ML
    • Recent
    • Categories
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Groups
    • Register
    • Login

    The fine line between helping and servicing

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved IT Discussion
    23 Posts 13 Posters 3.8k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • scottalanmillerS
      scottalanmiller
      last edited by

      I say that I do Linux and people don't ask me to help.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
      • T
        technobabble
        last edited by

        If I can't answer in person, FB, texting or via phone, I just tell them, you know I will have to charge you to come out. My real friends pay me and the cheap ones ask me a different question 3 months later. 🙂

        scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • scottalanmillerS
          scottalanmiller @technobabble
          last edited by

          @technobabble said:

          If I can't answer in person, FB, texting or via phone, I just tell them, you know I will have to charge you to come out. My real friends pay me and the cheap ones ask me a different question 3 months later. 🙂

          Or the SAME question.

          T 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • T
            technobabble @scottalanmiller
            last edited by

            @scottalanmiller said:

            @technobabble said:

            If I can't answer in person, FB, texting or via phone, I just tell them, you know I will have to charge you to come out. My real friends pay me and the cheap ones ask me a different question 3 months later. 🙂

            Or the SAME question.

            yeah, like they think i won't remember...lol

            scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • scottalanmillerS
              scottalanmiller @technobabble
              last edited by

              @technobabble said:

              @scottalanmiller said:

              @technobabble said:

              If I can't answer in person, FB, texting or via phone, I just tell them, you know I will have to charge you to come out. My real friends pay me and the cheap ones ask me a different question 3 months later. 🙂

              Or the SAME question.

              yeah, like they think i won't remember...lol

              Seriously, I see that all of the time with large commercial companies. They ask to do something foolish, get explained why that is a bad idea, accept it, wait a few months, start the whole thing over again as if we didn't ask, explain, demonstrate, agree, etc.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • NaraN
                Nara @Minion Queen
                last edited by

                @Minion-Queen said:

                I think we all have. I have traded for dinner, other gadgets, house cleaning... I need more of the housecleaning barters to happen.

                I tried to barter IT help with my housekeepers, but they didn't nibble.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • KegK
                  Keg
                  last edited by

                  I'm terrible with this as I can never say no. Every time, I say "Yeah, no problem"! I genuinely enjoy helping out others but I know I get used as very very rarely will any of them help me out with non-it related things. Example - I fixed a friends computer and I paid for the disk drive and new graphics card. He even watched me pay for the parts online and did say he would pay for them but he never did. Few months down the line, I asked him if he could help me with a plumbing issue I was having so a few days later he came and fixed the problem, with a bill for £120! Why am I such a mug lol

                  scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • scottalanmillerS
                    scottalanmiller @Keg
                    last edited by

                    @Keg said:

                    I'm terrible with this as I can never say no. Every time, I say "Yeah, no problem"! I genuinely enjoy helping out others but I know I get used as very very rarely will any of them help me out with non-it related things. Example - I fixed a friends computer and I paid for the disk drive and new graphics card. He even watched me pay for the parts online and did say he would pay for them but he never did. Few months down the line, I asked him if he could help me with a plumbing issue I was having so a few days later he came and fixed the problem, with a bill for £120! Why am I such a mug lol

                    That's especially bad 😞

                    KegK 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • KegK
                      Keg @scottalanmiller
                      last edited by

                      @scottalanmiller

                      I know! When it comes to business that I work for, I'm shrewd and know exactly how to work suppliers/customers. When it comes to me personally, I fail everytime hence why I don't run my own business - I wouldn't make anything! So to get around this, I tend to tell everyone that I don't have the tools anymore to do any maintenance or support. But for true friends, which I think I have one or maybe two, and for family - the door is always open.

                      scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • scottalanmillerS
                        scottalanmiller @Keg
                        last edited by

                        @Keg said:

                        @scottalanmiller

                        I know! When it comes to business that I work for, I'm shrewd and know exactly how to work suppliers/customers. When it comes to me personally, I fail everytime hence why I don't run my own business - I wouldn't make anything! So to get around this, I tend to tell everyone that I don't have the tools anymore to do any maintenance or support. But for true friends, which I think I have one or maybe two, and for family - the door is always open.

                        If I was running a business on my own I would have the same problem. No way would I ever get paid for anything.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • IRJI
                          IRJ
                          last edited by

                          This is different for MSPs, but as an employee I refuse all personal desktop work to other employees. As far as friends, I tell them the same thing. I dont work on personal PCs. The only ones I will work on are immediate family or my parents.

                          No amount of money is worth helping someone that is going to continually ask you questions. Especially when they are a friend or Uncle and think they deserve the tech support.

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • 1
                          • 2
                          • 1 / 2
                          • First post
                            Last post