Computer Advantage

7810 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243, USA

Address:	7810 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243, USA
Phone:	+1 941-351-2415
Site:	computeradvantage.us
Rating:	4.6
Working:	9AM–5:30PM 9AM–5:30PM 9AM–5:30PM 9AM–5:30PM 9AM–5:30PM 10AM–4PM Closed

Location

Photos 43

Reviews 5

David L Mobley, M.D.

I took my 24 inch IMac in hoping to restore my hard drive and save my data (I was getting only the circle and slash sign). Next thing I knew they had replaced the drive and left a short message on my cell phone that my drive wasnt savable and the data wasnt recoverable with no additional explanation. I presumed I would have to resort to one of the data recovery outfits and had even asked about this option when I brought the computer in. When I called back I was shocked to hear they had sent my drive back to apple since it was a warranty repair and the replacement drive was original apple equipment $400. They seemed oblivious of the value of my original drive to me or the data on it. Fortunately, they were able to track down my old hard drive (kudos to Dave Stolz) but now they want me to pay the inflated cost of the warranty repair (over $400) to get my original drive back. I would have been happy to pay a reasonable cost for a new new drive (non warranty) in order to hold onto my old drive and recover the data. They just didnt ever give me this option. I feel like I am paying for their "mistake" or at least failure to communicate with me. Seems like they were just going through the motions without any regard for the customers concerns. They are checking now to see if they can reduce the cost to a more reasonable level. Follow up to above. They did retrieve my drive and replaced it with a lower cost drive so I was able to keep my drive and pay a reasonable cost for an after market drive that was not an apple drive. Unfortunately it is noisier than my original drive. They refused to give me the quieter Apple drive at the lower cost which I thought would have been reasonable since it was already installed and they had caused me quite a lot of angst in the process. Yes they would have taken a small loss but I would have been satisfied they were going the extra mile. Instead they uninstalled the apple drive and installed a less expensive drive which I paid full price for. In addition the computer was in the shop for several days while this was being resolved. As to the response to my review from Computer Advantage, I would have been "happy" if they had left the apple drive in place that was already installed. A better discription was that I was "satisfied with the resolution of the problem Computer Advantage created". As to the reminder to backup data which appeared to be aimed at me or people like me that are not computer geeks, I was very clear when I brought the computer in that the data had not been backed up and that I wanted the hard drive returned in order to send it to a data recovery outfit.

Tim Cameresi

Ive been a customer at Computer Advantage since I moved back to Sarasota in the early 90s. Since first living in New York City, then Ft. Lauderdale, and now back in Sarasota, Computer Advance is, without a doubt, the most reliable, trustworthy, friendly and fair Apple dealer & service team that Ive ever dealt with. On the rare occasion that my hard drive has crashed or that Ive had a major problem (which, with Murphys Law, always happens in the middle of a major deadline), the service department has always jumped through hoops to get my problem resolved in an incredibly speedy manor. The Computer Advantage team always treats their customers with respect, compassion, and never talk down to you as often happens in the big box stores. Believe me, they have seen me in some of the most stress-outed moments of my life, and they always leave me with a sense that I can relax now because theyve got my back. I literally live six minutes away from the new Apple store at UTC, and if I had to, I would rather strap my 70lb. monster-size G5 tower to my back and walk barefoot to Computer Advantage if I had to! Dont even think about it—if you want an Apple product and you want the best price, the best service, and the best overall experience, go see Computer Advantage. My salesman, Spencer, and Mike in service are like having a friends in the business.

Anita Bartholomew

The hard drive on my Mac Mini was failing, based on the conversation I had with a tech. I had about a month left on Applecare. I took it to Computer Advantage. They kept it for more than a week, said it was a software problem, charged me $75, and sent me home with almost all the identical issues I brought the machine to them to fix. I called Apple to complain. Two months later, the hard drive had died completely. The Mac was a brick. My Applecare had expired but because Id documented that Computer Advantage had failed to fix a problem Id correctly identified while it was still warrantied, Apple agreed to extend the warranty a few weeks to cover the repair. Computer Advantage took another 9 days to replace the hard drive and had the gall to write on its invoice when it returned the computer that "the hard drive was failing." No. When I originally brought it in, the hard drive was failing. When I brought it the second time, it had failed. Wouldnt boot, no matter what (the tech at Apple I spoke to on the phone had had me try everything.) As a computer, it made a decent boat anchor.) Dont use these guys if you can help it. Bad service, and I gather theres some issue with employee morale, too, as a tech snapped at me when I called after a week to say I needed my computer back and he replied, "You and everyone else."

Ruthie Petit

The technical support from Computer Advantage is stellar. This store is up-to-date on everything Mac - and for our business that is a must. Larry Edison literally took a large project with several compatibility issues, hardware difficulties (working on an older Mac laptop) and enabled the project to meet the deadline. Professional, patient, knowledgeable he dedicated creative thought not only to the best layouts (using Keynote and PowerPoint) but also with presentation experience that guided slide creation (use of google images - choosing proper resolutions, font size, etc.). Dedicated personalized attention to the project at hand, skill and practical know how (teaching shortcuts and educating about Mac use all along the way) make this tech experience stand out above others. As an authorized Apple store with trained technicians, there is great confidence that the job will be done correctly. The ability to solve issues (PowerPoint for Mac continually crashing) was easily accomplished where others were stymied. The fact that the store has one-on-one teaching, allowing working at one’s own pace with the flexibility of client choice of the subject makes Computer Advantage have a major advantage over one-on-one single subject training in other environments. This store deserves a 5 star from this first-time experience.

S Harris

For years I did purchasing from Computer Advantage for myself and several clients (at least $20,000 retail). Upon having a mouse glitch issue with my own iMac, the young man in the service department refused to take me seriously. After taking it in, I was told to get a new mouse pad from their store. I did, and the new mouse pad did not resolve the issue. I took the machine back 2 additional times, each time the response was the same - get a new mouse pad. After a few moments research, I found that what I experienced was a known issue that had nothing to do with the mouse pad. When I came to the store to pick up the machine for the final time, the glass over the screen had been chipped and scratched. I was told you brought it in like that and that they would not fix it. I then took the machine to the Apple store in Tampa where they apologized for my experience with Computer Advantage, fixed the mousing issue and replaced the chipped glass at no cost to me.