Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Posted common repair prices

I have posted some prices for iPhone and iPad repairs on the services page. The prices are approximate and can vary greatly with each device.
For instance, an iPad with a mildly fractured screen might take more than an hour less labor than one with an heavily-fractured screen. Also the adhesive beneath the screen on one device might be more difficult to remove than on another identical device.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

iPhone 8 screens and batteries are now available

I can now order new screen/digitizer assemblies and batteries for the iPhone 8 models. I cannot yet get other parts or the waterproof seals, but at least broken screens can be replaced.

Keep in mind that broken devices with any purchased insurance should first be repaired by an Apple authorized repair service.

Only bring it to me if it has a voided warranty.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Phone and tablet repair services are now available.

Though I still need a few specialty tools, I have started offering phone and tablet repair services. For the moment I am accepting iPhone 6 devices, mostly. I have also started accepting iPads as well. For the moment I am mostly working on screen and battery replacements and cannot yet accept devices with bent/warped frames. That service will become available when I have purchased a couple more tools ($$$). I can also replace buttons, cameras, speakers, antennas, charger ports, etc. Repairs for iPhone 7 devices are also available, but there is no option for fixing including the waterproof seal.
No repairs are yet available for the iPhone 8.
I plan on stocking parts for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and soon for the 7 and 7 Plus. 6S/6S+ and 7S/7S+ models will require parts ordered as needed, as they are more expensive and less common.

Monday, October 9, 2017

Removed comments and added a reviews page

I removed the comments on the left and added a page for customer reviews to the menu bar. I will remove it if it gets too much abuse.

Added comments section

I added an area to post general comments regarding my service as well as the website. It is currently located on the left side of the page, under the posted business hours. All posts should require authorization by me before showing up on the page.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Planning for a July official opening

Due to the schedule requirements at my current day job, I will not be trying to launch the business publicly until July. During June I will be concentrating on getting advertisement methods ready so I can start adding public clients in July. During this time I will also be acquiring some basic hardware devices to have available to customers on a whim (mice, cables, flash drives, adapters, etc.). Hopefully I can avoid having to sell fidget spinners.

Monday, May 15, 2017

I guess it's official now

Today I registered my Employer ID number with the IRS and my seller permit with the state board of equalization. I can officially do retail sales now :)

Saturday, May 13, 2017

(Un)Officially open-er

The business license arrived today. Hurrah! I can soon start advertising and accepting more clients! :) I have a few more things to get sorted before I open to the general public and start advertising.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Unofficially Open

I've mailed off my business license application :)
Since businesses are allowed to do up to $2500 in a year without requiring a license, I've decided to open unofficially until the business license is valid.
Current days of business are Mondays and Tuesdays until I can afford to scale back hours at my retail job. I plan on being completely independent by June 01. Fingers crossed.

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Credit cards accepted

Credit cards can be accepted for transactions! :)
For now I will use a PayPal reader, which can use chip, swipe, or manual entry. Once I have an actual shop, I'll change to a regular retail card processor and save the PayPal reader for on-the-go work.

Monday, April 3, 2017

Trying out a new look

I changed things up a bit in prep for getting this page ready for customers. The background image is temporary, but will do until I create something custom.
The customer sign-in stuff was added back to the right column. If I start getting spammed with fake customers, I will disable that feature entirely.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Automatic Open/Closed/Lunch sign

On the left of this page is an image which shows whether we are open or not. If working correctly, it should show as an "Open" sign during business hours and "Closed" during non-business hours. Also, between 12-1PM, it should show as "Lunch". Saturdays and Sundays should also override the hourly settings with a "Closed" sign all day.
I think it works, but will need to check it over time.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Kiosk

What to do with an 12 year old laptop or desktop? Why, turn them into kiosks, of course.
I had previously tested the kiosk check-in, but on my own PC in a regular browser tab. This time I tested a proper dedicated kiosk system which will be installed in the shop for use by the customers.
An old HP Pavilion dv8000, in fantastic condition, was recently re-purposed for this task. It was too old and slow to use comfortably with a modern operating system. So the operating system was replaced with a stripped-down linux system which only runs firefox browser on one website only. And then it is full-screen, with no navigation bars or menus, restricted keyboard use, etc.
All it does is display a check-in screen for my customers. If I am busy with a customer and another enters the shop, they will have the option of checking their computer in them-self via the kiosk. I then get an alert in my customer management and trouble ticket systems to be processed with a couple of clicks. Then I will already have the basic info to get started when I am able to help them.
After turning the laptop into a kiosk, I did the same to an old desktop machine which a friend had donated.
Next I will contract a friend to make a wooden cabinet to mount either, or both, machine(s) in. There will be a window for the screen and a platform for the keyboard and mouse. The mouse and keyboard will both be knotted behind grommets, so they can't be pulled out of their USB sockets. The kiosk will need to be comfortable to use and accessible to all. Most likely it will be a box sitting atop a normal table, with the computer guts mounted inside it and an LCD panel up against the plexiglass window. Those guts might just end up being the laptop itself, with the screen detached to be mounted. Perhaps I should use both machines and make it a double kiosk, back-to-back.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Full POS/ticket system test performed

The entire point of sale & ticket system was set up last night and tested. I tested the full process, from customer creation to invoice payment. After a bit of experimenting and fine tuning, I got it all working nicely.
One of the big things tested last night was customer self check-in at a kiosk-type environment. This triggers an alert to me that there is a customer check-in, which I can then process into a new customer and/or new job ticket. When that occurs, all necessary documents and receipts are automatically printed:
  • Sign-in sheet from the document printer.
  • Ticket receipt from the receipt printer.
  • Customer and ticket labels from the label printer.
Also tested was capturing a digital signature for the sign-in sheet and for invoices, etc. For the time being I am using a small digital graphics tablet, in lieu of a proper signature pad. I am planning on using a cardstock template, placed over the graphics tablet, with a small area cut out to do the signature within. That way I can set the sign-in page full-screen and scroll to the bottom, where the signature box will always be in the same place. Then, if my template was made well, the customer can just use the pen to sign in the little square on the tablet and the signature gets captured properly. This tablet has a high-resolution so the signature can look very smooth, as though signed with an ink pen.

Now I have finally been able to test the following process and feel that it is ready to do business with customers:
  1. New customer/ticket self sign-in ("Lead" for me to act upon).
  2. "Lead" turned into a new customer by me w/ 1 click.
  3. New ticket created for the customer > 3 printers magic.
  4. Ticket worked on by tech.
  5. Ticket invoiced.
  6. Invoice paid > print invoice, print receipt & cash drawer pops.
  7. Ticket marked as resolved... job done.
The customer self check-in feature is for when I am already busy with a customer at the main desk. Another customer can enter the shop and choose to get their check-in started at a kiosk, instead of waiting for me. I will then get the alert in the system which allows me to add them as a new customer with a single click. When I have finished with the current customer, the new customer is already in the system when they bring their computer to the check-in counter.

Also tested were ways of searching the system by scanning various barcodes. These barcodes are on invoices, receipts, sign-in sheets, tickets, ticket receipts, and 4 types of labels...customer, ticket, asset (customer's computer), and stocked products.

Good to go.

I am curious to find out if this will be the first point of sale, customer, inventory, and ticket management system to be set up on the Coast, which runs in Linux.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Document printer finally ordered

Finally! I was able to order a new document printer today. It's a nice big fat Officejet Pro 8710 which can bust out up to 35 b/w pages per minute and it will serve as my home printer until the shop opens.

Monday, February 27, 2017

One step closer...

Next week I will be meeting with a business counselor to help get the ball rolling. Licenses need to be applied for and loans need securing. Once that ball is rolling, a location needs to be found to set up shop. Once a location is found, it will need an appropriate private & secure workshop, set up and stocked with the necessary tools and network equipment. I'll need a couple desktop and laptop machines and some printers as well. At least things are getting closer.

More minor tweaking...

The PC services page took some updates, as did the buttons for the pages.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Minor facelift

I tweaked a few settings here. The page tabs now no longer have the ugly full-width bar behind them. I also removed a couple things which either aren't ready or were not working as intended.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Ka-ching!

The cash drawer arrived today and it was easy to get it to pop open automatically when receipts print.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Printers be printing :-)

After a bit of experimenting and tweaking, I have both the receipt printer and label printer working properly in both Linux and the POS system. Receipts will auto-print whenever a transaction is tendered. Labels take a bit more work, but I don't need them auto-printing, so it's no big deal. Totally happy :)

Friday, February 10, 2017

Hurray! Today arrived the receipt printer, label printer, receipt paper, laminating sheets, and a grommet/eyelet punch tool. I just need the laminator and can then start making customer name badges and such. Once the cash drawer arrives, I will only need a credit card service and a document printer for my POS system to be complete. :)

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

The label printer is on the way. I also ordered the receipt printer and cash drawer today. Next week I will be able to fully test the POS and customer/ticket management system and should be able to make customer/job/price labels as well as ticket & sales receipts.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

testing email to blog

Let's see if it works 
I linked customer sign-in sheets (.pdf) in the right hand column. Those are for downloading and printing by customers, or by me, on occasions when my customer management system is not available for electronic check-in. These sheets will also be available on the counter in the shop.
I also added a list on the left for business hours, subject to change of course.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Getting a bit closer...

Things are slowly piecing together. I have tested the customer management system, inventory, and POS as thoroughly as possible until I have the necessary printers, cash drawer, and credit card reader. I have confidence that those items will work properly, but will still need to test label printing and receipt printing.
Then comes all necessary paperwork and a search for a location to set up shop. I am hoping all will be coming together by summer.