Options when client won't pick up repaired PC

[pctutor]

Never had this happen before - repaired a laptop 2 months ago and the client still has not come to pick it up and pay for it. She is in the middle of moving into a newly built house and they have had all kinds of problems. That part I can sort of understand, but she has promised on a few different occasions to come and get it and just doesn't show up.

Her voice mail is full, and she only occasionally responds to text messages. She has always come to me, so I don't even know her actual address.

I'm considering telling her "I will be selling the laptop to cover the repair bill" but I don't really want to do that, and I don't know what the legal ramifications are for that.

Have you had this problem before? How did you resolve it?

 

[Kitten Kong]

Hi Scott. What do your t&c's say about abandoned items?

Over here, its tricky, as we have to keep abandoned items for at least 6 months, before disposal. Also have to write to them recorded delivery twice, giving them a period of x weeks.

Not sure about your laws, but again here, if you were to sell/dispose of the laptop, and you say sold it for $300, and it owed you $200 (cost of the repair), you have to give the client the other $100 back. I think theres something about having to keep their data safe for a period of time too.

Sorry not much help here my friend.

 

[pctutor]

Yeah, there are laws here about all that stuff too. If I told her that now I would pretty much be bluffing and hope it scares her into action.

 

[Kitten Kong]

I wouldn't bluff Scott.

Send her a letter stating she has got x days/weeks before the laptop is disposed.

Had to do a similar thing a few years back. A neighbour, took 3 months to collect a laptop after replacing the screen.

I threatened the action, and was 3 days away from fulfilling it, when they came to collect and pay.

Edit: Just noticed that you don't have her physical address. Again I would make it part of my checking in process to ensure that you had all of their contact details, inc full address.
Looks like your checkin process needs looking at here Scott.

 

[jft135]

This happens quite often to us. Your options are whatever your T&C say, within the bounds of applicable laws.

This is why we insist on having everyone's mailing address, email, and phone number. If they don't want to provide all their info, we remind them right on drop-off of our timelines and that they won't get a warning letter before disposal.

 

[trevm999]

I've seen people wait 10 months to pick up a (fixed) computer. I believe you have to wait a year around here, or maybe that was just the policy where I worked. Some people even showed up after a year wondering if we still had it.

 

[Boston Pro Comp Serv LLC]

I've had this problem quite bit. I simply leave them a message really nice and say it's been here quite some time and after 6 months anything left behind gets recycled and I'd hate to see that happen to your laptop or whatever. I've never had anyone question or do anything but call the next day and make arrangements to come pick then up.

 

['putertutor]

My policy is that after 30 days, a notice goes out by mail. Another 30 days, another notice - this one is the last notice. After 90 days, I can sell the item to cover my costs. That's policy. In reality I will wait much longer than that, particularly if the costs were purely labor and no parts.

If you know the laws for such items in your state/city, then I would follow that, plus 30 days. Document all your attempts to contact, including the full voice mail, etc. I would start the clock after your first official, documented attempt to contact her. If she hasn't paid for the items by the end of the legally required time (plus 30 days) let her know you are selling to cover the costs, but like Cadishead said, don't bluff. Do it or don't, but don't try and trick your customer. Also, secure her data. Personally I would just let her have the data if you cover your costs with the sale of the computer. Or you could charge her for data backup. That's up to you.

I have never had to actually sell an item, though I did advertise one once. The owner saw the add and called to make payment within hours of the ad posting.

 

[untoldtech]

have to take into consideration what you are losing by keeping it. I've waited 6months + to get paid for 1 PC but the person was at least somewhat communicating with me. Honestly, I've only dealt with this once where I got rid of it. I have a signin sheet that every customer signs with our policies that says 30days after work is complete item can be sold, destroyed or donated if they don't pick it up also I have posted signs about the policy. In my state, property is considered 'abandoned' after 30days. Work was completed guy wont return my phone calls or emails. Finally, like 3months later I dispose of the computer. 2months after that he shows up saying where is my computer. Unfortunately at the time I wasn't there it was just one of my low level tech was there and he started cussing the tech out. After that I called him and said I had a signed document he signed, and phone records that we had called at least 6 times and emailed him multiple times and he never responded to any of it. He said he wanted to see the document so I also calmly said i'd send him the document with his signature, the phone call records and the emails we sent (to the same email address I have been emailing the whole time! ). I told him that grown men don't need to talk to teenagers like he did and told him never to come back and if he did I'd have him escorted off the property by police for trespass at which he started to scream as I hung up the phone. I usually blow people off who try to get rude but I have a problem with grown men or women acting like 3year olds and start cursing, you act like a 3year old you'll get treated like one. I know times can get tough but if you don't communicate with me I'm not going to give you any slack especially when you cuss out my employee. I likely would of sold him a computer for a cheap rate (and a better computer) had he been nice about it.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Thing is too, you aren't a free service. As techs we deserve compensation for our time. I know times are tough. We had someone call us, an elderly person and try to play the sob story, times are tough for us old folks. My wife had answered and told them times were tough for us young folks, I think that gave them the idea, didn't call again as far as I know lol. Not that I want to be a jerk, I get that people have rough times, been there done that.

 

[NJTech]

I've ended up selling a few systems through the years because they were just left and never picked up. Our drop off form which folks sign states 30 days after repairs are finished your item will be forfeit and sold if not picked up.

We also have this posted on a sign in the shop. In reality our 30 days is more like 60 to 90 before we really pull the trigger and sell an item. After the initial "your repair is done" call we call weekly as a reminder and document the calls. If we can't get them after about 10 days we also start e-mailing them (hopefully they have another device to check e-mail on). We charge a $40 diag up front so these people have paid at least something. Documenting is important so if you do make contact with the person you can refer back to the notes and say when we last spoke you said you would be in on such and such date. That date has now passed and I'm informing you about our 30 day pickup policy.

I've also had luck with getting people on the phone and asking for a credit card number to pay for the transaction and charging them an additional fee to ship their computer back to them along with appropriate insurance, etc...I'm actually shocked at how many people take me up on this. They are too busy to get to a store that is open 7 days a week but have no problem paying $40 to ship a laptop 5 miles away. But, I get paid and they get their item back.

 

[railstop]

Here in CO we have to document that we attempted to call/left voicemails, then we have to send a certified letter. After the letter we then have to wait 90days before property becomes ours. we only give 30 days before we send the certified letter. Around here we get a lot of people thinking we are also a storage facility that can hold their machines for an unlimited amount of time or until they obtain the funds to pickup. This is for computers that actually had work performed.

 

[ell]

I've had this a couple times, I had one really nice laptop dumped on me for only the cost of virus removal, I talked to her 4 times, then she stopped answering, that was 2 years ago, my daughter enjoys the i3 laptop, (I did swap the hard drive out) And I have another old abandoned dell dimension that I use for a pc storage stand I have a 30 day clause on my work order for abandoned merchandise and I always get deposits for any parts over $50.

 

[pctutor]

Update on the client that initially prompted this question...

I looked at my trail of messages and counted 5 times in the past two months that she said she would come and get it, and then she never showed up. And of course she has not paid for it yet either. I actually spoke with her last night, and she is actually ****** off at me that I keep "hounding" her about it.

Bottom line of that conversation is that she would come and get her laptop at 4:15 this afternoon and that would be the end of it, and I would get no more computer work from her (what bad luck that would be). I told her that I would actually be surprised if she showed up at 4:15, and she said, "Oh, don't you worry, I'll be there, you just better have my laptop ready for me!" It's been ready for 2 months, but that's beside the point.

Around 4:25 she hasn't shown up, and she texts me that her daughter's soccer game is just ending so she'll be here at 4:45. Then that didn't work out either, so how about tomorrow morning.

Some people just live their lives as if the world rotates around them. It will be so nice to finally be rid of her.

 

[ell]

Update on the client that initially prompted this question...

I looked at my trail of messages and counted 5 times in the past two months that she said she would come and get it, and then she never showed up. And of course she has not paid for it yet either. I actually spoke with her last night, and she is actually ****** off at me that I keep "hounding" her about it.

Bottom line of that conversation is that she would come and get her laptop at 4:15 this afternoon and that would be the end of it, and I would get no more computer work from her (what bad luck that would be). I told her that I would actually be surprised if she showed up at 4:15, and she said, "Oh, don't you worry, I'll be there, you just better have my laptop ready for me!" It's been ready for 2 months, but that's beside the point.

Around 4:25 she hasn't shown up, and she texts me that her daughter's soccer game is just ending so she'll be here at 4:45. Then that didn't work out either, so how about tomorrow morning.

Some people just live their lives as if the world rotates around them. It will be so nice to finally be rid of her.

I'm dealing with one right now, and what really pisses me off is he scheduled twice TODAY that he would be by and then doesn't show or call so my day is all screwed up waiting for him, hes a good paying customer but never shows when he says hes going to, and I always give them an hour time frame too.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Update on the client that initially prompted this question...

I looked at my trail of messages and counted 5 times in the past two months that she said she would come and get it, and then she never showed up. And of course she has not paid for it yet either. I actually spoke with her last night, and she is actually ****** off at me that I keep "hounding" her about it.

Bottom line of that conversation is that she would come and get her laptop at 4:15 this afternoon and that would be the end of it, and I would get no more computer work from her (what bad luck that would be). I told her that I would actually be surprised if she showed up at 4:15, and she said, "Oh, don't you worry, I'll be there, you just better have my laptop ready for me!" It's been ready for 2 months, but that's beside the point.

Around 4:25 she hasn't shown up, and she texts me that her daughter's soccer game is just ending so she'll be here at 4:45. Then that didn't work out either, so how about tomorrow morning.

Some people just live their lives as if the world rotates around them. It will be so nice to finally be rid of her.

She is delaying because she doesn't have the money. If you take a check or CC expect it to bounce.

 

[ell]

She is delaying because she doesn't have the money. If you take a check or CC expect it to bounce.

exactly, ask for cash on the phone before she comes over, if they question it I just say its policy with new clients. Couple weeks ago a guy tried to pickup his laptop and pay with a chewed up credit card, it was denied, he had a story and another card, denied, he said he'd be back tomorrow with a check, I said no, bring cash, he ignored me. Next day calls to pick up but only has a check, pleads his wife has his cash locked in her car or some crazy story, I say no. Finally the next day he showed up with cash.

 

[Kaizen]

She is obviously struggling to pay her bills. None of us like to be bullsh#&ed, but I would cut her some slack. Some people lie when they are ashamed to tell the truth.

 

[Krynn72]

We deal with this quite a bit, being one of the cheaper shops around and the fact that we charge nothing up front. A lot of times they abandon systems with bad motherboards, or something not worth fixing. Instead of paying the diagnostic fee ($29) they just abandon it.

Our procedure involves calling them approx 2 weeks after the repair/diagnostic is complete, tell them they have until 30 days after the diagnostic/repair was done to pick it up, meaning another ~2 weeks.

Then we call them again just before the 30 day mark. Then we will call them once more saying that we are extending their deadline another 2 week (always mentioning a specific day), that we will not be calling them again, and that if they come in to the shop after the specified day, the system will no longer be in the shop as it will have been recycled or resold.

Each call is documented with whether we talked to the customer, left a message, or they had no one answer and no voicemail setup or a full voicemail box. We also usually just hold on to it until it gets messy in the shop and clear out a bunch at once, so if they do happen to come in screaming about how they went on vacation or some baloney, we can be like "oh, well I can see what I can do... Hey you're in luck here it is!" Its priceless when they clearly came in expecting us to not have it, expecting to cause a big enough stink for us to replace the broken system with a refurbished one or something, and then we have them trapped to pay the diagnostic.

 

[Coastalbendcomputers]

I'm surprised how many people don't charge an upfront diagnostic fee. I don't know about everyone else but our diagnostics take time and my time is worth money. We charge $50 up front and apply it towards the repair if they go through with it. Have had 1 person complain about it.