At Kudzu, I wrote a negative review of GeekAvailable.com (AKA Geek Available):^[1]

ThiefAvailable

GeekAvailable estimated a turn-around time of 72 hours, but did not even order a needed part for 48 hours (then lied about when they'd ordered it), and actually ordered a substandard or counterfeit part from an unreliable seller on eBay! After more than a week, they were still making excuses for not doing the job (because the eBay dealer was still waiting on a shipment of junk from China). Then the geek went into hiding, with my computer! Who knows when I'll get it back and what will have happened to it? (I've complained to the Better Business Bureau.)

in response to which Rod Pereira wrote the following:

Dear competitor: we don't order parts on ebay (that's why we have warranty on everything we sell/service and we don't accept installing cheap parts clients order there and ask us to install to make it as cheap as can be yet it means losing the job sometimes) and we can't hide any computers as we have a shop. If you had a computer with us you could just walk in and pick it up. The only computers that are on shop are either waiting for pick up or for authorization on the job. Please make sure you'll be a little more ethical next time. regards, GeekAvailable management.

So I simply tacked-on an addendum to my review, suggesting that people search for bids on eBay by geekavailable,^[2] identifying the number of the lot from which he tried to get a part for my computer, and explaining how I'd been told that the shop would be open until 15:00 but was closed before 14:10.

Then I tried calling his sales number, and Rodrigo Pereira answered, from some noisy venue. He professed amazement at what I'd done, replied with a bald Okay. when I told him that I'd already furnished the Better Business Bureau with proof that he'd ordered the part off eBay, acted outraged at a claim that he was in anyway responsible for his business being closed when I was told that it would be open, angrily told me that I could pick-up my computer on Monday through Friday, and hung-up on me.

So, basically, having been busted, he reäcted in a way that can be classified as some mixture of adolescent and sociopathic.

Up-Date: Having been busted, Rod completely rewrote his reply:

Dear Client: friday you called saying that wouldn't like to wait for the part to get to our shop. We said that we could meet you at the shop just so you can pick your computer back. Check in our business hours and you'll see that we don't open on saturdays. We would be there until around 3 to go through some house cleaning. My associate left the office at 2:30 as you haven't called or showed up by then differently than the other two clients that she mentioned that would stop by to pick up the computer. We could have just told you to come next week but decided to help you having your computer ASAP. it's unfortunate you couldn't make it but she couldn't wait the whole day as it was a favor she was doing for me agreeing to hand your computer back to you on a day she wouldn't even ordinarily be working. Please come to the shop on tuesday and your computer will be waiting for you as it was on saturday. Regards, Rod

I added another addendum, which made it plain that he'd rewritten his reply, that I had been there at 14:10, and that he had stolen many days of my computer from me.

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^[1] Later, both this review and a positive review were deleted from Kudzu. Then the entry for the business was moved, then the positive review was restored. I can only guess as to what silliness will follow.

^[2] The account alias has since been changed to rodrafael , so the appropriate search would be for bids with that name.

Tags: computers, Geek Available, GeekAvailable, Laptop Repair San Diego, Rodrigo Pereira

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