The Computer Cellar

Address:	720 9th St, Durham, NC 27705, USA
Phone:	+1 919-314-3327
Site:	thecomputercellar.com
Rating:	4.8
Working:	9AM–5:30PM 9AM–5:30PM 9AM–6:30PM 9AM–5:30PM 9AM–5:30PM 10AM–4PM Closed

Location

Photos 11

Reviews 6

Daniel Lukin-Beck

I feel bad giving a poor rating because the customer service people were very nice, but they just didnt get the job done. And my computer has been half-as-efficient since I brought it there. I originally brought my computer to them because of a simple virus removal. After a day of analysis or so they basically said it was so infected that I needed an entirely new hard drive; they gave me the options of a used hard drive for value or brand new one for pretty expensive. Well being young and working for myself, I immediately chose the cheaper/used route, yet the repair, analysis and labor was still quite costly. Perhaps 1 month after they had replaced it, I had more issues and when I brought it back basically they told me the used hard-drive I just bought from them was defective and crashed. And because it was used - theres no warranty and theres nothing they could do. I get it - you never know with used hardware, but why support such a risky decision in the first place?. I didnt know any better. So once again I replaced the hard drive and at this point I just went for it and bought a brand new one. Another costly trip but was hoping would be worth it with a brand new hard drive. But when I brought it home it began doing something where it would shut itself down whenever I wasnt using it and it was idle. And not just going into sleep mode... the computer shut itself all the way down closing and losing any documents that are open during that time. Furthermore Im unable to save documents to my main folders saying theres some sort of "Permission rights" error and the Administrator logged in is Karin... someone I do not know and apparently they dont know either. I called them and the woman was nice enough and said they needed to look at it to judge it and see what repairs I needed, but I just couldnt go back: every time I walk in that door they tell me I need a major repair and I drop $500-$800. So I didnt take it in and for the past year Ive been working on a computer that I cant save documents onto (I use alot of dropbox) and it shuts itsself down turns off whenever I dont use it. So I have no problem with the people that work there... but when it comes to judging their repair jobs, Ill say I never walked away from there with my computer better than it was before I went there.

Rebekah Perno

My computer died & I freaked out because its an 8 year old antique Mac book that the Apple Store wont touch. Im so glad the Apple Store doesnt offer repairs now that Ive found this place!!! Its so conveniently located! I no longer need to make an appointment online or drive from Downtown to Southpoint to attempt to have my computer looked at. When I called to inquire about services a human being answered the phone! I didnt need an appointment, I could come in at my convenience, which was 15 minutes after I made the phone call! The customer service & affordability are amazing!!! The problem with my computer ended up being pretty simple, my power cord had a short in it. Andre was able to sell me a new one, but he went above and beyond to check out a few other concerns of mine. He also helped me with replacing the battery, I can now use my computer without it being plugged in! Andre also assisted me with purchasing an external hard drive and explained to me how to use it with Apples Time Machine software to back up my computer in case my antique does eventually die. My mom and I waited in the shop while he checked everything out and in addition to answering all of my random curious questions Andre and the rest of the staff were warm and friendly! Thank you!!!

Peter C. Goswick

I called and described the problems I was having with my Lenovo laptop and they flet like it was something they could fix. This was around 10:15 am. I drove over to their business tried my best to describe my issue. The extremely nice lead technician (Mark, I think) said that they would take a look at it but probably would be the next day before they could do so. That was OK by me. Later that day I got a call explaining that the hard drive was beginning to fail and it needed to be replaced. I oked that and hung up. A few hours later I got a call that my computer was ready to pick up. WOW!!! Diagnosed and repaired all in the same day!!! They even were able to salvage the data files I had on my old hard drive. That is real customer service. I was impressed with the knowledge, professionalism and courtliness they displayed. This was my first time using The Computer Cellar but if I have any other computer Issues they will be the first and only folks I will call. I highly recommend them to you if you have a sick computer.

Matthew Welch

In a market with its fair share of less than professional companies, I feel that The Computer Cellar is an invaluable resource for Durham. In areas where my ignorance abounds and could easily be taken advantage of, such as auto-repair and computer maintenance (to list only a few), it is a relief to find people who are so honest and professional. I came to them with a variety of issues, including a failing laptop. They assessed the problem, and suggested a fix that they considered my best option, although it was one that would not have netted them any money. It was clear to me that they are passionate about what they do, and are tenacious at problem-solving any issues that come their way, no matter the financial gain for themselves. That is all that I could ask for, and I appreciate it, Computer Cellar!

Edison McIntyre

QUICK SERVICE My laptop just died on me. Next morning, I took it to the Computer Cellar just after opening. I had the machine back at 5:30pm that same day, problem resolved. They even replaced a crucial failing part and tuned up the machine, which now runs better and faster than it has in years. I gather mine was a pretty simple repair (cleaning, mainly), but I was very impressed by the fact that the Cellar staff sympathized with my situation, didnt make me feel like an IT idiot, and seemed to care about getting the laptop back to me as quickly as they could. I would suggest you take your computer here before any other repair service in the Durham area. Oh, and did I mention that the cost -- while not surprisingly low -- was fair and reasonable? True.

Michael Schulson

Kind, helpful, and great at what they do. I spilled some tea on my MacBook pro, and the Apple Store kindly suggested that I pay them $800 for repairs or--and this was the actual alternative they suggested--buy a MacBook Air. Instead, I went by the Computer Cellar, who proposed an entirely different solution, fixed the problem for less than $150, actually explained everything that they had done (I was curious), and more or less saved the day. When I went into the Computer Cellar for the first time, another customer, totally unprompted, pulled me aside to explain exactly how much she loved the place. At the time, I thought this was a little strange, but now it makes perfect sense. Theyre great.