Austin Buyers Beware: Used Computer Salesmen
I used to hear a saying when I was a kid: “What’s the World Coming To?” Today I might change that to, “What’s the onsite service industry coming to these days?”… “Isn’t anything affordable and honorable anymore?”
America was built on hard work, innovation, and fairness. Those of us who are old enough, remember the late 50’s and 60’s, when the industrial boom after WWII gave everyone an auto in their garage. We remember a time when people took pride in their work. The average working person, accountant, janitor, or manager didn’t have the time or skills to fix it himself, and they needed it in the worst way. Enter the car mechanic of the 1960’s and 70’s, whose reputation was legendary at the time. “Yeah, all ya need is a new transmission and an overhaul!..” I remember seeing an ad where a woman’s car broke down and now she had to spent the whole day finding a reputable mechanic at a low-price. Her question was: “How do I know I won’t get taken?”…
Transpose all that to the late 90’s and early 21st century and you have the modern version of the legendary, disreputable car mechanic, now in the computer service business, with the same anguished cry from cautious customers “How do I know I won’t get taken?”… As it is in any industry, horror stories of complete high-tech highway robbery abound (usually sprouting up in numerous internet searches) a few bad apples give the rest of us a bad name. “Those guys are con artists and shysters”, etc. How can anyone with an ounce of moral fiber look at someone with a straight face and charge $75, $85, $95, or $125 an hour, or more, to service a computer that can be replaced second hand, with a warranty, for less than $300.00. (for the record, CPU doesn’t charge by the hour - we give the prices up front regardless of the time involved) . There’s also the bait and switch tactic “$30.00 flat rate to fix any problem” (This isn’t the case with onsite or in-home service) In this case there are multiple hidden costs, upsells, and extra hardware that add up to either a very high rate or nothing done. Or the fix is only a temporary bandaid like “virus removal” that includes absolutely no education, its sure bet it won’t last, and the victim (er, customer) will be back in a month. What planet are they from? Do they think people are stupid?
Well, you don’t have to carry a license to run a computer business, but its best if you do right by your customers, if you want to have customers. One of the mottos I live by is: “I’d rather keep customers than milk customers”. What ever happened to good, solid, honest service at a discount? Why can’t pc repairs be affordable and something that a skilled computer technician also takes pride in? And if you stand by your work, you should come back and fix the same machine at no charge, for at least 3 months on software, and 6 months for hardware. Just like the old saying “What goes around, comes around”. The customer that that just got charged $50.00/hour for a bait and switch disappearing act, will inevitably see someone else advertising $40.00/hr tomorrow for the exact same work (sometimes not even as good) and know they were taken. This is hi-tech robbery. (CPU won’t rob you - you have a right to protest - see CPU Bill of Rights - up front after a free diagnostic session, we stay until the job is finished, and we don’t disappear on you).
The moral of the story in business and in life - “You know you won’t get taken, when you’re both on the same side of the street”