WOF: Do you provide tech support to friends and family?
- Thread starter Jos
- Start date
As I posted earlier I don't charge either but if I did, it would become more like a business and if you repair something and charge for it and something goes wrong, your paying "customer" might expect you to fix it sooner rather than later. If I don't charge, when and if I do it is up to me. That said, in reality I'm more accommodating than that.
red1776
Posts: 5,124 +194
There ya go! the barter system. I thought about doing that and taking chickens for payment, but its so risky to accept personal chicks.
hello ...
yeah, it will never END & so natural, i just don't take it as work anymore for I don't do it for work anymore (in network ONLY now .. phew!) ...
but since around 10 years, i brought my brother into the business, now he does the tech things for the family & i continue with friends, not always billing them for except for components ... i love doing it so easy ! but i also need some time for me & the wify in week-ends LOL & for gaming too...
cheers!
yeah, it will never END & so natural, i just don't take it as work anymore for I don't do it for work anymore (in network ONLY now .. phew!) ...
but since around 10 years, i brought my brother into the business, now he does the tech things for the family & i continue with friends, not always billing them for except for components ... i love doing it so easy ! but i also need some time for me & the wify in week-ends LOL & for gaming too...
cheers!
G
Guest
Help out my neigbour, he returns the favor with mowing my lawn.
Help out the pensioner 3 houses down from me, he returns the favor with flowers, plants, fruit etc...
Do not help family and friends. I got bitten in the bum too many times.
Help out the pensioner 3 houses down from me, he returns the favor with flowers, plants, fruit etc...
Do not help family and friends. I got bitten in the bum too many times.
twojpodlysyn
Posts: 10 +0
I help more than a 10 person in a week
G
Guest
A friend of a friend called and told me her internet wasn't working so I went to her and to my surprise, her homepage was "about:blank".
Burty117
Posts: 5,108 +3,689
Of course I do! again being the only computer person in the whole family, Regularly does my Granny download that "toolbar of doom". All to often does my cousin drop her laptop expecting me to be a mirical worker and magic it back to life.
The most annoying part is that they all live so far away, they could at least pay the petrol to get to them!
The most annoying part is that they all live so far away, they could at least pay the petrol to get to them!
Get pestered a lot, especially now I am retired. Don't mind family, but "friends" looking for a cheap solution annoys.
A coupe of weeks ago while in the hydrotherapy pool a guy was complaining about his brand new computer of two weeks not even turning on. After a few expletives from him, I calmly suggested that behind his tower above the power cord, there might be a switch. Give it a flick.
Next day in the pool I asked him how he went. "Works fine", he said.
A coupe of weeks ago while in the hydrotherapy pool a guy was complaining about his brand new computer of two weeks not even turning on. After a few expletives from him, I calmly suggested that behind his tower above the power cord, there might be a switch. Give it a flick.
Next day in the pool I asked him how he went. "Works fine", he said.
G
Guest
Yepp =P even tried to make a self help page,
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A_Beginner%27s_Guide_to_MS_Windows_Optimization
but I dont think it worked =P The problem is that they dont even want to try to solve it themselves, they just call and say, I will be over in 10 min ..
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A_Beginner%27s_Guide_to_MS_Windows_Optimization
but I dont think it worked =P The problem is that they dont even want to try to solve it themselves, they just call and say, I will be over in 10 min ..
G
Guest
I had the same problem with my parents computer.. reinstall every 3-6 months... untill switched from XP to Linux (first debian, than ubuntu)
My 60+ year old parents are now happily using linux. And the amount of work for me has droped 100 fold.
What i hate most is this kind of IMs:
"Can you find me this song?"
"Can you find me my sql's website (or even specific data on site)"
... that's why there's /ignore
My 60+ year old parents are now happily using linux. And the amount of work for me has droped 100 fold.
What i hate most is this kind of IMs:
"Can you find me this song?"
"Can you find me my sql's website (or even specific data on site)"
... that's why there's /ignore
People are such users. I once couldn't get a meager $15 an hour for 3 hours work for a son of a lady living in our condo. Guess that they don't know the Geek Squad charges $65 an hour. Never went back. My brother's windows xp computer requires scan after scan after scan. I literally spend hours each week on it and only got a burnt to a crisp steak for it on my birthday once. He's afraid of Firefox with Adblock Plus (which would alleviate the need for scans.) How do doctors rake in so much money? Then there are the egos of people like my brother's wife and her computer. There could be no problem, could there? Your still running IE6? Paid $100 for Norton AV when you could have downloaded Avast for free? Once I reloaded windows for a guy and got paid about $100. The next time I went there, his son deleted his printer from control panel. I told the father who argued with his son and the son gave me a flat tire which cost $70. Net $30. Nightmare city.
Archean
Posts: 5,650 +102
Well its been going on for long long time, but there is a downside to it as well, most of them don't really try to solve even the minor things at their own (as several others has pointed out very rightly).
For example, I remember a very umm interesting tale, someone I know called me that his PC's Keyboard/Mouse isn't working, I asked them to check lock lights are turning on or not and cables are connected etc. They said yes cables are connected but no lights ..... long story in short is, when I eventually got there and checked I found out that his wife had 'cleanly cut the KB/Mouse cables with scissors' ....... and reason was, guess what ......................... he was spending 'too much time on his PC'
For example, I remember a very umm interesting tale, someone I know called me that his PC's Keyboard/Mouse isn't working, I asked them to check lock lights are turning on or not and cables are connected etc. They said yes cables are connected but no lights ..... long story in short is, when I eventually got there and checked I found out that his wife had 'cleanly cut the KB/Mouse cables with scissors' ....... and reason was, guess what ......................... he was spending 'too much time on his PC'
BabyFaceLee
Posts: 160 +70
Why is it that (mostly) guys often think they should receive some sort of payment for what they do for friends/family? Most women (me included) do stuff for guys all the time, including IT support/help I might add, and would never dream of asking for payment and would not accept any if it were offered.
"Of course I'll wash your jeans, get you something to eat, iron your shirt and fix your laptop...that'll be $40 honey."
Give a little guys.
"Of course I'll wash your jeans, get you something to eat, iron your shirt and fix your laptop...that'll be $40 honey."
Give a little guys.
I think it's partly because there are a lot more guys doing family IT, so even if the percent of them who charge isn't high, it may be more than the number of women doing that, me, I get insulted when family offers money for my time (which happened).
My wife is perfectly capable of managing her own PC, but she expects me to do it anyway. Still, I think that most of the family have learned to call actual tech support in many cases.
G
Guest
I build/fix MINE, but won't help friends or family becasue they're ungrateful, picky, skeptical and don't wanna pay. They try to coax me and I simply say no.
G
Guest
I used to help out most of my family, but then I thought my cousins how to fix their own computers and how to reinstall windows. It turned out to be a great idea because now we help each other out. I just have to do work for one of my cousins because he only cares about soccer and breaks his computer all the time.
G
Guest
Very often. Scratch that; too often. Believe it or not, but I felt that since I'm the one repairing things all the time, why don't I start taking money in exchange for my service? But since being paid by the family seems pretty cruel, I actually started a small buissness in IT-support... I've already had enough experience, and no customer have ever given me a problem too complex.
Relic
Posts: 1,372 +17
All the time and I don't really have a problem with it since I enjoy helping others. I don't ask or take any pay since it's family, they however usually do refer me to friends of theirs who will pay but unless its something complex & time consuming I usually don't take it. The only irritating thing is when I try and teach them something so they don't make the same mistake again and they then call me up a couple weeks later with the same problem =/ .
captaincranky
Posts: 19,684 +8,825
Methinks you've been listening to too much Shania Twain,
So, I can understand somebody fixing their wife's computer, since they're not going to get laid without doing it. But, does somebody really have to fix her family's and friend's machines to keep things going on in the bedroom.
Trust me darlin', I've been around for a long time. I know how to wash my own dungarees, cook, and a whole lot more.
You're argument makes a very strong case for pocketing the 40 bucks and calling an escort service. They won't ask me to fix their friends and families computer, and I won't have to listen to any crap when we're done!
But most importantly, I won't have to try and fix their computer and cuddle at the same time!
PS; Oh BTW. if you think you're a trophy wife, then act like one, instead of gaining a hundred pounds or so after your first child, then spending all your efforts into trying to make me think I really can't judge female beauty standards, and that "big is beautiful", meanwhile spouting a bunch of nonsense like, "am I not the same woman you married".
NO...., you're not! You ate her.......!
I couldn't agree with you more. The traditional male-female relationshiip in marriage is uncomfortably similar to prostitution anyway. Why does the best sex always come after the purchase of a new dishwasher?
So, I can understand somebody fixing their wife's computer, since they're not going to get laid without doing it. But, does somebody really have to fix her family's and friend's machines to keep things going on in the bedroom.
Trust me darlin', I've been around for a long time. I know how to wash my own dungarees, cook, and a whole lot more.
You're argument makes a very strong case for pocketing the 40 bucks and calling an escort service. They won't ask me to fix their friends and families computer, and I won't have to listen to any crap when we're done!
But most importantly, I won't have to try and fix their computer and cuddle at the same time!
PS; Oh BTW. if you think you're a trophy wife, then act like one, instead of gaining a hundred pounds or so after your first child, then spending all your efforts into trying to make me think I really can't judge female beauty standards, and that "big is beautiful", meanwhile spouting a bunch of nonsense like, "am I not the same woman you married".
NO...., you're not! You ate her.......!
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