Sunday, December 10, 2006
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Being a computer guy doesn't mean free tech-support for friends and relatives
I'm sick and tired of people assuming that I will fix their computer problems just because I'm a family member or friend who happens to be in the computer field.
I cant think of any other profession where this kind of service is expected. Being a computer professional, I'm always asked if I can "look at" someones PC. Often times I get calls from people who I haven't spoken to in months just because they are in a bind. They are too stupid to realize that visiting porno sites and clicking on pop up ads will cause all sorts of PC problems. They never-ever try to reboot before calling you. They'll stare at their monitors for hours in frustration. (Some people actually think the monitor is the computer)
How many friends do you have that will come over to your house when you toilet is backed up and fix it for you? Of course if a computer guy like me calls upon a friend who has connections in the manual labor field, it never guarantees that they'll come over and put up new drywall for free.
Why are computer guys always expected to give out free service to our idiot friends and families? I guess people feel that computer work isn't real work yet they fail to realize that our hourly wages are more than they make in a day. It's these same people who don't have a clue on how crappy it is to have to reinstall Windows XP for them and get all their hardware, drivers, and software set back up while ensuring that their precious MP3 files remain intact.
I'm through giving out free tech support to family and friends.
*Top 10 rules for computer-illiterate friends and family*
1. If your computer isn't working, reboot it.
2. Nero is not for you.
3. Don't click on shit that you do not fully understand on the web.
4. Don't download something onto your computer unless you understand what a "folder" is and how to navigate to it.
5. Don't buy a piece of shit computer for $499 from Dell or HP with tons of useless shit on it.
6. Don't expect to run an EBay business on your new computer.
7. Don't shutdown the computer by pulling the power cable. You may just have to hold down the power button if your computer is frozen.
8. Run MSCONFIG and disable the 100 things that start up automatically when you boot.
9. No - you did NOT just win a free IPOD. You just won some free spam and spyware.
10. Don't call me.
I cant think of any other profession where this kind of service is expected. Being a computer professional, I'm always asked if I can "look at" someones PC. Often times I get calls from people who I haven't spoken to in months just because they are in a bind. They are too stupid to realize that visiting porno sites and clicking on pop up ads will cause all sorts of PC problems. They never-ever try to reboot before calling you. They'll stare at their monitors for hours in frustration. (Some people actually think the monitor is the computer)
How many friends do you have that will come over to your house when you toilet is backed up and fix it for you? Of course if a computer guy like me calls upon a friend who has connections in the manual labor field, it never guarantees that they'll come over and put up new drywall for free.
Why are computer guys always expected to give out free service to our idiot friends and families? I guess people feel that computer work isn't real work yet they fail to realize that our hourly wages are more than they make in a day. It's these same people who don't have a clue on how crappy it is to have to reinstall Windows XP for them and get all their hardware, drivers, and software set back up while ensuring that their precious MP3 files remain intact.
I'm through giving out free tech support to family and friends.
*Top 10 rules for computer-illiterate friends and family*
1. If your computer isn't working, reboot it.
2. Nero is not for you.
3. Don't click on shit that you do not fully understand on the web.
4. Don't download something onto your computer unless you understand what a "folder" is and how to navigate to it.
5. Don't buy a piece of shit computer for $499 from Dell or HP with tons of useless shit on it.
6. Don't expect to run an EBay business on your new computer.
7. Don't shutdown the computer by pulling the power cable. You may just have to hold down the power button if your computer is frozen.
8. Run MSCONFIG and disable the 100 things that start up automatically when you boot.
9. No - you did NOT just win a free IPOD. You just won some free spam and spyware.
10. Don't call me.
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