Tweet
This guy's stupidity made my brain hurt. I just took two Advils for the headache he gave me.
Guy comes in a few days ago to the computer shop. Getting a blue screen of death. Ran some tests, determined the hard drive was failing. Managed to get the majority of the guy's data with some pretty good data recovery software we use.
Guy comes in, we tell him he's looking at around $200 (new drive plus a couple of hours to load Windows with drivers, updates, etc.) plus $40 for the data recovery.
He thinks $200 is too much for an older laptop. My boss offers to buy it off him for $75 and the guy agrees. Laptop is in good condition other than the hard drive issue, so we should easily be able to sell it as a refurb.
The guy decides to buy a new laptop... but he doesn't get a PC, he gets a Mac. And I can't be sure, but it seems like he's never even used one before. Guy wants his data copied to the Mac, on which he will be running a Windows environment as well.
Me: Okay... so did they install the Windows environment for you?
SC: I thought it was already set up.
He looks at it - it's not.
Now, I don't like Macs and our shop does 95% PC work. Only 1 tech here is remotely capable of using Macs. I have a very basic knowledge of how to turn them on and off, how to connect with their airport cards to a network, and that's about it. So I'm not touching this guy's new laptop. There's no way I'm touching the Mac because it's brand new and I barely know how to use them.
He stands there for a few minutes installing the Windows environment software, but isn't sure how to copy the data to it. Fortunately, he had an external hard drive so we dumped his data onto that. It took a little while so he left and came back to get it when it was done.
When the guy returns he says he's changed his mind... he wants to get the laptop repaired because he and his wife can use it as a spare. Disappointing, but that's fine.
SC: How long will it be before it's done?
Me: It's done. (I hand him the laptop)
SC: It's ready?
Me: Yeah, all ready to go. We were going to put it right in the window to sell once you paid for the data recovery.
So the guy pays his bill. I go over a couple of things with him, like the name of the folder housing his recovered data and such.
Me: Did it have antivirus software on it?
SC: Yes, it had Norton.
Me: Was it close to expiration?
SC: No, I just renewed it last month.
Me: Okay... well, if you want to use Norton you'll need to reinstall it, but first take off the antivirus we put on there - Microsoft Security Essentials. (nice program, free, runs fast, very effective)
SC: Okay.
Guy seems happy, gathers his gear and leaves.
Here's where it gets retarded.
My lead tech got to the shop right before me today. She tells me that the customer came in because he was trying to reload Windows in the laptop and he got a blue screen of death.
This blows my mind. The thing was done and ready to rock and roll. It had every Windows update and everything else the guy needed.
Tech: He said that he tried putting the restore CD in and it wouldn't run.
Me: Wha? Why... where... how...
Tech: I told him he didn't NEED to load Windows anyway... but if he insisted on doing it that he needed to boot off the disk.
Me: Brain... hurts...
Put it aside for time being. The guy didn't leave the laptop so I can't do anything about it anyway and we have work to do.
A few hours later he comes back. Shows me the blue screen of death he got when he was trying to load Windows.
SC: Well, the last time I saw this message the hard drive was failing.
Now, it's always possible that we got a bad drive, but this thing was running like a champ less than 24 hours ago.
Me: Why did you try to load Windows? It was already on there.
SC: I didn't know that.
Me: I said to you yesterday it was all ready to go. I was going to put it in our window to sell but then you said you didn't want to sell it to us.
SC: I didn't know what that meant!
Okay... first off, if you don't understand what your computer guy means, try asking him. Secondly, on his invoice it clearly states we loaded Windows with all updates and drivers. Third... no pooftahs.
I probably should have pointed out what the invoice said or told him to just ask me if he didn't know what I was talking about, but at that point I could feel my IQ dropping from being in the same room with the guy.
Me: Okay - would you like me to reload Windows?
SC: Error message, meant bad hard drive, blargle blargle
Me: Would you like me to reload Windows.
SC: ...yes.
Me: Okay - it'll just be a day or two. I'll try to have it for you tomorrow afternoon.
He leaves. I instinctively reach for the bottle of green label Jack Daniels we keep for emergencies.
And just point of interest: when I initially loaded Windows I used our software to do it. It avoids all that shareware garbage that you get with a lot of HP's and other brand name systems. This time around I used his restore CD's. I'm only at about 55% but it's working properly thus far.
Guy comes in a few days ago to the computer shop. Getting a blue screen of death. Ran some tests, determined the hard drive was failing. Managed to get the majority of the guy's data with some pretty good data recovery software we use.
Guy comes in, we tell him he's looking at around $200 (new drive plus a couple of hours to load Windows with drivers, updates, etc.) plus $40 for the data recovery.
He thinks $200 is too much for an older laptop. My boss offers to buy it off him for $75 and the guy agrees. Laptop is in good condition other than the hard drive issue, so we should easily be able to sell it as a refurb.
The guy decides to buy a new laptop... but he doesn't get a PC, he gets a Mac. And I can't be sure, but it seems like he's never even used one before. Guy wants his data copied to the Mac, on which he will be running a Windows environment as well.
Me: Okay... so did they install the Windows environment for you?
SC: I thought it was already set up.
He looks at it - it's not.
Now, I don't like Macs and our shop does 95% PC work. Only 1 tech here is remotely capable of using Macs. I have a very basic knowledge of how to turn them on and off, how to connect with their airport cards to a network, and that's about it. So I'm not touching this guy's new laptop. There's no way I'm touching the Mac because it's brand new and I barely know how to use them.
He stands there for a few minutes installing the Windows environment software, but isn't sure how to copy the data to it. Fortunately, he had an external hard drive so we dumped his data onto that. It took a little while so he left and came back to get it when it was done.
When the guy returns he says he's changed his mind... he wants to get the laptop repaired because he and his wife can use it as a spare. Disappointing, but that's fine.
SC: How long will it be before it's done?
Me: It's done. (I hand him the laptop)
SC: It's ready?
Me: Yeah, all ready to go. We were going to put it right in the window to sell once you paid for the data recovery.
So the guy pays his bill. I go over a couple of things with him, like the name of the folder housing his recovered data and such.
Me: Did it have antivirus software on it?
SC: Yes, it had Norton.
Me: Was it close to expiration?
SC: No, I just renewed it last month.
Me: Okay... well, if you want to use Norton you'll need to reinstall it, but first take off the antivirus we put on there - Microsoft Security Essentials. (nice program, free, runs fast, very effective)
SC: Okay.
Guy seems happy, gathers his gear and leaves.
Here's where it gets retarded.
My lead tech got to the shop right before me today. She tells me that the customer came in because he was trying to reload Windows in the laptop and he got a blue screen of death.
This blows my mind. The thing was done and ready to rock and roll. It had every Windows update and everything else the guy needed.
Tech: He said that he tried putting the restore CD in and it wouldn't run.
Me: Wha? Why... where... how...
Tech: I told him he didn't NEED to load Windows anyway... but if he insisted on doing it that he needed to boot off the disk.
Me: Brain... hurts...
Put it aside for time being. The guy didn't leave the laptop so I can't do anything about it anyway and we have work to do.
A few hours later he comes back. Shows me the blue screen of death he got when he was trying to load Windows.
SC: Well, the last time I saw this message the hard drive was failing.
Now, it's always possible that we got a bad drive, but this thing was running like a champ less than 24 hours ago.
Me: Why did you try to load Windows? It was already on there.
SC: I didn't know that.
Me: I said to you yesterday it was all ready to go. I was going to put it in our window to sell but then you said you didn't want to sell it to us.
SC: I didn't know what that meant!
Okay... first off, if you don't understand what your computer guy means, try asking him. Secondly, on his invoice it clearly states we loaded Windows with all updates and drivers. Third... no pooftahs.
I probably should have pointed out what the invoice said or told him to just ask me if he didn't know what I was talking about, but at that point I could feel my IQ dropping from being in the same room with the guy.
Me: Okay - would you like me to reload Windows?
SC: Error message, meant bad hard drive, blargle blargle
Me: Would you like me to reload Windows.
SC: ...yes.
Me: Okay - it'll just be a day or two. I'll try to have it for you tomorrow afternoon.
He leaves. I instinctively reach for the bottle of green label Jack Daniels we keep for emergencies.
And just point of interest: when I initially loaded Windows I used our software to do it. It avoids all that shareware garbage that you get with a lot of HP's and other brand name systems. This time around I used his restore CD's. I'm only at about 55% but it's working properly thus far.
Comment