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Feb. 15th, 2008 09:41 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
leetmasterjames.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
techrecoveryI work at a small repair shop. We have some corporate accounts and many home and small business users. Ive just had the displeasure of working with an old man with the attention span of a 5 year old and a low hearing aid battery.
A week ago he bought a new computer from us. He over paid by around $70. Not a big deal cause he also brought in some ancient P66 laptop with a full hight laptop drive. The drive had some issues due to its advanced age (duh). We called him and told him we could get the data off the drive for X amount but the laptop wasn't worth fixing. He said it cost too much and the data didn't matter that much. The next day he brings in a different desktop. This one is BSODing randomly and the PSU makes odd noises, ill give you 3 guesses whats wrong and the first two don't count. We find inside, 4 hard drives, 2 sticks of ram, a GForce 6600 GT, 2 optical drives and a first gen socket 775 Chip. So the standard 450 watt power supply we installed a few months back(when all the extra parts weren't in it) is no longer up to the task. Its under warantee so we quote him a more appropriate power supply and reduce the new one by the old one's cost.
We call him up and tell him whats going on. Hes ok with it all, and then decides that he does want the data from the laptop. We tell him the cost again, and he says that it was alot more the last time we called. Funny thing is its been a flat rate for the last 3+ years for data recovery. He approves everything and brings his new system by so we can put the data on it.
We call him the next day when its done. He comes in. I bring the first system up that had the power supply swap. He looks at the invoice and says "im annoyed you're charging me for the old power supply again, I already paid once and it didn't work". It takes me three tries to explain that the reason it is on there is the amount due is a negative number to show it as a refund. Three times it took. Then he says hes annoyed cause he will need to come back later for the rest of the systems cause they aren't done. I tell him they are done but I need to move them off the shelf in the back to the counter. He says hes still annoyed it will take so long. ... Yes, too long for me to move his systems up front. I tell him to hold on, I grab the laptop and bring it up front and it seems to improve his mood. Then i grab the other system and bring it up front. And surprise, hes happy he doesn't need to make trips (the shelf and counter are two steps apart separated by a wall).
Now for the bill. Hes annoyed that his credit hasn't been applied. I tell him that the paper invoice in his hand doesn't know about the credit cause its just an invoice and that if he gives me a min I can get him a final total. This takes two tries to get across. I go to the computer and pull a total up. Hes got 3 invoices, 1 paid on, 1 overpaid, 1 open. I give him a total remaining and he starts a ruckus about his credit. I tell him with little words over several minutes with a calculator that the two invoices added together minus his credit is the number ive given him that he owes. Several attempts need to be made. At the end he wants to see the math. So I manually create an Excel spreadsheet showing him the math. This takes a several minutes. He finally gets it. All the while im making the sheet hes eying our refurbished systems. I get him convinced of the totals, and he now suddenly wants to add on a refurb system. But just for the hard drive. I tell him I can sell him just a used drive* if he'd like. He asks how much, I tell him $5. It blows his mind, "$5 for a hard drive WOW!!!". I warn him, they are several years old, small and only have a 90 day warrantee. He wants 2 of em now but he cant decide on a capacity. He eventually says "grab two at random". I get em, bag em and bring em up. Make a new invoice for these too. He complains its taking forever and his daughter is in the car not feeling well. I finally get his card and run it. He forgets his PIN number. After a few remembers it. He gets his stuff. He leaves. Ive had more obnoxious, ive had more stupid, ive had older, but good grief this ...man needs to be committed. And why do you go out to perform business functions with a low battery in your hearing aid? I don't particularly like yelling simple equation related words over and over at you. Now other words maybe.
* Ive got around 40x 4G - 80G hard drives in the back. They've had manufacturer scans done on em to ensure they dont have any massive issues. Then we DBAN em and use em for refurbs. These are old drives. Most over 3 years old.
A week ago he bought a new computer from us. He over paid by around $70. Not a big deal cause he also brought in some ancient P66 laptop with a full hight laptop drive. The drive had some issues due to its advanced age (duh). We called him and told him we could get the data off the drive for X amount but the laptop wasn't worth fixing. He said it cost too much and the data didn't matter that much. The next day he brings in a different desktop. This one is BSODing randomly and the PSU makes odd noises, ill give you 3 guesses whats wrong and the first two don't count. We find inside, 4 hard drives, 2 sticks of ram, a GForce 6600 GT, 2 optical drives and a first gen socket 775 Chip. So the standard 450 watt power supply we installed a few months back(when all the extra parts weren't in it) is no longer up to the task. Its under warantee so we quote him a more appropriate power supply and reduce the new one by the old one's cost.
We call him up and tell him whats going on. Hes ok with it all, and then decides that he does want the data from the laptop. We tell him the cost again, and he says that it was alot more the last time we called. Funny thing is its been a flat rate for the last 3+ years for data recovery. He approves everything and brings his new system by so we can put the data on it.
We call him the next day when its done. He comes in. I bring the first system up that had the power supply swap. He looks at the invoice and says "im annoyed you're charging me for the old power supply again, I already paid once and it didn't work". It takes me three tries to explain that the reason it is on there is the amount due is a negative number to show it as a refund. Three times it took. Then he says hes annoyed cause he will need to come back later for the rest of the systems cause they aren't done. I tell him they are done but I need to move them off the shelf in the back to the counter. He says hes still annoyed it will take so long. ... Yes, too long for me to move his systems up front. I tell him to hold on, I grab the laptop and bring it up front and it seems to improve his mood. Then i grab the other system and bring it up front. And surprise, hes happy he doesn't need to make trips (the shelf and counter are two steps apart separated by a wall).
Now for the bill. Hes annoyed that his credit hasn't been applied. I tell him that the paper invoice in his hand doesn't know about the credit cause its just an invoice and that if he gives me a min I can get him a final total. This takes two tries to get across. I go to the computer and pull a total up. Hes got 3 invoices, 1 paid on, 1 overpaid, 1 open. I give him a total remaining and he starts a ruckus about his credit. I tell him with little words over several minutes with a calculator that the two invoices added together minus his credit is the number ive given him that he owes. Several attempts need to be made. At the end he wants to see the math. So I manually create an Excel spreadsheet showing him the math. This takes a several minutes. He finally gets it. All the while im making the sheet hes eying our refurbished systems. I get him convinced of the totals, and he now suddenly wants to add on a refurb system. But just for the hard drive. I tell him I can sell him just a used drive* if he'd like. He asks how much, I tell him $5. It blows his mind, "$5 for a hard drive WOW!!!". I warn him, they are several years old, small and only have a 90 day warrantee. He wants 2 of em now but he cant decide on a capacity. He eventually says "grab two at random". I get em, bag em and bring em up. Make a new invoice for these too. He complains its taking forever and his daughter is in the car not feeling well. I finally get his card and run it. He forgets his PIN number. After a few remembers it. He gets his stuff. He leaves. Ive had more obnoxious, ive had more stupid, ive had older, but good grief this ...man needs to be committed. And why do you go out to perform business functions with a low battery in your hearing aid? I don't particularly like yelling simple equation related words over and over at you. Now other words maybe.
* Ive got around 40x 4G - 80G hard drives in the back. They've had manufacturer scans done on em to ensure they dont have any massive issues. Then we DBAN em and use em for refurbs. These are old drives. Most over 3 years old.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 06:12 pm (UTC)I swear we have had that customer here. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 06:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 07:25 pm (UTC)Ive got a
Deskstar 82.3GB Dec 2003
WD800BB 14 Dec 2004
WD800BB 11 Dec 2004
WD800BB 15 May 2002 (Refurb)
While they are probly fine for home use the reason alot of these are taken out of service is the cash terminals they were in were shipped around alot already. Ive seen many of these just stop working after being shipped too much. Id say ts likely these can do the same so I wouldn't buy em myself and then ship em.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 08:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 11:16 pm (UTC)now if only they could click on the self-destruct button.
Ah, I've been expecting you!
Date: 2008-02-16 03:01 am (UTC)