ignorant consumers

[Nerrad]

I agree but most of the time they have tried to fix it and can't so they bring it to me, normally it's worse than when it first goes wrong by the time I get to have a look at it

 

[gunslinger]

I agree but most of the time they have tried to fix it and can't so they bring it to me, normally it's worse than when it first goes wrong by the time I get to have a look at it

Thats why I charge those clients more. Its always more work for me to try to first undo all they did then fix the real issue. My regulars know at the first sign of trouble they power off the machine, unplug everything and call me ASAP.

 

[Nerrad]

Lol maybe I should look in it that charging them more sounds like a good idea

 

[aweston]

Lol maybe I should look in it that charging them more sounds like a good idea

The problem with that is if you charge some more and some less for the same type of job word gets around and people are unhappy. "You only paid that? I was charged this!" In the long term it comes back to bite you. Consistency is very important.

 

[jft135]

The problem with that is if you charge some more and some less for the same type of job word gets around and people are unhappy. "You only paid that? I was charged this!" In the long term it comes back to bite you. Consistency is very important.

I agree in general. My only rule is that if the laptop has been torn down by someone else, we charge $150 upfront, can't guarantee the repair will be successful. We call it our "Ooops" fee. This is usually when we get a bunch of pieces in a shoe box though.

 

[MikeLierman]

Rather than blaming the customer, maybe it's your expectations that need to change.

Allow me to explain. As I'm sure we've all seen, people don't understand technology. When people don't understand something, they'll at least try to understand it, or assume the worst, but usually these assumptions are wrong, because well... technology is far from predictable. As a certified technician, a computer business owner, and someone who has been working with computers since 5 years old, I still don't know everything. Sometimes computer repair involves troubleshooting. If I don't know something, I've been fixing computers and electronics long enough that I know exactly where to find my answers.

When people try to make sense of things that don't make sense, they'll tell their friends, and their friends will think "oh that makes sense now" even though its totally wrong. Or perhaps they were told the right answer to begin with but it gets jumbled up and they end up telling a friend something completely different. If you've ever played the game telephone, you'll know what I mean. I don't think these customers are exactly ignorant, they have reason for thinking what they thought. I'm not justifying a customer coming in and telling you that what you are doing is wrong and you don't know what you are talking about--frankly I don't think anyone should treat another person that way. Ive taught myself and my techs to be respectful to anyone customer.

We as a comonay are here not just to fix the computer or technical roadblock, but to educate and advise the customer. My goal is for customers to walk out of my shop with a repaired computer and new knowledge to help them deal with technology a little better. We also tell our customers, if they have any quick questions, feel free to call or email us. That's what really sets us apart from our competition.

 

[aweston]

I agree in general. My only rule is that if the laptop has been torn down by someone else, we charge $150 upfront, can't guarantee the repair will be successful. We call it our "Ooops" fee. This is usually when we get a bunch of pieces in a shoe box though.

LOL. We've seen some like that too. We've rebuilt thousands of laptops by now so we're used to what goes where and it doesn't take us any longer usually, unless pieces are missing.

The only time it gets a bit messy is if someone brings in a part they bought off ebay. We have to charge them whether the part works or not and I don't like doing that. Unfortunately I can't guarantee the part or that it will work, but I still have to pay my staff to do the work. Fortunately only once has that been a problem as the client bought a laptop motherboard off ebay that was dead.

 

[jft135]

LOL. We've seen some like that too. We've rebuilt thousands of laptops by now so we're used to what goes where and it doesn't take us any longer usually, unless pieces are missing.

The only time it gets a bit messy is if someone brings in a part they bought off ebay. We have to charge them whether the part works or not and I don't like doing that. Unfortunately I can't guarantee the part or that it will work, but I still have to pay my staff to do the work. Fortunately only once has that been a problem as the client bought a laptop motherboard off ebay that was dead.

Figuring out how to put it back together if I'm not the one who tore it down probably only adds another 15-30 minutes. The problem is they almost always mess up ZIF connectors or break screw mounts while taking it apart. Then I have to get creative when I rebuild it. I just don't know what I'm getting into and don't feel like wasting my time. Every customer I've charged that to has understood, and luckily there has only ever been one or two I couldn't get fully functional again. Even then it was something like the touchpad or sound can't be fixed without a full MB swap. so they just used a USB soundcard or mouse.