DumDum buys a PC

We had someone come into the shop a few days ago and buy a used PC. This was the best used one we had in at the time, PIII-733, 256Mb, 30 Gb HDD, CDRW, Win2000, etc. It was a shame to see it go home with this idiot. We knew from talking to him that he did not know about computers, but he had money and we had computers for sale.

Thirty minutes later, we get a call from him.

DumDum: My Computer is not working. All I see on the monitor is a checkerboard test pattern.

Me: Is the monitor connected to the computer?

DD: Yes

Me: Is the computer on?

DD: No, I push the button and nothing happens. None of the lights turn on.

Me: Is the computer plugged in?

DD: No

Me: Plug in the Computer, then turn it on.

DD: OK

Me: Does it work now?

DD: Hey, this is great! It says Dell on the Screen! Now it says Windows 2000 on the screen! OK, it works now!

Me [[Shakes head in despair]]

wait until he calls back yelling at you because he can't burn cds off kazaa or he can't get on the internet to check his stocks

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

At least you do not have someone plug in both ends of the network cable to two different network wall jacks and then call to ask why he was unable to connect to the network.

Gregory Pipkins
http://www.techmonkeyuniverse
Get the Tech Monkey Excuse of the Day!

I hope you were nice to the guy.

Think about it, not only did you make money on the PC, you'll also make money when he brings it back in a week for repair:D

That is why it is important to be a good little monkey and say "Interesting. I will have to run a couple of diagnostics and we will be able to fix that."

Well, the PC has a 90 day warranty on hardware, and the owner of the store usually will fix the first virus/spyware/OS issue that comes up for free. That being the case, having him bring his system back for no reason does not make us any money.

Perhaps you could offer an hours home tutorial on the basics of computing as an extra to the price of a PC and increase your revenue?

The only thing I can say is:

Oh my. I'm so sorry for you.:sad:

You WILL be hearing from him again.

Probably not just once. He's probably going to become a "regular".:rolleyes:

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Originally posted by techmonkey13
That is why it is important to be a good little monkey and say "Interesting. I will have to run a couple of diagnostics and we will be able to fix that."

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hmmm... I'll never shop at where you work...

Do you enjoy ripping people off?:flame:

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Originally posted by dum dum
hmmm... I'll never shop at where you work...

Do you enjoy ripping people off?:flame:

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I am not disagreeing with you. But how do you expect some of these small shops to get business? You have to make sales, and bring in service. Sometimes there is a grey area where you have to make a decision that is best for your business. It may seem like rippin' people off, but how many times a day do they offer free advice to some of these people? You should be paid for your work. The minute the PC comes in the shop with a problem, the solution is a service, worthy of compensation.

Give techmonkey13 a break.

PS. techmonkey13, if you are ripping people off, shame on you. :eek2:

Quote:

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Originally posted by Ya_know
I am not disagreeing with you. But how do you expect some of these small shops to get business? You have to make sales, and bring in service. Sometimes there is a grey area where you have to make a decision that is best for your business. It may seem like rippin' people off, but how many times a day do they offer free advice to some of these people? You should be paid for your work. The minute the PC comes in the shop with a problem, the solution is a service, worthy of compensation.

Give techmonkey13 a break.

PS. techmonkey13, if you are ripping people off, shame on you. :eek2:

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I would have to say I aggree with this also. If one does not have the knowledge to keep their PC up to specs, let alone turn it on, then just like anything else, say auto repair for example, it should be taken to a professional, and you should be charged for their services.

For example:
The water pump on my car went out when I was in college. I called the dealership and inquired about how much they would charge me for a water pump replacement. They gave me an estimate of $300. I then called Advanced Auto parts and asked how much a water pump costs? It was only $20. Becuase I was a poor college student who could not afford $300 dollars, and I knew I could do it myself, I bought the part and fixed it.

Would it have been more convienent for the dealership to do it? Hell yes, and considering it was 10 degrees outside and snowing its A$$ off at the time I had to replace the part, that $300 would have been well worth it. If anyone ever wonders what its like spending hours underneath an ol Pontiac Fiero, in 6 inches of snow and accumulating, trying to replace a water pump, I can tell you it sucks the big one!

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Originally posted by Diver01
...If anyone ever wonders what its like spending hours underneath an ol Pontiac Fiero, in 6 inches of snow and accumulating, trying to replace a water pump, I can tell you it sucks the big one!

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I change a water pump on an 84 olds and it was 98 degrees, with about 99.9% humidity, and I was in the direct sun. Tough to concentrate on those damn bolts when the top of your head is on fire, it took me two hours, and it was an easy job. I could only work for a minute or two, then I had to tilt my head back and let the sweat run off of my glasses so I could see again. About once every 5 minutes I had to wipe them off, because I couldn't see through all of the smear and salt stains. I wouldn't trade that for what you went through however. I heard nothing but horror stories about those Fiero’s!

The 2 drawbacks that the Fiero had were:

The 2M4 models engine was never intended to sit sideways and be a mid engine. Thats one of the reasons for all the fires. The vibration of the engine losened up the valve cover, then when you would hit the breaks, oil would spill over onto the exhaust manifold.

Second, that car was an eletrical nightmare. I lost count of how many starters I had to replace, along with the computer, and a few relays.

Learned a lot about fixing cars though...

I had a Citation that used the same engine and had a fire. Everything under the hood that could burn did burn. Being unemployed at the time I had to comb through a junk yard for parts and pulled a TPS sensor from a Fiero. Got it to run again though. Always heard anything but good about the Fiero but man it looked really cool.

Hey try working on a Ford Taurus, I had the steering wheeel literlally in my lap today, I had to replace the ignition switch, which is the cars fourth in its lifetime, I had the flaming ford problem due to their wonderful engineering
I dread the water pump if I ever have to do it, reaally tight quarters
I wish I could format the onboard computer and program it for more power
At least car computers don't crash, unless the car does :eek2:

Quote:

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Originally posted by format c:
Hey try working on a Ford Taurus, I had the steering wheeel literlally in my lap today, I had to replace the ignition switch, which is the cars fourth in its lifetime, I had the flaming ford problem due to their wonderful engineering
I dread the water pump if I ever have to do it, reaally tight quarters
I wish I could format the onboard computer and program it for more power
At least car computers don't crash, unless the car does :eek2:

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My parents used to have a '92 Taurus....motor mounts got 30k miles or so. We thought there was an issue with the brakes, but the shop that did them finally found a rusted and broken bolt the third time they did the job. Now my dad is driving a '93 Taurus SHO, and none of the SLO's problems seem to exist.


OK, how the heck did this thread get to be talking about cars?:confused: