I visited a customer yesterday evening that had told me the previous person they’d hired to help them out charged a £65 fee to turn off Flight Mode for them (all of 5 minutes work: Two clicks, and some instructions for if it happens again to resolve it themselves next time) and they’d been made to feel very uncomfortable by them as they were alone in the house when it happened. Understandably this left them apprehensive about hiring me to help with their current computer issue as their confidence was knocked.
In comparison: I would have walked them through this over the phone first, and if I had to be called out still I would charge on a pay-what-you-feel-it’s-worth basis for something that only takes a few minutes once I arrive because I love sleeping soundly at night! Sleep is great! It’s also extremely rare that my callouts ever exceed £50, and if they’re likely to I’d advise that before even stepping out of my office.
Sadly there are a lot of scammers, incompetent technicians, and people that take advantage out there operating in the consumer computer repair industry (or pretending to be in this industry!), please be extra careful about who you hire. For example: Make sure they’re trustworthy by checking their reviews or ask people you know that have already used their services to vouch for their quality, that they’re ICO registered/GDPR compliant, insured, offer a no fix no fee promise, have plenty of experience, and get a quote from them before any work takes place!
It’s always a joy to work with new customers and to get to know them and the job satisfaction that helping them brings, but it’s also always sad when it’s under these sorts of circumstances.
Take care out there!
