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Taking the plunge: Upgrading via ChargedPC

olindacat

olindacat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 15, 2011
248
46
Greenwich
http://www.chargedpc.com/

There was a recent thread about these young guys doing upgrades to the 2011 iMac from home. I for one have an office but am self-employed and yet still work from home daily. I don't think it is a big deal.

They seem to know what they are doing and have posted, on this site, a free tutorial on how to upgrade your iMac.

But I don't feel like ripping mine apart. Their site says they have a 'clean room'. One poster sniped at that wondering aloud how that could be done in a private residence. I think there are all kinds of things done in private residences and a clean 'room' doesn't have to look like an Intel commercial to keep the dust out of my monitor.

If they mess up my machine, I'll have them rip it all out and send it back to Apple.

If they don't, then I guess all the naysayers can eat crow. I, for one, have no time or skill to be disemboweling my machine. I did it once, and swore I'd never do it again. Just not my cup of tea.

Stay tuned as I write about my experience with this company. I have a feeling it is going to go well. They have rolled with every punch I could throw at them. I have pried and peeked and prodded. They have kept their cool throughout the process even when I questioned them.

ChargedPC has had my new iMac in their possession and if they were going to fly the coop I suppose they'd be gone by now. We need a service that is cheap quick, and to the point. I own seven Mac computers and four Mac mobile devices and can assure you there is a gap in the market for some young up-and-comers.
 
olindacat said:
http://www.chargedpc.com/

There was a recent thread about these young guys doing upgrades to the 2011 iMac from home. I for one have an office but am self-employed and yet still work from home daily. I don't think it is a big deal.

They seem to know what they are doing and have posted, on this site, a free tutorial on how to upgrade your iMac.

But I don't feel like ripping mine apart. Their site says they have a 'clean room'. One poster sniped at that wondering aloud how that could be done in a private residence. I think there are all kinds of things done in private residences and a clean 'room' doesn't have to look like an Intel commercial to keep the dust out of my monitor.

If they mess up my machine, I'll have them rip it all out and send it back to Apple.

If they don't, then I guess all the naysayers can eat crow. I, for one, have no time or skill to be disemboweling my machine. I did it once, and swore I'd never do it again. Just not my cup of tea.

Stay tuned as I write about my experience with this company. I have a feeling it is going to go well. They have rolled with every punch I could throw at them. I have pried and peeked and prodded. They have kept their cool throughout the process even when I questioned them.

ChargedPC has had my new iMac in their possession and if they were going to fly the coop I suppose they'd be gone by now. We need a service that is cheap quick, and to the point. I own seven Mac computers and four Mac mobile devices and can assure you there is a gap in the market for some young up-and-comers.
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:(:(:(:(Well now you own six Mac computers not seven anymore. :(:(:(:(
 
olindacat said:
http://www.chargedpc.com/

There was a recent thread about these young guys doing upgrades to the 2011 iMac from home. I for one have an office but am self-employed and yet still work from home daily. I don't think it is a big deal.

They seem to know what they are doing and have posted, on this site, a free tutorial on how to upgrade your iMac.

But I don't feel like ripping mine apart. Their site says they have a 'clean room'. One poster sniped at that wondering aloud how that could be done in a private residence. I think there are all kinds of things done in private residences and a clean 'room' doesn't have to look like an Intel commercial to keep the dust out of my monitor.

If they mess up my machine, I'll have them rip it all out and send it back to Apple.

If they don't, then I guess all the naysayers can eat crow. I, for one, have no time or skill to be disemboweling my machine. I did it once, and swore I'd never do it again. Just not my cup of tea.

Stay tuned as I write about my experience with this company. I have a feeling it is going to go well. They have rolled with every punch I could throw at them. I have pried and peeked and prodded. They have kept their cool throughout the process even when I questioned them.

ChargedPC has had my new iMac in their possession and if they were going to fly the coop I suppose they'd be gone by now. We need a service that is cheap quick, and to the point. I own seven Mac computers and four Mac mobile devices and can assure you there is a gap in the market for some young up-and-comers.
Click to expand...


I have pried and peeked and prodded.

State of the Art clean room?? Lol. :rolleyes:

Do you know what a clean room is and what you need to have one. Clean Rooms cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for small ones and millions for ones that are 'state of the art".

I don't think that it would fit in this 2000 sq ft. that was built in 1950 house which is the company address.

http://www.zillow.com/homes/605-jarvis-avenue,-Far-Rockaway-NY_rb/

Click on the house in question to get more info.


Hey, as long as they don't get any peanut butter on your brand new imac that is sitting next to the work space from the spare jelly sandwich they have laying around and they do a good job, who cares. :cool:

You have to be leary about anyone that posts 'state of the art cleanroom' on their company's website and has a address for someones house. A rather small one at that if it is doubling as a business. Where do they put all the imacs that they are working on, in the spare berdroom? :D

If they have another facility somewhere else why ship to someone's house? Any pics of said "state of the art cleanroom"?

30 day return policy? Too short. But their warranty and customer service seem to be good by what they 'say'. Will they live up to their promises?

Good luck with that.;)
 
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Lol at the previous posters. I'm picturing the setup from National Treasure where they have a sheet hanging up with high tech analysis equipment. But instead they use lemons and a hair dryer.

Just FYI - OtherWorldComputing does turnkey upgrades. I wouldn't trust your iMac to a garage with a dehumidifier. Trust it to a known company with a great track record.
 
Two things......

Two things....

1) For a machine that costs as much as a Mac does, I would never trust someone who wasn't an authorized apple repair service. By using someone who is unauthorized, you're voiding the warranty.

2) I work in the Five Towns area of Long Island and have worked there for 10 years. It is literally five minutes from Far Rockaway (where their business is located). Far Rockaway is a ghettooooooooo. It's really really bad there. Far Rockaway High School was shut down and closed by the Department of Education because of the rampant shootings and drug dealing that went on there. That's how ghetto it is.

Using this service is just a huge gamble that I personally would never make. But to each their own. I hope it works out for you my friend. Perhaps they are reputable business people.....perhaps they aren't....
 
AllStarCelica said:
Two things....

1) For a machine that costs as much as a Mac does, I would never trust someone who wasn't an authorized apple repair service. By using someone who is unauthorized, you're voiding the warranty.

2) I work in the Five Towns area of Long Island and have worked there for 10 years. It is literally five minutes from Far Rockaway (where their business is located). Far Rockaway is a ghettooooooooo. It's really really bad there. Far Rockaway High School was shut down and closed by the Department of Education because of the rampant shootings and drug dealing that went on there. That's how ghetto it is.

Using this service is just a huge gamble that I personally would never make. But to each their own. I hope it works out for you my friend. Perhaps they are reputable business people.....perhaps they aren't....
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It doesn't matter where their business is registered, it matters where the work on the computer is done. There does not need to be ANY relationship between these two locations. My business is registered as my home in Brooklyn, but I work in Manhattan.
 
iamthedudeman said:
I have pried and peeked and prodded.

State of the Art clean room?? Lol. :rolleyes:

Do you know what a clean room is and what you need to have one. Clean Rooms cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for small ones and millions for ones that are 'state of the art".

I don't think that it would fit in this 2000 sq ft. that was built in 1950 house which is the company address.
Click to expand...
Again, your objections are rooted in naivete. They might well be leasing space in a clean room, anywhere in the USA (or the world, for that matter, subject to restrictions on technology crossing borders and tax/tariff issues), to do the work.

There need be no relationship between the business' registered address, which is only required by the state for service of process needs and tax matters, and the place where business is actually conducted -- in this case, computer upgrades.
 
They offer a 1TB SSD for $3,400. For that, plus the cost of an iMac I don't know if I'd take the risk of sending it here...
 

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Codpeace said:
It doesn't matter where their business is registered, it matters where the work on the computer is done. There does not need to be ANY relationship between these two locations. My business is registered as my home in Brooklyn, but I work in Manhattan.
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". Far Rockaway is a ghettooooooooo. It's really really bad there. "

That is where the iMacs get sent to. No other business or address is mentioned on their site. If there is a off site address it should be mentioned there.
 
iamthedudeman said:
That is where the iMacs get sent to.
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Are you sure about that? Do we know this from someone who has been provided with a shipping address? I looked around on their website, and I didn't see a shipping address like there is at OWC w/r/t their turnkey service. I wouldn't send my brand new computer to a random house out in lesser Queens, either... Don't have a problem with the business being registered there is my point.
 
Codpeace said:
Again, your objections are rooted in naivete. They might well be leasing space in a clean room, anywhere in the USA (or the world, for that matter, subject to restrictions on technology crossing borders and tax/tariff issues), to do the work.

There need be no relationship between the business' registered address, which is only required by the state for service of process needs and tax matters, and the place where business is actually conducted -- in this case, computer upgrades.
Click to expand...


I don't think so. I own and operate a "real" business. I own and operate a marketing firm and have contracts with Intel.

The place where the computers are sent is a house! Regardless if they get sent somewhere else which they dont. If they did it should state so on there website. A big detail to leave out don't you think?

If they did do as you say the return times would be weeks, not 48 hrs. And secondly who or what service transports the iMacs to and from the Residence?


I am not being naive, I just know better.
 
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Codpeace said:
Are you sure about that? Do we know this from someone who has been provided with a shipping address? I looked around on their website, and I didn't see a shipping address like there is at OWC w/r/t their turnkey service. I wouldn't send my brand new computer to a random house out in lesser Queens, either... Don't have a problem with the business being registered there is my point.
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You didn't look that hard then.
http://www.chargedpc.com/pages/How-It-Works.html

It tells you to ship your iMac to that exact address.
 
iamthedudeman said:
You didn't look that hard then.
http://www.chargedpc.com/pages/How-It-Works.html

It tells you to ship your iMac to that exact address.
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True, I didn't, and it was the other day. I wouldn't ship my new computer there. But this doesn't necessarily mean that the work is performed at this address. ChargedPC is, I'm sure, aware of this thread (and the other recent one). S/he could, and probably should, weigh in on what's up.
 
I'm going to follow this thread closely until he gets his computer back and we get a final verdict. I understand why people are hesitant about this newer company offering computer upgrades, but I'm also understanding enough to know that every company starts from somewhere.
 
Hairlesswookiee said:
I'm going to follow this thread closely until he gets his computer back and we get a final verdict. I understand why people are hesitant about this newer company offering computer upgrades, but I'm also understanding enough to know that every company starts from somewhere.
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Right. Aren't we forever celebrating how HP started in Packard's garage?
 
Look people, they don't have a "state of the art clean room". That's just marketing talk on their site. It's just a small home-based business. But don't take my word for it, they said it themselves:
ChargedPC said:
We are absolutely a small, home-based startup. As many of the members have pointed out, commercial rent is pretty expensive in NYC, and one of the ways we are able to keep our prices evenly remotely reasonable is with extremely low overhead cost.

Best,
ChargedPC.com
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I don't have anything against startup or home-based businesses. I wish any entrepreneur success. That doesn't mean I'm going to entrust my Mac to them. It's a choice. If you want to take the risk, I'm sure they'll be happy to get your business. It is a risk. Even if they're completely honest in their dealings, they aren't as well-equipped, knowledgeable, secure and reliable as some more well-established companies. While it may not be a scam, I will personally pass on doing business with them.
 
Old Muley said:
They offer a 1TB SSD for $3,400. For that, plus the cost of an iMac I don't know if I'd take the risk of sending it here...
Click to expand...

Wow! That's the house? Or business?

Well if they do a good job and you are happy with their work and they support their work after the fact, go for it. Just don't bullish** by stating 'state of the art cleanroom'. Drop the act of a large operation. No one cares. All anyone cares about is the job is done right and you do what you say, that is what matters. Some of the best companies on the planet were started in a Garage. I think we know one quite well.:)


That in itself would make me Leary. Good marketing will enhance a business, bad marketing can destroy it. Get rid of the " state of the art cleanroom" and replace it with ' will handle with upmost care in a safe clean dust free environment' which you can do in your house. And guarantee the work and iMacs returned better than new. That is all anyone cares about.
 
iamthedudeman said:
Well if they do a good job and you are happy with their work and they support their work after the fact, go for it. Just don't bullish** by stating 'state of the art cleanroom'. Drop the act of a large operation. No one cares. All anyone cares about is the job is done right and you do what you say, that is what matters. Some of the best companies on the planet were started in a Garage. I think we know one quite well.:)


That in itself would make me Leary. Good marketing will enhance a business, bad marketing can destroy it. Get rid of the " state of the art cleanroom" and replace it with ' will handle with upmost care in a safe clean dust free environment' which you can do in your house. And guarantee the work and iMacs returned better than new. That is all anyone cares about.
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Well put (especially the part about good, i.e. honest, marketing) and I agree.
 
Codpeace said:
True, I didn't, and it was the other day. I wouldn't ship my new computer there. But this doesn't necessarily mean that the work is performed at this address. ChargedPC is, I'm sure, aware of this thread (and the other recent one). S/he could, and probably should, weigh in on what's up.
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I will just cut and paste this from a earlier post.

The place where the computers are sent is a house! Regardless if they get sent somewhere else which they dont. If they did it should state so on there website. A big detail to leave out don't you think?

To give him/her/ them the benefit of the doubt it just might be a marketing mistake by the person who did the website for them. So let's not crucify them.

They certainly don't have a cleanroom. They might not even know or be aware that is on their site. Longshot but possible.
 
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