Another dissatisfied customer of Aware Bear Computers
The website received the following comments and information (5/3/2009). Thanks for the comments and details Andrea!
Hi everyone. Rochester native here to let you all know that I recently had a semi-personal experience with Awarebear, and they’re just as bad as everyone says. I already made sure to post a terrible review on their Yahoo! Local page, but who knows if that will make any difference.
My friend had her computer worked on by this company. Normally I would be glad to do the work for her but I was out of town at the time. I found out when she later started having problems updating Windows that they had reinstalled the OS on her computer and used the WPAKill hack to bypass the need for a CD-Key. Why would a company do this when she already has a legitimate Windows CD-Key sticker on the desktop? Not only are they using illegal copies of Windows but I presume they must be stealing these good CD-Keys and using them for their own systems.
On top of that, attempts to contact their office and some light research left me with a few other interesting tidbits of information.
1) They seem to have only a few employees, and the technician my friend had was (I believe) the owner Andre Alves. From what she tells me, he seemed to know his stuff technically (this coming from a woman that doesn’t know much herself, though) but he didn’t seem very trustworthy. She let him do the reinstall anyways because she needed it done quickly.
2) The person who takes their calls is a sleezebag. He doesn’t know anything about computers but he knows a lot about bullshit. I found it very funny that their website has a picture of some employees from a call center (that they probably stole as well) but when you call it’s always the same scuzzy guy answering.
3) You simply cannot get a hold of the owner neither by asking for him by name or by title. Asking for a manager will get you one of their few employees probably faking a job as manager. They like to use the word “transfer” (as in “let me transfer you to XXXX”) when they obviously are just giving the phone to someone nearby. Another example of their attempt to put on an act.
4) The address they have listed in the Rochester Yellow Pages is FAKE! How can they think they can get away with this? The address listed is actually that of a large sports complex. Turns out their real office is actually residential zoned, it’s in someone’s (probably the owner’s) house.
I found this website after I discovered the problem with her “new” Windows installation so I thought it best that I post here since I don’t see any activity on the comments section since February. Just letting everyone know these guys are still in business and still scamming Rochester’s citizens.
I’m going to do my best to make sure as many people know about their crap as possible.
Here is Andrea’s comment on the local Yahoo ad for Aware Bear Computers. We have saved this because Andre Leite Alves has a tendency to delete his listings once there are too many negative comments and reviews. Then he waits a few days in the hope that people forget about it and then creates a new listing.
DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE!
My friend had her computer worked on by their “professional” technicians who installed a hacked (read: illegal) copy of Microsoft Windows on her computer. Sure they’re cheap, but it’s because they don’t follow the rules. You also can’t get a hold of anyone important at their office, the owner is conveniently never in, and they list a FAKE ADDRESS in the freaking phone book of all places.
Since I found out that hey had used a fake copy of Windows on her computer I researched the company and discovered that the Internet is full of complaints about them. Don’t believe ANYTHING on their website or anything they tell you, they are very, very sketchy people. Don’t be fooled by the pretty pictures on their website that don’t belong to them, or the facade they put on to trick you into thinking they’re legitimate.
Don’t trust these people with your computer and your personal files and information! You can stay away from Aware Bear Computers at 5 Monroe Ave in Pittsford NY (585) 473-7035.