USVI-On-Line

Enough about all of you. Let's talk about me. Bullets in the dryer is kid's stuff. You want a hair raising dryer story? #1 son used to collect Periwinkles off the rocks on the beach when he was little. Once on a fall day we were noodling
around and he filled up his pockets. He got his jeans wet up to the ankles and it was getting cold so when we got home I told him to let me pop them in the dryer.....the NEW dryer. He didn't tell me he had a pocket full of Periwinkles. Nuff said. Nearly had to throw the damn thing away.

BTW, Welcome CBD! That name in the window business would have frosted me too. You were nicer than I might have been.

Geesh! Some of you aren't very observant! Pip has a purple bald head.

G

Agent99 wrote:Enough about all of you. Let's talk about me. Bullets in the dryer is kid's stuff. You want a hair raising dryer story? #1 son used to collect Periwinkles off the rocks on the beach when he was little. Once on a fall day we were noodling
around and he filled up his pockets. He got his jeans wet up to the ankles and it was getting cold so when we got home I told him to let me pop them in the dryer.....the NEW dryer. He didn't tell me he had a pocket full of Periwinkles. Nuff said. Nearly had to throw the damn thing away.

BTW, Welcome CBD! That name in the window business would have frosted me too. You were nicer than I might have been.

Ever have a kid leave a crayon in their pocket and have it run through the washer and dryer? WHAT A MESS.

XOXO wrote:Geesh! Some of you aren't very observant! Pip has a purple bald head.

G

Yeah, and he sort of resembles a fugitive from the "Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room!"

CariBert wrote:

JT wrote:duh....Got it! I must have been a bikini/coconut bra wearing blond in a previous life.

Bev....are you gonna take that????

-Bert

Bert he didn't say dumb blonde so I'm good with that..
As for the bullets in the dryer..My husband Crash is a cop and he went to the range and when I did laundry I heard clanking...opened up the dryer and here were three bullets rolling around in there...

bevm wrote: As for the bullets in the dryer..My husband Crash is a cop and he went to the range and when I did laundry I heard clanking...opened up the dryer and here were three bullets rolling around in there...

I can relate. Somehow the check pockets before doing laundry gene skipped my family.

But I still win. The smart ass husband told me to throw some garlic into the dryer and then it would smell like escargot. The periwinkles kind of melted and slimed the whole thing. Wasn't purty.

Agent99 wrote: The periwinkles kind of melted and slimed the whole thing. Wasn't purty.

Eewwwwuuu!

Recently I did a search on my business name as I sometimes do and found this post. Hopefully I might be able to clarify as we all know there at least two sides to every story. In this case most of the post was false.

We operate a computer & electronics business which started as an offshoot of Donkey Diner in December 2008. Prior we operated from the restaurant. Now into our third year of operation, we have hundreds of satisfied customers and apparently one who is dissatisfied. We know this person and the event in question.

Some points about the event:

-The event in question occurred about a year ago. It is strange you would join a forum in January 2010 and bash a business about an old event in your first post.

-What was described as a minor reset was actually a major password reset as this was a new computer. Why would a password reset be needed for a new computer? The solution required special tools and software. The solution was researched and partial payment was received.

-The repair in question was not attempted as the charge was for research and ordering software.

-The computer was in the same shape when it left our shop as it came in.

-The policy of our business is to receive payment before we release the repaired item. In this case we released the computer before the bill was paid in full as the customer was known.

-The customer did not return to our business to rectify the situation.

-We do post delinquent accounts. Only two customers have not paid, this person being one.

-The customer is a past personal acquaintance of our senior technician.

-The customer's business does in some ways directly compete with our business.

-The customer's prior business was computer repair yet he brought it to us for a “minor reset”.


Coral Bay Computers & Electronics is a licensed Virgin Islands business offering service, advice, and retail products. We would encourage Coral Bay Digital to be the same and offer constructive help to this forum. We wish them the best in all their business ventures.

Coral Bay Computers & Electronics is not affiliated with Donkey Diner but we recommend them highly for breakfast & pizza.

Why would a password reset be needed for a new computer?

That is a good question. Why would you even attempt to "fix" a computer if YOU don't have the answer to that question?

The repair in question was not attempted as the charge was for research and ordering software.

-The computer was in the same shape when it left our shop as it came in.

-The policy of our business is to receive payment before we release the repaired item. In this case we released the computer before the bill was paid in full as the customer was known.

-The repair in question was not attempted as the charge was for research and ordering software.

I need a little clarity on this. You seem to be saying that you did not fix it. Do you expect someone to pay you to research whether or not you are able to repair it??

We do post delinquent accounts. Only two customers have not paid, this person being one.

You really should not do this.

Gina

Gina,

Thanks for caring and reading our response.

You read between the lines well. Why would someone with a new computer need a password reset?
Although cautious we do not ask questions?

Our service cost is $55 per hour. In the first hour we can usually diagnose and sometimes fix the problem. In this case the customer authorized us to spend one hour researching the problem and also attempt a fix without ordering additonal tools and/or software. At the end of approximately on hour we contact the customer if additonal parts or time is needed.

Think about it. We cannot spend hours diagnosing a problem to have the customer then say thay don't want it fixed. We need to be paid for our time or we cannot stay in business.

Lastly, we do as a last resort post delinquent accounts. It works. Kind of like the bad checks posted at the cash register.

Thanks again for your interest. We have hundreds of satisfied customers and apparently one not.

Coral Bay Computers

Lastly, we do as a last resort post delinquent accounts. It works. Kind of like the bad checks posted at the cash register.

They don't do that in the states anymore--intentionally post them where people can see them.

[quote] In this case the customer authorized us to spend one hour researching the problem and also attempt a fix without ordering additonal tools and/or software. At the end of approximately on hour we contact the customer if additonal parts or time is needed. [/quote]

That is key--that the customer (the original poster) authorized the hour of research.

For those of us who are consumers--I really disagree with paying someone to see if they are able to fix something. I think we owe it to ourselves to ask someone who is going to do a service for us if they have done this type of work before and what their results were. I don't believe I need to pay someone for training.

And CBC: you can never google your name too often!

Gina

It's always one's prerogative not to pay someone to check an item to be repaired. But as a businessman, I do have to figure out how to pay that salary or time and the best way seems to be the way most do and it seems that CB Computers has the right answer.

And quite frankly, I think folks who don't pay their bills should be outed. Shame might just get that bill paid or at best let the next business know that they better collect their money up front.

I,for one, ain't got a dog in this fight. A long time ago a Buffalo Springfield song said; "nobody's right if everybody's wrong". Seems somehow like a weird place for both sides to be airing their dirty panties.

Actually JT, (the awesomeness of Buffalo Springfield aside)... My "panties" are quite clean thank you

Love the Mr. Natural avatar BTW.

As for CBC's post:

Basically, everything CBC stated regarding the incident is completely false / inaccurate.

POINT BY POINT:

The event in question occurred about a year ago. It is strange you would join a forum in January 2010 and bash a business about an old event in your first post.

That's how irritated I was by it.

Besides, there's a very big difference between "bashing" and warning the community about shadiness and/or incompetence.

What was described as a minor reset was actually a major password reset as this was a new computer. Why would a password reset be needed for a new computer? The solution required special tools and software. The solution was researched and partial payment was received.

FALSE
Even if software had been required (which was not the case)... Since when do computer manufacturers charge for driver-downloads? I did not need any "research" done, as I had already diagnosed the problem and knew what what was called-for. Truly amazing that in spite of all the "special tools" required, I was still able to fix the problem with nothing more than the right screwdriver.

The repair in question was not attempted as the charge was for research and ordering software.

FALSE
He opened the machine and broke it in process of putting it back together. He told me as much when I returned to complain. Next time I'll bring a pocket-recorder to document the conversation.

The computer was in the same shape when it left our shop as it came in.

FALSE
But whatever helps you sleep at night.

The policy of our business is to receive payment before we release the repaired item. In this case we released the computer before the bill was paid in full as the customer was known.

FALSE
As I stated in the beginning of this thread:

"Something told me to be wary, so I negotiated with them that I leave the laptop, pay them $30 up-front (half) and then pay them the other-half ($30) upon confirmation that the job had been done correctly (which required me taking the laptop home and putting it through it's paces). In other words, I made it quite clear that if the job was not done right, I was not going to come back and pay the additional $30. They said they were fine with that."

The customer did not return to our business to rectify the situation.

FALSE
Actually, I did return.
But unfortunately, I was not offered a refund.
Hence: no rectification

We do post delinquent accounts. Only two customers have not paid, this person being one.

Why would I pay you for breaking my equipment?

The customer is a past personal acquaintance of our senior technician.

What's your point?

This is St. John: Almost everyone on this island is a "personal acquaintance" at some point or another. I've been on a first-name basis with everyone at your shop since before it even opened. Why is this even relevant?

The customer's business does in some ways directly compete with our business.

FALSE
There is no competition - direct or otherwise - between Coral bay Computers and Coral Bay Digital. They fix computers... I build websites.

On the rare occasion that I do still fix a computer, it's usually as a personal favor for someone.

The customer's prior business was computer repair yet he brought it to us for a “minor reset”.

As stated at the beginning of this thread:

"I like supporting local businesses and was willing to pay for the convenience of getting it done that-day instead of waiting until I could get over to St Thomas for the right screwdriver. Especially considering the fact that I was knee-deep in a web-design project and needed my machine back ASAP."

CBC can spin it however they want. Bottom Line: The technician physically broke my laptop and then had the nerve to try charging me for it. There was no software, no research, no special tools and no delinquency on my part.

Dear Forum,

My sincerest apologies for the time spent on this thread. I had no idea the past estranged relationship between my senior technician and the owner/operator of Coral Bay Digital would continue. Their failed collaboration efforts have left a deep seated personal grudge which should have never been aired.

The need to promote the negative is self defeating and can do no good in the greater scheme of things. We regret Coral Bay Digital continues with negative and disparaging remarks both here and more recently on the comment section of a positive article published by the St. John Tradewinds.

While we at Coral Bay Computers did not choose to start this public discussion, we hope to find the positive with the publicity it has generated. We encourage visitors and residents alike to stop by our shop and judge for yourself.

Coral Bay Computers is a Virgin Islands licensed business offering repair, retail, and advice. We would encourage Coral Bay Digital to be the same and offer constructive, positive help to the St. John community.

Sincerely,

Coral Bay Computers