Portland Mac Tech

Terrible business practices. I was told everything I needed done was going to cost one price and when all the work was completed I was charged almost $ 100 extra for a «data migration» when there was about 2 gb of data on the hard drive. For those of you that don’t know, there is a migration assistant in every Mac that allows anyone to do this very easily. The worst part about it? I was about 15 years old at the time and had just inherited one of the original MacBooks. I have never been back and will never recommend this place to anyone.

Incredibly lame. I won’t bore you with the details. But to describe my experience in brief; A long drawn out back and forth time-​wasting fiasco of incompetence, bullshit, weird personal excuses and ridiculous business practice. Example; when I first brought my computer to him; I sat uncomfortably at his dining table for about 40 minutes while he tried to print a document saying he now had my computer! Later he misdiagnosed my problem three times, sold me a power cord I didn’t need, a defective battery and tried to charge me two diagnostic fees.
Mr Portland Mac Tech still has part of my power cord that he never returned.

Well… I have been to PMT 3 times and I have to say all in all I was quite pleased.
First time Rory spent a lot of time trying to figure out why Flash was messing up, and he succeeded in doing so and fixing the issue, which was by no means a slam-​bang problem. Second time, I bought a used Macbook from him and it has been a dream and was hella reasonably priced, too. Third time was to replace the keyboard assembly, due to damage inflicted by my Parrot. who has a thang for popping off keys and chewing out the tasty rubber innards which make the keys function.
Reasonably priced repairs each time, and I actually felt that he went the extra mile and could have charged me more, really. If half-​stars were allowed I might drop off ½ just for turnaround time… which has been a bit inconsistent, so he could work on that a bit.
But all in all, for all the right reasons (an independent repairer who gets the job done and knows his stuff) I would not hesitate recommending this biz.

If you don’t want your computer fixed properly, like excuses, price increases, and are looking for an overall terrible experience that will take you over the course of many months, then you should definitely call Rory at Portland Mac Tech. This has been my experience with him, and I would characterize it as far from pleasant. If you do decide that he is the right person for the job, make certain to document all emails, text messages, and voice mails from your correspondence with him, so that when you do get your computer back 5 ½ months after taking it to him, realize it has not been restored to functionality, you may remind him that he said, «If the repair is not successful, you won’t have to pay for it.» So when you finally have your coveted information back after almost half a year, and are then burdened with the task of finding someone to actually repair your computer, all while simultaneously having to deal with him harassing you and accusing you of theft, you are well prepared in your response. All I ever wanted was to get my computer fixed, which with confidence he ensured me of, but the only thing that really lit a fire under him was the money. Imagine a world of no accountability where we can all do a terrible job but still expect to get paid! And when I told him I was going to give him a bad review on Unilocal,he accused me of threatening his livelihood by slandering his reputation. Lovely. I’m wondering what reputation, because my experience with him seems rather on par with many others on here.
Here is my story…
I took my laptop to him in early June because it got wet. Finally (after ignoring me for a bit), he tells me on July 11 that «logic board damage is confirmed, estimate is $ 350» and that, «this will bring machine back to complete working order, as it was before the incident prompting repair.» Says repair should take a couple days. July 12: Leaves voice mail asking if I received estimate, says it should take care of everything, and that if it is not successful, I won’t have to pay for it. July 15: Tells me he is going to install a fully restored board because mine is unrepairable. August 7: He emails me saying that my machine needs a new logic board. I respond saying that I know this and I should probably get my computer back from him. He becomes inspired and talks me into letting him complete the job. August 9: He tells me that my logic board needs to be replaced and that the new price is $ 425. I’m frustrated, but tell him to proceed. September 9: I ask what’s going on with my laptop. September 12: He emails me telling me (AGAIN!) that my logic board needs to be replaced, but that he has ordered a board that is going to cost more, but that he will absorb the cost. Admits screwing up and says computer will be done by Friday. I spent September and October trying to contact him, but he wouldn’t respond to emails, texts or calls. Finally, in early November, I dropped by his house wondering what was going on. He finally tells me that I can have my computer back that week, but offers to put a slower board in for the same price. Wow! Honestly, I just want this entire experience with him to be done, and I agree. When, in mid November, I go to pick up my computer, there is a guy on the couch eating a burrito and a child watching Youtube videos on the TV at an excessively loud and uncomfortable volume. I want out of there, and write him a check. After inspecting my laptop, it has no sound, the DVD drive doesn’t work and my bottom case, which was in exceptional cosmetic condition, has been replaced by one that is cracked, dirty and worn. Since my computer has been sitting idle since JUNE, the battery barely holds a charge anymore. He did not check his work and my computer was not fixed. I canceled the check, told him he will get his board back, but that he needs to be patient while I find someone to actually fix my computer. He then tells me that he is not responsible for my machine not working and wants his money. Now he is harassing me with bills for interest.
I could go on, but this is tiresome. I tried to give him zero stars, but apparently one is the minimum. If this is the kind of experience you want, then Rory is your man!

Disappointed.
This was the second time I used Rory for my mac repair. My first was about 50/​50, with time lines not met, excuses, etc, but nothing serious. So I decided to try Rory for a second time when my macbook hard drive crashed. I knew already that I needed a new hard drive, which I could have done myself for a little over $ 100 (cost of new hd). What I was needing was data recovery.
Every data recovery place I called told me that there would be NO charge if they could not perform the data recovery. Simply put, we wont charge your for something we can’t do.
I called Rory and he gave me a quote of $ 250 for hd replacement, and data recovery.
I met up and dropped off my laptop which had my OS disc stuck in the CD drive from when I tried to reinstall after my crash.
A few days later I received an email from Rory requesting permission to perform the hd replacement and data recovery. I replied, yes.
A few days after that I received another note from Rory stating that my laptop was finished, but the data recovery was not possible. The test to find out if the data recovery is possible takes about 2 – 3 minutes.
I scheduled a time to meet up with Rory at his house/​office. I arrived 10 minutes early and found Rory in a frantic rush to leave the house to pick up his kid after school.
Rory said I owed him $ 250. I was not given a final bill, accounting, or receipt. I began to inquire as to why I was being charged for data recovery which was not actually done. Rory’s reply was that it just costs $ 250 for everything, that is the package and that is what it costs. I asked him why he seemed to be charging for services he did not do. At this point he said he needed to go, to pick up his child after school and he couldn’t talk any longer. He said that I could either pay the $ 250 and pick up the laptop now or come back some other day.
I decided to just pay Rory and leave this ever increasingly uncomfortable situation. I asked Rory about my OS disc that was in my laptop. He went to his basement, rummaged about for a few minutes and came back empty handed. He said he didn’t have time to look for it right now but he would find it and send it to my address along with emailing me a receipt.
Over two weeks later I still had no receipt and still no os disc in my mailbox. I have since talked to a few other tech repair folks, and most have quoted me $ 200 and under for a hard drive replacement.
Here are my main issues with everything that transpired.
1. Making a business appointment at the same time you have to pick up your child after school?
2. Not presenting your customer with a proper receipt at time of payment and pick up?
3. Not explaining your customers questions regarding your charges
4. Charging for work that was never done
5. Not returning customers property
6. Saying you were going to send customer their property /​receipt and then not doing so
Here I post my sign: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Although quite promising at the outset, my experience with Rory devolved into total frustration. He quickly responded to my inquiry, came to my house to pick up my non-​working MacBook Pro & diagnosed a logic board problem that he could repair. Within a few days, I had my machine back.
A day later, his repair failed. To his credit, he offered to pull my hard drive out & install it in a laptop of his own, which he loaned to me while he went back to fixing my machine.
Weeks & weeks went by. He never returned my phone calls, and when he responsed to my email inquiries, he would say that he’d have my MacBook back in a few days. It became clear to me that he had mis-​diagnosed the problem at the outset & couldn’t do the repair work for the price he had quoted me (which I had already paid him in full). Finally, he said that the entire logic board needed to be replaced & we agreed on a price for this work. And, once again, he was unable to do the repair for what he quoted.
At this point, almost four months had gone by since I first contacted him. I emailed & asked him to either fix the MacBook or issue me a refund. A week later, after getting no response, I emailed him & asked him to stop working on the repair & give me my money back. Again, no response. I sent him a Certified letter demanding a refund, and he never bothered to pick it up. Another week or so went by when he finally emailed me offering to complete the repair for more than he had originally quoted me. I told him «No».A week later he emailed to see if he could refund me using a credit card. Although I gave him instructions as to how he could do this using Paypal, he again never responded.
I finally got Rory’s attention by filing against him in Small Claims Court. Now, I’ve gotten my refund & my (dead) machine back, and have returned his loaner machine.
In short, a complete waste of my time dealing with the most unprofessional business person I have ever encountered. I’ll be back at Apple’s Genius Bar the next time I need a repair done.

I can’t comment on the quality of the work performed because I didn’t actually get that far in the process.
I emailed about the problem I had with my laptop, and I got a friendly inquiry for more details so and that it wouldn’t be a problem. I emailed follow-​up information, however I never did hear from him again. I left a message on the answering machine and my call was never returned.
Perhaps he determined that doing my repair would not be possible/​worth the trouble, or else he was just too busy. Either way, I would have liked to have received some sort of communication informing me of this.

I was happy to find an independent mac servicer in pdx when my laptop fell to the ground and i needed a replacement LCD. Dude fixed it for cheaper than it would normally cost, so naturally i was thrilled. However, a couple bummers: He charged $ 25 more than he quoted me (even after saying it would be «no more than xxx price») — i didn’t say anything about it because i knew i was still getting a good price, and i’m happy to support independent businesses. So, sort of lame– but no big deal.
Here’s the real thing: i had specifically asked him to look inside my mac to see what else might have been damaged. He said okay. When i got the mac back home and found that the wireless card was not working, i called back and asked him if he had seen anything that might have indicated this. He said no he never looked inside of it– a diagnostic fee does not cover opening the book. This is understandable for a $ 25 diagnostic, but i had specifically asked him to look inside of it, whether it cost $ 25 or anything else. And he never did. So what was the $ 25 for? He could have communicated this better.
Also, i had to call and call him to get a call back during our service. He even called back having never listened to my messages about specific questions.
Another thing you should know: if your laptop is still under apple’s warranty, the $ 45 diagnostic fee at the mac store will be waived or put towards your repair. No option for this at Portland Mac Tech, even though his diagnostic is cheaper. Had i known this, my diagnostic would have been free, and somebody would have looked inside of the laptop like i had asked.
So… ended up opening the mac myself, finding that my airport antenna was split in half– which was only a $ 20 part at the mac store.
I tried to avoid the corporate mac store b/​c of bad reviews and high prices, but might have had an easier time if i had just gone with them in the first place. I’ve gotten my mac back from the Mac Store this week and am finally happy with it.
Pros: got an LCD for cheaper than usual.
Cons: poor communication, far away location.

My Macbook screen fell on the ground and the monitor completely cracked. I called Mac Force and in usual fashion they curtly told me the repair would be $ 875. I lifted my jaw off the floor and I quickly googled «Mac repair» in Portland and found Rory. He was friendly and professional and quoted me $ 325 for the same job.
I felt guilty when he actually repaired the monitor on 3 hours. No hassles.
This is a dream. Now I have a Mac repair guy that feels like a cousin who can help me out when I’m in a bind. Heads up — when I went to deliver my computer I realized that his office is in his house. Don’t let this deter you. He is 100% professional and if he had a swanky building I guess the repairs wouldn’t be so cheap and friendly.