The Amarillo College Bookstore is offering computer repair services on the Washington Street Campus. The service can help students eliminate frustrations related to computer problems.
The services, which opened last semester, is operated by Andrew Flores and an intern, Brett Fields.
Services include everything from factory resets, cleaning and diagnostics to hardware repair, software installation and data recovery, transfer and backup.
Surprisingly enough, many of the services are free or of little cost to the customer. There’s even a laptop for rent if a student should need it.
Flores said the price varies from case to case, however, depending on the problems they find with a customer’s machine.
Flores and Field also have started doing simple phone repairs.
Although the repairs have been only minor screen replacements, Fields said if students will bring it in, they’ll be more than happy to at least take a look at it.
The service operates during the same hours as the bookstore, which are 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
The time frame for repairs varies, as with any other computer repair services.
Minor repairs, such as a cleaning or factory reset, tend to be faster.
“If a student were to bring their computer in before class, then it should be ready for them by the time their class lets out,” Flores said.
Field and Flores said the longer the computer stays with them, the better off it usually would be. More time spent with it means more problems they can find and fix.
Although the duo had a slow start getting customers other than those who bought a computer from the bookstore, they slowly have started to see more and more customers coming in with computer problems.
Even those who bought their computers elsewhere have started bringing their machines in, possibly due to the fact that many are out of warranty, either from the seller or manufacturer.
Even though so many of the computers are out of warranty, that doesn’t stop the two from doing everything they can to help solve whatever problem the customer is having.
Field said even when a computer’s warranty is out, they work with the company to find the best way to serve the customer.
“We often work as the middle man for the student,” Flores said.
In addition to fixing computers, they try to educate the students about safe ways to use a computer, such as advising them on properly exploring the Internet or installing anti-virus software that’s sold in the bookstore.
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