The Portable Source

I have come here several times and will probably go back — now that I know that if there is any customer complaint about a perceived problem with their products, services, or prices that the owner or manager will do whatever they can to correct it and resolve customer dissatisfaction.
A suggestion I have for BOTH customers and the store to prevent possible misunderstanding is to clarify the cost/​price prior to payment and include an itemized/​detailed description on the invoice/​receipt.

I walked in with a cracked computer screen. The heavy set man behind the counter said $ 189. I stated I already purchased a new screen, I just need it installed. It states $ 95! Avoid this place. Right down the street I had it installed for $ 45!

I’m not sure how we stumbled upon them many years ago, but they are always our go-​to when something happens with any of our computers. They barely take more than 24 hours to get back to us with a diagnosis. Reasonably priced and honest. They’ve even taken quick looks at our laptop and charged us nothing when our laptop was toast.

I spend 300 $ dollars for two laptop.
I waned to fix them so I didn’t have to spend more money to buy a new tablet, wich cost even less.
The first one I wanted to adjusted because it was amazing watching movies on it, when I turned on it looked like they substitute the screen with a really cheap one, and it turned off after 2 minutes. They said to buy a new battery, I was too pissed off to ask him why he didn’t told me that before to give me back the computer, so I ask him why the other one that I brought in, since it was too slow, it still runs slow, the answer was that they upgrade it, and it was the best that they could do, then I said «It runs like before «, the answer was «it is an old computer».
I thing that changing pieces, unscrewing couple nuts, it doesn’t mean fixing a computer. By the way 95 $ diagnostic fee it is ridiculous specially when his coworker told me 50 $, but this was my mistake, it was my mistake because I didn’t look at all the others reviews, where everybody put 5 stars or 1.
I’m not happy at all because every time I try to use my computer, and it let me wait soooooooooooooooo long, I GET F… G pissed thinking at the money that I spent.

This is a follow up to a review I did April, 2103. Unfortunately, my experience was drastically different than when Ruben was there. A fan broke off in my desk top computer and I needed a new one. I was told that the new part would be around $ 68 and the total amount including the installation would be $ 189 out the door. I was wondering what needed installing as I saw 4 screws that needed to be screwed in to make it hold. The guy at the register said that the bottom part under the vent needs to be taken off and cleaned out and things around it need to be cleaned. I was a little hesitant about that. I asked how long it would take to fix it and they said a week to get the part in. I didn’t have that much time so they recommended to go to Fry’s. And this is the part I can thank them for. I walked in to Fry’s and showed them what broke and they said I do need to order it either from Dell or Amazon for about $ 10 and then screw it back in. The part that the guy at Portable Source said needed to be removed and cleaned is actually permanently attached to the board and the guy at Fry’s was looking at me like I was crazy. So, thank you Portable Source for sending me to Fry’s because lying is just not something you should be doing to customers and rarely do I give any bad reviews because the service might be off that day or my problem could be more complicated. But I had to do this review because lying is not a good way of doing business.

First off, I contacted the Portable Source on the recommendation of the Geek Squad at BestBuy. I used to take my laptops to another vendor in the area, but it appears that their experienced technicians are no longer working there.
I brought my Toshiba Satellite P770 laptop to them because my CD/​DVD drive stopped working a couple of days after my warranty ran out. I thought the problem might be the motherboard because:
1.) The computer’s fan would be going like crazy, even when the computer wasn’t running hot.
2.) The computer recently started to shut down on its own just because it felt like it. And
3.) The machine also started to think the battery was dead.
They indicated that without a diagnostic it was impossible to tell, but that the motherboard seldom goes bad. They also indicated that they couldn’t give me a price on motherboard replacement until they found out which one Toshiba had put inside it. So I brought the computer in for the diagnostic after I obtained a back up computer to use while that one was in the shop.
True to their word, they performed a diagnostic that indicated there was a short in the motherboard. I have to admit, when they told me they could «fix» the problem without replacing the motherboard, I was a little perplexed. (That to me was even more perplexing than having to find out which motherboard was inside the computer, since I always assumed that laptop makers use proprietary equipment.)
It turns out that the short was caused by the motherboard rubbing up against other components it should not have been rubbing up against. (Tight tolerances and worn out parts appeared to have caused the problem.) Their solution was to replace the (mounting) grommets for the motherboard to prevent the shorting, and I have to say that the computer works as good as new. None of the problems I mentioned are plaguing my machine now.
Not that the fix was cheap, but it was cheaper than buying a new motherboard, and certainly cheaper than buying a replacement laptop, which I did anyway as a backup. These guys seem very honest. If they wanted to they could have told me they had to buy a new motherboard, charged me for it, and I would not have been the wiser.
One suggestion though would be to open a little earlier than 10:00 AM.

Demitri is a ROCK STAR !
, the best. my main laptop crashed and brought in my old laptop to get it refreshed like new. This was a rush order. I have been out of work for 4 months and really needed this backup laptop restored.
Demitri saved the day.
Great service at a fair price.
This is the place to bring your laptop for service, Two thumbs up.
Will come back here again.
Frank G

Scott (the owner of Portable Source) contacted me today regarding my review and, offered to make things right and, he did.
Also, they are under NEW management and, they have revamped all of the staff that were the problem, including Jesse in my previous review.
We discussed much in our PM’s and, his efforts to make things right were admirable and, excellent customer service orientated.
Now, even though I am purchasing a Tablet and have no need for the lap top that needed the battery, I still feel it is the right thing to do by penning a 5 Star update for Scott’s excellent customer service and, discretion.
I do not see that very much these days anymore and, for that Scott, I thank you very much!
My fellow Unilocalers, for PC or other technological & electronic needs this is your go to store for [them] in this area.
I’m going to keep them as my #1 Portable Source (if you will) for all of those needs when I’m in San Diego and, I highly recommend you do the same.
The Manger there is Jim, and he will take good care of you.
Scott, I’m the one, your the one, Portable Source is the one, just like the song says, «What’s in your neighborhood, You’re the One:

Send them an email about fixing my ps3 ylod, got a quote for $ 89, i went in there the next day and showed them the ps3 and asked how much to fix the ylod on it, the guy said $ 129, i then told them about the email and he stated oh well we can do it for that. Waited about a week got a call went down there today, they said it couldnt be fixed to much damage to motherboard and it was going to be $ 50 dlls. Really $ 50 for telling me what the problem is? I told him well i brought it to get fixed not a diagnostic.
Bottom line just wasted my time and gas driving there, i do not recommend this place for fixing or diagnosing your ps3 system. Not worth the hassle and its expensive. the only reason i did was i had a ps3 on version that still can run linux OS. I oculd have sold it maybe for $ 50 dlls broken now if i sell the money pretty much went to THe portable source.
So the warranty sticker is still intact, i asked them about it, he shows me one form the counter and says yeah here is the old one, we put another one on there, really? thats funny having them put a warranty sticker on a ps3 they didnt fix, so if i remove it my warranty from there is lost. Warranty of WHAT? I have warranty on a ps3 that didnt get fix and doesnt work? hmmmmmm yeah ok
I cant say about them for fixing pcs or not but i wouldnt go there again or recommend them to my worst enemy.

I have used Portable Source several times for laptop repairs. Recently I had my Playstation repaired. The service as usual was friendly and fast, and I left paying less than expected.

Long story short: Portable Source was able to fix a bad chip in my motherboard and get my laptop back to me the next day for $ 149.
My Dell Inspiron M5030 laptop for work wasn’t turning on and would give me 7 loud beeps when I tried. I Googled the issue (on another computer, obviously) and it seemed like a motherboard problem. This was problematic because my warranty with Dell expired a year ago. I called some of my tech-​savvy friends and most of them suggested just getting a new laptop (especially since it’s for work), but that I could take it to a repair shop to see if it might be an easy fix (still probably going to be a couple hundred bucks).
After being told by Staples’ tech center and Best Buy’s Geek Squad that it would be more cost effective to just replace the laptop, I was referred to The Portable Source and brought it in that Tuesday afternoon around 1pm. They told me they would let me know the next day if it was fixable and if it was, that they could have my laptop back to me by Friday. The next morning, The Portable Source calls and says there’s a bad chip in the motherboard, but that they can replace it for $ 149, including labor and parts. I was able to pick up my laptop that afternoon and have no problems with my laptop since. Side note: it’s $ 95 for the diagnosis, but if it’s fixable, that $ 95 goes towards the cost of labor and parts. Otherwise, you’re out $ 95.
Overall, I had a very good experience and would definitely go back for any computer issues that Staples/​Geek Squad can’t handle for free. Additionally, I noticed that they cleaned the surface of my laptop and some dust out of the fan. Nice touch.

I gave them my Sony VAIO laptop to repair because my screen had broken (Was constantly at a near black/​invisible state, although the power was still on). I got the Laptop back shortly after, with the screen fixed, but my laptop was completely changed without any warning. The following defects were present:
–Integrated Webcam disappeared. Searched for hours for new drivers/​program computer files, and it was just gone. No trace it ever even existed on my laptop.
–Battery life indicator disappeared. Same with the webcam. Now I never know what power level my laptop is at, which means I basically have to keep it plugged in.
–Integrated microphone stopped functioning. Basically same issues as the above two defects.
The price of the screen repair was around ~$ 200, and took longer than was estimated as well. If I had known this would have happened to my laptop, I would have foregone the cost of «repair» and just bought a new one.

This posting is to update one that you can’t see as an agreement with this store. As I had said in the past, three attempts to fix my xbox failed. They refunded only $ 49 out of the $ 99. After sending my xbox to Microsoft, I found out that they had broken my case and the serial number on the case didn’t match the inside. They agreed to refund me all the money and hand me another broken xbox which had the same modifications to the motherboard. The modification that they’re doing at this facility is the same that you can find on youtube from a 14 year old, which is moving the x-​clamps and installing screws into the motherboard. So now I have 2 broken xboxs, one is mine, and the other has someone elses xbox live information stored on the hard drive. As I said in the past, why send your xbox to this facility for $ 99 when you can send it to the manufacturers of xbox where they fix it or replace it for the same price. It might take a little bit longer, but xbox will not repair an xbox that has been tampered with or modified, which includes removing the x-​clamps and installing screws into the motherboard. Now both of the boxes have been red-​flagged and are banned from xbox live; one for the non-​matching numbers due to this facility’s breaking of my case and using another case with different numbers that didn’t match the internal numbers, removal of the x-​clamps, and modifications to the motherboard. This is like taking your Ferrari to Walmart to get it fixed. Just remember that for the $ 99 you can send it to xbox and get it fixed or replaced with a refurbished one. Yes it might take a little longer, but it’s worth the wait. I work at an automotive facility and I believe that you should always be honest with the customers, not break their case and replace it with another case without notifying me, or modifying the motherboard by removing the x-​clamps. They might be good with laptops, but in my eyes they can’t fix an xbox or be honest with you.

John and the team at Portable Source are miracle workers.
I have a 2004 Sony Vaio (I know, SO old school) and have really only relied on it for personal/​fun stuff. But, when I left a full time job in which a computer was provided and therefore now REALLY needed my personal computer for my independent consulting work… it busted. For $ 40 Sony informed me that the blue screen I was seeing basically meant «You are screwed cuz all your data is lost. Yes, all of it.» I had not backed up my data for 2+ years (I am the idiot). So, after panic turned to action, I got Portable Source’s name from a friend… «If anyone can fix it, they can.» He was right. I needed my computer to be back up and running that same day otherwise I would lose a project. After working through several scenarios, including searching online for me to just go buy a new one, they installed a new hard drive and got it running like it was 2004 in a matter of hours. Additionally, John jumped into emergency mode and after a few days of work, updates and realistic expectation setting, he was able to RECOVER ALL MY DATA I asked for him to find. I would recommend this place to anyone. The service, the honesty, the price… all top notch. THANK YOU PORTABLE SOURCE, Jason and John!!!

This place is great! They specialize in cleaning up and repairing laptops. My techy brother uses them exclusively although there are other computer repair places much closer to the house. That should tell you-​that the service must be excellent-​otherwise why subject yourself to Kearny Mesa unnecessarily?
Located midway between 163 and 805, directly across the street from Sears, I would recommend Portable Source as the go-​to place for any laptop issues. In my case, my plug was lose and my laptop would not charge. It was so frustrating because I thought it was the AC cord and ordered a new one through Amazon. I hoped that would solve the problem. When it didn’t, my brother told me to call Portable-​and they are so smart, they immediately knew exactly what was wrong over the phone-​before I ever set foot in the store!
Don’t jack around with other places when your beloved laptop’s health is at stake. As it is, I am going crazy not being able to access my pics and write at my usual pace for Unilocal and other places. I am at the mercy of my teen-​aged son letting me check my email & Facebook when he takes a break from his Runescape games. I think Portable could sense the utter desperation in my face and promised they would get right on it. (the laptop repair.) You can’t expect to find such good, diligent service like that these days! 5 Unilocal STARS !

I took our company laptop here to get it assessed. The staff seemed honest, that is very important when dealing with a computer store. The employee told me that he did not know what was wrong with our laptop and recommended contacted the laptop company directly. We were so thankful that he did not attempt to sell us a service or product that was not needed.
Thank you for your honesty, it really counts.

Eh, I built my own comp and when I had it shipped here to SD, it ended up with a few bruises. I was getting a simple error and had an idea of how to fix it but chose to take it in (because I don’t have spare parts lying around that I can swap in and out my comp to troubleshoot). I was told that the price I am paying would be applied towards repair, however they never repaired my comp.
So I essentially paid $ 50 bucks to have them confirm something I already knew… and the guys who gave me my comp back wasn’t sure if the guy who looked at it was going to actually put the part I needed into my comp, just felt unprofessional but maybe I am giving it too much thought.
I am sure they haven’t disappointed others, but for me, kinda.

I had little hopes of salvaging my computer. It had an issue that caused it to stop starting up all together. So I took it in to these guys based on the reviews I read on Unilocal.Super happy that I made the decision to take my janky tower in. Within 3 business days my computer was back in complete working condition. It feels like it is brand new, which is a big plus because I was thinking of buying a new one all together. I know where to go know if I have a computer problem.

I was just deciding to take my laptop to pacific beach since i saw it on Unilocal.But since they weren’t open on a sunday, Portable Source is the next best thing for me. Also its a lot closer to my house. They cleaned my laptop and checked everything and before you know it my laptop is back to normal again. The second day i’m using my laptop it died on me again. Took it back and from what they’re telling me that my laptop which is HP dv6000 is being recalled because of certain things that’s not working. They told me that Lenovo, Acer and Toshiba are the top brands i should be looking into. Time to save $$ again but for a better choice.

I recently dropped of my laptop to be repaired. The jack needed to be soldered/​reinforced, AGAIN. Last time, my laptop was sent on a 2 week long vacation (to LA) by the Mission Valley Geek Squad of Best Buy for repairs. To the tune of $ 150 (which, incidentally, they forgot to charge me for). Within weeks, the jack was wiggling again, and in about a month, no power was getting to my laptop — annoying, but then again, I never paid for it, so slightly less annoying than it would have been.
It finally got to the point where I NEEDED my laptop back. Begrudgingly, I headed back to Best Buy. They gave me a card for The Portable Source and said I’d be better off going to them.
I emailed them to check on their hours and see if I needed to make an appointment. No appointment necessary, and they have hours all 7 days of the week! So on a Sunday afternoon, I headed over. The staff member I spoke with was very friendly and knowledgeable. He told me that because of the holiday on Monday (this was right before MLK day), they would be backed up a bit. So their typical 2 day turnaround time would be more like 3 – 4. No biggie to me, since it was still less than 2 weeks.
On Tuesday evening, I got a voicemail from them saying my laptop was ready for pickup! Earlier than expected! I headed over on Wednesday morning, paid my flat fee of $ 195, and my laptop is home and running great!
Completely worth the money for the quick and friendly service that I received.