Author Nils doesn’t like dusty CPU coolers either, but they don’t prevent PC repairs.
If your computer has problems, it can be time-consuming to find the cause. If a PC shop takes on this work, it shouldn’t try to make more money with flimsy reasons. But that’s exactly what happened in this case, fortunately with a good outcome for the owner.
Which PC is it? The Reddit user _windbourne_
describes the case in a forum post with the title I suspect I’m being ripped off by a repair shop
. His computer no longer started and he only saw a black screen.
He himself made a few attempts to fix the problem, which we also recommend in our guide linked below. But nothing helped, from reconnecting the components to starting with only one memory module to resetting the UEFI settings.
First aid for the PC: This is what you can do if the computer doesn’t start up
So he handed his computer over to a PC shop, which checked the individual components for functionality (which basically makes sense). However, there were supposed obstacles with the CPU and the mainboard that cost the Reddit user more money.
That is the more than questionable reason
A message to the PC owner from the employee of the repair shop in Denver at the large US chain Micro Center translates into Europe as follows:
I want to test your CPU and motherboard, but your CPU cooler is a little too dusty to remove and access these components. If you wish to proceed, we will need to replace your CPU cooler for $79.99 in labor costs, plus the cost of the new cooler. Let me know how you want to proceed.
That’s the worst justification for asking for more money on a PC repair I’ve ever heard. After all, even the dustiest CPU cooler can be cleaned and reused. And to what extent should dust prevent removing a PC component?
There are better tasks than cleaning a dusty PC like this. In the case of this article, there should be significantly less dust in the computer. (Image: Reddit – User jbclassic6889)
People who work in the field of PC repairs also comment in the comments. Some people point out that the quote could be a polite way of saying that the PC is very dusty and/or dirty.
Necessary cleaning can actually make a repair a little more complicated (and more unpleasant). But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m anything but convinced by the PC shop’s justification for the additional costs.
In addition, the player himself states that he cleaned his PC thoroughly with compressed air spray, among other things, before handing it over, which also sounds plausible considering his own attempts at repairs. You can also find tips on this in the article Clean your PC: This is how you remove dust from the housing and components
.
Luckily there is a happy ending
Fortunately, in the end everything resolved itself happily, like Windbourne in another comment shows. He has the service manager to thank for this, who intervened in the case.
He again states that there was a lot of dust in the radiator. But in the course of Confusion in our text
(the manager probably means the quote above), he responded to the Reddit user.
As a result, Micro Center not only replaced the cooler for free, the new cooler also remained in the PC as a free upgrade.
Another Reddit member commented on this with the words This manager reads Reddit
.
An unproven assumption that could very well be true. With almost 3,000 upvotes and over 650 comments, it is at least a well-received Reddit post.
How do you protect yourself from this?
If you’re unsure about hardware, there’s always a good place to go: the appropriate GameStar forum.
If you hand over a computer for repair and the costs increase unexpectedly, it is always advisable to have someone with PC experience take a look at it.
If you have such an eye yourself or know someone who knows something about PCs, you probably won’t use a repair shop. But if not, hardware forums like our own on GameStar.de or Reddit and similar sites are good places to get help.
A completely different (and self-inflicted) cooler problem is the subject of the following article:
Major construction error: Player plays for a year without noticing that his computer is assembled incorrectly
Now the question is: Have you had any experience with computer repair shops? If so, have you also come across flimsy justifications for higher repair costs? If not, who is responsible for troubleshooting in your case if a computer causes problems? Yourself or someone you know? Feel free to write it in the comments!
