What the frack is some people's problem with paying $20 for a service?

[fury]

Some guy whose computer I was nice enough to set up and remove Internet Explorer from, has just gone completely nuts over a $20 charge and has ripped me off and taken his computer with him.

I have a signed contract, so I'm sure I will be the favored party in case the cops have to be involved.

I doubt this will have to be the case, because I just got off the phone with his girlfriend and she says she'll bring the money for him.

But what the hell is this guy's problem? I wasn't able to manage installing one piece of software on his computer - Adaptec Easy CD Creator 4 - because it required IE, so I installed an earlier version (3.5), and he was livid!

Is that so horrible of me to go through the added trouble of finding and downloading a different version of a burning program just so he can have burner functionality and still be rid of IE? Does that justify him refusing to pay and deliberately taking the computer virtually right out from under my nose?

 

[alex]

call him and tell him you put a virus on his computer that will be unleashed if he doesn't pay up by a certain day

 

[unclehobart]

Thats a terroristic threat. Wouldn't advise it.

WTF is the guys problem with ever having IE touch his computer in the first place? Is he one of those Idaho rancher sepratists that think that the government can spy on you using backdoor commands? What a goof.

 

[s4]

The next time make sure you explain it to the person before doing it. I don't do that kind of stuff anymore. I really don't like dealing with people and don't care if they get their computers fixed.

I could tell you of a long story of a guy that used me and bothered the he$$ out of me calling late at night and all kinds of shit.

I wouldn't do anything else for that guy if I were you. You probably could have uninstalled IE after putting Adaptec on there. There is a chance it would have worked. The next time you install a burning program for someone consider installing Nero.

If you really want my advice, tell him to keep the $20 and tell him not to bother you again. He will just tell everyone you are a crook and a screwup if you take his money. I'm just telling you what I think he will do, not that I think that myself.

 

[fury]

His girlfriend came by with the $20 and apologized for him, saying he'd been acting weird all day or something like that. Of course, me being under the trance of staring at her , I said I wasn't going to press charges

I guess it's not worth the trouble anyway.

 

[patweb]

Hmm, terrorist threat= illegal.

Stealing someone's girlfriend is only morally wrong.

Sounds like you should have got her number. But I guess that you have that already. Get to work.

 

[alex]

terroristic threat details details

 

[Gonzo]

New rule at the Fury Computer Repair shop-pay first & then get the computer back.

 

[fury]

That's what I normally do, but I assumed the guy wasn't going to run off with the computer with me standing there. I assumed incorrectly

 

[s4]

Did it occur to you that he's done this before? Some people do stuff like that.

 

[flavio]

What exactly was the big hangup about IE?

 

[fury]

he doesn't want Bill's browser infecting his computer

 

[flavio]

Should have let him decide between the newer version of Adaptec w/ IE or older version without. That way he's making the call and can't bitch.

Sounds like maybe you made the call for him, ot else he didn't fully understand the situation before the work was done.

 

[fury]

Well, upon meeting with him, I took him as a pretty prominent Windows user when he expressed his extreme dislike for Internet Explorer. Heh, I can relate.

So I made an educated judgement that the guy would've probably preferred having an earlier version of Easy cd creator easily over having internet explorer installed on his system.

I guess my judgement missed its mark by about a MILE.

 

[flavio]

CYA - Cover your a$$.

Don't tell me you don't have IE on a machine of yours?

 

[fury]

Yes I do Shame on me!

If every site would work on every web browser in the world, then I would be killing off that pile of bugs quicker than a fly-swatter at a trash dump, and using Netscape 4.7 or Opera instead

 

[Shadowfax]

Is it me, or am I not the only one getting pretty sick 'n' tired of repairing computers for 'friends', resulting in piles of shit?

I have to totally agree with s4; I'm not doing anything for anyone anymore, concerning computer-repairs.

A few weeks ago I put a computer together for somebody -> low budget and stuff. But the guy didn't agree with the system, although I showed him before what I would be putting together. Lots of arguements with that guy later, I told him to leave (not quite in those words though..).
To believe I was doing him a favor and not charging anything for putting that system together. Can't believe how people can be so very ungrateful.

 

[s4]

Originally posted by Shadowfax
Is it me, or am I not the only one getting pretty sick 'n' tired of repairing computers for 'friends', resulting in piles of shit?

I have to totally agree with s4; I'm not doing anything for anyone anymore, concerning computer-repairs.

A few weeks ago I put a computer together for somebody -> low budget and stuff. But the guy didn't agree with the system, although I showed him before what I would be putting together. Lots of arguements with that guy later, I told him to leave (not quite in those words though..).
To believe I was doing him a favor and not charging anything for putting that system together. Can't believe how people can be so very ungrateful.

That is exactly what I am talking about. If someone has a vcr repaired or washing machine they don't mind paying the guy that did the work to fix it.

When it comes to computers the people that I have met want it done for free and they want you to jump right when they need someone to work on it. I'm not wasting my time going to someone's house to work on something only to listen to them bitch about not being happy if it can't be fixed or if I don't know how.

Sometimes there are computer problems that are beyond what a person wants to get into. For example if a board is fried or shot, the person might expect too much and want someone to fix it even if it's defective. When you tell someone they need to buy a new one, that pisses them off and then they start think you're not any good and don't deserve anything. Then they still want the new component installed free of charge and think that paying for the part is expensive enough that they shouldn't have to pay for the labor. Some people really suck. I know.

 

[alex]

same here - I put together computers for my parents and both my sisters and a friend and they all think I should be on 24 hour call for tech support. I don't mind helping get them started and an occasional tech advise, but I can't go running all over the state using my gas and my time to help everyone. I sold an old computer to a friend and he set it up at his dads' house. good ole dad tried to hook up a printer to it and f***ed it up. The guy calls and begs me to come over and fix it and I agreed to in exchange for two six packs of beer. I get over there and my friend is not even there and his dad is a real dumb-ass. So I fix it and dad thanks me and starts to walk me to the door so I mentioned the beer, he says "wait a minute" and comes back with two beers in a bag. I wanted to shake them up and spray them all over his computer. I will never help anyone put together another computer

Except my parents, I will do anything for them