Friends & Family
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
I like to do as Johnny, the shoeshine guy, on Police Squad! (starring the late Leslie Nielsen) did. Frank: "What's the word on the street, Johnny?" (This would be the request for help....) Johhny (Me): "Oh, I wouldn't know anything about that." Frank starts peeling some bills off a roll of cash. Johnny relates everything Frank needs to know about his case and more. I'll also accept restaurant meals, beer, or other barter.
BDF I often make very large prints from unexposed film, and every one of them turns out to be a picture of myself as I once dreamed I would be. -- BillWoodruff
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I like to do as Johnny, the shoeshine guy, on Police Squad! (starring the late Leslie Nielsen) did. Frank: "What's the word on the street, Johnny?" (This would be the request for help....) Johhny (Me): "Oh, I wouldn't know anything about that." Frank starts peeling some bills off a roll of cash. Johnny relates everything Frank needs to know about his case and more. I'll also accept restaurant meals, beer, or other barter.
BDF I often make very large prints from unexposed film, and every one of them turns out to be a picture of myself as I once dreamed I would be. -- BillWoodruff
Big Daddy Farang wrote:
or other barter
An eye for an eye ; a tooth for a tooth ; a hard drive for a hard drive. :cool:
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
I have lost a friend or two over this. Granted, by losing them they probably weren't good ones. One of them started bringing me to his family as well. One time I didn't have the time, and it took me 3 days to make it over to his house, and he was very upset. The next time I didn't have the time was the last time I talked to him. I refer most people to my brother now, with expectations of paying him. When we meet people now that ask me I have this rule: I charge $25 just to look at it. This is without doing anything. After that, I charge an hourly rate, with a minimum of $50 (on top of the $25 consult). This discourages most people. If it doesn't, it is worth it to me to look at. The only people I help for free are my brothers. After that it's cash or no deal. No one ever returned favors for me either, even when I needed them. Now if they agree to the price, It's worth doing. If they don't, no harm done... now I don't have anyone mad at me.
If it moves, compile it
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A plumber, an electrician, a butcher, and a software developer go to a barbecue...
and bacon free for all!
[www.tamautomation.com] Robots, CNC and PLC machines for grinding and polishing.
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
My brother switched to Apple which gave me the out: I don't do Apple. It was one of the happiest days of my life. It's part of the reason why I don't have Apple products to this day as I don't care to support the multitude of iPods/iPads/iSexToy owned by every member of my family. Perhaps you could modify this strategy and you could switch to Apple (if your family owns PCs). Either that or you could use cartoonist Jerry Van Amerongen’s cohabitation axiom #6: The less it appears you know how to do, the less you'll have to do. But then I've actually sent people's computers to a fix it shop and paid the $99 myself just so I could get a fixed computer back quickly without wasting my whole weekend toying with some virus infested ho-bag machine. Some of my relatives think downloading everything on the internet is a great idea and frankly, I got tired of blowing my weekend rebuilding their machines (1). NOTES 1: It takes the whole weekend when there are no disks, no drivers, and the harddrive goes bad and the mouse has chewing gum on it. Please install Windows 98 so my game works.... AUGH.
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
Say that you need money to pay for new parts
See if you can crack this: b749f6c269a746243debc6488046e33f
So far, no one seems to have cracked this!The unofficial awesome history of Code Project's Bob! "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
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My brother switched to Apple which gave me the out: I don't do Apple. It was one of the happiest days of my life. It's part of the reason why I don't have Apple products to this day as I don't care to support the multitude of iPods/iPads/iSexToy owned by every member of my family. Perhaps you could modify this strategy and you could switch to Apple (if your family owns PCs). Either that or you could use cartoonist Jerry Van Amerongen’s cohabitation axiom #6: The less it appears you know how to do, the less you'll have to do. But then I've actually sent people's computers to a fix it shop and paid the $99 myself just so I could get a fixed computer back quickly without wasting my whole weekend toying with some virus infested ho-bag machine. Some of my relatives think downloading everything on the internet is a great idea and frankly, I got tired of blowing my weekend rebuilding their machines (1). NOTES 1: It takes the whole weekend when there are no disks, no drivers, and the harddrive goes bad and the mouse has chewing gum on it. Please install Windows 98 so my game works.... AUGH.
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
I find that messing up really bad once or twice gets the word out that you are not the guy for fixing computer. I also use the line that I'm a software guy. I only work on them when all of the hardware is correct. That gets me out of a few things. But generally speaking, messing up good seems to take care of most of the traffic ;P Hogan
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I have used the NCC statement a couple of times now, my relatives usualy balk but when I say I could lose my job they quickly change their tune.
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
I have started to use the "I am not familiar with that form of technology". I have had frequent success with this line. However, if they really didn't download the pr0n files from Warez that blew up their computer, then I usually help them out. It's the right thing to do, IMHO. :)
"the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
"No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011) "It is the celestial scrotum of good luck!" - Nagy Vilmos (2011) "But you probably have the smoothest scrotum of any grown man" - Pete O'Hanlon (2012) -
Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
"Funny, last time I had to do this for someone, they had a load of dodgy pr0n on their machine". That should do it...
Sort of a cross between Lawrence of Arabia and Dilbert.[^]
-Or-
A Dead ringer for Kate Winslett[^] -
"Funny, last time I had to do this for someone, they had a load of dodgy pr0n on their machine". That should do it...
Sort of a cross between Lawrence of Arabia and Dilbert.[^]
-Or-
A Dead ringer for Kate Winslett[^]A few years ago my missus bought home the laptop of a friend of her's whose ex boyfriend had changed the passwords as an act of spite when they split up. I got it working and when giving it back said I couldn't believe the photos of her that had been on it. She went bright, bright red, so although I hadn't looked, let alone found anything, I certainly now know that some exist.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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A few years ago my missus bought home the laptop of a friend of her's whose ex boyfriend had changed the passwords as an act of spite when they split up. I got it working and when giving it back said I couldn't believe the photos of her that had been on it. She went bright, bright red, so although I hadn't looked, let alone found anything, I certainly now know that some exist.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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MehGerbil wrote:
Perhaps you could modify this strategy and you could switch to Apple (if your family owns PCs)
We actually switched to Apple several years ago. They keep bringing me these crappy PC's to fix.
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Big Daddy Farang wrote:
or other barter
An eye for an eye ; a tooth for a tooth ; a hard drive for a hard drive. :cool:
PIEBALDconsult wrote:
a hard drive for a hard drive
Hey, we're talking about family here... X| :laugh:
------------------------------------- Do not do what has already been done. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.. but it ROCKS absolutely, too.
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
I've found telling stories that include the phrase 'and then it went up in flames' works pretty well at discouraging requests. Short the few friends who know I'm pulling people's leg when I do it, I don't get asked for help from much of anyone anymore. Also works wonders at work. So long as you're not help desk staff.
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
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Many of us are unfortunately called upon by friends and family for computer advice and/or maintenance. I've spent many, many hours diagnosing and rebuilding my friends and families computers. Most of the time its totally free. If I'm lucky they'll buy me a six pack or give me a $20 gift certificate - it's rare though. Anybody find any "nice" or creative ways of declining these "opportunities"?
My niece told my wife that Uncle Nueman is like Chandler on Friends. We really don't know what he does. It is a perception I foster. So aside from my parents, who I never turn down, I don't get asked for help that much. However, lately it is my wife that "volunteers" me. She dragged me to her friend's house one Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks back to set up her wireless router. Only took me a half an hour. Yesterday my wife tells me to open this package. Inside was a gift basket of treats from her friend. Nice to know some people appreciate you. :cool:
What me worry?
