Look what a customer just dropped off for service!

[tankman1989]

Ok, when the customer said that this machine was a POS (Piece of $h1t) he really meant it. I can't figure out when the machine was even made, lol. It is a Compaq Pesario 3443. It has a Quantum Bigfoot 5.25" HD, 12Gb, 128mb Ram .

He has XP Home with a COA as well.

I don't know what to do with a customer like this. I really need the business and I can make his machine work MUCH better than it is. He wants me to "give him more space" and make it faster. The problem is that this machine will never be considered fast, ever.

I have a bunch of used hardware I told the guy I could use to cut costs. He said keep it under $200 so I figure I can throw in a 120-160Gb HD and 2 sticks of ram, 256MB and 128mb so the guy will have 512 total. I haven't posted the machine to see what speed it is, I'm kind of scared, lol. Oh, I'm installing a DVD-RW as well.

I figure with the hardware upgrades, OS install and updates, Internet setup and installation of apps like OO and McGruff (keep track of kids) I can just barely keep it under $200.

What do you think? Does this seem fair? I get hung up on these situations as I know he is getting his money's worth but I feel bad putting the money into this computer. I know this is stupid, but I want to see what others think.

Would it be more ethical to tell the guy to spend his $200 on buying a new system? I don't think he is going to get a system with a fresh install and all "prettied up" for $200, but for $400, he sure can.

What would you do?

Also, I've looked at the local Craigslist postings and found some decent machines for less than what he is going to spend to upgrade. Would anyone recommend that I call this guy and tell him that I can give him a newer machine that will me much faster? The only think is that I can't really warranty the machine as I can't verify it.

Now, would telling the customer this be in their best interest and would it be better for me in the long run? I know I would appreciate this honesty were the roles reversed. On another note, I can't really make a living by sending customers away like this..

 

[n3rdism]

Let me give you some advice you are in Business and we are all in business to make money.

If you don't sell him the upgrade someone down the street will, what you are selling is service sure he might be able to get a pc somewhere else but with you he gets a upgraded pc with support.

Have some confidence in yourself , sell the upgrade !

 

[tankman1989]

As a comparison, I can get him the following system for $250:
Dell Dimension C521 Athlon
64 bit processor + 3500
991 MHZ, 448 MB of Ram
1.79 GHZ
DVD/CD-Rom can burn both
Monitor is Dell 18" flat screen
Windows XP Home edition

Or a home made, Athlon 3500+ 64 bit, 2G ram, CD/DVD R, 160Gb HD, a nice case/PSU for $150.

I could get one of these and "freshen" it up.

What do you think about this strategy if I go the route of a newer machine?

 

[iptech]

I really need the business

I bet you don't, someone who believes in hanging on to his PC for 15 years is not going to be worth much to you. Tell him there's little you can do with such old hardware, charge him a diagnostic/consultation fee and move on.

 

[n3rdism]

Go the home made one.

 

[tankman1989]

Let me give you some advice you are in Business and we are all in business to make money.

If you don't sell him the upgrade someone down the street will, what you are selling is service sure he might be able to get a pc somewhere else but with you he gets a upgraded pc with support.

Have some confidence in yourself , sell the upgrade !

Sounds good. That is how I feel as well. I am more than confident in making the upgrade but I guess I get confused at where to draw the line at customer service and giving them the most for their dollar.

I can say that the upgraded machine should run XP pretty well and it will be fine for surfing, word processing/office, ripping movies, watching DVD's, etc.

Thanks for the support!

 

[n3rdism]

Tankman why would you move on can upgrade the guts of the pc and charge him for that.

 

[iptech]

As a comparison, I can get him the following system for $250:
Dell Dimension C521 Athlon
64 bit processor + 3500
991 MHZ, 448 MB of Ram
1.79 GHZ
DVD/CD-Rom can burn both
Monitor is Dell 18" flat screen
Windows XP Home edition

Or a home made, Athlon 3500+ 64 bit, 2G ram, CD/DVD R, 160Gb HD, a nice case/PSU for $150.

I could get one of these and "freshen" it up.

What do you think about this strategy if I go the route of a newer machine?

What margins are you working on here? Don't forget you'll have to warranty this, and what about the cost of installing his OS, copying his data and so on?

Don't undersell yourself because you're desperate for turnover, especially with cheap-skates - they will always expect cheap.

 

[iptech]

Tankman why would you move on can upgrade the guts of the pc and charge him for that.

If you think he'll pay a commercial rate for this then that's great, But with such an old spec you're basically looking at a new machine anyway.

 

[tankman1989]

If you think he'll pay a commercial rate for this then that's great, But with such an old spec you're basically looking at a new machine anyway.

Yeah, I think this machine is on it's last upgradeable "legs". I can give him a faster machine that is adequate for what he is going to do. If this is the case should I say that the rest is not worth dealing with and just do an upgrade with some of my used hardware (tested and good).

I think this customer is somewhere in the middle of what I should do. Had he come in and said "Upgrade this machine and I'll spend up to $300". At that point, I would probably go for a different machine instead of upgrading what he has.

 

[SThompson86]

cheap-skates - they will always expect cheap.

Thats what worries me in this situation. I am always leary of people who cut big corners to save money.

Then again, he could just be one of those people who are still hanging on to that old machine because they remember paying 1K for it when it was brand new and it being " A top of the line machine." Some people still do not understand the pace at which technology moves.

 

[MrUnknown]

In this situation I would highly recommend to the customer to purchase a new machine. Upgrading it may be "cheaper" but the system could easily die 3 hours after giving it back to him due to age and there is no value in that for the customer or you (who else would they blame?). It is amazing it is still running. I would make it clear to them that this is the case and that their money would be better spend on a new computer and if they still wanted the upgrade I would do it without warranty. That $200 would be better off on a new, low-end 7 system and sell him a "setup" service, but I am not there to refuse work for their bad decision.

Some people really want their old machines, but they need to realise it will probably be a money pit if they continue with it.

 

[Cuban_Tech]

There's no way I would patch up a system with those specs for $200 or a $1000 [actually for $1000 I might just do it ]. I just don't think this is the right thing to do; to put it simply he/she needs a better computer, faster CPU, better motherboard, a newer OS, etc.
If I were you I'd sell him a new computer from HP, Dell, Lenovo or whoever else and I would charge him $50 for my time; i.e. I'd take him to the manufacturer's website, I'd "custom" build the computer to his taste, and then I'd make sure he books an appointment with me to set up his computers when it arrives. That way I'd make about $100 for maybe 1hr of work, tops, no customer loyalty problems, everybody is happy, you don't suffer through the process, etc. Now If he/she does not like that route 'cause is too expensive then I'd sell him a decent used computer for $250 or $300.
If he/she refuses my 2nd option then I'd just let him/her go; cheap customers won't benefit your business in any away. Furthermore, what are you going to tell him/her in a month (if you patch up his/her current cr.p system) when he shows up to tell you that the computer is slow again and that since you told him it was going to be faster you should fix it up for nothing?
In sum, it is my opinion that you would only be hurting yourself and your customer if you agree to band-aid that junk. Offer him an upgrade and if he/she does not want it just let it go; it ain't worthy.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I always try to do what's best for the customer, which isn't always what's best for me in the short term. If it were me, I'd find him a lease-return system for $100-150 and charge him $50-100 for the time, effort and data transfer. Lease-return systems are usually terrific (fast) systems with lots of useful life and SW goodies (MSO) in them. Maybe add some RAM to eat up the rest of the $200 if it's a sweet deal.

 

[Graystar]

If you do not do what the customer wants and asks for he will leave and go elsewhere.
We should not presume that we know what is best for all our customers, Several of my customers have old software that will not run or can not be installed on new gear and they just need access to it for business or what not.

Maybe his wife used this computer before she passed and the memory of her using it is worth more to him that the new sleek PC.

We can never presume that we know best, quote him what it takes to do what he asked for and then quote a option to get new gear and let him decide.
At least you will have acquired a new customer who will speak highly of you down the road and probably come back for future work. as to the warranty I would tell him that you cannot warranty anything more that it will work and be better on the day you pick it up due to the age of the other components.

My two cents...

 

[atlanticjim]

There's no way I would patch up a system with those specs for $200 or a $1000 [actually for $1000 I might just do it ]. I just don't think this is the right thing to do; to put it simply he/she needs a better computer, faster CPU, better motherboard, a newer OS, etc.
In sum, it is my opinion that you would only be hurting yourself and your customer if you agree to band-aid that junk. Offer him an upgrade and if he/she does not want it just let it go; it ain't worthy.

1+
I would not touch this at all.
As far as I can tell this has an AMD K6 233 with a 100 FSB.
Would work very well as a doorstop on a windy day.
It will never work like he imagines it will.
You dont want him as a client because if he waited this long to upgrade he doesnt want to part with his money.
He may "know what he wants" but he doesnt know what he needs.

I am getting a machine today, 5 years old "just make it like it was when I got it" but it is partly broken. I will evaluate and make my recommendation. If the client thinks it is too much to invest, he owes me a $50 bench fee . . . and he knows that from the start.

 

[Screwloose]

If you do not do what the customer wants and asks for he will leave and go elsewhere.
We should not presume that we know what is best for all our customers, Several of my customers have old software that will not run or can not be installed on new gear and they just need access to it for business or what not.

+1 ... one of the first things I learned back when I did mainly commision sales was "It is not always best to give them what you think they need ... give them what they want"

Perception is huge with a customer. Even if their request seems crazy ( like reloading an old DOS machine ) if you give them the service they request then you could have a good customer for life.

 

[sjlplat]

Why not talk to the customer and give him the options? Explain to him why a more modern machine is ideal, and explain that you can build or source one for the same cost as upgrading the existing one. I don't understand why anyone would attempt to guess what a customer would like, or outright refuse service without consulting the customer. I mean, if you just want to take a gamble, roll some dice or flip a coin.

 

[vdub12]

Its hard to answer your question. I guess you have to look at the customer. Do you think he will go some ware else to buy a new machine or do you think he will get it from you?

 

[tankman1989]

I'd really like to thank everyone who has replied. There are some really good ideas and points of view in this thread and I can't really say which is the best option for me. I'm going to fire it up and see what it has for a CPU. Either way I am going to call the customer and give him the following options:
-Keep & upgrade his system and cross fingers
-Buy used machine from CL, setup OS and install
-Order new machine and setup the OS (user accounts), AV, Firewall, child monitoring software, etc.

I'll let you know what CPU is in this beast and what the customer says.