Who to Turn to When Your Personal Computer Has Problems
Published: December 5, 2018
Have you ever experienced that dreaded moment when your PC dies on you, or lost valuable data, which you need to retrieve urgently? Well, there is a shop just a stone’s throw from Ojima Station, which just might be able to help you.
PC Support Shop offers a wide range of IT-related services to individuals and small companies, and it was the former which I went to see them about.
Located in a somewhat non-descript building, the small office is crammed with boxes, with rows of PC screens and hard disk drives (HDD) lined on metal shelves waiting for attention or repaired and waiting for pick-up or delivery.
The staff have a background in personal computers and system and network engineering, and the business has been in operation for around 10 years. Currently it operates six branches mainly in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures, with the Ojima head office serving the 23 wards in Tokyo.
The main reasons individual customers seek help are systems troubles, difficulties with Windows updates, and virus and malware attacks. For the individual with PC troubles, PC Support Shop provides a PC recovery service and help with “unfreezing” PCs. They also offer a PC overhaul service, involving cleaning and “refreshing” the inner workings of the PC and HDD as well as re-installing the OS system and of course, giving the outside of the PC a good clean.
Prices are reasonable at a basic 3,000 yen for 30 minutes, with an additional charge of 3,500 yen for a site call to look at a broken printer, for example.
And for customers who wish to have the HDD destroyed but are concerned about the security of the data still on the hard drive, the company has a wonderfully-named “data crusher” sitting in the office. This machine has an extremely powerful magnet which wipes the hard disk of all data, and customers are free to stand and watch as this takes place; giving them peace of mind for only 1,000 yen.
In this age of stricter environmental controls associated with the disposal of old PCs, for an extra 3,000 yen, you can leave your old PC to be properly de-assembled and re-cycled.
As the number of available engineers is limited, the staff prefer that customers make appointments before they call on the repair shop and, rather than phone, the company’s website has a form which can be completed in English and submitted.
Looking round the office-cum-repair shop I was intrigued by the female cartoon character which adorned the walls. It was explained to me that, in keeping with many IT-related firms, the company has its own official mascot character; Pasosapo-chan, who adorns the PC Support Shop’s free-giveaway calendars, notebooks and clear files; of which I am now a proud owner.
From talking with the staff I understand that many of the PC repair shops which deal solely with individual customers are gradually disappearing as the younger generation today does not use PCs at home; but instead relies on smart phones and tablets for their connection to the world. However, as PC Support Shop also provides numerous services to commercial customers, the company is not reliant on the gradually-dwindling individual sector.
So, PC Support Shop; a name to remember next time your PC crashes or your printer refuses to work.
Story and photographs by Jeremy Hutchinson
