Ring! Ring!
Me: I.T. Department, this is Daniel. How can I help you, today?
Caller: Uh, yeah. I think my hard drive has failed. Do you fix these?
Me: I do, depending upon the issue. Is this a desktop or a laptop?
Caller: Uh, no, not my laptop, my hard drive. You know, under my desk.
Me: Oh, the computer itself or an external hard drive?
Caller: Look, man, I don’t know what you are talking about. Obviously you cant fix shit. Why did I call you?
Me: You called me, because you heard I repair computers and handle the stress and headaches of technology for small businesses. I’m hoping you heard from another client or customer that I am very good at what I do. So … let’s take a breath and get on the same page, OK?
Caller: Yeah, sure.
Me: OK. Let’s start with you telling me your name?
Caller: I’m Tom.
Me: OK, Tom. Do you get any error messages?
Tom: No. Just a spinning icon when I try to open a folder.
Me: OK. That helps narrow things down a bit. Now, this folder, do you know which drive letter it is in?
Tom: It’s the E drive.
Me: Good. Now just a couple of more questions. Do you know if the E Drive is inside the main computer box? Or is it an external hard drive, like a USB connector? Or maybe a network connected drive?
Tom: I don’t know. I had a guy who helped me with this shit, but I had to fire him.
Me: I’m sorry to hear that. It’s always difficult to start over with a new service provider. Especially over the phone because of all the questions.
Tom: Then why don’t you just come over here and fix it all?
Me: Because, Tom, I’m with another customer at the moment. I’m upgrading their system to Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Tom: Oh. Sorry. I just need these files. Like NOW!
Me: OK, Tom. I should be done here, in about an hour. What part of town are you in?
Tom: I’m near Fort Harrison, Lawrence, actually.
Me: Oh! I live near there, myself. Let me finish here and I will be right over, as I’m already in the area.
Tom: How much do you charge?
Me: For this type of situation, Tom, I usually charge by the hour that I’m on-site. Sometimes, depending upon the situation, I will bill out a flat rate for a project. It depends upon the situation and the time involved.
Tom: That did not tell me how much this will cost me.
Me: No, it does not. Because I honestly can’t tell you what is wrong, estimate how long any repair will require, or what any hardware that needs to be replaced might cost until I know what is actually broken.
Tom: I don’t do business that way. I need to know what it’s going to cost before you are here. I need to know how long I’m going to be without my files.
Me: Tom? What do you do in your business?
Tom: I’m a tax preparer.
Me: OK. I’ve been in business for … let’s say 6 years. In that time I have not done any taxes. How much are you going to charge me to handle my taxes, my back taxes and negotiate payments and interest charges and penalties?
Tom: Well, I would need more information before I can quote that.
Me: Exactly, Tom. I don’t know taxes, so I can’t really answer those questions for you. The same as you cannot answer the technology questions I need to give a valid estimate.
Tom: How old are you?
Me: I’m 52. I’ve been in the IT field, professionally for over 25 years.
Tom: Oh. I think I will find someone else who knows the current hardware and the latest tech.
Me: Sure, Tom. I understand. If you don’t mind my asking, why did you fire your previous support person?
Tom: He was getting into my network at night and downloading pirated software and movies.
Me: And the cable company asked you about it?
Tom: No. A sheriff’s deputy came to my door with some tech people. They scanned my network, kept asking for any other computers I had. Finally, they found I had a VNP? And that is how he was accessing my network.
Me: Oh. A VPN? I’m guessing this was a younger person?
Tom: Yeah. He was 19 or so.
Me: OK. Well, I wish you luck in finding a tech person you want to work with.
Tom: Yeah. Uh, say? Can I call you again, if I need to?
Me: Sure, Tom. Call me if you need this fixed.
Tom: Thanks. I just don’t think I can afford you, at your experience level.
Me: I understand. But ask yourself, can you really afford to put your business at risk by hiring a youth with questionable ethics and skills?
Tom: Thanks. I will keep that in mind.