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Thread ID: 135530	2013-11-14 01:42:00	Computer techos ripping off some people	stuffed (1469)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1359794	2013-11-14 04:24:00	Yep but cannnot tech's do a 30min inspection and bill them that and quote them for the repair bill should they want to go thru with it .. Depends, if its a hardware problem, then yep as you have to find out whats failed. Example someone let the smoke out of the PSU, or the HDD is there going CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK :D BUT if its software related it can sometimes take longer to actually find out the problem, or what is required, at that point you may already be 1/2 way through fixing it, and another 15 minutes its all done. The worse thing is some software problems can be mistaken as a hardware problem, so you dont want to go suggesting changing a HDD (in haste) if its software related.	wainuitech (129)
1359795	2013-11-14 04:28:00	:+1: Normal advertised charge out rate is $92 / hour I got appointments all of next week from current customers and word of mouth, I'm actually turning calls away because I cant get to them for at least a week. The Question. How much do you think I should charge for the complete job taking into account all the time, travel etc ? :nerd: Considering that you have a skill that your client doesn't and are doing a job that they are not able to, I say charge them your full amount and only offer a discount when you get the job done in less time than you quote for doing it. Look at it this way, if you went to see a specialist doctor, or a lawyer or an accountant, they would charge you accordingly ( and its usually a LOT) and they would be unlikely to discount their hourly rate. So why should you.	Webdevguy (17166)
1359796	2013-11-14 04:58:00	Considering that you have a skill that your client doesn't and are doing a job that they are not able to, I say charge them your full amount and only offer a discount when you get the job done in less time than you quote for doing it. Look at it this way, if you went to see a specialist doctor, or a lawyer or an accountant, they would charge you accordingly ( and its usually a LOT) and they would be unlikely to discount their hourly rate. So why should you. Know what you are saying, been running my own business for over 10 years now, you get to know what you can charge and what you cant, and long term work. Some ripoff merchants do just that, rip off people, those kind usually are not around for long. Ya want high rates ? Dentists - :horrified And they wonder why people dont go unless they really have to. I went the other week, was quoted close to 2K for one option :stare: I took the lesser option and that was only for 30 minutes @ $250 :(	wainuitech (129)
1359797	2013-11-14 05:32:00	Some ripoff merchants do just that, rip off people, those kind usually are not around for long. ( disagree a bit there. they are often around longer than the good guys. simply because they make much more profit than anyone else. know plenty of rip off crowds that are still around. those better/cheaper simply don't make enough to survive long term.	tweak'e (69)
1359798	2013-11-14 05:37:00	disagree a bit there. they are often around longer than the good guys. simply because they make much more profit than anyone else. know plenty of rip off crowds that are still around. those better/cheaper simply don't make enough to survive long term. Unfortunately as Cyabro mentioned, they are the ones that give others a bad name :(	wainuitech (129)
1359799	2013-11-14 06:39:00	It really annoys me to see how computer technicians are ripping off the vulnerable. By the vulnerable mean those who have not had a chance in life to get to grips with some basic computing knowledge and this is in no way a criticism of them - they may be older or simply not had an opportunity. So the family donates and old PC to Mum and Dad. This is where the techos start having a field day. ! Oh really. Some idiot gives a person without much knowledge of PCs an old, used and usually massively infected, bodged PC and then a tech is called. How exactly is this all the techs fault when they are asked to perform miracles? I have this situation ongoing at present. She isn't totally computer illiterate but she did think it less important than it was. She got an ancient PC from her previous boss, as part of a business she is running now. This thing was as old as the hills, had been used without attention for years....it was a dog as far as the software situation went. I was called upon to transfer it all to a newer PC - eventually, after she made it worse, ...well as there was no new O/S provided, no install disks, nor COAs for the business software in use and there was all manner of business files etc on it that were utterly essential and in a gigantic mess, all I could do was clone the drive into this new PC and up date the drivers. I have repeatedly warned her it will self destruct at any moment, she needs to tidy up the files and stuff and BACK THEM UP. Get the business software needed, and more importantly the COAs so that it can be wiped and fresh install done. Has she listened? Nope, it's been going on like that for 18 months. Occasionally panic ensues and I am called on to wave my magic wand at it, fortunately it's been other issues not the main problem. Cause if that thing dies right now, well, my ability to rescue everything and magically put back all the programs will be a snowballs chance in hell. In fact I have said forget it....do the cleanup, do the backup, get the software (she has got some now) and then I can attend to it before disaster strikes. I have had numerous people standing in my workshop sobbing (men included) because they don't follow the advice given. I do keep some old PCs maintained, however if it's beyond economics then I recommend ditching it, upgrading it or fresh installs or whatever. Do they take advice? Usually not. I had one idiot once with a state of the art, mega expensive gaming PC that he used to do nothing but watch porn. It had every infection known. Every week I would clean it out, explain how to run scans, patch etc and use COMMON SENSE on the net and every week he'd ignore it and reinfect it. He was most shocked when I told him to get another tech as I was no longer interested in this anymore. Oh but I pay you, he said. I didn't care, I had customers who cared and used their brains to help not people who blame everyone but themselves.	pctek (84)
1359800	2013-11-14 06:42:00	People expect something for nothing . The number of times when I used to do home repairs, that people would, for example, not know their password for their email account, and somehow blame me that I had to sit and wait while they phoned their ISP (and usually sat on hold for half an hour) to get it reset . Geez . Or the one I had . Cleaned PC out, installed antivirus, antispyw3are, left detailed screen shot instructions on keeping all this up to date and ensuring things were scanned etc regularly and what common sense things to do or not do . . . . and 1 year later get a call saying AV expired and I was to come and renew - oh and clean up as they perhaps hadn't done everything and it seemed to have some issues again too . Pointed out they could do this themselves easily enough . . . no I was to attend again . Oh and for free because I had charged for all this the first time . Right .	pctek (84)
1359801	2013-11-14 07:13:00	Oh, such happy days! I too get same probs over and over, but what can one do? Some people just start out computer illiterate and remain there forever. Two days ago was cleaning out someones crappy old XP machine. All sorts of rubbish on it due to ignorance, kept looking at her watch and had the cheek to tell me that it had been over an hour and could I hurry up cos she had to go out soon. Not as if I even charge the minimum wage rate per hour! LL	lakewoodlady (103)
1359802	2013-11-14 07:13:00	I've had bad dealings with need a nerd or dial a nerd. Whatever they are called. These bastards do take advantage of people that don't know any better.	plod (107)
1359803	2013-11-14 07:21:00	He was most shocked when I told him to get another tech as I was no longer interested in this anymore . Oh but I pay you, he said . I didn't care, I had customers who cared and used their brains to help not people who blame everyone but themselves . I would have just considered him to be my superannuation fund . If he is too stupid to engage common sense and help himself that is his problem, as long as he is happy to cough up for all the work done . Or is this the one who used his laptop in bed? :yuck:	FoxyMX (5)
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