You hear a lot of things in the Fort Lauderdale computer repair business and many involve people who feel - justifiably or not - that they've been treated unfairly or charged too much much for computer services.

The type of computer repairs and service involved, as well as the level of competency of the technician performing the service, vary so much that it's impossible to generalize what is likely to happen to you.

Without question, some Fort Lauderdale computer repair firms are better than others, just like any business. Many are reliable and provide fair rates, while others are overpriced and have less competent personnel. End of story.

Our experience in the industry is that a smaller, independently-owned Ft. Lauderdale computer repair firm gives you the best chance to receive both quality and efficient service you can depend on.

We recently talked to a customer who went to a major big box retailer who shall remain nameless. She was informed that her computer had a "bad hard drive" and told that the "hard drive crashed" and no data could be recovered.

Diagnostics alone had been performed at this point. The bill: $244.

A staggering prospect for no real prognosis or solution - and had the client actually had her machine serviced by this same Ft. Lauderdale computer service, the bill may have been double that, or even more.

Upon closer inspection, our technicians learned that her computer was not progressing past the Windows boot screen. This alone showed that the machine at least drew power from something, and could be salvaged.

After running two utilities, one of our Ft. Lauderdale computer repair associates had the computer back up and running. This is an isolated case (no miracles are guaranteed here), but it proves an important lesson.

Be wary of what services you hire, whether it's for troubleshooting, more advanced computer repair, or other needs such as application design. The choice is critical.

Diagnosing computer issues is more complicated than being able to sell you an iBook or a Dell at some huge store. It's also the bottom line for smaller companies, and just a drop in the bucket for other, larger institutions.

Be forewarned - and think small for big results.