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| Thread ID: 91003 | 2008-06-23 04:30:00 | Question for you techs | pctek (84) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 681354 | 2008-06-23 04:30:00 | What do you do when people ring and expect fix instructions over the phone for their problem? These are strangers, not family or friends. | pctek (84) | ||
| 681355 | 2008-06-23 04:35:00 | Depends on what the issue is, and weather they have come to you before, also you can often tell if someone is genuine, or trying to get something for nothing, the weasels. If it's completely cold turkey, mmm cold turkey... :drool Sorry. If they call out of the blue and you've never heard them before, I'd give them some basic help, a few quick pointers (2 - 3 mins) but make sure they know problems are not easy to fix over the phone, and they will have to bring it in for us to be able to help you further. If it looks like your gonna make a sale, then sure, keep talking, but it's no good giving away your time for nothing in return. |
wratterus (105) | ||
| 681356 | 2008-06-23 04:36:00 | What do you do when people ring and expect fix instructions over the phone for their problem? These are strangers, not family or friends . I'd suggest (nicely, if they're not too annoying) that they should bring it into your premises as you can't do anything without seeing the PC in question . . . . It's a tricky one, because a bit of free advice can generate a heap of goodwill . But there are some very cheeky people out there who will try and get a freebie whenever they feel they can . |
nofam (9009) | ||
| 681357 | 2008-06-23 04:39:00 | Tell them to look in google, or pay me to talk | Speedy Gonzales (78) | ||
| 681358 | 2008-06-23 04:39:00 | I do pretty much the same as what the others have suggested - if it sounds like an easy problem I can quickly talk them through, then I do. If it sounds like it is going to take a while, I tell them it is very difficult to fix a computer over the phone, and suggest that they bring it into the shop. | Greven (91) | ||
| 681359 | 2008-06-23 04:41:00 | What do you do when people ring and expect fix instructions over the phone for their problem? These are strangers, not family or friends. my first question is who are you? then I listen to the problem, regardless of the problem i tell them i will have to come over and have a look, rate of $40 per hour........ there are very few people who get free advise from me, I even make some friends pay. this may seem crule but after a few phone calls at 4am asking about how to print from power point......... |
robsonde (120) | ||
| 681360 | 2008-06-23 04:44:00 | Tell them to look in google, or pay me to talk Best answer. 100 points. :thumbs: You are a business pctek not a charity therefore your time and expertise in the field of PC repairs is worth $$$$$. |
vitalstatistix (9182) | ||
| 681361 | 2008-06-23 04:55:00 | Isn't there a distinction between queries out of the blue from people you don't know, new queries from existing customers, and after sales service? Personally, as a techie customer, I would think the first one is akin to rocking up to a doctor at a party and asking them for advice on a pimple on my bum. I wouldn't expect any techie to give free support in that case. Of course, as a techie you may scent the possibility of a sale, in which case you might explore things a bit to find out if you have a gullible (oops, potential) punter on your hands... If I was an existing customer and had a new issue with my PC, I would expect a bit of exploration along the lines of "can I fix this myself, or do I need to bring it in?". Help along those lines builds goodwill - you are in it with them for the long haul, not just the periodic rebuilds. If it was a query related to something a techie had done for me (e.g. "the new hard drive you installed is not showing up in My Computer") I would expect after-sales service and explicit techie help to mount the drive. |
John H (8) | ||
| 681362 | 2008-06-23 04:56:00 | It is a hard one pctek. Everybody expects something for nothing these days. Not only strangers but I get it with friends and family a lot. Like the time we spend here trying to help it is all free help and it is a hard thing for us to draw the line between feeling we need to help and actually getting some return on our time. I have had friends that I might cost out an item at cost price then find they have gone and got something similar elsewhere, I find that a bit annoying. |
Bantu (52) | ||
| 681363 | 2008-06-23 05:07:00 | I do free advice. I do a certain amount of free helpdesk on the phone for people who have been in before too. But then there are the ones that want to pick your brains, and then they are so damn good, they can do it themselves. Never mind if they were: 1)Why were they in this mess in the first place 2)Wy are they asking how to fix it? I just wondered if any of you have a standard witty, non-offensive, well not too non-offensive anyway, reply for these situations........... |
pctek (84) | ||
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