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Computer Repair Gone Wrong

thescreensavers

thescreensavers

Diamond Member
A little background

Over the years this family friend calls me to come over and fix somethings, set up emails with his websites..ect Never had an issue.

In Early June I went over to find one laptops hinge completely broken with the LCD hanging out and another laptops hard drive somehow kept corrupting the user profile.

So in the end, I charged him 90 bucks for time I spent backing things up(, reinstalling the OS, restoring, driving there and back..ect. And he gave me the other laptop to see if I can redneck fix the hinge.

He could not pay me then so I said thats fine, since he has paid me many times in the past.

About a week later I said I needed to get the charger for his laptop, and that if he could pay me then. It never happened.

Fast forward to now

Last night he texts me that his computer is not printing and so I just ignored it since he owes me 90 bucks for over a month and a half now.


So Today he texts me "Are you around, I got your money text me back"

So I text him a bit later "Yea I'm around, when are you available"

Him: Wow!
Me: Huh?
Him: Yea!!!
Me: I dont understand
him: Wooohoo! Call you later when I know...
me: hmmmm

The laptop that had a broken hinge is 99% fixed, I just needed the charger to power it on before assembling it back together.

Clifs

Fixed a computer in early june, and took another one home charged 90 bucks for the first computer.
Needed charger and asked to pay me when I picked up the charger , no answer
Texts me last night for help, I ignored it. Guy owes me money.
Texted me today that he has the money and answered, and started to play games.



What should I do?
 
I learned my lesson long ago... which is why I never offer to help anybody unless it's a relative or someone I don't mind helping and as a favor (not for money). I hate annoyances like that.. grr
 
0roo0roo said:
Money = answer, no money no answer.😛
So when he sends you a freakin check get back to him.
Click to expand...

He is not my friend, it is purely a business friendship, I have helped him many times over the phone or by remote assistance and charged him nothing. Not paying me what he owes me is ridiculous, its only 90 bucks. Why should I help him when he is not paying me? Yes if he has my money thats when I care enough to talk to him.

lxskllr said:
You still have a computer that's surely worth over $90. Keep it until you get money.
Click to expand...

Yea I know, its one of those expensive sonys, the netbook sized ones with a CD drive. Its a pain in the ass to put back together and take apart so thats why I wanted the charger to fire it up before I assemble it.


But I am not sure I can even sell it as under law it is still his. Ill have to figure something out. To get my money and just give it back to him and never speak to him again.
 
I hate having to repair people's computers. They tend to treat you like it's your job.

I'll sometimes pickup the phone "I have this computer here, every time I try to do [something] it does [something else] when's a good time for you to come over?"

I'll tell them I don't do house calls anymore so they'll say "Ok no problem I'll bring it now, think you can have it done by tomorrow morning, I have [something important] due by noon tomorrow"

Then I have to explain that I work full time and it will probably take a good week, then they start getting mad at me. Sometimes I wonder if I took a wrong turn in my career. I don't think floor installers or other tradespeople get bugged this much. Maybe I should have done that. lol
 
I help people fix their their only for free (i.e. close friends/etc). For the rest, I don't have time nor patience.
 
I once fixed a friend of friend's computer while I was there (1st time ever seeing this dude.) A few days later, he calls me up at 9 p.m asking me to fix his computer again. I said no although he kept asking. 11 p.m, he's out the door. WTF!
 
thescreensavers said:
He is not my friend, it is purely a business friendship, I have helped him many times over the phone or by remote assistance and charged him nothing. Not paying me what he owes me is ridiculous, its only 90 bucks. Why should I help him when he is not paying me? Yes if he has my money thats when I care enough to talk to him.



Yea I know, its one of those expensive sonys, the netbook sized ones with a CD drive. Its a pain in the ass to put back together and take apart so thats why I wanted the charger to fire it up before I assemble it.


But I am not sure I can even sell it as under law it is still his. Ill have to figure something out. To get my money and just give it back to him and never speak to him again.
Click to expand...

just be busy.
if they think you are having fun with a hobby they will take advantage of you.
when he comes up with the cash he can have his machines back, simple as that. just inquire whether the check is in the mail, or setup some paypal and offer that as something more convenient, if he doesn't get the message, well just drag it.... he wastes your time, you waste his time. hold his stuff until he coughs up.

90 is nothing, esp that late, sony would charge a fortune for a broken hinge and the rest. probably approach the cost of the laptop.
 
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gevorg said:
I help people fix their their only for free (i.e. close friends/etc). For the rest, I don't have time nor patience.
Click to expand...

THIS,
everytime someone call me i get very mad... also if its a close friend,
Its because i work as a Helpdesk and technical in a big company,
i hate to work and fix Computers when i arrive home 😛
 
Leopardos said:
THIS,
everytime someone call me i get very mad... also if its a close friend,
Its because i work as a Helpdesk and technical in a big company,
i hate to work and fix Computers when i arrive home 😛
Click to expand...

This. When you spend all day doing something for work, it's the last thing you want to do at night, at least for me that's the case.

I used to be heavy into modding my computer and tweaking it to get every last fps out of it. That was when I was in the Air Force not doing computer work. Now, the extent of my computer modding and tweaking consists of me just building the damn thing. Gone are the days of watercooling, re-wiring the power supply to get the cleanest wire job, pimp cases, etc...
 
This is why I have never charged anyone for repairs and I only deal with close family.

Lately I have been advising anyone who bugs me to buy macs so I have the excuse that I'm not a mac guy when they have an issue. 15 years of free PC repair has me worn out, it takes up too much time, and charging $$ never ends well in my experience. I suppose it's similar to being a car mechanic, you do it all day at work, and when you come home everyone keeps asking you to help them. Once you do anything for that person, you are their permanent go-to person for every issue from then on.
 
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Leopardos said:
THIS,
everytime someone call me i get very mad... also if its a close friend,
Its because i work as a Helpdesk and technical in a big company,
i hate to work and fix Computers when i arrive home 😛
Click to expand...

yea~ even the mofo's at work. they bring you their personal shit asking " can you take a look at this~ blah and blah isn't working "

next time tell em straight up $$$ and you'll have it ready in x and x days.
 
isekii said:
yea~ even the mofo's at work. they bring you their personal shit asking " can you take a look at this~ blah and blah isn't working "

next time tell em straight up $$$ and you'll have it ready in x and x days.
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Rofl ! same case as i saied ,
EXACTLY, In 16 mins my uncle is bringing his pc to my office to fix it,(he work in the same company)
Its annoying i know , but at least you'r getting paied at work since i dont take money from friends 😛 haha
 
Leopardos said:
Rofl ! same case as i saied ,
EXACTLY, In 16 mins my uncle is bringing his pc to my office to fix it,(he work in the same company)
Its annoying i know , but at least you'r getting paied at work since i dont take money from friends 😛 haha
Click to expand...

We had a tech get fired for doing this. Another tech told the boss that he was working on people's personal equipment and that was it for him.
 
hehe , ye its stupid and it will get you fired,
but I work in a very super BIG transportation company,
thanks god the Company owners are my very close family friends,
And ofc i do it with their agreement 😛
Belive me , with the position i have now i wouldnt risk my dream job 😉
 
What should you do? In the short term, you get in his face and demand your $90, and tell him to go pound sand until he pays you. You're providing your services at a rather cheap rate, so it's not like he has a better alternative to you.

In the long term, stop fixing friends' computers... it ALWAYS leads to shit like this.
 
I stopped helping friends long ago because then everything that bad happens is because of what I did. And I need to fix their pr0nware filled computer because in their eyes I messed it up.

Friends of friends I will help at my hourly rate of 75 bucks. That typically stops the calls immediately. And the ones who are willing to pay it, it is worth my time.
 
Genx87 said:
Friends of friends I will help at my hourly rate of 75 bucks. That typically stops the calls immediately. And the ones who are willing to pay it, it is worth my time.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing... though I charged $50/hr. Still, my price was designed to deter work, not to make money. It was also a great conversation starter:

"Whoa... $50/hour?"

"Yeah. I really hate doing this shit."

Friends and family (in laws were the FUCKING WORST... they would even farm me out to THEIR friends!) somehow got it in their thick skulls that I enjoyed blowing my evenings and weekends doing charity work. When I started slapping them with that hourly rate, a lot of them asked why it was so high. "Because I hate doing it, and at $50/hour, it's a break-even deal for me, and that's after factoring in our relationship."
 
I've taken this stance in the last few weeks.

"If your nephew was the CEO of Ford, would you ask him to help you change the oil on your focus? No, well my job is a lot like that. I don't do grunt work anymore.
 
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