"Do You Charge Extra For In-Home/Business Service?"
Many times, especially with national chain computer repair services, in-store and in-home/in-business repair services are considered completely separate services. You should always be aware of any billing differences for between these services before getting your computer repaired.
Expected Answer: "Yes, we do charge [a small extra fee or slightly higher hourly rate] for in-home and in-business service."
If you're quoted a rate twice as high for in-home/business computer repair service, don't get it. Take your computer to their shop or find another computer repair service. You should, however, expect to see some kind of small charge to visit you - perhaps a $10 to $20USD single "trip" charge or a 10-20% hourly rate increase.
Some computer repair services do not charge anything extra at all for this extra service. Don't take that as a sign of a low quality service, just consider yourself lucky!
"Do You Guarantee Your Service?"
It's important to know whether or not you can expect a guaranty on the services provided. No one wants to get their computer serviced again two weeks later for the same problem.
For example, if you received an error message like "Cannot find \Windows\System32\hal.dll" and the computer repair service corrected the problem for you, it's reasonable to expect that, at least in the near future, the problem will not return.
Expected Answer: "Yes. For most problems we guarantee our service for [30 to 90] days."
Anything less than 30 days isn't a good deal. If a computer repair service offers more than a 90 day guarantee, be sure to read the fine print to see what sorts of problems it covers before you choose that particular service based on their stellar guarantee.
Important: No reputable computer repair service will guarantee a satisfactory solution to your PC problem before they've had a chance to look at the computer. You should always be prepared to pay at least the minimum bench charge even if your computer couldn't be repaired in the way you expected.
"When Might I Be Able to Pick Up My Computer?"
Aside from all the questions about how much this is all going to cost, it's important to ask when you might be able to pick up your computer. If you're getting in-home or in-business service, a related question would be "When might you be able to come out to my home/business?".
Expected Answer: "You should be able to pick up your PC in 24 to 48 hours."
The "right" answer to this question is really up to your personal schedule and expectations. I say 24 to 48 hours because that's the average answer. If you're quoted "an hour from now" that doesn't mean that the computer repair service isn't a good one. That sounds like a great answer to me! Alternatively, if you're quoted "a week from now" and that's a satisfactory answer to you, then great. If not, I recommend looking elsewhere.
If you're in a big hurry and you have the right kind of problem, an online computer repair service might be right for you.
