the state of the computer repair industry

[abe]

The main reason I decided to try my hand in pc repair was due to the fact that I had seen many people getting screwed by "big stores" and "fly by techs" who didn't really want to help the consumer all they really wanted was money and more money, now I don't mean outright thives who steal parts from clients pc's I'm talking about people who are undertrained and therefore causing monetary lose to their customers.

I was very happy after I found technibble since it was a place that had top notch techs and many "techs in training" who where all serious in what they wanted to do and honest when doing it, however lately this has changed and I don't think its a change solely on technibble I think technibble is only a sample of the outer world.

I know some of us think its the economic downturn which may be true, but what do you all think we could do (collectivley and singley) to stop this downward trend not only on technibble but in this industry as a whole.

Abe

ps. sorry for my spelling, I'm posting from my mobile phone.

 

[anonymous Mac Tech]

I know some of us think its the economic downturn which may be true, but what do you all think we could do (collectivley and singley) to stop this downward trend not only on technibble but in this industry as a whole.

Nothings going to completely stop it, but its pretty much a free for all right now. Perhaps licensing? You have licensed doctors, nurses, auto mechanics, pilots, etc... Why not licensed computer techs as well? This being aside from the industry and vendor specific certifications which prove that you can pass a test or buy the answers from ebay and memorize.

 

[thecoldone06]

I would think one way would be to do what many are already doing and that is providing services as top notch as possible. There are way to many companies/individuals getting into this industry that provide sub-par services that it is making people think twice. Also, with the price of computers as they are, if a customer is faced with an issue their first instinct is to go and purchase a new one.

 

[ProTech Support]

The main reason I decided to try my hand in pc repair was due to the fact that I had seen many people getting screwed by "big stores" and "fly by techs" who didn't really want to help the consumer all they really wanted was money and more money, now I don't mean outright thives who steal parts from clients pc's I'm talking about people who are undertrained and therefore causing monetary lose to their customers.

I was very happy after I found technibble since it was a place that had top notch techs and many "techs in training" who where all serious in what they wanted to do and honest when doing it, however lately this has changed and I don't think its a change solely on technibble I think technibble is only a sample of the outer world.

I know some of us think its the economic downturn which may be true, but what do you all think we could do (collectivley and singley) to stop this downward trend not only on technibble but in this industry as a whole.

Abe

ps. sorry for my spelling, I'm posting from my mobile phone.

As I have said over and over, we need an association that really makes an effort in standing up, helping regulate, and speak for all of us in the industry as a whole. No offense to cmnova, but I honestly feel that is more of a club than an association. I have even offered to take a hand in the development and running of said association. I have spoke with other members on this topic and they feel the same exact way.

With an association we can lay down some guidelines, we can go public with it and have someone to speak up for the industry, we can help weed out the pizza techs, and so much more. We get banged around in news all over the world, who responds....nobody, we just let it happen.

If there is an interest here, I will have no problem going about setting this up. It shouldn't have even come this far, but the industry is just turning nasty, its time we stepped things up and made a difference.

 

[NYJimbo]

I think what we are seeing right now is a tremendous influx of people who are either switching carreers or thinking that their PC enthusiast or minor PC tech/repair background is enough to allow them to become repair technicians.

While I understand that everyone has to start somewhere, we might need to have some kind of rules that apply so that helping a "tech" who is really a beginner is not going to be wasted time.

If you go on majorgeeks.com and go to the malware/virus board, you MUST post logs from mbam, hijackthis and spybot (or something) before they will even help you.

I think if we had some kind of basic rule that applied to requests for help this would make things better. If the person didnt follow the rule we could agree to just disregard the thread.

Likewise if a person needs to be "schooled" we need to come up with a way to do it so the person can save face and still want to contribute in the future.

Its tricky and we are likely to have to revamp the "rules" as we go along, but I think something like this might be needed to make it all work smoother for everyone involved.

 

[ProTech Support]

There is only so many times you can explain to customers why they can trust my fully registered, and insured CORPORATION, who only has qualified people working on machines.

Just to rant more about the association we need...said association could verify this for all members and make all legalities & certifications publicly accessible online.

 

[thecoldone06]

Do you all find that the consumers who hire the lower quality "tech" are residential, business, or both? If it's the residential consumer doing so, then why not cater your business towards businesses. There are tons of small/medium businesses out there that really don't have an IT department that would benefit from everyone's services. You could also cater to managed services which would be a nice monthly income. Granted you would need the equipment/man power to do so.

 

[ProTech Support]

Do you all find that the consumers who hire the lower quality "tech" are residential, business, or both? If it's the residential consumer doing so, then why not cater your business towards businesses. There are tons of small/medium businesses out there that really don't have an IT department that would benefit from everyone's services. You could also cater to managed services which would be a nice monthly income. Granted you would need the equipment/man power to do so.

The problem with that is they are still going to find that lower quality tech regardless of what we do. And in the end it is one of us who have to clean the mess up, deal with the aggravation & stress, and an irate customer who is ****** they got screwed in the first place.

 

[NYJimbo]

Here's what just happened to me a few minutes ago.

A guy walked in and asked if I buy broken laptops. I told him I did, depending on the model and condition it is in. I asked him what was wrong. The answer I got amazed me for a second and then I just shook my head.

The guy told me a "technician" who came to his house told him there was a problem with a "data configuration issue that cannot be repaired" and so he had to get a new computer.

I asked him if he wanted to bring in the computer, I would boot it up for free and see if I could at least get any idea what is wrong. He told me that he already gave up and bought a new machine, that's why he was selling the old one.

He will bring it in this week so I can take a look at it, in case I want to buy it. I told him machines like that which cannot be fixed I often only pay $75 to maybe $125 depending on condition. He said "Great, I will see you in a few days."

Chances are this machine can be fixed for next to nothing. He told me it does boot, the battery charges, windows comes up partly but then hangs. So it's likely I will get a decent Dell for about $75. This is the fourth laptop I have bought this spring that I fixed for nothing and I am sure I can do the same with this one.

The idiot who calls himself a tech made this sorry ******* go out and buy a new computer, because the client thought the guy was a REAL tech. That makes me sick, that's whats wrong with this business.

 

[thecoldone06]

I see your point and yes, that is just a downward spiral into a sinkhole. The issue is this field is so easy to get into. Most other trades (plumbing, electrical, construction, etc) you must have licenses for and comply with standards that are easy to see whether or not they have been followed. With the computer industry, this is very difficult.

 

[arrow_runner]

I'm starting to find a different trend. Customers are coming to me after having been to 'less-than-steller' techs/shops, and since I'm doing the work right, fast enough, and at a fair price, they're telling everyone they know that they've finally found a place they can trust.

 

[SOHO-NZ]

I'm starting to find a different trend. Customers are coming to me after having been to 'less-than-steller' techs/shops, and since I'm doing the work right, fast enough, and at a fair price, they're telling everyone they know that they've finally found a place they can trust.

These are EXACTLY the kind of customer that a national organisation needs to target. Once the customers start to realise that the Organisation is the place to find reputable techs, membership will become more important, and members will get better quality customers.

 

[ProTech Support]

These are EXACTLY the kind of customer that a national organisation needs to target. Once the customers start to realise that the Organisation is the place to find reputable techs, membership will become more important, and members will get better quality customers.

This is what I am trying to say, there is really so much we could do here.

 

[Canadian Tech]

In Canada there are 2 organizations that are available for us to join
1..The NACCB Canada (The National Association of Computer Consulting Businesses)
2..The Association of Professional Computer Consultants
Not sure if they do much but at least its a start.

 

[cmonova]

As I have said over and over, we need an association that really makes an effort in standing up, helping regulate, and speak for all of us in the industry as a whole. No offense to cmnova, but I honestly feel that is more of a club than an association. I have even offered to take a hand in the development and running of said association. I have spoke with other members on this topic and they feel the same exact way.

With an association we can lay down some guidelines, we can go public with it and have someone to speak up for the industry, we can help weed out the pizza techs, and so much more. We get banged around in news all over the world, who responds....nobody, we just let it happen.

If there is an interest here, I will have no problem going about setting this up. It shouldn't have even come this far, but the industry is just turning nasty, its time we stepped things up and made a difference.

Well I actually do take offense to it...You say "I have even offered to take a hand in the development and running of said association"...I hope you are not referring to the NACRBO Association, because if you are I have no idea what you are talking about.

Like I said before it's not too hard to say "should do this", "should do that" , "we should"...but what has anyone done? What "small" initial steps has anyone done to implement this and not just put a post on a forum.

I'd enjoy seeing what others have written about this. What others have submitted anywhere besides to a forum of other techs.

Side Note:

The 2 associations that Canadian Tech mentions I am well aware of:

1..The NACCB Canada (The National Association of Computer Consulting Businesses)
http://www.naccb.ca/documents/naccbcanadaapplication2008.pdf
At least $525 annually

2..The Association of Professional Computer Consultants
http://www.techservealliance.org/join-techserve/membership_application.pdf
At least $1,200 annually

How many here right this minute are going to pony up the fee?

 

[Canadian Tech]

The 2 associations that Canadian Tech mentions I am well aware of:

1..The NACCB Canada (The National Association of Computer Consulting Businesses)
http://www.naccb.ca/documents/naccbcanadaapplication2008.pdf
At least $525 annually

2..The Association of Professional Computer Consultants
http://www.techservealliance.org/join-techserve/membership_application.pdf
At least $1,200 annually

How many here right this minute are going to pony up the fee?

The other one I've heard of is this one:
Canada’s Association of Information Technology Professionals - CIPS

The NACCB may have high annual fees but it also has benefits for its members. Groups like this are great but what we need is one central body that would regulate its members much like the college of physicians for doctors or the Law Society of Upper Canada for Lawyers.

 

[cmonova]

The other one I've heard of is this one:
Canada’s Association of Information Technology Professionals - CIPS

The NACCB may have high annual fees but it also has benefits for its members. Groups like this are great but what we need is one central body that would regulate its members much like the college of physicians for doctors or the Law Society of Upper Canada for Lawyers.

Never heard of that one but the prices are very different I guess depending on where you live. Plus, not sure what the ISP or the ITCP really even mean let alone if they carry any weight in the market.

As far as the Law Society of Upper Canada for Lawyers and who they are:
http://www.lsuc.on.ca/about/ I don't see that happening. For the U.S. that would be equivilent to Govt ran.

 

[bagellad]

I think we are forgetting why people pick these "Pizza Techs" in the first place.

THEY ARE CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why else would they put up with sub standard service, etc.

While I do think the association or groups are good things to have. I don't think its going to change the situation. It doesn't stop people from being cheap or Timmy the teenager from accidently deleteing a hard drive.

I think we just need to forget about the cheap people. You have to let the cheap people suffer in their own cheapness.

I had a customer who wanted to change his own laptop hard drive and reinstall windows after i diagnosed it. So I said sure. I took my 1 hour fee. and surprise surprise.. He can't install windows properly. They learn their lesson eventually I am sure...

 

[thecoldone06]

I think we just need to forget about the cheap people. You have to let the cheap people suffer in their own cheapness.

The problem is it's getting harder and harder to forget about them because of the endless growing of that population. Residential customers as well as businesses, it seems, have started using Timmy the teenager.

 

[ProTech Support]

Well I actually do take offense to it...You say "I have even offered to take a hand in the development and running of said association"...I hope you are not referring to the NACRBO Association, because if you are I have no idea what you are talking about.

Like I said before it's not too hard to say "should do this", "should do that" , "we should"...but what has anyone done? What "small" initial steps has anyone done to implement this and not just put a post on a forum.

Again, it was not said to offend you, I 100% respect you for what you are doing. You ask what steps anyone has done to implement - well how can I/or anyone else do that? You are the one who controls your association, I would assume that would be you and/or your staffs responsibility. Do you have other members on board helping you run it? Are they doing anything?

I cannot comment on the direction of your association as I do not know what your overall goal is....my point is we do need an association that fulfills the issues I mentioned before. Whether it is your association, or another one - we need a voice for the industry.

When I mentioned "I have even offered to take a hand in the development and running of said association" - I was referring to creating one, but if you need help and are looking to take your association in the direction I mentioned, I would be more than happy to give you a hand. Do not assume that because I am mentioning these things on the forum that it is "all talk", I am pretty serious in what I am saying, something needs to be done somewhere.

And again, in no way am I trying to offend you or put your association down, I am a member - it is just my thoughts.