can't fix a problem

[slither556]

Hi
i would just like some advice, what happens if you don't know how to fix a particular problem ? do you referr the customer to the manafacturer ? do you still charge for your time?

 

[Alpha Geeks]

We have a no-fix no-pay policy. Sometimes though, things are beyond your control.

An example of this would be something like a problem with third party software. In those cases, we let the customer know that we will work with the manufacturer on their behalf, but do not promise that it can be fixed.

We tell them up front that they will be paying for our time to work with the companies tech support, and any related fees they charge even if the problem is not resolved.

We have had issues that cannot be resolved, and the customers were thankful that we dealt with tech support for them so they didn't have to. They were not too happy that the issue was not resolved, but had no problems paying us for our time and expenses.

 

[Rosco]

We have a no-fix no-pay policy. Sometimes though, things are beyond your control.

An example of this would be something like a problem with third party software. In those cases, we let the customer know that we will work with the manufacturer on their behalf, but do not promise that it can be fixed.

We tell them up front that they will be paying for our time to work with the companies tech support, and any related fees they charge even if the problem is not resolved.

We have had issues that cannot be resolved, and the customers were thankful that we dealt with tech support for them so they didn't have to. They were not too happy that the issue was not resolved, but had no problems paying us for our time and expenses.

Great advice.i work with a lot of business and home customers i am the go between software and hardware venders. There are so many companys you cant be an expect on everything. thats when i call tech support. never had a problem with this people understand.

 

[Boston Pro Comp Serv LLC]

+1 to both responses, and we do the same thing if I can't fix it I don't charge for it. Except in cases like this I do charge. Customer brings in an ITouch, the screen is smashed and you can see the internals of the unit because it was smashed so badly, it appears to turn on but you can't see anything from the smashed screen. I tell them it's XX$ to fix the screen, but I can't promise the unit is going to work after the screen repair, if it doesn't than they can opt to pay more to finish the repair or just pay for the screen repair that we already did.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I've had to call Microsoft a few times and spend money on a Technet session. For exchange issues beyond my abilities. Clients differ but most understand that sometimes you need to speak to a specialist. Your don't have a General Practitioner doing Brain Surgery but you get his help getting the referral. if you are giving up then yeah you can't really charge but being the go between for tech support is certainly billable.

 

[FoolishTech]

Hi
i would just like some advice, what happens if you don't know how to fix a particular problem ? do you referr the customer to the manafacturer ? do you still charge for your time?

Depends on the problem - but I'm hard pressed to remember one I couldn't fix (that I didn't know I couldn't fix up front - seen plenty of times I knew right away I couldn't fix the issue because they just NEEDED A NEW ONE whatever it was.) EDIT: I'm not trying to be 'full of myself' because I have called a vendor's tech support for help in the past. What I'm saying is, *I* still fixed the actual problem even if I had to consult others to do so, and all of that time is most certainly billable!

...Clients differ but most understand that sometimes you need to speak to a specialist. Your don't have a General Practitioner doing Brain Surgery but you get his help getting the referral. if you are giving up then yeah you can't really charge but being the go between for tech support is certainly billable.

^^ this. I've had to call Symantec before for Endpoint support (ugh on Endpoint, but they were very helpful.) .... And yes I billed for the call and the time.

In this case the client themselves may or may not know to call Symantec tech support without my "help", but if they did, it's actually WORKING with that vendor's support team that often REQUIRES a computer tech with some basic skills in order to accomplish the goal - a computer tech will succeed whereas a client would fail at things like effectively communicating with the vendor's tech support rep for describing, troubleshooting, and ultimately resolving the issue.

Depending on the vendor, and whether or not the client has a support contract with that vendor, they may need to pay that vendor for support on top of paying you for dealing with that vendor's support team. That's just how it works.

It happens in EVERY INDUSTRY, and EVERYONE charges for the time.

Look at it this way. I had to "lawyer up" earlier this year. There were no local intellectual property attorneys here but I went to a very well respected, competent, (and expensive) local business attorney. What did he do? After my consultation, he called another attorney elsewhere in the state for a consultation between the two of them, then back to me for another consultation between just him and myself. You'd better believe that all three consultations were billed to me!!! The consultation between the two attorneys was billed to me from both of them, in fact. That's just how it works in the real world....

 

[nlinecomputers]

Yep and the bill Microsoft charged me for my Technet session was passed on directly to the end user as a billable item on my invoice.

 

[ljtechservices]

Since I'm the "IT Guy" for the businesses I support they pay even if I have to call the vendor.
Since they can't afford to hire one full time they "hire" me for problems.

That being said I know my limits and can readily assess if I need to call the vendor or check the support site or google the problem.

I don't work with a lot of home users but I have a 5hr max bill for them but I usually try to get it back to the bench if it's going to be longer than an hour.

 

[ljtechservices]

In this case the client themselves may or may not know to call Symantec tech support without my "help", but if they did, it's actually WORKING with that vendor's support team that often REQUIRES a computer tech with some basic skills in order to accomplish the goal - a computer tech will succeed whereas a client would fail at things like effectively communicating with the vendor's tech support rep for describing, troubleshooting, and ultimately resolving the issue.

Depending on the vendor, and whether or not the client has a support contract with that vendor, they may need to pay that vendor for support on top of paying you for dealing with that vendor's support team. That's just how it works.

I just recently started calling this Running Vendor Interference or Vendor Protection Services.

Too many times I'll get a call from somebody that says they spent "Hours" on the phone with tech support for no resolution. I always ask them later was their time worth more than the bill I presented.