120 MacDirectory
POWERBOOK MEDIC > TOP-NOTCH REPAIR SERVICE
FOR APPLE PRODUCTS (EVEN THE NEWTON)
Prying open a computer for repairs can be
a daunting challenge. Fortunately
Powerbook Medic has built itself around
making the process as quick and painless
as possible – even if it means showing
people how to do it for free.
The company began in 1998 as a modest
seller of computer parts to the growing
eBay community, but Powerbook Medic
slowly evolved to include in-house repairs
after it saw how many of its customers
were uncomfortable peeling back
computer covers on their own. By 2002
the company opened its first online store,
which today offers electronic parts as well
as services for repairs, installations
and upgrades.
Computers can be costly purchases, which
is why Powerbook Medic sees itself as an
invaluable resource for owners trying to
get the most return on their investments.
"Powerbook Medic gives the Mac
community a cost-effective solution on
keeping their Macs running," says
Powerbook Medic owner Bradley Wallace.
"Whether it be upgrading an older unit to
bring it up to today's standards or simply
repairing a machine that has failed or
been damaged, we keep Macs running
and that serves a vital role to the
Mac community."
In some cases, Powerbook Medic's
assistance comes free of charge. Dozens
of downloadable video repair guides at
illustrate
exactly how to do everything from
upgrading a hard drive on a 15" MacBook
Pro to removing a logic board from an
iPhone 3GS. There are even videos on
how to format a hard drive in Mac OS X
Snow Leopard. To make the repair
process even easier, many videos are
supplemented with PDF instruction
manuals with step-by-step directions.
Offering free repair guides may seem like
an odd service for a company that makes
a living repairing computers, but Wallace
insists that a lot of upgrades and repairs
are simply easy enough for almost anyone
to complete.
"If customers are using our guides then
they are still using our services. Paid or
not, we're happy to help," Wallace says.
Of course, users can always take
advantage of Powerbook Medic's send-in
service. This popular option lets users ship
their Mac or other Apple product to be
repaired by Powerbook Medic staff and
returned within a few days. All repairs
come with free round-trip shipping and a
one-year warranty. To get an idea of the
price, replacing a 13.3" Macbook LCD
display screen will cost about $214, while
upgrading to a 500GB MacBook Pro hard
drive and 2GB of RAM costs about $323.
Concerned customers can follow their
repair or upgrade's progress with eagle
eyes, thanks to Powerbook Medic's
embrace of social media. Customers are
invited to sign up via Twitter or SMS for
up-to-the minute notifications on repair
status changes. Even non-customers have
a reason to follow the company's Twitter
feed, however, as @powerbookmedic
regularly sends out links to major Apple
community news updates and even
company contests.
Wallace calls Powerbook Medic a
"customer-centric company" because its
customers' wants and needs have
determined how the company has
evolved. That philosophy is evident in the
many ways the company pays attention to
its customers. Phone support is available
every weekday as well as live chat support,
e-mail support and an online forum on its
Web site for customers to pose questions.
PowerBook Medic also responds to
customer queries on Facebook and Twitter
as well as its own blog and podcast.
"When you are repairing a computer, you
want someone to be there for you, and
we're a company who does just that,"
Wallace says.
Expect to find repair guides for the latest
Apple products at PowerbookMedic.com.
"If a product has an Apple logo, we'd
eventually like to have a guide for it," says
Wallace and that certainly has a ring of
truth for a company that has a video
repair guide for the Apple Newton.
The cautious may find that PowerBook
Medic's send-in service may be just what
the doctor ordered, but Wallace has some
advice for those willing to get their
hands dirty:
"Repairing computers really isn't rocket
science," he says. "Take your time. Don't
force things. If you go into a computer like
a monkey, you'll end up in a worse mess
than you were before."
WORDS BY MATT MARQUEZ
COMPANY PROFILE
