THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9702010577
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 106 lines
Service is making a comeback in that most modern of industries - computers.
Savvy computer consumers are turning to local firms to purchase custom-built computers or to upgrade their existing systems. Not because of the cost savings - or even the warranties - but because of good, old-fashioned regard for the customer.
``They bend over backward to satisfy their customer,'' said Andy Slizewski, who recently bought 11 custom-built computers from a local manufacturer. ``If you go to a big chain, like COMP USA, you never get the same guy.''
If Slizewski needs any help, he just calls the salesman who sold him his computer.
``He takes care of me,'' Slizewski said. ``They know you. I like that. You get better service.''
New small computer stores are popping up in neighborhood strip malls and storefronts around Hampton Roads to capitalize on residents surfing the technology wave. On Chesapeake's retail-jammed N. Battlefield Boulevard, two stores, Compu-Zoo and Electronic Engineering Systems Computers, are located two blocks from each other in successive shopping centers.
Burgeoning computer shops are catering to knowledgeable, well-read clients who know exactly what they want. Custom-built computers, manufactured to the specifications of the customer, are a stable yet growing portion of these local firms' businesses.
``The main thing we do is build computers,'' said Paul Phipps, office manager at Nerd World, a two-year-old store in Virginia Beach where building computers accounts for 60 percent of the business.
Although the 20 largest personal computer makers still control 75 percent of the market, relatively small, no-name firms hold the remaining 25 percent, according to market researchers.
In Hampton Roads, there are dozens of these shops listed in the Yellow Pages.
Ubiquitous advertising, Internet hype, business accounts of technology giants such as Microsoft and the wider acceptance of computers in traditional industries have convinced many technophobes to buy their own PCs.
``Virtually everybody has a need for a personal computer now,'' said Colin Barnett, a salesman at KIS (Keep it Simple) Systems. ``Schools use them, businesses use them, kids use them. The Internet is rampant.''
If the pressure to jump on the cyberspace superhighway is that great, why buy a computer from a no-name outfit nearby instead of a recognizable national brand?
Giant computer makers, the Dells, Apples, Gateway 2000s and IBMs of the world, often use proprietary parts for their products. Their hardware, for instance, is designed to fit only their motherboard, the basic board piece where the system's memory is attached, said Jason Newcomer, sales manager at KIS.
COMP USA declined to comment for this story. But the computer superstore advertises its low prices, extended service plan and its warranties as the values it passes on to customers.
By contrast, custom-built computers may use different or ``clone'' brand monitors, keyboards and the components that make up the guts of a computer. Sometimes those parts are cheaper because consumers aren't paying for the catchet of a brand name.
``The reason why I bought a custom-built computer is you can get what you want,'' said Slizewski, a CPA who operates Fastax Inc. in Virginia Beach.
He purchased 10 machines from KIS Computers with 100 mHz, 850 meg hard drive, 16 meg RAM, 8-speed CD-ROM and Windows 95. But no modems.
``I don't want my people to be in business for themselves,'' he explained.
Custom-built systems can offer advantages over the long run, too. They're easier to upgrade to run the latest programs or software. Their essentially generic parts aren't soldered on.
``With the average age of software, DOS to Windows to Windows 95, the need to upgrade is much sooner than it seems to be,'' said Shawn Chenault, corporate sales manager of Micro-Enhancements in Virginia Beach.
With a clone, or custom-built computer, ``There's no part of the computer that can't be upgraded. You always have the option to upgrade,'' Chenault said.
Name brand computer manufacturers are more interested in selling an entirely new system instead of improving your current one, said KIS' Newcomer. ``They're interested in the market that's going to buy a new computer every three years,'' he said.
But the ability to upgrade computers is important to those consumers who don't want to trash an entire system just to run the latest programs. Clients also appreciate the close proximity of local manufacturers.
``If something's wrong, you can drive over and get it fixed right away,'' said Yevgeniy ``Eugene'' Shcherba, who manages Compu-Zoo, a small computer store in Chesapeake. ``You don't have to call an 800 number and you don't need to ship it back to a major manufacturer.''
A Russian immigrant, Shcherba started his Chesapeake store in September 1995 with his cousin and another employee.
``Business was slow, slow, slow, now business grow, grow, grow,'' Shcherba said. Word-of-mouth and referrals has brought in more business, mostly individuals, 75 percent of Compu-Zoo's clientele.
Now the five-person store builds or repairs about 60 computers a month, he said. Most of the work is building computers, but 25 percent consists of upgrades and repairs.
This booming market has drawn its share of ``box pushers'' and VARs, value-added resellers, essentially middle men who build computers and are interested in selling as many computers as possible to make a profit.
These small operators damage the reputation of local manufacturers because they don't last long enough to back up their work, or answer questions later.
``There are a lot of companies today. If you look at every year, 50 percent leave, others take their place. Some companies go bankrupt,'' said Chenault.
That's why the service of reputable firms is so valuable. They stick around to guarantee their work and address future problems.
``People like to have somebody to come back to,'' said Barnett of KIS. ``They like the local support.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by TAMARA VONINSKI, The Virginian-Pilot
Yevgeniy "Eugene" Shcherba, manager of Compu-Zoo in Chesapeake