Anyone else here have this problem?
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,140
Likes: 4
From: Oak Harbor, OH
Anyone else here have this problem?
I seem to be the tech support crew for my entire family and ALL of their friends. If they have a problem they call me...... Yet I cant seem to get anyone to pay for the services rendered. I know a few of you here are pretty knowledgable about computers. I'm just curious how many feel the $25/hr is too much....
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,140
Likes: 4
From: Oak Harbor, OH
Some of them are over 500 miles away... The one friend of mom's is always offering to pay but every time I turn it down.... Around here I just tell them to call my uncle who in turn tells them to call me...... Go figure....
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
From: Azusa CA.
I usually fix my friends up for free or maybe a dinner. But their friends I usually charge 20 to 50 bucks depending on what I have to do. Still 50 bucks to clean a laptop of craploads of spyware and viruses is a bargain. 
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,140
Likes: 4
From: Oak Harbor, OH
Around here everyone wants $90 to just look at it... It really is that bad. I spent an hour on the phone tonight with a friend of my moms to rid him of the mcaffe crap. Got him some free programs.
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,624
Likes: 1
From: Bixby, OK
I hate McAffee grr! Yea I'm one of those people that everybody calls.. "Hey can you help me? Hey can you come over? Hey can you blah blah blah? Can you burn me a CD? Can you download illegal programs for me and put them on CD?"
Usually for really close friends I'll just do a quick fix and no charge. People that called me and I pick up the phone wondering who it is.. $35. If they say it's too expensive I tell them it can go up or down, just depends on how much time I spend. Any computer shop around here wants ~$85 to clean your system or to reformat it, and then it takes a few days.
I seem to be the tech guy around here though. I was walking into Walgreens to go to work, and some lady grabbed me and was like "You fix computers?" And I was just kinda like.. uhh yea? So she gives me all the problems on her computer, so I help her out but then I got to thinkin.. how did she know? Well I go up to my register to relieve the lady that worked before me and it ended up being her that referred me to the customer. Crazy life...
Usually for really close friends I'll just do a quick fix and no charge. People that called me and I pick up the phone wondering who it is.. $35. If they say it's too expensive I tell them it can go up or down, just depends on how much time I spend. Any computer shop around here wants ~$85 to clean your system or to reformat it, and then it takes a few days.
I seem to be the tech guy around here though. I was walking into Walgreens to go to work, and some lady grabbed me and was like "You fix computers?" And I was just kinda like.. uhh yea? So she gives me all the problems on her computer, so I help her out but then I got to thinkin.. how did she know? Well I go up to my register to relieve the lady that worked before me and it ended up being her that referred me to the customer. Crazy life...
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
I have people who do that to me with cars. It gets annoying, I usually have one or two cars at the house that I am working on, but I just don't have time to screw with their stuff. I have a truck of my own that needs a new engine, and another one that needed to be replaced last year, but I don't have the time to get the new engine into the truck so I can tear into my daily driver. Then I have the other vehicles in the way, I'm really looking the redneck part with three cars on the lawn, one guy blows all his money at the casino and can't pick his car up, so his truck is up here waiting for his payment on the work before I touch it. I'm not going to soak a couple hundred of my dollars into his truck just to "wait till next week' for the next month. Gee, if you didn't get drunk and run that curb over and tear the ball joints out of it, it'd still be on the road.
Done ranting.
Done ranting.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,140
Likes: 4
From: Oak Harbor, OH
Jared, how long has his truck been on your lawn? I'd ask him to either come get it, or give you the title. If you can get the title, fix it and sell it.
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Elder User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 543
Likes: 1
From: South East Texas
I used to do that alot untill it got to the point of being taken advantage of. I've fixed or told people how to fix their cars, computers, radios, and TV's. When I could use a favor from them once in a while, their too busy or don't come around for a while untill they figure I've already done what I wanted them to help me with. The only thing I give anyone now is advice on how to do whatever it is.
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,624
Likes: 1
From: Bixby, OK
Isn't there some saying about fishing for a man and giving him your fish, and if you teach him to fish then you've done him a favor. But if he never fishes, you're not obligated to give him fish? Something about a begger.. my mom told me about it.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 5,378
Likes: 3
From: nebraska
You know whenever somebody does something for me I ask them. What do I owe you.? I dont expect something for nothing. People have bills to. But some people you give them an inch theyll take a foot. When you are an employee working somewhere. Dont you expect to get paid? No different if you are self employed.
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
From: Winnipeg
I have the exact same issue. I'm business support for the local ISP here and all my friends and family know it. Immediate family and really close friends get free support. For anybody else it's $50/hour. If they don't like it, that's fine by me, I just won't help them.
Usually works fine unless one of my sibblings brings me someones computer, I fix it, then hand the computer back with a bill for $50-150 and they bitch about it. I usually quote first, but I wish my family would TELL people what I charge if they are bringing me the machine.
Usually works fine unless one of my sibblings brings me someones computer, I fix it, then hand the computer back with a bill for $50-150 and they bitch about it. I usually quote first, but I wish my family would TELL people what I charge if they are bringing me the machine.