The Good Guys--Apple Specialist Reliable Computers and Consulting in Rockport, ME

One of the great things about Apple Specialists is that they can fill the distance gap between Apple Stores in many parts of the country like the state of Maine. While Maine is the home of the state-wide Apple iBook program for seventh and eighth graders, it has no Apple Stores. Recently, our New England Editor Dana Baggett had need of service for his daughter's PowerBook G4. Here's his experience with an Apple Specialist in Rockport, ME:

...my adult daughter's PowerBook G4 keyboard developed a stuck key. Since she's a full time school teacher, I volunteered to take it in for service. It's covered by AppleCare. At first I thought of taking a hike to the Apple Store at Salem, NH or Peabody, MA. But, having made trips to both places in the past, my enthusiasm for a six hour round trip...began to waver even though I always like to go and lust after the latest and greatest Apple stuff since we can't do it locally. And, if I had to leave the PB and then retrieve it at a later date... :-(

So I decided it was about time I tried out a service provider closer to home. I'm glad I did. I called Reliable Computers & Consulting, an Apple Specialist in Rockport, last week and had a very pleasant conversation. Sure, they'd be glad to look at it while I waited when I brought it in. No appointment needed! There was a $35. fee if they had to process AppleCare paperwork but maybe that wouldn't be necessary. Sounded good to me.

So, I took the PB there on Tuesday. It's an hour trip from Brunswick. I was met immediately and pleasantly as soon as I stepped through the door by a manager - shirt and tie - who actually remembered my call from last week. He took the PB into the shop area - fully open to view - and asked their Mac Specialist to take a look. (He was obviously doing something else but dropped what he was doing to do so.) Ten minutes later, problem solved. A tiny bead like one you might string on a thread, probably belonging to my six year old granddaughter, had lodged under a key cap. The PB was returned in working condition. No charge. Only in Maine.

Apparently, the Rockport shop does quite a bit of service work with school systems. They have some used Apple equipment for sale at modest prices; likewise USB and Firewire cables. They also service "other" computers.

I'll certainly head their way from now on.

[Dana Baggett]