"Getting Gouged by Geeks" video
Oct. 6th, 2007 09:17 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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techrecoveryA news station provides technicians with a broken computer and films the results on hidden camera. Think Dateline exposé meets computer techs.
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/10/03/geeks/
NOTE: originally found at Chris Pirillo's blog.
http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/10/05/how-to-find-a-good-computer-repair-person/
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/10/03/geeks/
NOTE: originally found at Chris Pirillo's blog.
http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/10/05/how-to-find-a-good-computer-repair-person/
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 05:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 05:08 am (UTC)Then the video makes a huge deal out of him charging $120 for the DIMM when their random friendly 21-year-old kid finds a 1GB DIMM online for $65. Okay, fine - it's $65. It's $65 online, and you'd better know exactly which part you needed ahead of time, you'd better install it yourself, and if it's DOA, you'd better both be able to figure that out for yourself and handle shipping on the return and deal with the downtime until you get the replacement back.
$120 isn't all that unreasonable for a 1GB DIMM. It's not OMG super cheap, but it's not crazy out there either. There is a HUGE FREAKING DIFFERENCE between a part supported locally - and supported by someone who comes onsite to boot - and a part ordered online at the cheapest possible bidder.
This "expose" mixes horror stories with normal people making a living, and makes no distinction between the two - meaning the "expose" is complete and utter sensationalist crap that not only does the actual consumer no good, but does them an actual disservice.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 12:23 pm (UTC)Come on, we all know that *real* geeks love to fix things for fun, they don't want paying. Asking for real money off people in exchange for parts and services gives the game away - they must be con-men!
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 02:36 pm (UTC)"You're... Not?"
"No, that's my 'Dealing with Idiots' charge. It's non-profit as well, that's my bar tab that I have after recovering from dealing with you."
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 04:29 pm (UTC)relevant link: http://jimbojones.livejournal.com/profile
you probably eat puppies
Date: 2007-10-07 09:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 03:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 05:24 am (UTC)For one, I'm getting a little tired of these "stings". Between destroyed lives - guilty or innocent - thanks to "To Catch a Predator", to the bitch that got outed at DEFCON, the implication is easy: destroying lives and careers = RATINGS! :D
And even the parts on this that are true? As someone on /. said, this isn't "Gouged by Geeks", this is "Gouged by Assholes". There are assholes in all walks of life, and just because the geeks are stereotypically nice guys that just want to work on code and pick their lunch off the ground, doesn't mean that there aren't assholes out there.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 06:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 10:35 am (UTC)That's a bit crass. 'Oh yeah, I recognise that beep code, it's your RAM'. 1 min with memtestx86 and you're done.
Admittedly this lot do seem to be fuckwits, but still..
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 12:49 pm (UTC)There is so much wrong with this video that I don't even know where to start.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 01:21 pm (UTC)Why would you trust a national news outlet to present anything more? They are obviously attempting to offer the most shock value within a limited time.
There is only one point they almost grasp, yet fail utterly.
Why would you spend money to have an unlicensed tech work on your junk?
I cant imagine that most of the techs they show have even their A+ certs, let alone any certs with real meat in them.
You wouldn't take your car to someone who isn't at least ASE certified, why would you take your computer to basement bargain bin repair techs?
Other than that the rest of the expose is shock value. They first try to state that the memory part is only $25, then show their expert stating that the part can be obtained for $86 though an online retailer. How is this news? We live in an open market. Its my American right to mark the price 200% or more! You don't like it? Shop around. Thats how our system works!
When I worked as a freelance repair tech I would show an itemized list of what that repair would cost. If they didn't like the price then they are welcome to shop around (after paying my flat fee for diagnostics of course!)
Charging for data backup is standard, it takes the techs time so why wouldn't it cost?
Also, you cant consider that survey as scientifically valid. After all, they only had one computer with one problem. For such a test to have any merit whatsoever they should have compared all available services across multiple system hardware/software issues.
Glad I'm not on the front lines of computer support anymore. The BS is getting waist level.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 01:37 pm (UTC)A+? Gimme a break. The only reason I didn't max the hardware side of the A+ when I wrote it is because whoever wrote one of the questions thought a Pentium Pro had MMX. And I didn't even study. And that's the only cert that is actually intended for that market. The vendor certs are a joke (mostly marketing).
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 01:53 pm (UTC)Although I see your point, Certs serve a second purpose. At least it shows that the tech is willing to make an effort to learn something. There are certainly exceptions to the rule, however we are not talking about the technically adept minority in America are we? We are talking about the lowest common denominator among the mob.
Without having a rapport with you I cant assume that you know the different layers of TCP/IP and know how they relate to a users standpoint. If you had at least the CCNA under your belt I would know that you at least studied the subject at some point.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 02:15 pm (UTC)What's needed is the hardware tech equivalent of the CCNA. The A+ was supposed to be that, but isn't.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 01:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 01:51 pm (UTC)I've gotten phone calls from "techs" before, where it was basically some guy who charged this person so he could call tech support FOR them. And this happened multiple times, it wasn't an isolated issue. I actually told the woman once "I'm sorry, but he doesn't know what he's doing, you shouldn't deal with him" and then proceeded to fix her issue. ;P Even some of Verizon's local guys (the guys who go to the desks of Verizon employees, they're a 3rd party company that's been contracted to do this. The general public never see these guys.) would call and go "uh, yeah, so how do I fix this." ....."The ticket says that harddrive is bad." "Yeah, what do I do?" "....FIX IT. Why are you calling me? I can't fix a hard drive remotely!"
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 01:50 am (UTC)People need to understand that just because you pay "a lot" of money to get something fixed doesn't necessarily mean you got gouged. It's really no different than taking your car in for service. Diagnostic charge, parts cost + mark-up, $80/hour for labor... but ZOMG ITZ A COMPOOTER WUT DOO U MEEN ITZ NOT FREE?
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 09:48 am (UTC)And not all of us are dodgy - I've only not been able to solve one problem in my onsite career and I didn't charge a cent for my time.