Meet Jacqui, Co- owner of Mac & Pc Doctors

Jacui Kirkman, Co-Owner of Mac and PC Doctors

Head of marketing at Mac and PC Doctors, Darcy sat down with co-owner of the business, Jacqui Kirkman and discussed what goes on behind the scenes.

How and why did you come to own and run Mac and PC Doctors?

My husband and business partner has always dreamt of running a small business. We looked at a few different businesses but this one seemed to match our interests and knowledge best.   I'm a primary school teacher with an interest in how technology is used in education and he has an IT background.  We took over the business in2012.  The previous owners had built the business up from scratch over about seven years.

What do you enjoy most about your day-to-day involvement with Mac and PC Doctors?

Solving people's problems is very satisfying.  Seeing the relief on someone's face when you tell them that you've been able to save their photos from a computer that's now toast is a good feeling.

Of all the products you sell in-store, which one is your favourite and why? 


Well, remember I am a teacher.  I love the nifty little connector cables that let me show my iPad screen on an interactive whiteboard.  I also think the MacBook Air is great.  It's so light but so powerful.

Of all the products you sell in-store, which one is your favourite and why?

Well, remember I am a teacher.  I love the nifty little connector cables that let me show my iPad screen on an interactive whiteboard.  I also think the MacBook Air is great.  It's so light but so powerful.

What is the most common technical issue you would see in-store?

Probably hard drive issues, although there was a period earlier in Summer where we were seeing a lot of wet computers thanks to a series of storms in Brisbane.

What's been the biggest change that you have seen since you started running Mac and PC Doctors?

The arrival of the Apple Stores in Brisbane has definitely impacted our business.  We've had to become more streamlined.

As a small business how do you compete against bigger computer retailers and Apple's retail stores in Brisbane and Carindale? 

Apple Stores give a wonderful experience which many people enjoy but it can be hard to get individualised service.

Just the other day we had someone come in who was very frustrated because he had waited 3 days for an appointment at the Apple Store to discuss his problem.  When the appointment finally came, he was told that they could do nothing about the out-of-warranty problem with his device and until the out-of-warranty problem was fixed (a non-working hard drive), nothing could be done about the in-warranty problem.  He was so pleased that we could deal with both problems at once.

There's no need to make an appointment with us for a technical issue and we have parking right behind the store.  If you're looking to buy a new computer, we don't have as many devices on display as the Apple Store but we can order anything in and someone is always available to discuss the options with you.  We can customise your new computer and transfer your data from your old computer

Sometimes people don't want to fight crowds at shopping centres - especially if they're lugging an iMac around!

Is there anything exciting planned for Mac and PC Doctors next year that you can share?

My business partner has just been accepted into the Apple Consultants' Network program.  This year we plan to be working in partnership with a couple of education consultants to assist schools with their IT needs and we hope to be able to offer education discounts.  We're also starting to work with assistive technologies along with a sister business, Potential Learning.

Finally, Mac or PC?

Hmmm, we used to be diehard PC people but amongst the 6 people in our household we now have 5 MacBooks, 2 iPads and an iPhone so I guess you could say we're in transition.