Tales From an IT Service Side Hustle

I'd like to regale you with 2 lessons from an IT service side hustle. Review and learn.

When A Client’s PC Doesn’t Boot After 2 Years

Unless someone specifically pays for support, I usually don't actively support a PC I've built after a few months (a year at the most). This is especially true of a client's PC doesn't boot after 2 years.

I had a client call me today to look at her PC because it "wouldn't come on." I know this person pretty well so I agreed to look at it without a charge. As I ran through my usual diagnostics I pondered what I would tell this person if I couldn't get the PC to work as intended.

Troubleshooting the PC

Here's what happened:

• Her PC did not show a display
• The motherboard did not display error codes on boot
• Tried boot without devices connected, still a black screen
• Tried a HDMI cable instead of DVI-D cable (yes the graphics card had multiple connections)
• Removed the hard drive and tested it, it works fine
• After more of our conversation when by I discovered the client recently moved

Everything Was Fine

As it turns out the computer works fine. As you may have already imagined, the graphics card was loose and was not able to output the display to the monitor.

The client was friendly and I was especially friendly. The client thanked me for my help and I said it was no problem. Everything turned out perfectly.

The dilemma that I alluded to earlier arises from the unreasonable expectation that computer techs should be able to fix anything no matter what and no matter how long it has been. I usually run into the people that think IT people are not professionals. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they think we are not even real people. I have yet to see a profession where you can go back to the company/person/service person and pressure them to fix something, especially after a warranty/service period.

It may sound like I’m ranting. I’m not. I’m simply stating that when you make a service call:

• Try to get as much information as possible on why the computer is not working anymore
• Be friendly, courteous, and helpful
• Don’t be afraid to charge for your visit. Whether or not you do is up to you. Just because you built or serviced their computer at one point in time doesn't mean you are said person's pocket tech. Tell your client that you are unable to fix their computer for free, especially if it’s way after your original service date

So tell me, if you get a call from a client and this client's PC doesn't boot after 2 years, how will you handle it? Did you agree with how I handled it?

Caller Uses A Computer For 20 Years But Doesn’t Know How To Turn One On

A caller uses a computer for 20 years and somehow didn't catch something pretty simple. I received a call at one point from a lady who said her screen wasn't working.

After a few diagnostic questions I learned the monitor was turned on but not displaying the output from the computer. Additionally, I was able to determine the PC wasn't even on.

I wish I could say "ticket closed, that was a silly call." However, that wasn't the end. I had to walk her through powering on the PC, which simply entailed, "press the button on the tower" and then walked her through what she will see and when she will see it. Once she was up and running she showed her gratitude and I was very friendly of course. I was curious why she stumbled on something so simple so I respectfully asked what tripped her up.

The answer dumbfounded me.

She told me in the 20 years she worked there, the computer had always been on.

The points that were raised from this discovery were 2-fold:

1. If you are an IT professional or simply working at a help desk while in school, kindness and overall professionalism can go a long way. You should never really express your anger or frustration in a way that can burn bridges.
2. How in the world can someone use something for 20 years and not have a basic understanding of how it works?

Check out the discussion on reddit about this topic - The computers are these peoples primary tool, why is it okay for them to not know how it works?

I'm sure point #2 will draw in some people that will point out how I'm familiar with technology and the majority of people around me are not. That may be true, but ignorance is hardly an excuse. I'm not saying people that use computers should know everything about them. I'm simply saying they should have a basic understanding or at least need training in order to do their jobs.

In this particular example, I was pulled from a very important task to instruct someone how to turn on a computer.

Electricity has been around since the 1800s and the premise has remained the same.

Power on and power off.

All consumer electronics and business critical machines have a power button or a switch. We are not talking about a computer science level of work here.

Additional stories like my personal one above can be found in the subreddit, r/talesfromtechsupport.

I'm happy to now say that this caller uses a computer for 20 years and continues to learn something new.

Do NOT Sell Your IT Skills Short

I'd like to close this out with a little encouragement, or at least get there after a little reprieve.

Some people don't view IT workers as professionals. I wouldn't be surprised if some people don't even view IT folks as people. These people also don't like to spend money in IT. In this post, I'll make the case for you to not sell your IT skills short, no matter how they appear to be valued.

I wrote briefly about his topic in the post When a Client's PC Doesn't Boot After 2 Years. It's very easy to point fingers and call people out, however, I would like to take the high road and put things in perspective.

I have 3 articles for you to read. Don't worry, they're entertaining!

How Do I Know What to Charge as an IT Consultant?

• This is a well written article over on Experts Exchange that discusses costs of IT personnel. It mostly covers consulting work but IT staff is essentially consultants by the description of duties laid out in the article.

6 Reasons The Guy Who's Fixing Your Computer Hates You

• A fair warning, the writing in this article is abrasive. If you are easy offended you may not want to read it. However, should you choose to do so, I think you will find it rewarding. This mostly covers the trap computer guys can find themselves into. It may seem tongue in cheek at times, but you will be surprised at the kind of predicaments IT people get into. Fellow computer guys will most certainly understand.

WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free

• The first 2 links are mostly for those who aren't technically savvy (those who call or employ those to fix their IT needs). The final link goes to an article geared towards IT pros who should move away from fixing computers for free. Whether you agree or not, it's definitely worth a read.

Update 1/15/14: Another article called Ten reasons not to fix computers for free describes more feelings on the subject of fixing computers for free in the eyes of TechRepublic.