I gave my competition business, because I am stupid.

[Mr. Ingram's Computer Repair & Shoppe]

So to start things off this week, first thing this morning, didn't even get the lights on and the phone rings.

Answer it.

A medication pharmacy near me can't connect any device to the internet and the ISP say's it's not on their side.

I stop opening my store and go straight over (I show up early to get a jump-start on busy days)

We have this thing called HIPAA, it is essentially a way to blame people for plugging in a $20 walmart wireless access point and advertising free wifi.

So I am already hesitant on touching anything as I don't fully understand HIPAA

They have a WALL of boxes. 3 different phone boxes, Windstream internet, TWC internet, and a second TWC internet not plugged into anything...

3 8-plug plower strips plugged into eachother all in 1 outlet with no battery backup...

Turns out their problem was the VPN router behind TWC modem (in bridge mode) fried and died.

I called up my competition that I ran out of town 15 months ago over and gave them the job within an hour of being on-site.

Told the manager I have to bow out as I do not have the time and resources today, but I trouble-shot the problem and I am handing it off to another business that will take care of them.

I bill for 1 hour of time, and I leave. ($106.75)

Called up the guy I handed it off to, he was thankful for the job, he should make $300-$500 off the job. but he has to completely re-do the entire network and rewire it all. He put in 4 hours today and simply got it all labelled and figured out how it used to work, now he is selling new equipment and upgrading them.

I feel like I dodged a week-long headache and got out on good-terms.

yall ever give your competition jobs that you just don't feel like doing before breakfast?

 

[frase]

Never, I had a similar situation - not time constrained though at the time. A new business - other I.T guys gone due to reasons. The network was all over the place, patch panel spaghetti, nothing labeled. Spent 3 hours onsite mapped network - so I know wtf is going on. They have a main office network and office network at rear of building.

Sold x2 switches, new router and a UPS and now I manage the systems there.

 

[sapphirescales]

I've passed on jobs before, but I've NEVER outright called a competitor and handed it to them on a silver platter. If I did that and they didn't do something right, I would be on the hook since I recommended them.

 

[TechLady]

Did this just the other day in fact. A guy emailed supposedly wanting help. English seemed a little off and seemed to have a lot constraints and requirements...red flag. Looked through my email and the guy had emailed me before about a year and a half to two years ago. Same crap; I had spent a lot of time emailing him back and forth trying to get him to just bring me his system to no avail. My instinct said "this guy is a complete waste of time and possibly a creep," so I told him I was BUSY for the next three months and to take his computer to the guy down the street. Zero regrets.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I regularly send prospective customers to another shop nearby when they ask if I can fix their gaming rig. I don't have the parts (high-power PSUs, high speed memory, high-end graphics cards) to make isolating the problem feasible, and because they are usually way too large and heavy for me to manage.

 

[Diggs]

Know when to hold them. Know when to fold them. Hand well played in my opinion including the hand-off. (The hand dealt and game played is different for everybody.)

 

[Archon Prime]

HIPAA compliance is important. I won't touch medical stuff because I'm not qualified for it nor do I want that sort of blood on my hands if something screws up.

I have someone in my area that I'll refer to if a business is in crucial state and need to get up and running asap. Sometimes I just can't get there that quickly. I don't really feel bad at all.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I haven't done that.
I'll admit I'm a bit surprised at handing an invoice without taking a job on. If I ever walked into a job that I couldn't fix/complete, my instincts would be to bow out and walk away. Guess I'd have a hard time handing over an invoice without really doing anything. I know you drove over and spent time/gas..it's just one of those things I'd chalk up as a loss if I couldn't complete the job.

More power to ya if you gave him a bill and he pays.

 

[NYJimbo]

So to start things off this week, first thing this morning, didn't even get the lights on and the phone rings.

Answer it.

Silly boy..... Never answer a phone in the morning until you are ready for "that call".

 

[Erick]

Sometimes a customers satisfaction isn't something you're going to be able to offer.

You made a decision based on years of experience which was based on them being able to get the level of service you felt they were asking for and you would not likely to be able to offer.

****** off customers handing you checks might be good for the short term but in the long term it's a business killer.

There's enough work out there for both of you.

 

[Mr. Ingram's Computer Repair & Shoppe]

There's enough work out there for both of you.

I'd argue that. I will always take more business.

I mean he can have the PITA problems, but there is not enough for both of us, which is why he had to move to the next town over.

 

[lan101]

I regularly send prospective customers to another shop nearby when they ask if I can fix their gaming rig. I don't have the parts (high-power PSUs, high speed memory, high-end graphics cards) to make isolating the problem feasible, and because they are usually way too large and heavy for me to manage.

Yep as soon as hear gaming rig...like the guys on the show shark tank say...for that reason alone I'm out lol.

It's always some teen or young 20's something that's wants his $1500 gaming rig fixed for 20 bucks. Like you said half the time I won't have in stock parts that are compliant with it to isolate it.

Not enough money in that to make any investments because that clientele at least in my area won't pay anything for it.

I'll give them a pointer or 2 and then bow out in a very nice way.

 

[Krynn72]

I've never handed off jobs, but have handed off clients entirely.

 

[frase]

Yep as soon as hear gaming rig...like the guys on the show shark tank say...for that reason alone I'm out lol.

It's always some teen or young 20's something that's wants his $1500 gaming rig fixed for 20 bucks. Like you said half the time I won't have in stock parts that are compliant with it to isolate it.

Not enough money in that to make any investments because that clientele at least in my area won't pay anything for it.

I'll give them a pointer or 2 and then bow out in a very nice way.

Yeas..and they know everything...arghh

 

[timeshifter]

Yeas..and they know everything...arghh

Some guy left me a message the other day, he wanted to borrow an AMD Ryzen CPU so he could update some microcode on his motherboard. He even offered to pay me to rent it. I didn't return the call.

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

Yeas..and they know everything...arghh

Yep, I turned down a job last year because a guy wanted a custom machine built for his solar business. He was running an Optiplex 745 as his desktop and an old eMachines running XP home as his "server". He said cost didn't matter it was time to do it right because he depends on his computer for his business. We informed him that we would not sell a custom built machine for a business. We only offer business class machines with business class warranties. He was ****** and assumed we just didn't know how to assemble a computer, lol. My business partner was mad that I didn't just take his money and build him a computer. I'm glad I just avoided the whole headache, not every dollar is worth chasing.

 

[brandonkick]

The only thing I'd have done differently is NOT recommend my competition. You did them a solid buy leaving them a description of what was wrong. Let them hunt down and choose someone else to fix it. Otherwise, I'd have done exactly what you did. Either that or bill THROUGH THE TEETH. If you can't put off the rest of your work for the day, that means your work day just got 4-5 hours longer. Hello $250 an hour.

 

[callthatgirl]

I take over Outlook clients from techs often, but with their permission. I refer out tons of work, so offering someone a job you can't take for whatever reason, is what you should do. You have a store, you have to have it open. No time for a full day offsite.

 

[callthatgirl]

I think you should work out a referral commission with this guy, for next time.

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

I refer out tons of work, so offering someone a job you can't take for whatever reason, is what you should do.

We just worked a job where the guy that was supposed to do the job was clearly over his head and it bit him hard. We had to take over and fix the email mess. It definitely pays to know when to outsource. This will likely end up in a podcast in the near future so stay tuned.

I had a MS Access issue that I didn't even know how to start with and I referred it to Lisa's (@callthatgirl )Access expert and 30 minutes later the issue was resolved and the client and myself were both very happy with the service.