows was gone was that «something must have happened»…no kidding, Sherlock !
Then, I had to ask them to return the power cord as it was not in box. They scrounged around and found was a HP power cord (When I got home, my wife said that this was not the power cord that we took to them!).
And then, they asked for the cardboard box back!!!
It was kind of –like here’s your broken computer, there’s the door. There was No offer to make it right or even acknowledge their part.
The only thing wrong with this laptop when I took it in, was that the date kept changing back to the default setting. Software– Windows 7, Office worked.
Now, I can’t even get Windows to Load. It says that the drivers are disconnected. Good thing I backed up my files, huh?
As this HP laptop sells for $ 150 on ebay, I decided to give up and not put any more money into thus laptop. The $ 80 +tax (minimum) I spent at Seattle Laptop for a laptop that they broke and will not boot is enough money.
I look upon this as tuition in the School of Crappy Customer Service.
I went home. and ordered a newer, refurbished HP laptop from an authorized Microsoft Reseller on Ebay. Did I even once, for once second, think about buying one of the Laptops in the display cases at Seattle Laptop? What do you think? Cheesy experience.
They obviously think that they own the laptop repair market in Seattle, and, well, maybe they do.»
Back up your files!

Walked in, needed to have a usb port fixed on my external hard drive. They were pretty friendly but looked at my hard drive for 5 seconds and said it would be a flat $ 150 whether or not they would be able to recover anything. Took it to PC Recycle in Bellevue who told me it would be a $ 10 part and 2 days time to fix it.

My laptop touch pad ‘mouse’ control/​left button could not be resurrected so I called Square Trade about my warranty and they approved the repairs by a local provider. Its not that easy to find laptop specialists when there are so many other more popular devices. I was pretty stressed — so I started out at «Richman Poorman Computers» on Everett Mall Way in Everett, Wa — The guy there was honest saying they just don’t have the parts for laptops and don’t guarantee any ‘fix’ since they would be used parts. I asked him if they had anybody they could recommend to me — and he enthusiastically referred me to Seattle Laptop near Greenlake on Aurora Ave (SR Hwy 99). The parking wasn’t great which I wasn’t prepared for but parked one block away so that worked out. (and I was able to park right next to the shop when I came to pick it up) The man greeted me very cordially and I quickly explained the problem and mentioned I’d watched several YouTube videos on how to go about fixing it but was too scared to take so much apart. I asked him if there was any way they could work on it today (still hoping it might be a simple fix). Their turn around time is 1 – 3 weeks but for an ‘express’ job (1 – 3 days) and $ 40 he could put it on the fast track. As others have mentioned these people are very unpretentious — the opposite of so many ‘techies’ out there — lovely energy there. I drove back towards Everett taking my time and browsing a bookstore when I got a call on my cell — my laptop had two problems, both fixed and ready to go! The bill was very reasonable and my laptop is working perfectly now. They also did a light cleaning for no extra charge. I highly recommend this business and their excellent skills and laptop parts inventory. I will definitely return in the future even though it takes me almost an hour to get there. They have laptops for sale also for very reasonable prices. These guys are GREAT and I highly recommend them!

I am a highly tech savvy person. I can spot a fake a mile away.
I fix everything except hardware i.e. screens, hinges etc.
These guys are extremely knowledgeable, unassuming and kind.
I have heard of at least a half dozen stories of these guys helping people for no charge if it was a simple fix.
I needed a very old school DIN plug keyboard adapter to work on a obsoleted digital sound board. They didn’t have the adapter but they did me one better. They gave me an old Keyboard out of their recycle bin that had the correct connector on it. No charge.
I really like to support local business and from all that I can see they are well deserving of your and my business.

I brought in my MacBook Pro that was having serious motherboard/​graphics chip issues, with the added challenge of needing to get it running as affordably as possible. After looking at it they gave me two options: one price that would make more sense to buy a replacement computer and the other that I could afford. I chose the cheaper repair option. With the budget agreed and the understanding that it wasn’t meant to be a long term fix, they set to work. The repair took a while (2 – 3 weeks I think) but they got it done at the price they said and the computer has been running perfectly since. I’m very happy with their work and would go to them again.

I stripped the screws in my laptop trying to replace the battery. Brought it in, and he said he could fix it on the spot, no charge. And he let me rummage through his spare screw box for a replacement.

So my kid is starting up his 2^nd semester of college and his laptop conked out. I figured it would cost $ 200 – 300 to fix the thing and told him as such. He begged for me to take it to a technician, and being a softie I decided to give up part of lazy Sunday. Of course most places weren’t open on Sunday — but as it happens Seattle Laptop was.
I went in, and met Dan. Really chill dude, he first looked at the AC adapter that came with the machine and as expected it wasn’t working. Then he swapped it for one that he had. That worked.
I paid the $ 50 for the new adapter and would have walked out happy because that totally fixed the problem — except one thing: Dan noticed that the bottom of the laptop was missing screws and some of the ones that were still in there were loose. He took his box of left over screws and a screwdriver and made sure the laptop case was tight.
He totally didn’t need to do that, but it made me appreciate Dan and Seattle Laptop that much more. Great service, will go again.

Great service! Friendly and helpful. I brought my computer in because it had been overheating and shutting down. They cleaned my fan and keyboard for free! Will definitely be going back if it starts acting up again

I generally don’t write reviews but you need to know about this place. At least my experience. I have a relatively new Dell Inspiron. I accidentally dropped it and it landed on the power cord where it goes into the jack. Following that my battery wouldn’t charge. Stuck at 7%. I should also mention that it had a broken USB port (my fault).
So I took it to Seattle Laptop. Following examination by a tech, I was told that the power jack and the USB port were on one card which was not the main board. They said replacing the card should fix both problems.
When I came in to pick it up, I was billed immediately and THEN given an opportunity to examine my machine. To my surprise it still had the same message «plugged in, Battery not charging (7%)». Nothing had been done. The attendant told me to leave it with them and they would fix it. Wasn’t that what they were supposed to have done?
So I decided that I was done with them and walked. When I got home I noticed that the USB port was also still in the same condition.
They billed me $ 130 and didn’t do anything.
Integrity? Nope. Bad review? Yup.
Steer clear of Seattle Laptop.

On a Friday, late in the afternoon, I found out I had an issue with my laptop and the part where the cord plugs into the body (not on the cord, but where you put it). I took it into Seattle Laptop and within a very short time, they had worked their magic and my computer was back to life!
I should note that I am a college student and my laptop died, conveniently, during the lead up to finals and I had one due just a few hours after they gave my computer back to me. I owe them my passing grade! Lifesavers, these guys are, and I will never take my computer anywhere else. (I would have given them more thank-​you-​hugs, but I’d probably be arrested/​sued for harassment… Many hugs and Many thanks to these two knights-​with-​shining-​technical-​skillz!)

My laptop suddenly lost power and I wasn’t sure if the power cord died or if it was a fuse issue. The battery was already long dead.
I really didn’t want to deal with Best Buy, especially on a holiday weekend, and I found this place close to my home. I was helped within 2 minutes of arriving and the tech confirmed my issue was the power cord. They had one in stock specifically for my computer, unlike Best Buy who only has a generic multi-​media cord. The cable was also $ 30 cheaper here than at the box store! I was in and out in less than 15 minutes, had a pleasant chat with the tech and back in business with my computer within an hour of it «dying» on me.
I will return with any future computer issues. Bonus: they also recycle old laptops for free.

Back in ’08 the hard-​drive crashed on my Toshiba laptop. They recovered all of the data and installed a new hard-​drive at exactly the cost they quoted me and in 3 days rather than the week they had initially thought. Great, right? Well, then 2 years ago I had a friend whose old desktop stopped functioning. I brought it to these folks and they said they would recover whatever they could and get it back to me in a week. 8 days later, still no call from them. I called and guess what? They can’t find the computer or any record of me dropping it off. The next morning I received a call with an apology — they found the computer and were able to recover everything but the desktop was done. Ok, fine. Things happen, right?
That is why I called them when our now 4-​year old Mac was in such poor shape. I called at the beginning of June to find out about pricing and time-​frame for repairs. The screen on our laptop kept going black until you would wiggle it and it would come back on (apparently a common problem). It progressively got worse until we were unable to use it. To make matters worse, it was running slow and freezing up. The gentleman I spoke with said it was likely one of two things and he would need to see it first and that there was really nothing they could do for a Mac running slow and freezing but they would see what they could do. Ok, what do I know, right? So I told him that we were concerned about being without our computer for up to a week but that we were going out of town at the end of the month. No problem, he said, give us a couple days heads up.
Sunday, June 22^nd I call and leave a message. No call back. Monday, late afternoon, I call and speak with a different gentleman. Go through the whole thing again and he says, yeah, yeah, bring it in on Wednesday before you go out of town and we will get to it by Friday so hopefully you will have it back early next week. Ok, fine.
Husband brings it in Wednesday morning and the guy working tells him that his ONE Mac guy is out of the country and won’t be back for weeks! He also said that it sounded like it «would be real difficult» and «wasn’t sure how much anything would cost until we get in there». Not even able to quote different prices based on the different scenarios.
Guess what? After that I did some looking around and I found My Mac Hero. He is amazing! Fixed everything! Screen, installed RAM, updated the operating system, and he reformatted my external hard-​drive so that now it works with my Mac. All in 24 hours! Sounds like he can also work on PC’s ;)

Kind and Knowledgeable staff, great deals on laptops too! Highly Recommend!
To the people on Unilocal that expected «décor»? This is a repair shop! it’s like complaining your mechanics hands were «dirty» — snobs need not go!

The people who work at Seattle Laptop are friendly and easy to talk with, so I don’t want to complain about them, but their service left me unhappy.
I’ve brought computers to other places, but since Seattle Laptop is within walking distance of my house, I decided to try it out and brought my computer to them. They fixed my laptop’s keyboard by just putting in a new one which was fabulous. It sucks missing keys, and they were able to put a whole new keypad on within a few minutes. Very good.
BUT when it came to a sound issue I was dealing with, namely the sound quit on my computer, I left it with them for a week to have a look at it. I was about to go overseas with the computer so unfortunately could not leave it with them longer.
When I returned before I was to catch my flight, they told me they could find nothing wrong and that it could possibly be a motherboard issue. It basically sounded like it was hopeless of ever getting sound on my laptop again. They suggested a little usb sound plug thing (which I don’t remember the name of– would allow me to hear sound through headphones if plugged into it), which we tried and there was still no sound whatsoever coming from my computer. I was pretty upset at that point, and what made it worse is that they charged me for spending time on trying to fix it WHEN THEY DIDN’T EVEN FIX IT OR GIVE ME ANY HOPE IN EVER GETTING IT TO WORK AGAIN.
So, here I sit overseas, listening to music, using skype to chat with my friends and fam… WITH SOUND FROM ABOVE MENTIONED COMPUTER. I fixed it MYSELF. It was some setting issues in my computer that made me able to once again plug a speaker into the laptop and get sound.
I hate to complain, and I know they need money to run a business and provide service, but I will not be taking my computer back to them again especially for a service they charged me for and could not fix and that I, in the end, could fix myself.

Close to my house: check.
Removed stripped screws from harddrive: check
Expected computer-​guy attitude: absent
This wasn’t an emergency, but it was important to me so that I could replace my harddrive. Took 2 minutes and I was back on my way.
Thanks!