Frequently Asked Questions
$45 per hour, one hour minimum. If you live outside of Douglas County, there will be a modest $25 travel charge in addition to the one-hour minimum. There are no "shop fees" or other miscellaneous charges that are often tacked on by other repair services. Further, if the service you require is a virus scan, we have a maximum charge equal to three hours of labor ($135), so no matter how long it takes to clean your machine, the most you will pay is $135.
If what you need is a hardware repair of your computer and parts are needed, then the cost of service will be the hourly labor and parts, of course. We will give you an estimate of the charges after the evaluation so that you can decide whether to proceed with the repair. A minimum one-hour charge applies if the repair is declined.
Because, unlike most of our competitors, we operate fully in the black. We do not capitalize our business with loans, credit cards, or other costly forms of funding. Instead, we let the business fund itself. While this often means slower growth, it also means that we weather changes in the market and in the economy with less impact than others. This is why we've been around for 20 years and shall continue to be around for years to come.
We are able to sell you just about any brand of computer that you wish. The only exceptions would be Dell and Gateway. The reason being that we do not have confidence in the quality of those brands; they all too often fail and need repair. We will sell only those machines that we know will serve our clients well.
For this reason, we proudly offer Nobilis computers as our flagship brand. Nobilis has been a leading brand in the direct sale market for 20 years, though most people have not heard of the brand name itself. This is because they are sold as a "white box" system, which means that the retailer is able to put his name on the computer and sell it as his own brand. Most Nobilis retailers do this. BDC does not for the simple reason that while BDC is a local company serving a primarily local audience, Nobilis is a national company and, as such, if a BDC client moves out of the area, he can still find warranty service for his Nobilis computer in any part of the US. All a person needs to do is call us and we will help him find either an on-site technician or local repair center (depending on the type of warranty covering the computer) that can provide warranty service for his computer.
Well, there are a few of things we can do here at Best Deal Computers. (1) We can sell you a Nobilis computer with Windows XP Professional installed by way of what Microsoft is called a "Windows Vista Business Downgrade to XP." (2) We can sell you a Nobilis computer that has no operating system installed on it and you can install a copy of Windows XP that you already own. If you are not familiar with how to install an operating system, we will gladly do this for you. (Labor charges will apply.) The disc will have to be an original disc, though, not a burned copy. (3) We can custom-build a computer for you. All our custom-built computers will always come with Windows XP (either Home or Professional, your choice) until we can no longer obtain licenses of Windows XP.
To explain the Downgrade option, what it means is that the computer actually comes with licenses for both Windows XP and Windows Vista and you get the installation discs for both operating systems but what comes installed on the computer itself is Windows XP. You can be assured that Vista has never touched that machine in any way. This option typically costs about $75 above the base price of the Nobilis model in question but it is a good option if you find the perfect computer for your purposes in our configurator, located here.
To answer the repair question first, it depends on how many machines we have ahead of you in the queue. If time is an issue, please let us know and we will gladly do what we can to get your computer repaired and back to you as quickly as possible. Having said that, at this time most repairs that do not need parts are finished within one to two business days. For Best Deal Computers, business days are Monday through Saturday. If parts are needed, then additional time may be required.
Note to Local Business Owners: We gladly provide priority service to you at no additional charge in the spirit of professional courtesy. Let us know the name of your business when you call and we will put you at the head of the queue.
In regard to sales orders, we are able to obtain most items within about three to four business days. If you need the items faster, expedited shipping is an option and we will be happy to let you know what the costs would be.
Most definitely. Before Best Deal Computers re-opened its doors to the general public, we concentrated on serving major contracts for hospitals, major corporate offices, insurance, real estate, education, libraries, public utilities, and all levels of government (including federal).
They indicate the level of confidence that various manufacturers and industry associations have in our abilities as a whole.
CTIA A+ (also frequently called CompTIA A+) is a certification earned by passing standardized tests administered by the Computing Technology Industry Association. To put it simply, this is similar to ASE certification of your auto mechanic. It shows that Best Deal Computers has the knowledge and skill to repair your computer. Best Deal Computers has been A+ Certified since the CTIA first started the program back in 1993.
Novell CNE Certification means that we have passed several standardized tests given by Novell, Inc. to show our knowledge and ability in administering networks.
The certifications earned from the various manufacturers show that they have found Best Deal Computers to be competent and fully versed in their abilities to provide repair services for their hardware and, as such, have authorized Best Deal Computers to perform warranty services.
Just like any other business with which you are satisified: let others know. As any businessman can tell you, the best advertising is word of mouth. Just be sure to tell those whom you refer to mention your name when they call. Every referral you send us that results in a sale or at least one hour of service earns you a $5 credit. Those credits can be used toward the purchase of new hardware or labor charges. Please ask for details about how to redeem those credits.
Though we strive to insure everyone is happy, it does occur rarely that we fail to meet the expectations of a customer. If that happens to be you, please let us know what has upset you and we will work with you to remedy the situation to the best of our abilities.
Sorry, no, not at this time. However, when we are hiring, we will advertise in the Lawrence Journal-World or in another local newspaper in the area where we need personnel with outgoing personalities, excellent communications skills, and superior analytical abilities. In the interim, if you wish to send us a resume, please feel free to email it to us.
Our business is primarily outcall-based. This means that we come to you. The easiest way to reach us is by either telephone at (785) 727-1355 or by email. Please be sure to leave a voicemail if we are unable to answer your call. It probably means that we are providing the same high quality of service to another customer that we will gladly give you when we return your call shortly. If you wish to fax us, you may do so at (785) 842-6790. To send us anything by postal mail, UPS, or other means, our address is:
Best Deal Computers
660 Gateway Court
Suite R4
Lawrence, Kansas 66049
Good! That's what it is supposed to do. Let me explain. This is a new feature of our website that is designed to allow our customers to open their own work orders and be able to track them online. Currently, most of our clients call in or email us their work requests and those, unfortunately, do not get entered into this system. However, those who do use the Online Ticket page can view the status, ask questions, or otherwise interact with BDC any time of the day or night. This is yet another way that we are trying to make serving our customers convenient and efficient.
Call us at (785) 727-1355 or email us and we will be glad to answer whatever question you have.