Howdy!

"Jeff Liebermann" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:17:07 -0600, Mike Berger
wrote:

We fix computers and computer problems, not Windows.
We consider Windows issues to be an entirely different
class of problems.

I do whatever the customer needs and wants. That includes cleaning
the machine, applications issues, updates, hand-holding, remote admin,
and of course, Windoze untrashing. Full service gas station versus
minimal service.

What !I! wonder is how he's testing the computer and computer
problem, if he's not running what the customer's trying to run.

I mean, I've had video boards that only crapped out in certain games
because of how hard the game drove the board. So you have to run the game
to verify that a) it's b0rked, and b) that you actually DID fix it.

To rephrase it in automotive terms - the previous poster says "We
fix motors and transmissions, not drivability. We consider a car that won't
move an entirely different class of problem."

After all, if the problem is "At 120KPH, the car starts to shimmy"
then how can you test it if you never ever take it on the road?


And problems running applications or opening a particular
file are not the kind of problem people take to technicians.
Who sends their computer to Best Buy
for a problem with an Office document?

Nobody I know. The problem isn't the document, but the Office
application that needs testing. I know from experience that I can't
leave *ANY* problem unfixed. If I don't fix everything and anything,
the customer will complain. That includes software and apps. If some
game doesn't work, I'll hear about it. I simply don't return machines
that have anything wrong. No way to do that without diving deep into
the customers files.

You're right - but yah, a LOT of people will take their computer to
Best Buy (if that's either where they bought it, or the only place they know
of) because they're having problems with their Office documents.


Somehow, I have the impression that everyone does it like that. Am I
wrong, or are there shops that just fix the immediate problem and
ignore everything else?

MOST shops only fix the immediate problem. This is, of course, an
outbreak of the "How can I charge the customer 300USD for fixing a problem
on a 300USD computer??" mentality.

Since some of these will take a bit of time to track down and fix
.... and even if you pay the tech minimum wage in the USA (where I am!), you
still need to bill a flat minimum of 4x the tech pay ... and at 23USD/hour
billing, that's only about 12 hours of troubleshooting. Some problems will
take that.

Pay the tech a decent wage (say 20USD/hour), the billing goes to
80USD/hour, and presto! You're at about 3.75 hours for 300USD ...


Drivel: Both Sony and Dell have done on-site warranty replacements of
dead hard disk drives. The "tech" shows up, removes the old drive,
installs the new drive, and that's it. Does not install Windoze or
use the recovery cd. When asked, they say, "We don't support
Windoze".

No, they don't. They support their original install, and the
install of software is a user item, not a tech item.

One reason why a few of my customers PAY me to do the install they'd
get for free under warranty B) I at least try to recover the data.

RwP


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558