Tech Rant – Expectations vs Ignorance
Yes, This is one of my Tech Rants
I had a lady call me today asking how much it costs to have a virus removed. First off, we do this for a fixed-flat rate which is published at our shop and online on our website. Even so, the answer can be as loaded as the question itself when the customer challenges the amount. We charge a mid-range price for this service. It isn’t as low as some of the bargain-basement pseudo techs on Craigslist, yet not nearly as much as the Geek Squad at Best Buy.
Anyway, I told her we do it for a flat rate of $129.99 in-shop. Then she responded, “Just to remove only “1” virus?” She wanted to haggle the price because she thinks she only has just “1” virus, as if the price should be pro-rated. How much for just 1 peanut I thought. I tried to ask some questions about the problem, but her expectations quickly met her ignorance and she was mildly rude about it. I kept professional about it and she hung up without saying goodbye. I can usually shake it off, but this call drove me nuts, because I know my local market, my abilities, and the computer mentality of most of my customers. While I’m not famous, Ashton Kutcher could’ve Punk’d me good with this one, but I think this lady was for real. Read More Here…
Arrrrrggg with the Registry Cleaners!!!
Yes, this post qualifies as a Rant (although it does involve spyware prevention), but don’t read-on if you don’t want to read about some of my computer repair pet peeves. I just repaired a customer’s Acer laptop computer that had a bad hard drive. The platter was so damaged that not even DriveSavers could recover the data! Anyway, I installed a new Sata Hard Drive and installed Windows Vista from scratch. As part of the job, I installed the latest Drivers from Acer’s website, Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (Vista SP2) and some miscellaneous Security Updates. Of course I did much more than that, but I want to focus on an issue with Windows Updates and Registry Cleaners. Read More Here…
Don’t Attempt a System Recovery Until You Read This First!
First I Want To Rant a Little Bit
I touched on the precautions about using System Recovery in my last post about Removing Malware with System Restore about 2 weeks ago. Since then, in just the last couple of days, I checked-in 4 computers that had severe Windows damage because the customer resorted to trying a System Recovery to fix their computer without learning about any prerequisites or precautions first. Read More Here…
Spyware Prevention – Are You Doing Your Part?
Every week, I get to see quite a few repeat customers carrying their computer into my shop again, that last came in about 6 – 12 months ago. No, they are not here for any scheduled maintenance, they are usually back because of another malware infection. Not that I didn’t fix it right the first time, but because they repeated the same habits that got them infected in the first place.
Should This Be My Last Post???
Those who know me know that I repair computers for a living full-time. I am up to my neck with spyware infected computers on a daily basis. So what’s my point? My point is that I have first-hand insight into the problem PC user’s face everyday on the internet, and I am quickly losing faith in their chances to stay spyware free. It has gotten to the point that I don’t know if I want to waste my time anymore spinning my wheels about spyware prevention.
As for me, I am able to keep my computers clean with very little effort, so I know there is “some” hope, but as for my customers, 999 out of 1000 are NOT willing to change their bad internet habits, learn a few skills and do the work required to keep their computers clean. I’ll be candid with you about my fact-based opinions, but please don’t take offense, just view it as a wake-up call. Read More Here…
