For a few years now, there have been these odd calls going out to people's houses who claim they are from "Windows" or some other Microsoft-sounding name. They state your computer has been sending out some strange crap and they want you to go on your computer and type in a few commands and tell you about the "bad files" located on the computer. After they do that, they will have you do other stuff and then remotely log into your PC and tell you how bad it is and then tell you it will be $200 or so to repair such things.
Here is some info about this straight from Microsoft's own website:
Avoid
tech support phone scams
Cybercriminals don't just
send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call
you on the telephone and claim to be from Microsoft. They might offer to help
solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Once they have
access to your computer, they can do the following:
Trick you into installing malicious software that
could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and
passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.
Take control of your computer remotely and adjust
settings to leave your computer vulnerable.
Request credit card information so they can bill you for
phony services.
Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter
credit card and other personal or financial information there.
Neither Microsoft nor our
partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you
for computer security or software fixes.
Telephone
tech support scams: What you need to know
Cybercriminals often use
publicly available phone directories so they might know your name and other
personal information when they call you. They might even guess what operating
system you're using.
Once they've gained your
trust, they might ask for your user name and password or ask you to go to a
website to install software that will let them access your computer to fix it.
Once you do this, your computer and your personal information is vulnerable.
Do not trust unsolicited
calls. Do not provide any personal information.
Here are some of the
organizations that cybercriminals claim to be from:
Windows Helpdesk
Windows Service Center
Microsoft Tech Support
Microsoft Support
Windows Technical Department Support Group
Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R
& D Team)
Report
phone scams
Learn about how to report phone
fraud in the United States. Outside of the US, contact your
local authorities.
How
to protect yourself from telephone tech support scams
If someone claiming to be
from Microsoft tech support calls you:
Do not purchase any software or services.
Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with
the "service." If there is, hang up.
Never give control of your computer to a third party
unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a
computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
Take the caller's information down and immediately
report it to your local authorities.
Never provide your credit card or financial information
to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.
What
to do if you already gave information to a tech support person
If you think that you might
have downloaded malware from a phone
tech support scam website or allowed a cybercriminal to access your computer,
take these steps:
Change your computer's password, change the password on your main email account, and
change the password for any financial accounts, especially your bank and
credit card.
Scan your computer with the Microsoft Safety
Scanner to find out if you have malware installed on your
computer.
Install Microsoft Security Essentials.
(Microsoft Security Essentials is a free program. If someone calls you to
install this product and then charge you for it, this is also a scam.)
Will
Microsoft ever call me?
There are some cases where
Microsoft will work with your Internet service provider and call you to fix a
malware-infected computer—such as during the recent cleanup effort begun in our botnet
takedown actions. These calls will be made by someone with whom you can
verify you already are a customer. You will never receive a legitimate call
from Microsoft or our partners to charge you for computer fixes.
I always wanted to get a call from them but since I only use a cell phone, I am not able to have that luxury ......until today! I was at a customer's house who had received this call a few times already in the past. While I was at their house today training them on their PC, the same "tech person" called again. She knew this because she recognized the number. I told her to answer it and then give the phone to me. After she passed the phone over to me, I told her I was her husband and she had to use the restroom. Here is the rest of the call in its entirety sans customer's name and number:
Notice in the call, I said something to the affect of "there is bad stuff on the computer?" The "tech person" said no yet says he wants me to turn on the PC so he can show me where the bad elements are. Odd, I thought he said there was no bad things on the computer? They are also from "Microtech" based in Clearwater FL but the main headquarters are in Texas. Interesting.
If you ever get one of these calls, just tell them to go "F" themselves and hang up, or, at least, just hang up the phone. Reporting them will do nothing and staying on the phone with them is just a waste of time.
So, remember this people. DON'T BE A VICTIM!! HANG UP THE PHONE!
Why am I warning all of you? Simply because.... I have a few customer who were TOO CLOSE to being victims until they hung up the phone and told me what happened! Since then, they haven't had any more problems.
This is a special report from the one and only... Dragon!
If, after a diagnoses, I tell you something is defective for whatever reason and you need a new thingamawhatsit, I will suggest the new thingamawhatsit to get. If you would like me to set up the thingamawhatsit for you, I will GLADLY do so for an obvious service fee of what I charge for such setup of the thingamawhatsit (plus the cost of thingamawhatsit). I will even pick up the thingamawhatsit for you for no additional charge!
If you want to get the thingamawhatsit yourself and setup it up on your own or have someone else do it for you for whatever reason, that's all fine and dandy with me. However, if you come to me upset because your thingamawhatsit is not working right after having someone else set it up for you, don't expect me to bend over backwards and lend many helping hands. I will tell you what the problems "may" be and direct you to the manufacturer of the thingamawhatsit. However, for obvious BUSINESS reasons, I can't just tell you how to do what I charge to do as a service. If I did that, I might as well close the Dragon doors and go back to working in lovely retail. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
Most stores offer a 14 day return on all technology purchases. If you wait until after that 14 day period, you have to consult the manufacturer because the store most likely WILL NOT help you out (this is why they push those extended warranties!). Have you ever tried calling the manufacturer? Let me give you a quick rundown of how it works:
You call the company for the thingamawhatsit
You have to press 1 for English and usually wait on the phone for over 10 minutes
You finally get someone who doesn't speak English even though you pressed 1!
They ask you what your name is, number, address, email address, the product you bought, the serial number of the product, and the store you bought it from.
After correcting the person above many times because they spoke too fast and they barely understand you, they FINALLY ask you what the problem is.
They will them tell you to do what you may have already done. Unplug this, reset that, hold down this, plug in that and wait. Then plug in that, and reboot. Then type this and type that.
After sitting there doing the above, of which you have done 5 times already before you called, they will get a supervisor because what they told you to do didn't work. After that, and ONLY after that, the supervisor will give you more "Advanced" things to do. If, after the "Advanced" steps don't work, they will FINALLY make a ticket for a RA (Return Authorization) or whatever the company calls it.
You will get an email with the form to fill out and then print out.
You will have to ship and (usually) PAY to ship said product and INSURE said product.
After waiting a couple weeks, they will FINALLY send you a new (well, refurbished) product.
They may refund your shipping fees but... they may not.
All of the above may have been prevented if you let the Dragon set up your thingamawhatsit for you. It takes less than two weeks to find out if the thingamawhatsit is defective or not. I give a 30 day warranty. This gives you 14 days for me to diagnose and troubleshoot the problem. If I deem it defective, I will go to the store and swap it out for you and set up the second one for NO additional charge! This will save YOU time and YOU money by not having to call tech support and NOT having to waste more money on having whoever set it up again OR purchasing a new thingamawhatsit.
Like I said, I don't mind if you don't want to have me set up your thingamawhatsit. You can call the Geek Squad or Staples or some local PC dude. However, you will be paying a "premium" for the former companies. You can use the latter "PC dude" for a lesser service charge but can you trust this "PC dude" to come to your house and set it up? What's his background? Where does he come from? How is his demeanor? I don't have to mention my previous blog post of the other computer company, do I?
Or, you can call the Dragon who has a span of customers from over ten years ago to today and constantly increasing. Customers who always say I can use them as references; customers who refer me to their family, friends, and neighbors; customers who also consider me as their "friend" and a part of their "family" but also know when I put on the "business" hat. But don't take my word for it. Here is a small example.
There are more written ones on the right side of this side.
Obviously, everyone has a choice like I stated. What choice will you make?
Call the Dragon anytime if you'd like quality and reasonably-priced help! (772) 985-9905
Another new year, another new problem for the Dragon to tackle. Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this post, I'll start out by wishing everyone out there a Happy New Year and a successful 2013. Close to a month late but it's still January.
I was going to make a new post regarding the "Standing his ground" post because a couple people have been inquiring on the status about that as to whether the Dragon has been actually standing his ground or not. Unfortunately, that has to take a back seat trip because I have something which needs to get out there ASAP so YOU don't become a victim to what my customer has been a sad victim of.
On Friday, January 25th 2013, I get a call from a man who has been helping out his friend with her computer needs. Let's refer to this man as John and his friend as Jan. John gives me the run down as to what was going on. I'll sum it up here:
On 1/3/13, John goes with Jan to HH Gregg to purchase a new computer. They decide on the Gateway PC pictured here:
Nice looking little Gateway PC, isn't it? Problem is, as with all PCs sold in stores today, it comes pre-installed with Windows 8. Ain't that just great?! Well, I'll get to my take about 8 in a future post but for now, Jan wasn't too happy about 8 and I can understand that since she was coming from Xp. For those of you who don't have a clue as to what Windows Xp is because you've been living in a cave or just now got a new PC, well, you can look at this article on Xp: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP.
So, Jan bought the PC anyway because she knew she can have Windows 7 put on it. Sounds all fine any dandy, right? After all, how hard is it to have Windows 7 installed on a brand new PC? Well, if you aren't tech savvy, it is a daunting task. Also, if you are of an elder age as the majority of my customers are, it is a feat which need not be taken on by yourself! This is why there are computer tech companies out there. She decided to take it to one. This is a company she has used before which is why she went back; to give him the service again and because he took care of her the last time.
After they were finished in HH Gregg, John and Jan went straight to Treasure Coast Computer Sales and Repair located on Jensen Beach Blvd and spoke to the owner Derek Bateman. I would love to provide a link to this computer company's website but, for some strange reason, this computer company does NOT have a WEBSITE nor is there an EMAIL ADDRESS on the BUSINESS CARD!! So, I'll provide the business card itself for all of you to take a look at:
Besides the crappy font choice, it's not a bad looking card. Strangely, there is no website or at LEAST an email address. What business these days doesn't have at least an email address? Maybe Derek is afraid to provide an email address for spam reasons or fear of getting a virus? Whatever the reason, this isn't the point of the post but it does just make me want to go hmmm.....
I hope you enjoyed that small video break from reading. Now, back to the fun...
John and Jan brought the computer in to Derek. They said they wanted their data transferred from the old PC they had and put onto the new PC. They also said they wanted Windows 7 installed on the new PC. Derek said that wouldn't be a problem and he would have it ready in a few days, which would be by the 6th of January or so. John and Jan left the computer there and then left the store.
A few days passed and there was no phone call yet from Derek on the status of the PC. I don't recall all of the details which occurred during this time but I know Jan went back to the store with her husband to see what was going on with the PC. Derek said in response with a loud and assertive voice, "IT WILL BE READY TOMORROW!" Upset and shocked Jan was with this response, she and her husband left.
It is now the 14th of January and John decided to go in the store and get the PC. Because of the way Derek acted before, John felt it was necessary to bring a Martin County Sheriff inside with him. John and the Sheriff walked in the store. John inquired about the status of the PC. Looking at the sheriff, Derek said it will be ready tomorrow.
On the 15th, John and Jan went to pick up the computer. It was ready and Jan paid over $300 in cash for the services.
They took the computer home. John looked at the computer and noticed there was no certificate of authenticity (COA) on the outside of the computer. They also didn't receive a Windows 7 disc. Upset about this, John decided to give Derek a call. Derek said he didn't have a Windows 7 disc to give them and the COA was located in the inside of the case. John found this to be rather strange as did I when he told me.
John grabbed a trusty screw driver to unscrew the two screws on the back of the case to remove the side to reveal the COA. John tried to unscrew one screw with all his might and... it wouldn't budge. John tried a few more screw drivers and still... both screws would not budge. John found this to be VERY strange as did I when he told me. Why would Derek screw the screws back on so tight so the average man with an average screw driver could NOT remove them? Also, why did Derek put the COA on the inside of the case instead of the outside where it's LEGALLY supposed to be per Microsoft's instruction? This, of course, applies to OEM versions of Windows which is only for NEW PCs which has no prior version of Windows installed AND can only be PURCHASED ONLY with a NEW PC!! See the below for some examples coming from the Windows discs I still have in a drawer from my many years of computer work....
As you can see from the above sticker located on a Windows Xp Media Center OEM guide. "This OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) software may not be delivered UNLESS accompanied by the required hardware under the....." So, in order to LEGALLY install an OEM version of Windows, hardware (usually a PC) is also REQUIRED to be purchased with the OEM software. This OEM software CAN NOT be sold separately!
As you can see above by the three steps in red: 1. Stick the COA (that sticker). 2. Distribute MEDIA (which means CDs/DVDs!!) and manuals to customers with their PCs. 3. A LEGAL copy INCLUDES CD, manual, and COA!!
If you look above at this example COA sticker, it says "You are required to affix this Certificate of Authenticity to the EXTERIOR of the PC." Exterior! I shall say it once more, "EXTERIOR!!" No where does this example which is an actual COA from MY media does it say interior!
Now, back to the story... When John hooked the PC up to the DSL modem which was working fine on the old PC, he couldn't get it to work with the new PC. After trying a few more times, he gave Derek a call again to see what was going on. Derek said... the LAN (Local Area Network) port was bad. This is the connection on the PC the modem plugs into for DSL or cable internet service.
Now, when I heard this when he was giving me the story over the phone, I was also quite shocked (as if I wasn't shocked enough). Here is a brand spanking new computer bought from a computer store. It was then taken to a computer "repair" shop to have Windows 7 put on it. Correct me if I'm wrong, computer techs, but if you were to install an Operating System on a PC, wouldn't you not only install the OS and drivers (little pieces of software for the OS to make the hardware work, such as keyboard, etc.) but install the updates AND make sure the HARDWARE inside the PC is fully FUNCTIONAL before handing it over to the customer? Isn't that the ethical and moral way of conducting a computer business?
Let's do an analogy: If you were to bring your car to a mechanic to have a new engine put it and the mechanic said everything is done and it's time to pick it up. You pick it up and drive it out of the shop and decide to put the A/C on only to realize.... it's not even blowing any air out! Don't you think the mechanic should have CHECKED the A/C and other functions of the car in relation to an engine replacement before saying the car was ready?
Now, here is the conundrum. Maybe the port was bad from the factory. Maybe the A/C wasn't working when it was brought to the mechanic.
Before I do any operating system install, I make sure all of the hardware works first. If some of the hardware does not work, I determine if it's a driver-related issue or hardware issue then I either continue or notify the customer of the hardware problem. However, this was a NEW PC which rarely get's a bad LAN port. Even if it was bad, why was the customer not called while the computer was still at the shop so the computer could be exchanged for another one? It makes me wonder....
Anyway, back to the story. The port was "bad," according to Derek. Derek said a fix was to get a wireless router and adapter and make the PC which is in the same room as the internet connection (a desktop!) wireless. John went back to Derek's lovely computer repair store and bought a USED router and USB adapter from Derek. More money for Derek!
John took the equipment home and hooked everything up. Oh, but before he got the USB adapter to work, he had to download the drivers onto a disc from his house because Mr. PC repairman Derek DID NOT provide the DRIVERS for the adapter HE SOLD!! After he FINALLY hooked everything up and got it working, the internet was finally working then... a few days later.... it stopped working. He then got a new DSL modem from the store and it then worked again for a while and.... stopped! Could it be a bad router? Did Derek sell them a bad router? It didn't come with the box so it was used. Maybe the adapter was bad? Obviously, something wasn't working. This is when John decided to give the Dragon a call. He wished he had called me first but I understood why he didn't so it was quite alright.
John told me the above story over the phone. I, of course, added my ad-lib and questions and examples so you get a better picture of what's going and why this is a pretty serious matter. Now... time to enter the Dragon...
I entered the house and was led to the room where the computer sat. I asked more questions and got another rundown before I started to assess the situation. My job was to get the internet working again and to unscrew the PC to check for that COA. After what I heard about Mr. Derek Bateman, who is the OWNER and technician of Treasure Coast Computer Sales and Repair, I couldn't do just that. This man has given the legitimate as well as moral and ethical computer repair techs out there a very bad name and it is my duty as one of the legit computer techs out there who actually cares about the customers and who does what is right to... set things right and set this man (and his company) straight and, hopefully, out of business soon so he doesn't continue his shady practices. Did I say "shady?" That's right... let's continue...
First, I too grabbed a screw driver and tried to unscrew the case... only to also be embarrassed and quite shocked because I, a 32 year old man, could not unscrew the screws using a regular Philip's head screw driver. That was problem one.
Next, I turned on the PC to see what the Windows 7 install looked like and what has been done. It booted up fine so I went into the PCs properties to get more information about the Windows 7 install and here's what I saw:
To the untrained eye, everything looks fine and dandy, right? However, if you go to the properties of your current windows 7 machine, (Right-click computer then click Properties), you will notice your PC will say "Service Pack 1" below Windows 7 Home Premium. As you can see, this one... does not! Also, let's go down the bottom... way down to the bottom. Is says "Windows is activated." Also fine and dandy to the untrained eye and OEM (hint!!) PCs such as HP, Gateway, Dell, etc. will say that because the Windows version on those PCs are OEM version specific to that machine. So, Dragon, what are you getting at? This is a Gateway PC so what's wrong with the OEM on this PC, you ask? Great question! Let me explain some more:
Do you remember this is a brand new Gateway? New PCs bought not and a few months prior come with Windows 8 installed. Did you remember the Windows 8 sticker on this PC in question? Here, I'll show you another one from the side...
See? That window-looking logo says "Windows 8" not 7. This PC had Windows 7 installed. The Windows 7 installed not only has NOT been updated, but is also an OEM version which is not a legal version for this PC because IT ALREADY HAD AN OPERATING SYSTEM INSTALLED AND... THE COMPANY (DEREK'S COMPANY) DID NOT SELL A PC WITH THE OEM LICENSE!
To try to explain some more... here is a picture of the box from a Windows 7 OEM disc:
The highlighted text states: "Each individual software license inside this package may ONLY be distributed with a fully assembled computer system."
Did Mr. Bateman install the Windows 7 OEM on a computer HE built and sold it along with the PC HE built? No... he installed this OEM on Gateway PC with Windows 8 preinstalled and used his OEM license of Windows 7 to install on said PC.
What is also silly is... he installed the 32 bit instead of 64 bit Windows 7! I'm not going into specifics about that but 64 bit is what all processors are capable of AND all computers come with 64 bit preinstalled, not 32!
After seeing that, I decided to go undercover and be Jan's son and go with John to see this lovely Derek and request him to open the case so I can have the key and get the disc.... here is what went down....
We walked inside and a female was inside. Inside the small store-front room where shelves with laptops close to ten years of age or more. On the floor were Dell's about the same age. I can tell this because I have worked on those Dells before and know by the design how old they are.
Derek was on the phone so we waited and I gave the female the quick rundown of what was going on. I then put the desktop on a chair. Derek came out from the door in front of us.
John introduced me to Derek and I, being the polite man I am, shook his hand and said hello. After that, well, it wasn't as easy dealing with this individual as I thought it would be, compared to other's I have dealt with in this business and retail!
I don't remember word for word but this is the gist of how it all went down. I wish I had my voice recorder in my pocket...
Derek: "So, what's the problem."
John: "We can't get the case open because the screws are on too tight. We'd like you to open the case so Dan (Dragon undercover) can get the product key."
Me: "The screws are on pretty tight so I'd just like you to open the case for us so I can get the product key and also get the disc in case I need to reinstall Windows." Derek: "That's crazy! You should able to get the screws off just fine!"
*More Screw talk*
Derek: "Why do you need to get into the case?"
Me: "I just want to get the product key and disc in case I need to install Windows again in the future." Derek: "Why would you want to install Windows again?"
Me: "In case there is a virus or any other issues with Windows." Derek: "Is there a virus on the PC now?"
Me: "No. I said for the future! The PC is fine now." Derek: "If the PC is fine now, why worry about the future?"
Me: "I'd like to have to product key for my records just in case something does happen in the future." Derek: "Oh, ah ha, I see. You probably don't think the product key is in the case."
Me: "I didn't say that." Derek: "OK, well, I use a drill bit to tighten the case tight so nobody goes inside it because I don't want anyone messing in it." Derek: "I don't have a disc to provide you because my supply doesn't give me the disc, just the key. Normally Windows 7 is $199, sometimes $149 but I gave it to you for $119. I put the sticker inside the case because of the way they are made now. I don't want it to rub off being on the outside."
My "Bullshit Detector" was jumping off the walls!
John: "I understand but what if I would like to upgrade the RAM or something? That's a simple job I can do down the line."
Derek: "All you need is a drill or a torx driver to unscrew it."
As you can still see... Derek was still be hesitant on unscrewing the case. How hard is it to just comply with what his customer wants and just unscrew the damn case already?? I was starting to lose my patience but I held on for a while longer...
After more screw talk, he finally turned around to the back office door and said.... "Hold on, I may have something I can SELL you."
I repeated that to John when Derek went inside and we both couldn't believe our ears.
Derek went back out with one of these I have in my hand in the picture.
As you can see, I own one of these. However, I do not bring it along with me because the screws on the case are also a Philips head so 99.9% of the time, using the normal screw driver in my bag or on my SAK (Swiss Army Knife) works just fine. But, because this douchebag used a drill to drill the screws back into the case, a regular screw driver would just strip the screws.
So, he finally unscrewed the case, commenting about the second screw being "a little too tight."
Then he opened the case and took the cover off and showed us the COA. I saw it and kept my mouth shut until John and I went outside. I told him what I saw then when we went back to Jan's place, I showed it to her as well. Here is what I and everyone else saw...
Let's zoom in a bit more...
There we go. I'm sure you can read what the above COA says but just in case you can't, it says:
"Dell" then "Label not to be sold separately."
As you read just a little while ago. He said he sold it for "$119." He sold this Windows 7 product key SEPARATELY for $119!
I rest my case. Nothing more needs to be explained or proven here about the actions of the OWNER of Treasure Coast Computer Sales and Repair!
I have reported this to Microsoft's Piracy Site so they look into it and hopefully take his business down because I'm VERY positive he has done this on more than one occasion and has screwed more customers in the process. Also, from doing a quick Google search on his name, he used to have another computer shop as you can see here called 1 Stop Computers. Hmm... I wonder why that place is no longer in business and why he opened up another shop in another town.
A few more interesting tidbits:
His business card says "Treasure Coast Computer Sales and Repair." However, his fictitious name registered name is "TREASURE COAST COMPUTER REPAIR DBA DEREK BATEMAN" Maybe this is because there was another company by the same name when he filed? Such as "TREASURE COAST COMPUTER REPAIR" Why does he have to have the same name as another company?
Also, TCPalm's site has an article here which reads:
"JENSEN BEACH — Treasure Coast Computer Repair, owned by Derek Bateman, has opened at 889 Jensen Beach Blvd. in Jensen Beach.
Bateman has 26 years of experience repairing and building computers. The business will buy new and used computers and parts, and donations are welcome.
For more information, call (772) 634-2416."
There it is again yet his card reads... "...Computer Sales and Repair." Why so many name changes?
He doesn't have an actual website but here is some local website with his business information. He also has an email address on there!
So, there you have it. A crooked computer "sales and repair" company screwing Jensen Beach residents and most likely the surrounding areas. This business NEEDS to be taken down so others don't waste their money!
Selling old computers and faulty used parts
Says the job will be done in a few days. It took over two weeks and the PC came back faulty. How do you think the other customer's PCs came back after they went to him?
His attitude towards ANYONE who walks in the door is outright HORRIBLE. He has shitty people skills for a man, let alone a business owner!
He installs operating systems on the PCs he works on illegally to get extra profit out of the customer's pocket
I can list more but I'll stop there. Also, I will importantly note: I am not against other computer companies out there. I actually have a pretty good business relationship towards another PC company out there who deals specifically with laptops as far as sales and repairs goes. He helped a few of my customers and I also sold a few laptops to him. I can work on laptops to a point. If it's more than I wish to handle, I hand my customer over to this PC Wizard. So, I don't want everyone to think I try to put all of the PC companies around down out of business for competitive reasons. I do not. I only choose the ones who SHOULD NOT be in business at all because it is those companies who make all of the other legitimate and ethical computer businesses look bad!!
I will finally end it with that.
If you have been burned by the above company or any other computer business, you let the Dragon know! He will do what he can to set things straight!
Oh, and by the way.... the "faulty" PC was able to be returned to HH Gregg for a full refund. I helped MY customer get a new PC and made Windows 8 easier for her to use just like 7! So, there is a very happy ending to this story!
As you all may be aware of with my previous posts, I have been VERY lenient when it comes to my customers. For over eight years since my business was originally opened (then by the name of Dragon PC Training & Consultant), I have always given away too much. I've given too much of my time, knowledge, and expertise, which is what the business is based on and where 100% of the profit derives from, for nothing. A very good example is shown in my previous blog's three-part series. I was going back and forth to a customer's house, trying to take care of multiple AT&T issues and just waiving my in-home fees multiple times like I was some wealthy man who can afford jackets such as this:
(Youtube wouldn't allow me to embed the video you you have to click the link. Sorry!)
After all the AT&T issues were taken care of, I wiped the slate clean and started over, making sure I stand my ground and charge this customer from now on when I have to set foot in the house, even if it's for less than an hour. I was there last week to help her with a quick Comcast thing which was basically unplugging and plugging in the modem per a letter she had received in the mail. Of course, while I was there, I asked her if she had any other questions or issues and helped her with that as well. I then showed her the invoice and she had no problem paying it. She even asked me if that was enough or shall she give me more. I said it was enough and there was no need to give me more. So, she will continue to be my customer for a long time ahead. Unfortunately I can't say that to some of which will be described below.
As all of you must know when owning a business or even working for a company (yes, I have worked for many companies before I decided to take a giant leap and do my own thing. I also took a giant leap back and then forward again. Now, I must focus on the continuous forward leaps without stepping back anymore!), time is money. When you work for a company, they pay you by the hour or a set salary (I won't get into commission-based pay here). When you work on your own, you have to rely on your customer's to pay you for the services they request from you. This can range from computer repair for the computer technician to giving their hair a new look for a beautician to fixing their car for a mechanic. The services you provide are based on the knowledge and expertise you currently posses. You charge the customer either by the hour or on an a la carte basis for said services. So, now we can put this into a quick formula:
Knowledge + Expertise = Time (Services) = Money (Customer)
So, there you go: Time equals Money. YOUR TIME, NOT THERE'S! Had I been aware of this when I was dealing with EVERY customer I had come across, this would not have been an issue with my business back then and it will not be anymore now and in the future. Here is one example which occurred on May of 2012 of which is revealed by reading the below letter to the customers who shall be named M & M (their initials, not the candy! I know, first it was BK and now...).
You can check out the fancier version here with a nice Dragon PC Training & Repair template instead of reading the basic looking one below:
May 8, 2012
M. & M.,
I have given considerable thought to what has occurred this past Saturday. I must forfeit the pleasure of assisting you and M again with future Turbo Lister or any more eBay related tasks for that matter. The reasons for my conclusions are simply as follows:
Firstly, and most importantly, I DO NOT sell and HAVE NOT sold anything on eBay or even ran a store on eBay for that matter. Even though I have used my own time and expenses in creating a store for gaining knowledge and creating a guide to assist you and M in creating a store for yourselves, that should have been the extent of my assistance with eBay. Even though I have been compensated while at your location and getting yourselves set up with eBay, I have not been compensated for my own time and expenses I have put in to gain the knowledge I needed to make the opening of your eBay store a success. I have always made a promise to myself and others to never take on the task of training and/or assisting others with what I do not know ahead of time. For you, I made the rare exception, which went well at first but I should have put a stop to it before I got in way over my head. I train and assist customers with many computer and technology-related tasks. However, these tasks are ones of which I have done before and therefore feel more than comfortable with taking on. Unfortunately, because of the reasons stated above, eBay is not one of them and will not be for now and the foreseeable future.
Secondly, I CAN NOT and WILL NOT use my own time and expenses without any compensation in return and use the knowledge I have gained in training or assisting others, even though I receive compensation for the latter. As you know, this is a one man show and because of that I, unfortunately, can’t tailor to everyone’s needs when it comes to a specific service or software of which, in this case, is both (eBay & Turbo Lister).
I have enjoyed working with you and M for about a year and a half now and would love to continue to do so. However, I will not risk trying to assist you and M with your multi-thousand eBay listings for reasons which have been stated above. I will continue to assist you with any other computer needs you may have which are listed in the brochure included in the envelope with this letter. One thing I can’t recommend and urge you to do enough is to get a new laptop. Even though the one you currently have still works, it is running on an operating system over ten years old with parts inside which may go any day now. A new computer will make uploading and creating your listings that much smoother saving valuable time. This, of course, I can help you with.
Have a wonderful and safe trip to New Jersey and back again,
Justin Rocque
The above letter was mailed out to their address before they left for NJ and, needless to say, I haven't heard back from them.The customer didn't feel he should have paid me for my time being there while I was learning the program as I went along because he had the store and I had no other way to learn how to use the program. From now on, he can just call Ebay's tech support if he wants to "save money" by trying to download all his 1000+ listings, suspend the store, then reopen it when he comes back from his trip. The case is now closed on that one and, unfortunately, that customer unless he PC craps out. We'll see...
Next up is a customer of whom I did a "favor" for and rooted his and his wife's Sprint Evo 4G so he can use the internet on the phone through their Metro PCS. Of course, this required MUCH MORE than rooting. I had to download a phone program the phone stores usually use. After downloading and following the steps to make the internet work on the phone which was designed from Sprint, I was then able to root it. Long story short, I got them both up and running with the internet and root functions. The reason why I did this BIG "favor" was because I have the same phone. I told him to not tell other's I root phone because, even though I can, I CHOOSE NOT to because I don't find it fun, worth my time, and I don't want to risk BRICKING the phone! But, alas, I have received a few calls from his friends after that asking if I can root their Blackberries or Tablets or other phones I don't know about! These calls have stopped for a long while until... I received a call from my customer again from a different number saying he reset the phone and messed up the root on his phone he gave to a friend. I told him when you do a factory reset on the phone, the root stays in tact. I agreed to take a look at it to see what was going on as a "small" favor this time. The following which I sent to him on Facebook on July 12, 2012 are the results of that "small" favor:
The initial T. is in replacement of the person's actual name.
On Monday morning, I got a call from you saying your phone needs to be rooted again. I then got a call from you from the number of the phone you wanted rooted again. OK. Even though I DO NOT root phones like I have said many times already, I decided to do it for you once more, considering you said you messed it up somehow.
You called back later that night because you haven't heard from me so I called back the next morning and haven't heard back from you.
I get a phone call from the 305 number at around 10:30p last night thinking it was you. It was a man named T. He wanted to know when I can root the phone. Even though I had plans and was busy already most of the next day, I said I'll give a call back in the morning at 10a and pick up it and work on it and bring it back. He said OK.
I called at about 10:15a this morning using the 305 number. There was no answer so I left a message. I get a call back on a different number at 11:10A with a voicemail from T. This number also called me at 9:45a and DID NOT leave a voicemai so I did not return the calll. Because it was an hour passed and too late now, I didn't bother calling back. This, of course, didn't stop T.
12 times in one day, mostly in the morning! You can see some of it with the attached picture. So, because of his rudeness and very bad phone etiquette, I have not and will not bother responding to his call. And, most importantly, I will not respond to his call because I DO NOT root phones. I don't care if it was actually your phone or his now. I don't want to root any phones; that's not what I do. I'm also not going to risk the phone getting "bricked" because the root failed because I'm not buying a new phone for the customer.
I have still been receiving calls from people from you saying you told them I can root their phones. I already told you a long time ago I do not do that so I don't know why I'm still getting calls from people saying I do.
I fix computers, specifically Windows PCs (Not Macs). That's what my business is and that's what I do. That's it.
If you need any computer support, I'll help you. However, even my computer support has limitations and I will tell you what they are up front. If you want your phone rooted or need anything else done with your phone, go to a phone shop. They will most likely not do it either....
Thanks and have a great night,
Dragon
Here is the image from my phone I sent as proof:
I have not received a message or call back regarding the above message. However, a couple weeks ago, I received a text from the customer with a minor computer question. I answered then received a call from him while typing another text. I helped him over the the phone then he mentioned the whole thing about the other guy and his phone. Although I did not ask if he had read the message I sent, I told him why I was NOT going to do it. After stating my reasons, he still tried to coerce me to do "one last favor" for his friend. Finally, after saying "No" a few more times, he got the picture. I believe this customer will still be a customer and I think he FINALLY got the picture of me NOT rooting anymore phones at all! So, the case with that one is closed.
Almost last but not quite is another customer. After helping her for over a year and a half with her computer needs, we decided to agree on bartering our services to each other. You can figure out what the bartering entailed by reading the following:
Her name will be replaced with LG to protect her identity.
7/17/2012
Justin,
I haven't seen you in a while and I was wondering if you intend on coming in soon. Our agreement was that you would receive laser in exchange for teaching me the computer. Please let me know when we can get together for a lesson.
Thank you.
LG
Here is my response to that on the same day:
LG,
That is true, you haven't seen me in a while. Our agreement was I would receive laser in exchange for teaching you the computer. However, instead of just teaching you the computer, I have been...
Searching for and Replying to business emails for you from work and at home.
Ordering water and other products online for you
Talking to your credit card company as well as other companies over the phone for you to take care of your problems.
Setting up a new computer and printer in your office and cleaning the big clutter of wires you had under the desk.
Ordering and installing Quickbooks for T to use to take care of your bookkeeping, who is no longer with you. Now, Quickbooks is most likely not being used anymore.
Posting ads on Craigslist for an office manager job as well as helping you interview and "test" these interviewees on the computer to see if they know the basic skills of the computer. However, even if they knew the basic skills of the computer, you expected them to know much more than the basics and didn't feel they were fit for the job.
Switching out the phones in the shop with the better phones you had just sitting in the office.
And more...
Is the above list of things I did in your home and in the shop within the description of "teaching me the computer?" I doesn't look like it. Should I have invoiced you for the other services (of which most of the above don't fall into what my business offers) I did for you on my time which didn't include teaching you the computer? Yes. Should I have typed up an agreement stating what our agreement at first consisted of to prevent any issues in the future? Yes.
I do understand there were a lot of times you didn't want me to go over your house to train you because you were too busy or too tired. Therefore, I did the above in place of the training (even though I feel there was no reason for you to not find at least 1 hour in a week for me to train you). However, I did more than I would normally do for anyone and provide the above as a service of which I would normally be compensated for. Also, every time I did go over your house to train you, you never remembered what I taught you because you DID NOT practice on your own time and you DID NOT read the materials I printed out for you on my printer. Training/teaching on the computer (and many other things) works usually this way to be successful: one person teaches the other using demonstrations and guides, the other person follows along with the demonstrations, does the demonstrations (hands on), and reads the guides. They must also practice when the teacher is not there as well as read the guides so the information soaks in. Also, and most importantly, when the person is there to teach for an allotted amount of time, you must let them do so without any interruptions such as getting off topic by talking about personal things and everything in between and you must not talk on the phone when someone calls for an extended period of time because..... that's how we get off track, wasting valuable time.
Because you rarely did practice anything we went over, you barely remembered anything I have taught you. Therefore, me teaching you has been nothing but a waste of our time and a waste of fuel in my car.
Because of all of the above, I have come to realize going to your shop for laser twice a week, which is a 30 minute drive one way, which is two hours of driving a week, which adds up to about $30 in gas a week, which adds to about $120 a month... is just not worth it anymore.
Also, I have come to realize you have more important things regarding your shop and personal life to worry about besides leaning how to do more on a computer. With these things not being taken care of.... it will make trying to learn how to use a computer that much harder.
It has come to my conclusion, because of the reasons above (and more which need not be discussed here), I am putting a close to our agreement (which has been going on for around 6 months) and our relationship as customers.
Have a great day and I wish you continued success in keeping your shop afloat, -- [My Business Signature]
So, as you can see from above, I had to let that customer go. The bartering wasn't enough to sustain having her as a customer or keeping my sanity! :-O
So far, I have mentioned giving my services away for nothing, learning how to do customer-requested tasks on my own time for nothing, and bartering my services of which I went over and beyond the agreement!
What more could there be? What else would a customer want to give me in exchange for my services? Well, I'll have you listen to these two audio clips for the answer! His name and number has been silenced to protect his identity.
The above photo was taken by me of Santos pizza located in PSL, Fl. I took it to show them when I go next time how the pizza could use more pepperoni but that's for another blog! However, I may have found another pizza place. :-O
Here is the way a slice should be though...
This above photo was taken at Big Slice Pizza in Palm City, Fl. Those are NY slices at it's finest!
Now, let me just clarify something about "friends" and "services." This will also fit into customers who became friends from more than satisfying their needs as customers within my business. I have customers I have been helping out since the business opened over eight years ago. After helping them many times, building a rapport, and revealing more personal things about ourselves, friendships with these customers have formed. One thing I have been told and learned from the above is to not mix business with friendship for obvious reasons which has been proved by the two audio clips above. However, because I don't get out much to develop "new friends," I have made an exception to this rule which has had it's negatives but the positives of doing this has weighed more than the negatives.
When helping customers who have also formed into friends, I make sure my business hat is on and make them aware it is on and they are now my "customer." This awareness is usually obtained by just saying something simple such as, "Ok, let's see what's going on here." or "Ok, let's start the lesson!" The social chatting stops and work begins. During the time of working on a PC without giving a lesson, chatting can commence while the PC is doing it's thing. However, the friend is still aware they are the customer and I am doing a service for them and I am logging my time. Sometimes, I throw in a couple of "free bees" to these customers who formed into friends because they don't abuse the customer/friend relationship and they still bring me referrals. Sometimes, they offer a cold beverage and food which is always a plus yet they are aware I know this is out of good gesture and don't expect me to discount their services more for doing such. I do have some customers, new and old, who don't even ask if I want a water after setting up a PC for them and moving desks and/or tables around. This is OK, even though the liquids are pouring out of my body and getting soaked into my black shirt. During that time, I'm not a happy camper but I still do my best to keep my cool, mentally, not physically because the A/C in their house is set to 85 degrees! Those are the days I have to go back home to take another shower and go back out again to help the next customer! :-O
Come on, who doesn't like Sesame Street? ;-)
When I get a customer who forms into a friend and expects me to do a minimum $50 (usually $35 with a loyal customer or community discount) in exchange for a pizza when they live forty minutes away one way, the Dragon get's a little upset and feels he is being cheated, especially when gas is over $3.50 a gallon now! So, the Dragon had to stand his ground with that one and call the customer back. I tried to be easy as I could with him and said because of the forty minute drive it takes to go to the house and how my services is my only source of income, I could not just go over and do my service for a pizza or movie. As much as I enjoy hanging out with the dude, I just couldn't let that go on anymore. He called back and said he will have his friend D help him out instead. I said, "OK" and that was that. Whether he will still be a "customer" anymore is yet to be seen. Also, because of what went down, I'm not sure if the "friendship" will or should still remain intact.
Now, just one more thing to clarify with the above. Some of the customers who formed into friends have had the tables turned where, even though I still wear the business hat with them sometimes and they wear the customer hat, it's rare and it's more of the friendship hat. This has been because they have helped me with some personal things and because, well, we have just become great friends and I believe, a personal friendship bond is more important to have in life than a business bond. I give them plenty of free PC advice while they continue to give me advice about life in general. I think that's a great exchange of knowledge, don't you?
This concludes the post of Dragon who is now standing his ground. It was longer than expected, as all of my posts end up being, but I'm sure it will give you more insight into the background of Dragon PC Training & Repair and these mistakes and non-mistakes will help you with your business as well and give you some cement for your ground to stand on!! Leave some comments and let me and others know what you think from your business experience.
For those who have been keeping up with the two part AT&T blog series so far, I give you props. I know they were both long reads but I'm sure you may have found some entertainment in them. Luckily, this one will be mainly audio of phone calls to AT&T and a few calls to and from my customer, BK, whom this whole blog series is based on. Also, I have some great news... this is the final result and last blog post regarding AT&T and BK. It may not be the last regarding AT&T but in regards to the previous post, this is the final draw. So, without further a dew..... here are the audio files....
First, the call to AT&T customer service on Thursday at 12:49PM:
Next, a call to BK at 1:19PM to give her an update as to what went down the night before and the day of the call to AT&T you heard above.
Next, a call back from BK at 1:41PM:
A final call back (or was it?) from BK at 3:03PM:
Just when I thought I was all done for a while with BK and she was at ease and just going to sit back and relax until Comcast shows up.... I get a voicemail at 8:00PM right AFTER I have completed my patrol of the streets.
And this, folks, is why PC tech guys go justin sane!!
Patience is a virtue . If it wasn't for my patience, I don't think I'll be able to hang on to the business (as well as customers) for this long. Surprisingly, the phrase "patience is a virtue" is one of the teachings of Zerthimon from the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. This was found from Wikipedia:
In the computer role-playing game Planescape: Torment, one of the potential party members, Dak'kon, is a Githzerai follower of Zerthimon, and it is possible to learn the basic tenets of Zerthimon's teachings (referred to as the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon) through conversations with him (which unlocks special wizard spells for the protagonist and the githzerai). According to Planescape: Torment, Zerthimon's teachings can be summarized as following.
Strength lies in knowing oneself; those who do not know themselves are lost and open to the manipulations of others.
A willingness to learn is a sign of strength.
Endure. In enduring, grow strong.
Learn to see the whole, or be blinded to the truth.
Many in unison can accomplish more than many alone.
Seek balance, or lose sight of your goal.
Patience is a virtue.
Focus and discipline are the key to strength; diversion is the key to weakness.
Since my business has the "Dragon" within it's name and is the unique itentifier of the whole computer business, I found this to be quite interestingly coincidental. And no, the business name did not derive from the "Dungeons & Dragon" game but more importantly, the real-life Dragon himself, Bruce Lee. So, there is some business background for you!
OK, so I lied; there was some more for you to read in this post as well but it's knowledge one cannot be without! ;-)
