I'm jsut getting tired of....

[lost-and-found]

<extra rant mode>
Ok, ok, I need to get under controll. Well, I fixe computers at home to make some cash. Yesterday my friend (for whom I fixed PCs previously) calls me that she knows a lady who has PC troubles and she wanted to know if I can try to help her. Well, I agreed thinking that this would be another one of the "Push the POWER button, not the RESET button" problems.

Today she brings her two PCs, one a Gateway, and one some brand that I never heard of. One of the PCs, she says, can't download anything from the AOL sites, and the tother is very slow and doesn't want to print, and the keyboard sometimes loses connection.

I looked at the "slow" PC, a 500mhz PIII that is slow because it has about 30 start up proggies. I told her that that's her prob and the only way to speed it up is to stop some proggies from starting up. She's like "but I need all the programs to startup" I was about to say something mean but I would probably be struck by lightning. The other PC (the one that can't download anything from AOL) has a windows password set up on it, but the problem is the lady doesn't know it because it's her husband's PC. SO I can't connect to the net w/o logging in. But I push cancel anyways and instantly 6 "XXX for free" programs pop up.

I'm still trying to wash away my memories. So what I'm thinking is, that I'm going to call her, say I can't fix your PCs, and I'm not even going to charge her anything just so she gets off my back easily, sound good?

[tekmonkey]

sounds alright to me

[Redwolf]

If you can fix it, she may reccomend you. It sjust takes patience and some teaching skills. After all, I taught my grandfather to be careful with emails, no?

[lost-and-found]

I just don't have time or patience right now. Plus, I seriously don't know how to fix some stuff. I can probably tweak her PC for a faster performance, and fix the printer problem, but I don't know what to do about the AOL thing or her keyboard losing signal.

[Redwolf]

So ask us in the Tech fourms?

But if you don't hve the time and patience, then just tell her calmly that it's a complex problem and that you just have too much else to work on. So rccomend she eitther call Gateway (n second though...don't), or reccomend her to a good computer shop.

[Knothead]

LandF, I can understand your offense at the "XXX" jazz. But that notwithstanding, here's another perspective for you, maybe helpful:

The vast majority of computer users are extremely ignorant about how their computers work. ESPECIALLY O.S. problems (I think the stereotypical "how do I turn it on" type is going away.)

And the public is S-L-O-W-L-Y getting smarter, but most will NEVER get to the level of computer smarts of the people here. Most don't HAVE to. They're using 'em as a tool in their business, or whatever. Anyway, they're not interested, never will be.

This ignorance makes you very valuable. When their box pops a rivet, they need YOU to fix it. That lady didn't know about hubbie's porno, heck, she didn't even realize you needed a password to access. This is what you're dealing with.

At $65.00 an hour, including travel time (or whatever the going rate is.)

But having disdain for a customer, no matter how stupid you may think they are, who needs help, is not in your, or anybody's, best interests.

Hope this helps.

[Blood_Luster]

Knothead made a strong point there...

I think you should just tweak it, and try to fix a few things. Tell her all this computer lingo that she'd never understand(But really common stuff, like BIOS and ect...)And make it seem like some of it is unfixable(Witch isn't techicly lying, but since you're not even getting paid for it, shouldn't matter .)And say somthing like: "If you ever need somthing else, ask me" and you could make an easy buck.

[Warthog]

And say somthing like: "If you ever need somthing else, ask me" and you could make an easy buck.

...."If you ever need somthing else, ask me but I'll have to charge you next time" *say with a smile*

Do you have a rate worked out if there is a next time?

Warthog

[Garand]

Originally posted by lost-and-found

I told her that that's her prob and the only way to speed it up is to stop some proggies from starting up. She's like "but I need all the programs to startup"

You could do what I do and just take it on yourself to remove all that crap from startup - she prolly won't know the diff. Just teach her how to start the proggys she needs? Please don't smack me here, it's my first post.

[SPEEDO]

I always ask nonchalantly what is all this stuff you have running down in the system tray. Most of the time they say I don't know so if you need to remove any of it feel free to do so.

When you say startup the first thing that goes thru their mind is probably their car and if you don't start it up it don't work..........IMHO

SPEEDO