Authors: Diana
CSOs are talking and OnForce is joining the conversation at the upcoming Aberdeen CSO Summit. Sumair Dutta, senior research analyst from Aberdeen – and our guest blogger – sheds some light about the Summit where executives are gathering to discuss current challenges associated with IT field service and to learn best practices on how to […]
Authors: Bryce Whitty
A Technibble forum member has shared one of his experiences as a Computer Technician with us and the lessons he learned along the way. Due to the public nature of this article the technician wishes to remain anonymous. This is his tale from the tech trenches.
Anonymous Writes:
A co-worker of mine has an HP a6663 she bought in December 2008 and used until January 2010, when she asked for help. The symptoms she verbally described were merely those of Spyware. I agreed to fix the problem for $60 thinking it was only Spyware, but when I got there it would hang solid, Blue Screen of Death as well as sometimes fail to POST. In addition to it being so loaded with Spyware it would take 35 minutes to boot (when it worked).
I didn’t really want to open the computer or do much for the $60, but I did agree to fix the problem and I also know that she would not be able to tell the difference between symptoms caused by bad hardware from those caused by Spyware. I knew she would not consider the computer repaired even if I had removed all the spyware, because it would still freeze and crash.
When I started work, I presumed it would boot fast enough to backup my co-workers information and then I could run the HP recovery utility (in the worst case scenario – if the standard Spyware cleanup tools don’t work) and copy the information back onto the system. It became apparent this wasn’t the case. When it did boot, little things like the extensions to .zip were broken and 20+ toolbars/desktop-bars were installed. Windows was foobared enough to not be able to copy files!
It would freeze solid, so I knew it was a hardware problem that must be resolved first. I tested it with Memtest 86+ which it passed. It then hung on POST; again, I knew it is a hardware problem. Anyway, I tried Bart PE to copy the information off but it didn’t see the hard drive for more than a few seconds each time I booted it.
I decided to try CHKDSK on Windows PE which took about 5 tries to boot without crashing, so I knew something was terribly wrong. None the less, I pressed on and it fixed 20,000+ NTFS errors which made me question whether the hard drive was good. In my experience usually a drive is bad when CHKDSK has errors scroll for 10 minutes.
I opened the case and pulled the drive to make a backup of the data first in case it died during diagnostics. Then I ran the Western Digital Diagnostics which it passed. The computer was out of warranty anyway and the drive was never covered by Western Digital being a HP provided part. When I opened the case, I saw bulging capacitors and knew that was the culprit.
1. I called the user back and told her I got her data and that the drive itself is fine, so no need to buy a new one.
2. I explained that the computer is out of Warranty from HP, which is BAD because it needs a new motherboard due to bulging capacitors.
3. I contacted HP and they would NOT send me the part. They wanted me to send the computer in with $200 to diagnose the problem, which I already knew was bulging capacitors. They said if it needed a new motherboard then expect the total to run up to $400. I asked/begged them to sell me a replacement motherboard but they refused, insisting that part is ONLY serviceable by an HP repair center.
4. I searched on the Internet and eBay for a replacement board and did not find anything for this model.
5. I then packaged the motherboard up properly in anti-static wrap & packing material in a Priority Mail box and addressed it to be sent to Badcaps.net for recapping. I had my co-worker sign a form saying she would pay for the re-capping and that I am not responsible if the recapping does not work.
The recapping will be an extra $80 paid directly to BadCaps.net of which I will take on $60 (full payment of my labor agreed upon) risk. Basically saying, if it doesn’t work you still pay for the re-capping, but I won’t bill you for any of the labor up to this point.
6. I later get chewed-out by co-worker that the $20 shipping is expensive (I forced her to send it Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation) mainly because it only gets handled for two days and has some tracking in addition to a properly sized, free box. I simply told her to mail it herself with HER return address and call me when the part arrives.
7. I find out from BadCaps.Net she doesn’t have a PayPal account to pay the $80 for the recapping, so I made the payment and printed the PayPal receipt for reimbursement.
At this point, I am at 3 hours of work and $80. I have also made two trips – one to do the initial work presuming it was just spyware and 100% user stupidity and take the drive for backup (as well as write down all the serial numbers for warranty lookups), and the other trip to package the motherboard up for shipping after I figured out what to do.
8. She called me that the board came in and to come over. I arrive at the scheduled time and she wasn’t home. $^&*(%!!!
9. I re-schedule the call out. I arrive and inspect the motherboard; it looks fabulously repaired! I install it and cross my fingers that it will POST and be okay after having like 20 caps replaced. Everything works, no hangs, no freezes, etc.
10. I go through the HP recovery process, Windows Updates, install her Microsoft Office, setup her Internet access, install her printer, install her scanner and create her icons. I install Security Essentials and Firefox (because it is more like IE than Chrome and safer for home users than IE).
11. Reload her data from backup.
12. Configure Windows backup and teach her how to backup her data.
The job was done in 3 trips, 4 hours total work and 1 hour research checking warranties and places to get it re-capped in addition to $80 of my own to pay for the capacitor repair.
Then she says, “Can I pay you in installments?”
Me (not really caring; since, I am asking for so little): “Sure, go for it. Do you have the first payment now and how much?”
Her: “We get paid at work next week.”
Me: “Okay.”
Her: “Can I have an invoice?”
Me: “I hand her an Invoice for $60 labor, $9 travel, and $80 for the re-capping.”
Pay Day comes around and I don’t say anything hoping she will pay pro-actively. I wait two days and send another invoice.
She then tells me at work she has an installment of $80 as repayment for the portion of the BadCaps.net recapping. I took it, so I am at least at the break-even point except for my time and fuel running around.
I mailed a receipt showing that I put it toward that and now she owes on the $60 labor and $9 travel. Two weeks later we got paid again, so I asked about it and she paid me the $69.
1. Simple jobs aren’t always simple when there are multiple problems.
2. Don’t quote a fixed cost and stick to it even as other problems crop up.
3. Don’t work for co-workers.
4. Never buy (and try not to avoid working on) a computer that doesn’t have a good source of original, spare parts.
1. $80 for the Recovery (not $60 for Spyware removal)
2. $20 for the Hard Drive Diagnostics & Motherboard Diagnostics (bad caps)
3. For packaging/shipping materials (aside for the free Priority Mail box)
4. $80 up front before sending it for re-capping, not after.
5. $60 to cover the backup/restore
6. $40 to clean the dust & remove/install the motherboard… should have charged something for that trip.
7. Travel for all three trips at $9 each.
8. I should have charged at least $20 installing the AV, Anti Spyware, Office, updates, etc.
9. I should have charged at least $20 for setting up the backup & teaching her to use it.
10. Should have charged maybe $20 per device i.e. Internet, Printer, Scanner
I wasn’t doing this job for the money; I looked at is as doing a favor for a friend that just wasn’t totally free. I was doing it to help out and wanted to make sure she was not over-charged. I merely quoted $60 because I don’t want the word getting around that I will do favors and to discourage her from asking for repeat favors.
The original idea of mine was that I would take care of her Spyware issues, get everything running smoothly in an hour and then train her with some basic knowledge to leave her feeling good with high esteem and some basic knowledge to prevent reoccurrence. I planned to be done fixing the problem in under an hour then stay around just long enough to make her feel she got “added” value beyond fixing a computer.
That said, I never expected this little job to turn into a big project involving research, paper-work, invoicing, receipts, appointments, a missed appointment, shipping, packaging, multiple trips, multiple warranty checks, visual observation/diagnostics of the motherboard, memory diagnostics, data recovery, drive diagnostics, restore backup, updates, training, backup configuration, printer, scanner, Internet, software installation and loan of money via a PayPal payment to re-cap the motherboard.
The entire time, I never budged on my quote because I felt I had a commitment and that she was a friend, but I should have either charged more or known when to walk away from the job.
I also wanted to keep the price very low because I knew she was far more underpaid than I am at work. She probably gets paid $1 for every $3 I get, and I felt for her situation since she just bought the computer 14 months ago. I knew if I didn’t fix it, anywhere she took it they would have quoted astronomical prices higher than those listed that I should charge. I knew if I didn’t fix it, she would have no choice but to buy a new computer.
A retail shop would have run into the same problems I did, have to make the same diagnosis or possibly make a miss misdiagnosis. They would also have a problem not being able to buy a motherboard from HP. Even if they could source one, they would probably charge $150 to $200 for it plus its installation.
Although we don’t forget how important it is to look after people (especially friends and family), we often forget to look after ourselves – that is the lesson I learned.
By the way, it has been over a year and she told me at work that the computer is still running great. She said it actually works better than new because it would sometimes hard-freeze a couple of times a month after the first few months of ownership. It has been rock-solid, stable and reliable since the new capacitors.
Do you have your own tale from the Tech Trenches you would like to share with us? Please send it here.
© Technibble – A Resource for Computer Technicians to start or improve their Computer Business
To get started with your own computer business, check out our Computer Business Kit. Tales from the Tech Trenches: A Coworker and Her Motherboard
Mason Computer Service is coming up on its two year anniversary, in October, and I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank everyone that has come to me with their computer problems and issues. When I started this business, my main goal was to do something to give back to the community, my plan was to offer computer services at the lowest amount that I could so people would be able to afford to have their computer running right eRead More…
Authors: Jeffrey Powers
Ford announces they are adding 2012 Focus and Escapes to Zipcar’s fleet in over 250 universities in the US and UK.
Read more: http://www.geeknewscentral.com/2011/08/31/ford-joins-with-zipcar-adds-focus-escape-to-lineup/
Authors: Bryce Whitty
Linux is something that isn’t going away any time soon. Servers use it, Smart Phones use it and even devices like TiVo use it. In fact, we should be seeing much more of it in the future as Linux acceptance increases. In the computer repair world, Computer Technicians are using Linux builds to remove viruses, resize partitions and recover data. Many computer technicians are also installing lightweight Linux builds to give old computers a new lease of life. It pays to know at least a little bit of Linux in the computer repair world.
Steve Mclaughlin (aka DoorToDoor Geek), a regular on the Podnutz show has created a series of Linux training videos videos called “Linux For The Rest Of Us” to help people learn the basics of the Linux flavor “Ubuntu”. These high definition videos (720p) are designed for the new Linux users.
<\/span>
Whats In It? Title Description Installing Ubuntu Downloading, burning to a CD Basic Operation An overview of Ubuntu’s features The Ubuntu "Me Menu" A built in tool to manage social networks such as Twitter and Facebook System Testing Test compatibility such as video/sound and entering/exiting sleep mode Software Center Updates and installing software First to Install Installing software you will probably need like Java, audio codes etc.. Option Install Installing commonly used software like Skype, Thunderbird etc. Install Chrome Installing Chrome and how to set it to automatically update Install LibreOffice Installing LibreOffice and running commands to install it Install/Uninstall Display hardware information with command line and other software Installing Blobs Introduction to "Blobs" Ubuntu One An overview of Ubuntu One which is a Dropbox-esque service Keyring Using Keyring which is a built in system similar to iOS’s Keychain Compbiz Cool visual effects with Compbiz Create Network Shares Setting up network shares with Samba To Network Shares Accessing Windows or Samba shares from Ubuntu ISO Burn Create ISO burning or ripping a CD to an ISO using built in software k3b Using k3b which is a CD/DVD/Bluray/ISO advanced editing tool. DeVeDe Using DeVeDe, a tool design for Transcoding/Ripping DVD video gParted Using gParted, a partitioning tool PiTiVi Using PiTiVi which is a video editor similar to Windows Movie Marke RhythmBox Using Rhythm Box, a music player The videos also have some Technician specific content: Title Description Installing on VMs Installing Ubuntu on a Virtual Machine Data Recovery Recovering data with the tool TestDisk Removing Viruses Removing viruses using Linux Who Is It For? If you have been using a Linux build like Ubuntu or Mint as your main operating system, you probably wont get much out of these videos. However, if you are a Windows user and have either no experience with Ubuntu or had a little look once or twice, then this is for you. In my own case, I have been trying various Linux builds for 10 years and I know my way around the command line due to the dedicated servers I have managed over the years – Technibble being one of them. However, when it comes to the modern builds with a highly polished GUI like Ubuntu, I dont know all the features that come installed. Also, I often dont know the name of the Linux equivalent of my commonly used Windows applications. I mean, I get them installed, install various packages but still feel a bit like a duck out of water. For example, lets say I want to have the cool visual effects that I have seen in various Ubuntu videos. Where do I look for that? Video properties? Desktop properties? Stephen covers this in detail using the software “Compbiz”. Its nice to have someone unassuming guiding you through the basics rather than telling you to RTFM. What I liked about these Linux videos is although it isnt hard to install something like Ubuntu, Stephen tells you what options choose and tells you why you would want to choose it. Its the side information and why things are done a certain way that I found lots of value in as a Ubuntu newbie. The videos take you from a simply installing Ubuntu and then not knowing what to do, to setting up a really solid operating system with all the features you would want. They are a huge kick start for getting into the Linux world which will save you a ton of time. Price The product normally sells for $59.95 but due to the size of Technibbles readership, I was able to get Technibble readers 20% OFF so the price is now $47.95 using the link below.
If you think about the price in terms of using this new found knowledge to make money by selling older (but still capable machines) to your clients, its a no brainer. Check it Out Here, Watch some of the Sample Videos © Technibble – A Resource for Computer Technicians to start or improve their Computer Business
To get started with your own computer business, check out our Computer Business Kit. Linux For The Rest of Us
Authors: Bill
As businesses downsize IT teams and rely more on Independent Contractors and outsourcing, there are many opportunities and challenges to consider.
Authors: Bryce Whitty
D7 is a small, portable application designed to aid in many computer repair related tasks and provide a uniform procedure for technicians to follow by automation.
D7 has multiple functions such as being an interface to quickly go to various system areas such as the system file checker. It also contains many fixes for common Windows problems such as repairing Internet Explorer, Repair Permissions, PIO/DMA mode fix, Repair Windows Update and more. It also contains a good collection of Windows tweaks.
D7 is much more than just a glorified front end to run tweaks and scripts though, it can also be used for automation in its Maintenance and Malware areas. Simply tick the tasks you want it to do such as Delete Temp Files, Empty Recycle Bin, Run CCLeaner and Defraggler and it will do these tasks automatically. You can also add your own applications for it to run automatically one after another such as various virus scanners for example. Take a look at the screenshots below to see its full functionality.
This application requires third party applications to make use of its full functionality. D7 is free for personal and commercial use and it was also created by a Technibble forum member.
Warning: This is a technicians tool and not designed for end users. This application can do damage to a system if used incorrectly. Use at your own risk. Additionally, due to the registry editing and file manipulation nature of this application, some antivirus products may detect this as a virus. These are false positives.
Screenshots:
Download:
Download from Official Site – 3.2mb
© Technibble – A Resource for Computer Technicians to start or improve their Computer Business
To get started with your own computer business, check out our Computer Business Kit. D7 – Computer Repair Multi Tool
Authors: Bryce Whitty
A Technibble reader named Rob Mitchell sent in this anecdote to share with the Technibble readers. Rob Mitchell is the founder and owner of P3iSystems LLC near Memphis, Tennessee. P3iSystems has been providing technology solutions for small and medium businesses since 2008.
Rob Mitchell wrote:
We had a new client who is in another state, almost an hour away from our offices, where we had deployed a new wireless router in their small office network with about 10 computers. The router had some stability problems so at my initiative I sent a tech over to replace it for the client – we could RMA the original one on our own time and show proactive customer service to the client. While the tech was there the client pointed out that he had several PCs with expiring antivirus licenses, and others with free antivirus. The tech was able to offer the client a discount on the antivirus solution we resell. The client asked the tech to uninstall the hodgepodge of virus solutions that was previously deployed, and install the new antivirus software.
All went well except for one notebook system which was running Vista. After the new AV solution was installed, this notebook wouldn’t boot. The user of the notebook was about to go out of town and didn’t need it on the road, and it was already past the end of the business day, so the client agreed to let the tech take the notebook back to the shop.
The notebook had bits and pieces of several antivirus apps installed, and the installation of the new antivirus was enough to keep it from booting. At the shop the tech was able to get the old AV apps cleaned off the system, repaired the Vista installation, then re-applied patches and updates and returned the notebook to the client office.
I sent a follow-up email to the client a couple of days after sending out the invoice, and in response to the follow-up note (not the invoice itself) the client said he was a bit shocked by the amount invoiced and noted he thought the tech arrived at 3:00 and worked until 6:00 PM. The the time tracking app on the tech’s phone showed he left our office at noon, arrived at the client site at 12:45 and left just after 6:00 PM.
The tech was onsite just over five hours and put in two more hours fixing the dead Vista notebook, plus travel time, which is explicit on our Work Authorization form, which we derived in part from the forms in the Technibble Computer Business Kit. Our form says that customers are charged for travel time as well as actual repair time, and the client had signed the Work Authorization. Nevertheless, I was bothered because the client said he was surprised by the amount of his invoice.
The tech who did the work is a good tech – honest, diligent and skilled. The times were all correct – the tech did everything right, but I surmised there was a hole in our service delivery process. I needed to tell my techs to make sure that clients are aware of exactly when we began travel, arrived on the job site, and left the job site, and that we annotate the same on the Work Authorization, not just on the tech’s smartphone time tracking application.
I pulled up the client’s invoice and took two hours off the total – the travel time for two trips to and from his office, and immediately emailed the client with an apology and the amended invoice. In the apology, I recounted the actual times spent at work for the client (which were accurate in the original invoice) but apologized for failing to communicate clearly and explicitly. “If our invoice comes as a surprise, then we failed to do our job right,” I said in my email. “Please accept my apology for any lack of communication that might have resulted in misunderstanding. I hope the amended invoice will help make things right.”
The takeaway to this is always over-communicate. If the client is surprised by the invoice, we haven’t done our job right, and we need to own the responsibility for that. This last sentence is going into our Operations Manual. In this case it meant eating a couple of hours of tech time. Even though it was properly accounted, we didn’t communicate well with the client.
Time flies, and when a tech is on site a client will often say “Oh, while you’re here can you look at this other thing?” Processes have to allow for flexibility to maximize both customer value and profitability of every call, especially when you’re far from the office. But make sure the client is aware the meter’s running so that there are no surprises when the bill comes.
Over-communication is such an elementary aspect of service delivery it almost goes without saying, but it can trip up good techs and good companies. Being honest and humble, owning the mistake, and eating the cost goes a long way to build client trust. Building over-communication into the service delivery process avoids the necessity of having to correct this sort of mistake.
I hope this anecdote will be useful.
Note from Bryce: If you have your own anecdotes or other stories that you would like to share with other Computer Technicians, please send them to tips[at]technibble.com
© Technibble – A Resource for Computer Technicians to start or improve their Computer Business
To get started with your own computer business, check out our Computer Business Kit. Managing Clients Expectations – A Readers Anecdote
Authors: Mitalis
WASHINGTON – In just four years the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Patriot Express Pilot Loan Guarantee Initiative has provided more than $633 million in SBA-guaranteed loans to 7,650 veterans to start or expand their small businesses.
