The suckage is strong with this one (tech sales related)

[bendertiger]

Where do I start?

I got thrown a set of tyres (brand new) by a friend of mine. Told me to pay them off when I can, I've paid about $450 all up in labour+cash I've given him back. That's fine.

He has a friend who needed some help listing things on ebay. That's okay as well...

ARGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

****!

While I proceeded to list 12 items on ebay running the ebay charges up to $60, he would talk over the top of me while I am listing the items, he would proceed to run through the description of the items while I was entering the price, quality, condition etc...then when I would get to the description I would have to squeeze him to get the info out of him to list on the item. He then also asked for 200% of what the item was worth...

Now, he also has home computer troubles, every time I go aorund to 'fix' it he then asks me 'has anyone bidded on ebay, is it still on ebay, has anyone bought anything on ebay' nevermind it's been six bloody weeks since I listed anything for him! He then proceeds to ask me to transfer the auctions over from his friends account to his ebay account...Like **** I am doing that and wasting another 2 hours!

He then asks me to WRITE him down the instructions to list items on ebay! ARGH! Shoot me now...I then proceed to bookmark the ebay 'how to sell' guide, show him how to access the bookmark and leave him alone...

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He wanted a laptop for $200....the cheapest I could get him one for (minus a 300mhz China special which you wouldn't even use as a paperweight) was $245, what do you know a special came up the next month, a laptop for $200! I then tell him to go down and buy it, he asks me 'Can you come with me, I might buy the wrong one'. I respond, 'It's the cheapest one there, GO BUY IT'. Gave him the model number...he goes down and promptly asks the salesperson if he can 'lay-buy' it, keep in mind, this is a super clearance special. Salesperson told him to '**** off'.

He rings me up again, tells me this, then...proceeds to say 'The screen is too small, can you find me another laptop for $200 with a bigger screen'. The laptop I told him to get had a 10" screen, he wants BIGGER and doesn't want to pay for it, even though I found him a stupidly good special. He won't buy it because the screen is too small, even after I told him he could plug it into the monitor at home.

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He finally ordered some parts slightly below cost off me, I deliver them, he bought two usb extension cables and a phone cover. I installed the cables, he then asks 'Where's my phonecover'. I reply 'Still on it's way from China'. He goes 'How long is shipping'. I go '3 days to 6 weeks'. He then asks 'Why so long', I reply, 'When your paying $2 for a new phone cover, you tend not to question how long it'll take, if you want it now, go pay $30 in a shop, I am not a retailer'.

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I am sorry for the ranting, but how do you deal with customers who want the absolute impossible? I am so bloody fed-up with this IDIOT (seriously, it's not just tech related, I'm surprised he can actually manage to breathe on his own) that I am going to supply him the products he wants then block his incoming calls to my cell phone. I needed a place to vent otherwise I'm likely to go nuts next time I'm at his house....not to mention the constant calls 'This is broken, fix it'...never seen a pay cheque from this nutter yet!

[chainedbarista]

do you have a contract with him for your services? if so, you can probably take him to court or send him to collections (after a warning or two to pay up).

[bainsidhe]

Were you doing this sorta on behalf of your other friend? Because I would try to nicely break it to that friend first, that you don't have time to invest and that you and idiot don't see eye to eye. Then break it off. Sometimes things don't work out and let's be honest, if this idiot was a good friend or family, you would've told him off already.

[Sapphire Silk]

Where do I start?

.not to mention the constant calls 'This is broken, fix it'...never seen a pay cheque from this nutter yet!

I'm a little confused. Other than the ebay guy, are you talking about the guy who got you the tires, or more than one person?

$450 for tires plus installation is reasonable, depending on the quality of the tires, and you got to pay over time.

If all this grief is from the guy who got you the tires, I'd say you've paid him back in spades.

If you're talking about other people, you need to be setting some ground rules.

[Dreamstalker]

While I proceeded to list 12 items on ebay running the ebay charges up to $60, he would talk over the top of me while I am listing the items, he would proceed to run through the description of the items while I was entering the price, quality, condition etc...then when I would get to the description I would have to squeeze him to get the info out of him to list on the item. He then also asked for 200% of what the item was worth...

That's what The Jerk (boss) would do. If I listed it at the unrealistic price he wanted and it sat there, I'd get yelled at. If I lowered the price after he told me to I'd get yelled at and he'd readjust it upwards (rinse and repeat #1). If I tried to tell him that if the vendor finds out we as a store are listing this at too low a price our reseller license would get yanked...you know the drill.

Now if I sell anything on consignment I need to have it in my possession and there are ground rules.

[bendertiger]

Sorry, I just needed a place to vent, my friend who gave me the tyres off a wreck. Everything's settled with him, he runs a business, in fact, with all the scams that flow into his business. I've shown him how to spot a scam and to try and educate himself (which he has) and I've repaid him in-kind with money and labour in his business. That's fine.

Now, my 'beef' is with his friend (friend of a friend) who apparently needed 'help' selling things on ebay. It sort of snow-balled. Now, just because your 60 doesn't mean you shouldn't make attempts to learn.

The thing is, this guy doesn't even try! He has a pretty piss poor wireless connection (think cell phone tower on other side of hill), I offered to get him a couple of USB extension cables to run it to a window (which improved GSM out of sight, not UMTS/HSDPA though unfortunately). We did that, no improved high-speed signal, he starts complaining...

I tried explaining that I cannot improve a signal if there is none there! This customer just doesn't 'get' it...

Like when I told him that 'There is a $200 laptop, BUY IT'. He was afraid of buying the 'wrong one', how the hell is that possible when I know for a fact that all the others are $350+? You try your damned hardest for them and they just bug the crap out of you. I'm waiting until his phone cover arrives then blocking his number to my phone. Keep in mind this was a favour to a friend but when someone 'relies' on you not wanting to teach themselves and you do have a business to run yourself, plus you aren't seeing any sort of pay from them, it does get bloody annoying!!

[chainedbarista]

yes, block him; this 'friend of a friend' has done you no favors. all that effort just to get bitched at? i don't think so, hombre; sell that shit down the road and yourself along with it.

i agree; just because you're a certain age doesn't mean you can't make the honest attempt to learn something that's supposedly important to you.

[Imprl59]

I am sorry for the ranting, but how do you deal with customers who want the absolute impossible?

I think this is where you are going wrong. This person isn't a customer. He's just a leech. Customers buy things above cost. Customers pay you for your time. I wouldn't block his number, I would just tell him that you arent running a charity here and give him an hourly rate. If he wants to pay it then great and if he doesn't he'll soon find another persion to leech off of.

[MoonCat]

You're too nice. Definitely block his number. You have your own work to do, and this guy is never going to pay you a dime for your trouble. I would have said tell him you got really busy and you no longer have time for this stuff, but he sounds like the type to whine and beg until he wears you down. So just block him.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

While I proceeded to list 12 items on ebay running the ebay charges up to $60, he would talk over the top of me while I am listing the items, he would proceed to run through the description of the items while I was entering the price, quality, condition etc...then when I would get to the description I would have to squeeze him to get the info out of him to list on the item. He then also asked for 200% of what the item was worth...

Now, he also has home computer troubles, every time I go aorund to 'fix' it he then asks me 'has anyone bidded on ebay, is it still on ebay, has anyone bought anything on ebay' nevermind it's been six bloody weeks since I listed anything for him! He then proceeds to ask me to transfer the auctions over from his friends account to his ebay account...Like **** I am doing that and wasting another 2 hours!

Did you list the items under your account or your friend's account?

Either way, listing items under your account for somebody else is one of the worst things you can do on ebay. If the friend sells the items outside of ebay, or changes their mind and decides not to sell at all, YOU are the one who gets the complaints and disputes and negative feedback.

If "friend of a friend" needs stuff listed on ebay, he can do it his damn self. It ain't exactly rocket science. I would've shot that idea down from the get-go.

You've done enough for this parasite. Block his number now. Faster.

[Mystic]

People like "friend of friend" is why I never went far with building a local PC repair shop. I kept getting these computers that were 10+ years old by people who wanted them to run like a brand new 4ghz i7 system instead of buying a new computer.

It just can't be done.

[Demolition Man]

People like "friend of friend" is why I never went far with building a local PC repair shop. I kept getting these computers that were 10+ years old by people who wanted them to run like a brand new 4ghz i7 system instead of buying a new computer.

It just can't be done.

And when you try to explain to these dimwits why their 10+ year old system can't run like a brand new 4ghz i7 system all you get in return is "well I spend $2,000 back in 1999 on this so it should be just as good as what is out today" while they simply refuse to listen to the fact that technology is always improving and their 10+ year old system is exactly that.... 10+ years old and heavily out of date.

[Dreamstalker]

The household computer is pushing 8 years old and is seemingly being held together by force of will. The motherboard is maxed out and still doesn't have enough memory, I just found out that the CD burner died (yes I do have a spare, but do I really want to waste it on this), and there are probably a half-dozen other things wrong. It's gotten past buying new parts and into "if you're going to die just DO IT already!".

Sitting 8 inches away is my "baby" that's a NASA supercomputer compared to this thing. Everything's been backed up, all she needs is a Windows OS (not really my choice, but a lot of our peripherals and mom's programs are Windows-only). Mom thinks I can just use the Compaq's restore disc to slap XP on. No. Nor can I swap hard drives.

I think she paid $800 for this heap in 2002 (add another $150 at least to keep it alive this year). Navi is at least 2x the power and cost about half that...

[depechemodefan]

the geezer reminds me of most of the library patrons. You show them and show them and hint, "you should write this down," and they still don't get it.

We have this volunteer teach a computer class, and sometimes I'm there to help. One patron, call him Dave, will bring up some retarded things ("these computers have all these buttons, years ago windows didn't have all these buttons). Dave attends all the classes. Dave watches the volunteer show how google works. Dave came up to me and wanted me to google "Trouble with a capital T" to see where that saying originated-the volunteer says to use google. I'm pretty sure the volunteer means google it your gosh-darn self!

Also, if the geezer thinks you are in business to pull miracles out of your ass, maybe he will one day ask you to pull a unicorn out too. And then ask you, "well, why not?"

also, I love your thread title, hee.