Taking the plunge: Upgrading via ChargedPC

[iamthedudeman]

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:

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.

If they are reputable, it is a risk but they said the same about Apple thirty odd years ago. Two guys in a garage, no way they said. They didn't have a clean room either. Now look at them. I actually root for the small businesses.

My business does revenue in the millions but a am not filthy rich. Well off yes, supreme wealth no. I have a medium to large business and I had to struggle so I know what it is like. You build a good reputation regardless of resources and are honest and stand by the work you do the rest will fall into place.

Sometimes small business are better because they go the extra mile because they want that word of mouth 'business return' which is essentially free marketing, and also the best kind to have.

 

[iamthedudeman]

BTW, what I said wasn't meant as a flame or insult, and I didn't call you naive.

Fixed.

 

[GGJstudios]

... they said the same about Apple thirty odd years ago.

Yep, and, like many others, I had an Apple IIe back then.

I actually root for the small businesses.

As I said, I do, as well, but that doesn't mean I'll do business with all of them. Although I've started and owned quite a few companies, I never "expect" business from anyone. I realize trust is earned. That's part of the rewarding experience of building a company: overcoming the hurdles in the early years.

 

[iamthedudeman]

Yep, and, like many others, I had an Apple IIe back then.

As I said, I do, as well, but that doesn't mean I'll do business with all of them. Although I've started and owned quite a few companies, I never "expect" business from anyone. I realize trust is earned. That's part of the rewarding experience of building a company: overcoming the hurdles in the early years.

Exactly.

All successful business have good marketing, but they have paid their dues also. Good marketing requires three simple facets,

Trust: can I trust you?

Honesty: do you do what you say you"re going to do for me or does your product do what it says it does?

Integrity: do you stand by your product and work?

If your product has all three of these facets, you have a good chance at succeeding.

 

[bpeeps]

This is probably a disguised post straight from ChargedPC themselves.

 

[olindacat]

This is probably a disguised post straight from ChargedPC themselves.

Hardly. It is just me, John from Maui, the supposed sucker. Look, I don't deny that the points all made here are valid. Like many of you, I am a small business owner and I have a cubby hole office 10 miles from home and a Mac in my house that I work on doing stuff like this at the wee hours! (It's not exactly a wee hour now.)

There are many 'classes' of cleanrooms. Frankly, even this: http://www.iheartrobotics.com/2010/02/this-new-lab-diy-cleanroom.html is cleaner than what I will bet most of us who ever did our own iMac upgrades had.

My point is 'state-of-the-art-cleanroom' can be defined in many ways. It could be an innovative idea like the DIYer above. I read the comments that he received and they were supportive and constructive. No one said he couldn't do it. Making a DIY cleanroom at home is 'state-of-the-art' for a home-based business.

Ghetto? If they lived in Hunterdon County, NJ I'd almost trust them no more or less.

I would have gone OWC but the only option I have is to do it myself and knowing that the last time I did it, I saw things touching the back of my monitor that made me cringe. I had compressed air and did my best to clean it but it 'hurt'.

I'll pay the $300 to have the rarely used DVD player taken out and replaced with an SSD, as well as having that second one installed.

ChargedPC is getting me an external Blu Ray burner and shipping it all so I can save on postage. They even are offering to deliver it to my family's place in the city, if I want that.

Today, I got an update that my parts were ordered. They also did a test of the two drives I'm ordering striped and posted their benchmarks.

I still maintain that I will get my box back, and the only concern I have is the reliability of the SSDs themselves. I don't trust them much, but imagine if they survive a month, they last.

I have four other iMacs and none have needed service, even though I have tampered with them myself. I need a machine now and have waited for OWC but they aren't ready. These guys are able to do what I want and so I'm going for it.

My customers gave me a shot. They trusted me. I have rarely been burned by any of the dozens and dozens of freelancers I have hired over the years.

I'll keep posting as things progress.

 

[coolspot18]

If they are reputable, it is a risk but they said the same about Apple thirty odd years ago. Two guys in a garage, no way they said. They didn't have a clean room either. Now look at them. I actually root for the small businesses.

Difference is, Charged PC claims they have a clean room, I don't think Steve Jobs and Woz claimed anything.

Making a DIY cleanroom at home is 'state-of-the-art' for a home-based business.

Wow, this is a good one. Are you a lawyer by profession?

 

[islandman]

I went with ChargedPC. They got my iMac on Wednesday and shipped it Wednesday night. I was kept in the loop the whole time. They let me pick a drive that I wanted (Vertex 3), even though it was not listed on their site when I placed my order. I am very happy with them, and I will have my iMac on Tuesday. When I fire it up on Tuesday, I will let you know, but I am very happy with the service received so far (via email and telephone) from ChargedPC.

 

[Codpeace]

My customers gave me a shot. They trusted me. I have rarely been burned by any of the dozens and dozens of freelancers I have hired over the years.

This way of looking at things is not just admirable -- it is downright patriotic. If more people thought this way our economy would be in better shape. Good for you, and good luck!

 

[Codpeace]

Fixed.

Hahaha awesome! I'll go prune my own comment and the world will know peace.

 

[MacAndMic]

My customers gave me a shot. They trusted me.

Since you have a small business and have some success I also assume you did not start your business spamming a well known forum or advertise features or qualifications you did not have or could not provide.

I too own my own full-time business I started from scratch 10 years ago, had I made statements that were not true, I would have failed. To add to that, when was the last time you could answer yes and provide everything your customer asked for? Much like the response you have received from them?

Truth is, no one can. Businesses try to do everything they can for their customers but you learn that doing everything affects the bottom line and then you learn to say no. It's ok to say no, some people actually respect the aspect.

A friend of mine once made a statement to me that goes like this "The guy who is not worried about what it costs, is the same guy who does not plan to pay the bill". I hope they plan to give you everything you've asked for.

I'll add to the doom and gloom. Let's say I lived in a ghetto, we sell things left and right to eachother and we really don't care where the items were derived. Being savy, I setup a website, have a bunch of people send me their machines. Along the way, so I can maximize my profits, I let customers know that some of their items are delayed due to shipping, back-orders, etc. until I feel I have enough machines to make a nice street profit. Then, I clear out my house and give the items to my bro and call the police and tell them I've been robbed!

I apologize to all of my suckers, I mean customers and promise that I will stay in constant contact with the police and do whatever I can for them. A month or so later, I close it all down and blame the robbery for the demise of my business. Kid's, please don't try this at home!

 

[iamthedudeman]

Difference is, Charged PC claims they have a clean room, I don't think Steve Jobs and Woz claimed anything.




Wow, this is a good one. Are you a lawyer by profession?

I know, I am not defending them, I said so as much. But that is no reason to throw them under the bus so to speak before the reviews are in.

Try reading the thread.

 

[Old Muley]

Clean Room?

This photo from the ChargedPC blog shows a reflection off the screen of a 27" iMac which gives some ideas about the clean room they use. Draw your own conclusions.

 

[islandman]

Well I did it, and got my iMac on Thursday. I spent some time Friday mounting it with my 24" Apple Cinema Display. All I can say is WOW. With the Vertex 3, the iMac is much faster than I expected. I am happy with my iMac, and I am also happy with the service performed by Charged PC. I can't tell that my iMac was even opened. They took great care to put the protective wrap on the screen when they were done. I have not a single mark, a spot of dust, or anything. The iMac looks great and it was worth every penny for me to send it to Charged PC.

 

[olindacat]

Well I did it, and got my iMac on Thursday. I spent some time Friday mounting it with my 24" Apple Cinema Display. All I can say is WOW. With the Vertex 3, the iMac is much faster than I expected. I am happy with my iMac, and I am also happy with the service performed by Charged PC. I can't tell that my iMac was even opened. They took great care to put the protective wrap on the screen when they were done. I have not a single mark, a spot of dust, or anything. The iMac looks great and it was worth every penny for me to send it to Charged PC.

Way to go, islandman. I would've had mine by now too but I'm tricking this puppy out so much they've had their hands full with me I saw their 'clean room' in the reflection of that screen and frankly, it's more than I'd do if I were doing the upgrade myself, that's for sure.

I have been buying from small fry businesses for longer than most on this forum have been alive, and even online, I haven't been screwed nearly as much as one here might imagine. Look at the eBay model, for Pete's sakes: it's all about faith.

The fact that they call the tent they made a 'state-of-the-art cleanroom' is no more of an exaggeration than some of the crap I get from the biggest companies out there. Would anyone here care to buy any stocks peddled by Goldman Sachs???? Their line of crap is so bad they deserve to be jailed!

 

[bpeeps]

Great PR post for Charged PC.

 

[wangkom]

Way to go, islandman. I would've had mine by now too but I'm tricking this puppy out so much they've had their hands full with me I saw their 'clean room' in the reflection of that screen and frankly, it's more than I'd do if I were doing the upgrade myself, that's for sure.

I have been buying from small fry businesses for longer than most on this forum have been alive, and even online, I haven't been screwed nearly as much as one here might imagine. Look at the eBay model, for Pete's sakes: it's all about faith.

The fact that they call the tent they made a 'state-of-the-art cleanroom' is no more of an exaggeration than some of the crap I get from the biggest companies out there. Would anyone here care to buy any stocks peddled by Goldman Sachs???? Their line of crap is so bad they deserve to be jailed!

Great post. Small businesses are the true heart and blood of our country. The rest of you, keep drinking the coolaid and tossing your money at big corporate america which uses child labor in 3rd world countries to give you a nice shiny shell with low quality components inside.

Take your Steve Jobs glasses off and read through these forums and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[olindacat]

Great PR post for Charged PC.

That's rude. I am a customer not their PR department. I just can't stand listening to the nasty s--- some people say sometimes, like this snarky comment. Obviously, some pretty medicated members need to change their channels and stop watching so much Fox

 

[olindacat]

Great post. Small businesses are the true heart and blood of our country. The rest of you, keep drinking the coolaid and tossing your money at big corporate america which uses child labor in 3rd world countries to give you a nice shiny shell with low quality components inside.

Take your Steve Jobs glasses off and read through these forums and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Exactly my point too wangkom. People snipe about the fact these guys call their little box a cleanroom yet 3/4s of these members have no concept of what the working conditions are like for the people who are actually making Apple machines in the first place. They live in squalor, deal with no benefits, and have bosses making millions on their backs.

So a couple of US kids from a 'ghetto' try to earn a decent wage and boom, let's rip them to shreds. What a bunch of ignorant, lame, cowardly, shameful remarks I've seen here. So working in a ghetto makes a person bad? Sounds racist to me. Then again, that remark doesn't surprise me given how much people love to see/help/encourage others to fail here.

And some posters in this thread hide behind the moniker of calling their babble 'good business'. Good business, to me, is trading with partners who can get me what I want when I want it, and without harm to me. Not waiting years for 100s of great reviews to establish the vendor before I put my precious foot in the water! Paranoia isn't good business....

 

[GGJstudios]

That's rude. I am a customer not their PR department. I just can't stand listening to the nasty s--- some people say sometimes, like this snarky comment. Obviously, some pretty medicated members need to change their channels and stop watching so much Fox

It's curious how defensive you are about this, if this thread isn't advertising. As has already been stated, it's a risk to do business with anyone, especially a small, home-based business. Some will elect to take that risk and may be rewarded with a great experience. Others may elect to take that risk and get a less-than-satisfactory experience. The same can be said of any business. Others aren't willing to take the risk of dealing with a home-based business, and prefer doing business with a more well-known and well-established company. Neither choice is wrong. It's a matter of personal preference, and people shouldn't be criticized, as wangkom did, because they elect not to trust a start-up.

 

[olindacat]

It's curious how defensive you are about this, if this thread isn't advertising. As has already been stated, it's a risk to do business with anyone, especially a small, home-based business. Some will elect to take that risk and may be rewarded with a great experience. Others may elect to take that risk and get a less-than-satisfactory experience. The same can be said of any business. Others aren't willing to take the risk of dealing with a home-based business, and prefer doing business with a more well-known and well-established company. Neither choice is wrong. It's a matter of personal preference, and people shouldn't be criticized, as wangkom did, because they elect not to trust a start-up.

Your point is well-taken. But not everyone here has been so objective GGJ.

 

[whoda]

Just curious, how did this turn out for the OP?

 

[Johnf1285]

I've successfully opened 3 iMac's and swapped their drives. 27", 21.5" and an older 20". My room is not a clean room. I used the bag the iMac comes wrapped in, to store the glass when it was removed. I used a soft towel and kept the LCD panel facedown on it while I worked. That method and a can of compressed air did wonders.

I'm sure these guys will do a fantastic job.

Its not freaking rocket science to do though. How does a body shop repair collision and paint issues on a car to a condition that is as good as new/better than new?

With skill, patience, and the right tools/work space.

When Apple pops the glass off at the retail store, they're not using a clean room. But, more or less, a glorified lint roller is what they use. And anti static bags.

 

[olindacat]

Just curious, how did this turn out for the OP?

Machine was hand-delivered by ChargedPC last week to my dad's apartment in midtown Manhattan. It is in its box. I fly to NYC on Thursday and will report. Islandman's feedback speaks for itself. Dan did all kinds of extra work and didn't even bill me. I'm bringing another machine for him to upgrade. I did my own once and it sucked. i hated doing it because I don't trust myself.

The service is much-needed. I really tricked out this machine. Got benchmarks but will wait until I see for myself. Experience thus far has been first-rate. They will be down for a while I think.

Stay tuned.

 

[olindacat]

Ode to start-ups

Well in spite of all the clamor about exaggerated marketing, clean rooms and ghettos, ChargedPC is doing nothing more than living the American dream by providing a needed service to Mac users like me. I was ridiculed for entrusting my latest iMac to Dan and his partner over at ChargedPC and, true to my gut instincts, went ahead and took the chance that my machine would not be stolen, chopped up, parted out, and eBayed into oblivion. Nor is it full of pubic hairs, dust, grease, Chinese food, or child porn. Instead, it is in mind condition. Just like it came from the factory, with no detours.

Because I wanted a dual SSD RAID 0 striped, eSATA-equipped machine, and I wanted it now, I went ahead and gave this start-up company a try. So did islandman here on this forum.

And, like islandman, I too had a satisfactory experience. Am I a paid endorser, as it was implied by one poster here? No. I am a paying customer. I paid more than some here spend on their machines. Was the mark-up high? No. Did ChargedPC do more than was promised? Yes.

In addition to dealing with over 20 phone calls and emails, ChargedPC not only ran benchmark tests at every curve in the road I threw at them, but then took on my incessant change orders without a single complaint.

Then they went the extra distance and hand-delivered my machine, at no extra charge. I am typing this post on that new machine, having had it in use now for the past week.

Frankly, outside of Apple, this is probably among the fastest machines out there. I'm sure they'll publish some of their benchmarks, and they have my permission to do so.

For those on the fence about this company, stay there if you are a worrier. I know I am but I had to let go and have a little trust and faith. That paid off and I don't think there is any reason why it won't again. I have them modifying another machine, and am just trying to figure out what I want done. I'm also buying another and will have it tricked out by them as well.

PM me if you have any questions. This was good buying experience for me. Very good. These guys did their job and delivered. That's all I cared about.