Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Application of the "why did you even ask me" tax...

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 3
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 3 template Next
  • #1

    Application of the "why did you even ask me" tax...

    I really need to start my own thread about doing computer stuff for friends...

    So a family friend's computer basically died the other day. Her "usual" guy was sick so she hired someone else who clearly had no idea what he was talking about with regards to anything (he turned an otherwise routine fix into an unsalvageable mess).

    So she emails us asking our (mainly my) opinion about a new computer. She doesn't want a Mac as she can't spend the money, fine by me. I tell her that if she were to get a Mac, apart from the fact that a lot of your programs and files will no longer work, should anything go wrong it would be expensive and time-consuming (both things she likes to avoid) for her to get it fixed. Also that my ability to help would be limited (and my rate would likely go up).

    Fast forward to today...she's getting a Mac...wait, you just told me the other day you didn't want a Mac because you don't have that kind of money.

    OK...what did I get my brain picked for? I hope she understands that I won't really be able to help her should something bad happen.
    Last edited by Dreamstalker; 06-29-2009, 09:19 PM.
    "I am quite confident that I do exist."
    "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Honestly, how hard is it to pay attention to directions. If I had a nickel for everytime I told someone which website to go to and they went to a completely different one, I'd be rich.

    Comment

    • #3
      What really baffles me is that AFTER telling me in no uncertain terms that she isn't even considering a Mac, she turns around and tells me she is getting one (wait, you just told me you don't want to spend the money and especially don't want to learn a new system).

      Hope she realizes she'll need to buy a new printer, and I don't think her ISP has Mac software.
      "I am quite confident that I do exist."
      "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

      Comment

      • #4
        People don't like to listen - plain and simple.

        Wait, let me rephrase that, people don't like to listen to recommendations that make sense.
        Quote Dalesys:
        ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

        Comment

        • #5
          SInce I repair Macs and PC's with equal facility, I must point out that Mac's are not as expensive to fix, if you talk to the right people. Apple is expensive, yes, but Data recovery as you mention it costs no more than if it were done on Windblows. I charge the same, regardless of platform.

          However - File Vault enabled, then I would have to totally agree. (shudders) I hate it when someone brings me an encrypted drive, and explode when I cannot harvest their precious pr0n out.
          Windows Operating System is an oxymoron."

          Oh, You want instant Gratification? Go f*ck yourself then!
          I found the problem. /dev/clue was linked to /dev/null

          Comment

          • #6
            File compatibilty shouldn't be a problem, i've rarely run across a file type that won't work on my Mac, and more often than not, it would if i'd get the right software, but often i don't see a reason to bother.
            Seph
            Taur10
            "You're supposed to be the head of covert intelligence. Right now, I'm not seeing a hell of a lot of intelligence. Covert, overt, or otherwise!"-Lochley, B5, A View from the Gallery

            Comment

            • #7
              Quoth Javarod View Post
              File compatibilty shouldn't be a problem, i've rarely run across a file type that won't work on my Mac, and more often than not, it would if i'd get the right software, but often i don't see a reason to bother.
              Emphasis mine... this person doesn't want to use new things, doesn't know anything beyond 'I clicked the thing with the other thing'... They're not going to be installing special programs.
              "Joi's CEO is about as sneaky and subtle as a two year old on crack driving an air craft carrier down Broadway." - Broomjockey

              Comment

              • #8
                If they use Word now iLife should be able to open it just fine. Now if they Use Outlook for email I'm not sure how that will work on the new mac.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Quoth draggar View Post
                  People don't like to listen - plain and simple.
                  Why does this make me think of BettleJuice? o_O

                  "...most people won't see ghosts"
                  "Won't? Don't you mean can't?"
                  "It just says won't..."
                  "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                  "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                  "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                  "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                  "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                  "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                  Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                  "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Quoth Arm View Post
                    Emphasis mine... this person doesn't want to use new things, doesn't know anything beyond 'I clicked the thing with the other thing'... They're not going to be installing special programs.
                    *nodnod* She falls into the "but it should just work!" category. I shudder to think of the calls I'll get once she discovers that not everything will migrate smoothly (which it won't).

                    Not having a lot of experience with Macs, I don't want to give her false hope that I can recover/convert XYZ if I haven't dealt with it before. For now I charge a bit extra for Mac fixes to cover the extra time spent researching it.
                    "I am quite confident that I do exist."
                    "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Quoth Dreamstalker View Post
                      *nodnod* She falls into the "but it should just work!" category.
                      Someone probably told her how much friendlier Macs are than PCs. I've heard that several times myself. I use a PC. I own a desktop and laptop PC. I'm used to them. I'm really good at workarounds. One firm I worked at was partially PC and partially Mac (they got the Macs as payment). It was a nightmare. I'd worked on Macs previously briefly.

                      Personally, Macs are nice. Because Apple keeps such tight reins on them and everything related to them, you're seldom going to have compatability issues. As long as you buy everything Apple-approved, everything should connect and start right up. But when they have issues, there's no workaround for the average user. There's usually one way and only one way to do something. There's a lot of software, especially game software, that isn't designed for Macs.

                      If I have an issue with my PC, I've grown comfortable with what I can and can't do. And if it breaks, I can R&R most of the stuff in it, which means I can do it pretty cheaply. That is absolutely not going to happen with a Mac.

                      I think Macs are great for people with a big budget, as mentioned by the OP, but that's about it.

                      [/end speech]
                      Labor boards have info on local laws for free
                      HR believes the first person in the door
                      Learn how to go over whackamole bosses' heads safely
                      Document everything
                      CS proves Dunning-Kruger effect

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Quoth wagegoth View Post
                        Someone probably told her how much friendlier Macs are than PCs.

                        As long as you buy everything Apple-approved, everything should connect and start right up.
                        I really don't think she's aware of that nor will she remember it.
                        And if it breaks, I can R&R most of the stuff in it, which means I can do it pretty cheaply.
                        That's what I'm afraid she'll think I can do for her.
                        I think Macs are great for people with a big budget, as mentioned by the OP, but that's about it.
                        That's what makes this even more mystifying; she doesn't have a big budget. She was trying to get me to keep a computer that was only slightly younger than I am chugging along...seriously, I couldn't even find working parts.
                        "I am quite confident that I do exist."
                        "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          All it takes is her buying into the "Macs are so much more user friendly." She'll remember "friendly," and nothing else.
                          Labor boards have info on local laws for free
                          HR believes the first person in the door
                          Learn how to go over whackamole bosses' heads safely
                          Document everything
                          CS proves Dunning-Kruger effect

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Quoth draggar View Post
                            People don't like to listen - plain and simple.

                            Wait, let me rephrase that, people don't like to listen to recommendations that make sense.
                            You got that right. It's because they think their opinions are right no matter how little they know and it's the ones that know the least that spout off the most.
                            I don't get paid enough to kiss your a**! -Groezig 5/31/08
                            Another day...another million braincells lost...-Sarlon 6/16/08
                            Chivalry is not dead. It's just direly underappreciated. -Samaliel 9/15/09

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Quoth Dreamstalker View Post
                              That's what I'm afraid she'll think I can do for her.
                              And her mind will translate that belief into a memory of you telling her that you can. For free. For always.

                              And nothing anybody says will move her from that belief.

                              I feel for you man.
                              I have a map of the world. It's actual size.

                              -- Steven Wright

                              Comment

                              Previous 1 2 3 template Next
                              Working...
                              X