As a writer in the digital age, a laptop malfunction can be just about the worst thing that can happen to you.
Recently, my worst nightmare came true. The challenge, however, was finding a reliable MacBook repair centre in Denpasar, as many local shops did not clearly list Apple reparation services on their websites. After frantically scouring the internet, Hi-Comp caught my eye. The Google reviews were stellar, with many people praising Hasnan for his helpfulness and excellent service. Even better, the shop was only 15 minutes from where I lived.
When I arrived at the listed address, I noticed a wooden sign on the glass reading “Hi-Comp” with an “Open” sign below it, though the place seemed empty. I rang the doorbell, and soon, a young boy answered. I asked if his father was around. “He’ll be here shortly,” he replied shyly, avoiding eye contact. Just as he promised, Hasnan arrived shortly after.
The workspace where Hasnan repaired devices was in a separate wing of his house. While he examined my laptop, I struck up a conversation to learn more about him. Hasnan himself is originally from Singaraja, a small district called Seririt. He shared that he had opened his own service shop in 2018 after spending 16 years as an official technician at an Apple service centre. No wonder there were so many Apple devices around! Unfortunately, what prompted this was the fact that the service centre where he worked had shut down.
He and his wife have five children in total. I was visibly stunned, which made him laugh as he explained the reasoning, “My wife and I both grew up having only one other sibling, and we agreed that we wanted something different for our family. We wanted to have a big family, where our kids would grow up with plenty of siblings.” With his eldest being in high school, each child was born two years apart from the last one.
Hasnan shared that his fascination with engineering began young, as he would assemble speakers, computers, and more. So, naturally, I wondered if any of his kids showed the same early interest. Beaming at the question, he mentioned that his fourth child has been particularly enthusiastic about being involved in his work. And would you guess? It was that same boy who greeted me at the door!
While he worked on my laptop, his neighbour stopped by to drop off his own device. Intrigued, I asked Hasnan about it. He explained that many of his neighbours also come to him for repairs. “Seventy percent of my clientele are foreigners,” he said. “Whenever a bule comes into the neighbourhood looking a bit lost, my neighbours would already know that they must be looking for me, and they’d point them in my direction.” He also mentioned that he accommodates meet-up requests outside of his office, noting that these days, most people prefer to meet elsewhere or have him come to their location to address their tech issues.
In between my enquiries, Hasnan remained completely focused on the task at hand. He meticulously examined every possible cause to determine whether the issue was software- or hardware-related. Once he identified the problem, he explained it to me in detail, including how it likely happened and gave me pointers on preventive measures for the future. We agreed on a very reasonable price for my MacBook’s specifications, and he got to work. In just about 30 minutes, he had fixed the problem swiftly—voila! Good as new.
My laptop was returned to me as if it were brand new, and I count my lucky stars for finding Hasnan’s quick, friendly, trustworthy, and high-quality service. This was the first time my laptop needed serious repair since I moved to Bali, and I was at a loss for what to do or where to go. Hasnan truly felt like a saviour, a godsend! So, if you ever find yourself in Denpasar or the surrounding area with an Apple device crisis, you know who to call!