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Don't you hate being Tech Support for all your family/friends?

M

manboy

Banned
OK so I really got into computers as a kid. In the past few years, my family and everyone I know is always looking at me for tech support.

I dont mind doing it once in a while for my friends but my parents tell everyone about me and offer me to go fix any tech-related problem they have. It's really annoying. Every single type of problem is shoved in my face, sometimes takes hours for me to fix and I get compensated with some milk and cookies.

I have also noticed that TV has made people stupid about technology. One guy asked me to "digitally enhance and sharpen" a tiny blurry face in a picture.

You guys wanna share some of your experiences as geeks?
 
Originally posted by: manboy
I have also noticed that TV has made people stupid about technology. One guy asked me to "digitally enhance and sharpen" a tiny blurry face in a picture.
Click to expand...

You can thank CSI for that one.
 
Welcome to the forums.

I also have had this problem for a few years now...
Sometimes I enjoy doing it, sometimes I don't.
 
Start charging money. If they value you, they will pay. If they bitch, then you don't want to help them anyway.

I am tech support for my parents.. (mom runs her own business) and they pay me when I spend a significant amount of time. Though.. most of my friends know I'm too busy to even begin to help them - though I would if I could.

 
I provide tech support and legal advice. I may not get direct monetary consideration but I do get a lot of other types of compensation such as free meals, free babysitting, free car usage, etc.
 
Originally posted by: brxndxn
Start charging money. If they value you, they will pay. If they bitch, then you don't want to help them anyway.
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this. i dont mind helping family, its rare they call anyway.

also, when i was a teenager and my parents started pointing their friends to me, i would tell them it was a ${hardware|software} problem and I only fixed whichever one it *wasnt*

usually kept them off my back.
 
I like being the geek, in fact I offer my help too often. I hate seeing other people get crappy tech support for $$
 
I help my parents and siblings, that's it. Anyone else and I start to talk about how I'm not up to speed on current technology.
 
Anyone who complains about this has no one to blame but themselves. I'm technologically adept (Former Product Manager for a major dot com, currently own a tech consulting company) but I learned a long time ago to just say 'I don't know' when anyone asks me any question remotely related to tech and tech products. Unless I'm getting paid for my time or advice, I have better things to do than fix your computer (even for family).
-AE
 
I hate it. It's always something I've never seen before and/or something that anyone should be able to do if they just tried a few things before calling me. It's not just with computers either. I'd rather learn how to do something on my own than wait around for someone else to do it. To me, knowing how to service my own stuff represents freedom from other people. People who don't bother to figure out how their own shit works shouldn't have shit.
 
Originally posted by: AccruedExpenditure
Anyone who complains about this has no one to blame but themselves. I'm technologically adept (Former Product Manager for a major dot com, currently own a tech consulting company) but I learned a long time ago to just say 'I don't know' when anyone asks me any question remotely related to tech and tech products. Unless I'm getting paid for my time or advice, I have better things to do than fix your computer (even for family).
-AE
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You've nailed it right on the head. Just saying "I don't know" has saved me a lot of time and aggravation.
 
The only people I don't charge is immediate family...to make that simpler I make sure to tell them to leave their system on 24/7 and I installed Log Me In so I can remote access instead of having to answer a bunch of questions over the phone.

80-90% is typical malware bs or just not knowing what they are doing.

I usually log in once a week and run routine cleaning and defrag programs to make sure everything runs smooth....saves a lot of work in the long run.
 
Originally posted by: idiotekniQues
booby-trap their computers when you fix them.
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Only if the booby-trap is some sort of explosive device that, when detonated, places the afflicted parts firmly out of the reach of your expertise.
 
Not one. I ignore/half-ass their requests.

I am, however, guilty of using a cousin as the go-to tech guy. Our computer use to 'breakdown' a lot, and at the time, we didn't know about formatting and reinstalling windows, so we went to him. Every so often, we'd drop our system off at his place, and he'd drive it over ASAP. Bunch of pricks we were...
 
" that computer is to old to do that, you need to buy a new one"

" Well they are incompatible, you need to take it back to the store"

" They dont make that anymore, you need the new version"

" Youve gotten some sort of trojan that only comes from porn sites"

" Thats an ISP issue, call comcast"

" dotn have a clue, call geek squad. Those guys are pros"

" I only work on mainframes"

" Im not licensed to touch those , It would void your warranty"

" Ive been up all night drinking and doin coke with some hoes. You can bring it over if ya want though.,"
 
Originally posted by: nutxo
" dotn have a clue, call geek squad. Those guys are pros"
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And you say this with a straight face??? :shocked: :laugh:


My favorites are the ones that know just a little bit about computers. You know, the ones that know just enough to be dangerous?? Yeah, the one that points at the tower, and calls it the cpu...... :roll:
 
I always enjoy helping people personally.

I don't ask for money for any of it. My parents pay my way through college (provided I do well | -$3200 because of RA pay) and help me out with everything, the least I can do is help them out. Plus, I am majoring in CS - I enjoy technology. Outside of my family, I don't think I have once asked for payment, if a friend wants to pay me I politely decline - if they insist then I'll take it.

One of my closest friends needed to run a windows app on her mac while at school and was hoping to avoid buying the crossovers. Took me 5 hours (Did not know Wine doesn't work too well on Mac 😉 ) to come to the conclusion to dual boot (Which is painfully simple on mac). I had fun hanging out and working on that sort of thing though!

I'll bet 99% of the people here are acting tough behind their keyboard as always, but are normally offer to help their friends and family.

-Kevin
 
If you really didn't like it you'd find a way to make it known, you'd man up and tell people that you're charging them for your time, feign ignorance, etc. I think quite a few people like being bugged because it gives them a reason to complain.
 
Originally posted by: marvdmartian
My favorites are the ones that know just a little bit about computers. You know, the ones that know just enough to be dangerous?? Yeah, the one that points at the tower, and calls it the cpu...... :roll:
Click to expand...

While looking through the future shop flyer, my dad was calling the towers cpu's.
 
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