IT Services Customers

It is our company’s aim to link today’s working artists and people seeking expression for their walls that will mirror their individuality, alter the room’s mood and perhaps provoke a conversation. For over 14 years we have been providing appropriate and engaging art offerings for each stage of life.

Although we are not strangers to technology, as we grew, so did our increasing need for automation, IT knowledge, standardization, and support. With last year’s blackout our vulnerabilities surfaced, we were not prepared to overcome a disaster, so we began focusing internally on how to protect our data and cover the basics, trying to come up to speed while continuing to run our business.

The Chip Merchant (TCM) reached out to us after acquiring San Diego Computer Consultants (SDCC), a company we had been doing business with to help us with some IT basics. As a result of their merge they offered us a complimentary assessment to learn about our operation and document our environment in order to support us properly. TCM also offered additional services SDCC did not, including network and server support, and helpdesk. As part of the assessment they provided us with recommendations and offered a comprehensive solution that efficiently repurposed most of the equipment we had invested in already and effectively took over our support needs, with options that were budget conscious, ultimately freeing up resources that were getting overloaded with support tasks. At this point, we can continue to focus on growing our company with the confidence that TCM has their competent hands and strategies in place to support and guide us with our technology needs, and protect us from disaster by minimizing our exposure and implementing the right backup plan for our needs.

We are very pleased with their level of support, knowledge, thoroughness, and level of service, and are happy to recommend TCM.

Tom Capp, President, GreenBox Art – San Diego, California

 

As a law firm with more than 25 employees and 5 offices across 2 states, changes in technology, platforms, practices, support levels, and/or providers are typically the last things to consider. We had been with our IT provider for some time, and although we were not enamored with their response time and extra charges assessed on the regular basis, we felt uncomfortable moving to someone else assuming our experience would be comparable with a different provider.

After meeting with The Chip Merchant (TCM), they provided a comprehensive support package with an all-inclusive solution for support and maintenance that adapts to our needs and growth pattern, and that ultimately saves us money while providing us with the service and support we need. The biggest improvement was our ability to talk to a technician and get the support we needed immediately. They pick up the phone when we call during business hours and a tech is always ready to support us. We were also ecstatic with their charges, which is the same every month, and it only changes when they have to be onsite, either because we request it or due to hardware failure or perhaps a major problem, although we have not had any in a year working with TCM. Of course, there are always issues to address, but TCM’s customer service and escalation process in place ensures that these are corrected before they become problems.

We are very pleased with their support and are happy to recommend TCM.

Alan Brunet, Director of Marketing, GCR Legal – San Diego, California

 

I came across The Chip Merchant after my Mac needed some memory, and from the first dialogue, I knew this was a company I would want to work with. They did not give me any false hopes of the memory increase helping my issue, and that is why I came back to TCM when I was looking for an IT management Partner. TCM's customer service level is above par, and their staff is responsive each and every time we have a need. Moreover, they make every effort to provide the business needs without going broke in software licenses. Today we are using their managed cloud solution, and I cannot be happier. My business operation does not see any degradation in response times. I would recommend TCM to any business owner looking for a reliable technology partner.

Yvonne Nieto, COO, AAA Packaging – San Diego, California

 

Sutherland Management Company has been doing business with The Chip Merchant for many years. We have always liked their service and trusted their judgment, but we had never thought we had the need for a monthly service contract to manage our technology. Although we had been discussing business continuity solutions, we never made a decision to move on that direction. But, earlier this year we clearly saw that need when 2 of our hard drives crashed and took our server down. Luckily, TCM was managing our backups so we were able to recover our data, but Dell took a few days to pinpoint the problem and replace the hardware, so we lost work and productivity.

We have seen TCM grow from the chips and part provider into the service and solution provider it is today, so we decided to move to their cloud solution based on our experience with them over the years. We no longer worry about hardware failures, data backup and disaster recovery because TCM takes care of it all, and we can work from anywhere because now we are in the cloud.

It is nice to have a company we have been working with for many years evolve and continue to add products and services that organizations like ours can take advantage of. It is easier to make a transition to someone we know and trust. Thank you TCM.

Allan Kodicek, Controller, Sutherland Management Company – San Diego, California

 

As a non-profit organization that provides after school programs for children, every dollar we spend in infrastructure is a dollar less towards the kids. When we parted ways with our in-house technology person we realized how much we rely on our support group and how critical it is to partner with the right organization. When we hired TCM they took over and quickly stabilized our environment which consists of multiple servers and dozens of workstations, provided backup options to minimize exposure while a final backup solution was implemented, and helped us regain control of our technology.

TCM believes in our cause and understands that sometimes our needs are bigger than our budget, so they provide us with added value to help us keep our costs down. Despite the distance, our issues are always addressed promptly; emergencies are given the highest priority and escalated accordingly to minimize impact on our environment. Their technicians are courteous, very knowledgeable and ready to help. We are pleased to have chosen TCM as our support organization.

Cathie Mostovoy, Chief Executive Office, Woodcraft Rangers - Los Angeles, California

 

We are a small business, and as many other companies like us we fell behind on infrastructure and technology improvements over the years. TCM built a plan to support our organization, manage our old infrastructure, upgrade it, and implement newer technology as budget permits. In addition, and as part of their service, TCM took over support of a software package that is no longer upgradeable or supported by the vendor.

TCM provides us with a comprehensive plan that addresses our needs and doesn’t burn a hole in my pocket.

Also, with TCM’s hardware background we were able to combine software, hardware, and services into our plan. TCM also moves with technology, so they offer new services like cloud and virtualization to provide me with options when I am ready to make changes to my environment.

TCM support is a phone call away, and I am always able to speak with a live person immediately. Information is disseminated so even if the tech assigned to my account is unavailable, I am able to get support from someone else right away. Concerns are escalated quickly and decisions are made fast, so I am never left unsupported.

I trust and highly recommend TCM.
Craig Pykles, Owner, Pykles Plumbing and Remodeling – San Diego, California

 

TCMCloud Customers

For most contractors like me our office is where the job is, so the challenges of maintaining the books, scheduling and managing projects and personnel, and providing other employees and resources with access to your books and other pertinent information without the right structure and support becomes a logistics and technology nightmare. This is where TCM comes in.

As a typical small business, I had all software and data installed in my computer, with little to no backup, no technical support, and providing other users with access to my valuable information. Frustrated and concerned about my situation, I responded to a TCM cloud solution campaign. Their process was flawless and the solution was just as advertised. TCM built a virtual server in their cloud and provided me, my employees, and accountant with access based on the level of security each needs to do their job, so my data remains confidential. Also, because my virtual server lives in their cloud, it is backed up daily and I can access it 24 x 7 so I am protected and can work from anywhere. TCM also set me up with MS Office and installed all the applications I needed. The implementation process only took a few hours and my environment was up and running promptly, and because their solution is fully managed TCM supports it at no extra cost to me.

TCM really understood my needs and was able to build a solution to match it. I am pleased with their support and strongly recommend them as the IT and cloud provider of choice.

Roger A. Ramos, President and CEO, Roger's Plumbing, Lakeside, California

 

We had specific requirements to move the website to new hardware while transitioning the business to a new ownership, and of course, without affecting the operations and taking down the website. The Chip Merchant (TCM) came highly recommended by a local business as a provider of IT services. We had a good experience purchasing computer hardware from TCM in the past, so we decided to contact them. They took the time to advise and educate us and the new ownership on their cloud solution, and recommended it as the best possible option for the transition, and as a strong long term solution for the new ownership. TCM completed the move from physical to virtual with great efficiency and minimum cost, and worked with both ownerships while the business transaction took place. The process was better than advertised, and we truly appreciated their professionalism and attention to detail. They made a transfer that by all accounts could have been a complete nightmare into a seamless transition that went flawlessly.

Cathy Flinn, Former Owner, Pristine Planet, San Diego, California

Buying a business does not come without its own challenges and set-backs. When the seller recommended The Chip Merchant (TCM) as their company of choice to support the move, I decided to do my own research to make sure that engage a good team with a strong solution and at the best price. My research led me back to TCM, who helped me understand the benefits of moving to the cloud, particularly when it comes to a small business like Pristine Planet. They made the process simple and worked with all parties to make sure that Pristine Planet would operate non-stop and under the corresponding ownership throughout the transition. I am not a technical person, so having TCM as the technology group to support my organization going forward, provides me with peace of mind and allows me to focus on my new venture. I am pleased to have engaged TCM as the technology provider for Pristine Planet.

Tim Schultz, Current Owner, Pristine Planet, Mill Valley, California

 

OEM Computer Solutions Customers

We are a company that likes building relationships with our vendors once we find the right combination of price, quality, experience, reliability, support, and trust, and we keep those relationships for many years. When we first started working with The Chip Merchant, their track record supporting the San Diego market since 1985 was an important factor in the selection process. TCM understands our needs and provides us with a “turn-key” solution and the value-add that our small business needs. Cost is always critical, and TCM knows it. They're a great team to work with, and the level of service and attention we receive from TCM is top-notch.

Over the past 6 years we have been working with TCM for OEM computer hardware TCM has come through for us every time, even through challenges and difficult situations, helping us uncover and research issues, seeking contingencies and working with our team as needed to provide support for our customers. The hardware they provide is a critical component of our product, we trust their process and recommendations, and rely on their knowledge and expertise. We are extremely pleased with our choice and our relationship with TCM.

Brian Farley, Director of Technical Operations, Full Swing Golf, San Diego, California

 

For over 16 years, SportKat has been a leading provider in the development of devices that meet the growing need of balance therapy, training and rehabilitation. With the introduction of computer driven balance products we begun sourcing off-the-shelf computers to drive our software and manage our balance products, but we ran into unexpected situations, including lack of consistency within builds, little to no support on configuration changes, and less than adequate assistance to overcome such situations.

We began shopping around for a new supplier, and decided to start working with TCM in 2009. TCM is a small business that caters to the small business, so they have low overhead and can move fast to accommodate their customer's needs. We were thrilled to be able to work directly with TCMs engineers to determine the best configuration for our needs, and to be able to tap into the years of hardware experience that TCM provides. The final solution fits our needs perfectly, has a price-point that is comparable to what we were getting for our off-the-shelf configurations, and full support on the back end from the TCM staff and from the manufacturers, through TCM, if there is a need. TCM works closely with many providers, including industrial and embedded manufacturers that build products that surpass the durability and availability of mainstream parts and products you find in the typical computer you purchase, which extends the life of the product, the availability of the model, and reduces the impact and costs of test and evaluation, recertification, and others.

We are greatly satisfied with TCM as our OEM computer provider. We trust and recommend TCM."

Justin Belliveau, Engineering Manager, SportKat LLC, San Diego, California