Apple product support provider plants new location at Bellemead
This fall, Maccentric turns over a new leaf at a new location in the Shoppes at Bellemead in Shreveport.
Maccentric, an Apple product support provider, relocates from its University Drive offices to the shopping plaza on
Youree Drive just north of East 70th Street. It is the company’s tactical move to increase visibility.
“Our current location on University Drive has gotten the job done in the last several years, but if you didn’t know we were here, you wouldn’t know to come see us,” Thomas Avallone, owner of Maccentric, said. “At Shoppes at Bellemead, we’re going to be in a better location where people can drive by and know about us.”
Avallone, a Shreveport native, opened Maccentric in 2006 on Bert Kouns Industrial Loop and in 2009 moved the business into the office suite on University Drive. It has been the sole Apple repair, support and training provider in the Ark-La-Tex since opening. Before Maccentric, Avallone said Mac users’ only options were to drive to Dallas or mail in their computer to have it serviced at the Apple store.
“I felt there were enough Mac users locally that someone ought to service them,” Avallone said. “I opened Maccentric and became an Apple Authorized Service Provider. [Maccentric] has a relationship directly with Apple so when people call Apple and are looking for assistance that representative will look up the closest store and send them to us.”
Avallone is an Apple certified Macintosh technician who trained and worked at the Apple store in Dallas before opening Maccentric. His staff consists of two additional skilled technicians and a customer service representative. Maccentric has served more than 4,000 clients providing in store and on-site service.
“We have a number of on-site clients and businesses we support,” Avallone said. “We also provide on-site support to individuals, so if your Internet isn’t working or you need help setting up a printer or sharing files with a new machine, we’re available.”
Though the company is specialized in Macs, the technicians are also skilled in servicing non-Apple products, such as PCs.
As part of the new move, Maccentric is expanding its curriculum in Apple product training. “(Maccentric University) is a program that provides customers with one-on-one tutorials in store, at home or in the office. People buy Macs, iPods or iPads and know they can do more than what they are using it for,” Avallone said. “We provide one-on-one training. We teach Mac basics and more specialized features, like for iMovies and iPhotos. We’re going have a menu of training classes offered beginning in the fall.”
The transition to a new location comes with new challenges and competition. Maccentic will continue competing with Best Buy’s Geek Squad, but a new challenger is stepping in. GameStop, a chain of video game stores, recently purchased and expanded a Simply Mac, a retailer and repairer of Apple products. As Maccentric opens its doors on Youree in the fall, so will the new Shreveport location of Simply Mac. Relocating was already in the plans for Maccentric, but upon the hearing of the arrival of the new store, it became higher priority.
“We’re in the position now where we essentially have to compete with a Fortune 500 company,” Avallone said. “Getting visibility became more important. It was serendipitous that the Shoppes at Bellemead opportunity came to us.
“It’s going to be interesting, but I love a challenge and the competition. I’m looking forward to raising our game.”
Avallone is confident that his company with a local base offers what national retailers cannot.
“The No. 1 thing you get here is communication,” he said. “You get a call when the computer is diagnosed, when the part is ordered and ships and arrives, and when [the computer] is ready.”
Avallone said the complaint he hears from customers about other services will often keep their computer for days and weeks without an update.
“If you leave your computer here more than two days, you’re going to hear from us,” he said. “It’s about trust and integrity. We communicate and let people know what we’re doing.”
Avallone said the company puts quality first, striving for seamless fixes to make the product like new. Avallone has received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from customers and from Apple regarding service that Maccentric provides.
“This is our home; we know this community. People do business with us continuously and refer friends and family here,” Avallone said. “People have always been very supportive and enthusiastic about us being here and being able to provide them with local service and support. I feel like that loyalty and relationship built in the last seven years have put us in a very strong position to compete with this new entity.”
– Tiana Kennell
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For more information, call Maccentric at 222-2522.
