Preparing an answer to "What kind of computer should I

[Mercutio]

I get answered the question "So you're a computer person? My relative xyz who took a computer class in college says to never buy a BrandX because they suck goats. What brand do you think I should buy?", or a question very similar to that one, seventeen times yesterday (I was working someplace fairly public).

Anyway, in the beginning I was good natured about it, starting off with the "don't buy anything from a large store" bit, working into the "good values from mail order", "products made for businesses are better quality than the ones sold to consumers" and then the "knowledgeable local computer store" routines, but by the middle of the day my answer was just "Buy a Dell." (ie what people wanted to hear) and by the end of the day it was more like "Computers suck, don't bother."

As it turns out, the shops in my area just aren't very good. I can't recommend any of them (ECS boards + crappy powersupplies and "accidently" overclocked CPUs). I don't like the big names, and explaining DIY or even mail order requires more intelligence than I'm willing to credit anyone asking that question with. *I* certainly don't want to build everyone who asks me a PC; those people mostly have unrealistic expectations of support (eg the 80-year-old-man who lives across the street from my parents, who called HP support to find out how to use Windows).

Anyone have a good, pat answer?

 

[Tea]

I think you have to learn to manage support expectations better, Mercutio.

The thing about that question is, you can't answer it in a single sentence. Fact is, you only know one good computer person in your area, and that's the guy you see every morning in the mirror when you shave. So you can't say "call Charlie Jones, he's good" because you are Charlie Jones.

But just imagine that there was another Charlie Jones in your area. What happens when you tell people to call him? You are not actually answering their question in a sentence, you are simply flick-passing the questions they have over to him. And he needs to spend an hour or so with them explaining the difference betweeen a real computer and a vomit box, and explaining why he doesn't use ECS motherboards, and all the rest of it.

But he doesn't mind doing that, because by the time he has finished bringing them up to speed, they will have ordered $1000 worth of computer from him, and built into his price is a generous allowance for the time it takes him to answer the same old questions one more time.

In short, if you are going to answer their question properly, you need to take quite a deal of time, and this means that you need to be paid for it. So either you have to charge explicitly for your expertise ("I'll give you a one hour expert consultation which will cost you $50 and teach you how to buy a computer without getting ripped off"), or else charge implcitly for it (sell them one that you make yourself, and charge enough markup to make it worth your while).

Your dilemma is that if you sell them a system, you then feel obliged to provide them with vastly more support than is financially viable for you. You just don't have the time to hold their hands on every little issue that they meet, and they probably don't have the money to be able to pay you what you are worth on an hourly basis.)

Here are some suggestions to help you get started, gleaned from my years of dealing with these same issues.

1: Lay out ground rules for their expectations. Tell them what support you are willing to do, and what support you can't do. I always tell them "My expertise is hardware. It's my job to make the machinery work. I'm happy to help with other things where I can, but I don't have the expertise or the time to do a great deal with software problems. It's just like a car: I am responsible for making sure that the headlights work and that it starts in the mornings, you have to learn how to drive it."

Then I add: "I'll give you a few tips to start off with, and if need be I can arrange to put you in contact with people who can come out and give you on-the-spot training, or else there are courses you can do. XYZ has a good reputation."

2: Find someone who is willing and able to deal with the simpler but still time-consuming support issues, but can do it more cheaply than you can. Final year IT students are usually the best, because they know their stuff but being still students, they are willing to work cheaply. And it is great experience for them. Later on, when they finish their degree, they can put it on their resumes, and cite you as a referee.

Don't employ them directly! You say "Mrs Jones, I can't come out to help you with your email problem - I am stuck in the shop/too busy with classes/very lazy/whatever, and in any case, for an A-grade technician like me, it would cost you $35 to visit and $35 an hour and (as we discussed when you bought the system) this is not something that is covered by warranty or part of normal service. But I know a fellow who would be just the man. He doesn't work for me, but he knows his stuff and because he is still a student he won't cost you a fortune. Here is his phone number."

That's the key to it: manage their expectations.

 

[SteveC]

Excellent answer, Tea. When I build a system for someone, I feel obligated to help them on problems I know have nothing to do with the hardware or software I installed. I get fustrated when I hear about people calling tech support at company X and being told it's not their problem it's company Y. Then they call company Y, and they're told it's company X's problem. I don't want to do that, so I try to help them out even if it's not my problem, although I do charge for it.

Steve

 

[Will Rickards WT]

I usually say buy a dell or if they really want to go to a store, but an HP.
And don't buy the $600 PC and then come crying to me. You just can't buy a decent computer for $600... no matter what the ad/spec says.

Most problems I find with store bought computers aren't usually hardware related. They simply need one thing, a clean windows install without any of the PC maker's rubbish. If you invest the time to do this for them from the start, you get less crap later.

 

[Bartender]

Good advice Tea (sometimes I wonder who is really running the shop).

 

[Mercutio]

*I* can build a great PC for $600.
HP can't. At least, not if they want to make money. Or rather, that $600 PC turns into $1000 by the time they make some money on it.

I don't build PCs for profit. I do it for a hobby. Don't make a dime. At the same time, I don't want to spend more time on my hobby than I do on all the other crap I do during the wekk (well, not that hobby), so any kind of volume is right out.
... which leads me back to the consideration of telling people to buy a Gateway or something.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

I had a great customer in today. This is the woman who kicked up a stink because I was not available to see her two days after my niece drowned. She came in today because "this damn PC has been rubbish from the moment I had it!!!" Although I really wanted to smack her in the mouth I smiled and sat her down.

10 minutes later I had removed more ad software crap than I have ever seen in my whole life. 20 minutes later a happy customer who"can't believe how I remembered her problem in detail from 4 weeks ago" (well gee, let me think....err, arsehole!). I did it all for free because I like to maintain our reputation for service. What goes around comes around though; an hour later, a contracter give me a hansome tip in cash for repairing his computer on the spot. I reseated his RAM and he absolutely insisted on "buying me a drink". People like that make the other gobby scumbags easier to swallow. A strange day indeed....

 

[Buck]

Good tactics Vlad. As you illustrated, the key is having a balance. I have noticed, that with a few of my customers, I helped them out with minor problems for free at first, and upon their return for other things, I've charged them my normal rate and my normal product pricing, which has not upset them the least. They're actually pleased to get some idea of what they received for free the first time around (the first time free stuff is usually labor, and never new hardware).

 

[CougTek]

I don't make support for people not able to use Windows, purely and simply (except for some friends and few family-related people). It taxes me too much. I only sell if the customers can make the difference between software and hardware related problems (at large, I don't ask them to be expert either)...or if I feel they have enough money to pay me to fix problems that come from Redmont, CA. People new to computer technology should buy crapbox, because at least they can dial a 1-800 phone number when one of their favorite buggy POS gadget softwares will "disappear" magically and by itself. Usually, these customers are the cheapest there is (quite understandably, they don't want to spend too much money on something they don't use or know much about) and they are also the most taxing ones too. I leave that to others.

Most of the time, I tell them to buy Compaq, or Dell if I'm in a good mood. People I despise enough to recommend a HP usually know it and simply don't ask me about computer stuff. I don't ever plan to open a 1-800 line for tech support. Big OEMs did, so up to them to care for the clueless customers. If they want them, I don't mind.

 

[P5-133XL]

Merc,

I understand your dificulty because I have the same problem all the time. I've come to the conclusion that Gateway/Dell is a reasonable alternative for most. I explain that they won't produce a high quality machine, but it isn't total junk either. further, I give them the idea that they are reasonable value machines. I tell them I can build a much better machine than either of these companies, but it will cost them substantially more. I also suggest to those that want quality to examine Servers as machines built for longevity of components for an increase in price. I also tell them to avoid the shopping channel and department store machines. I also avoid trashing local computer builders as well as recomending any, mainly because I don't know any local ones of high quality and I want referals from the rest..

Tea's answer is excelent advise to those selling machines for a living and those with customers willing to pay for advise. However, for the random person that contacts me, I find this quick answer to be the level of advise that they want and the amount of time I'm willing to give for free.

My biggest dificulty are "friends" and relatives that if given an opportunity would suck up every availiable moment of my time and have no intention of paying for it. Their expectations are of free or a token amount of money for services rendered.

 

[Santilli]

I like Tea's advice...

And would add one point. People, most people, value what they pay for, as much as they pay for it.

So, if you sit them down, and explain that for 100 dollars for an hour of my time, if you take careful notes, I can save you a thousand on your purchase, you would elimenate the wheat from the chaff...

Or, another approach. I will build you a computer, but, I want a 100 dollars in labor, up front, for the time explaining, and deciding on the components that will go into the box. If, at the end of the discussion, you decide you do not want me to build the computer for you, I keep the 100 dollars, and you WILL know what you would like to buy, and how much it's going to cost you.

In other words, that 100 dollars hires me as a consultant for your purchase of a computer, from me, or from someone else, and, is terminated at the time you purchase the computer.

Other people take courses, read books, spend thousands of dollars to discover the advice you are asking for, free.


Or something to that effect. A contract for purchase advice is also an excellent idea. Put simply, the question you are asking requires a long explanation, and I can't explain in such a short period of time.

Such a serious approach should get rid of many of the guys that would waste your time, let's you help the ones that are serious, and, in the process, you can make some money.

We have a shop around here that charges 65 bucks to put together the components, if you buy them mostly from them, Paramount Technology. They make the money on tech support, and house calls, for which they charge a fair value, and, on the fact that they know, that I know, that the best prices for parts are likely to be in their store, and, I should buy it from them.
I have caught em charging a high price on certain items, but I price check all their bids, and throw out the ones I don't like.
gs