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20 Responses to “[Tenshi_MKII] Never go to computer repair shops.”  

1. 1 tj_han 1439 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

   Are you saying you can fix our computers? I have a desktop that’s pretty good for its time but has been left untouched for 2 years since it got fried.

2. 2 Tenshi_MKII 36 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 2:01 pm

   Provided I see the machine first. My computer fixing skills is not that l33t yet but I will do what I can. :S

3. 3 Kurogane 121 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 2:09 pm

   Hey, overcharging for PC repair services are PERFECTLY justified. Most of the times the customers are total n00bs and don’t care about learning some computer basics. Even worse when they’re rude and expect things to be fixed w/o listening to advice.

4. 4 Tenshi_MKII 36 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

   Kurogane: Paying someone to press F11 for $40 is like daylight robbery! Even if they are noobs, that doesn’t mean we should scam them >:

5. 5 Jon 33 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 5:27 pm

   they should at least ask their tech-savvy friends first…but yeah, overcharging for the service is not justified..

6. 6 Quazacolt 12 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 6:38 pm

   im reading this at work too OH NOES!

   ps: im working as IT

7. 7 SocialReject 3 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

   IT admin here as well…
   1/2 the time the point of failure is between the keyboard and the chair…

8. 8 feng 38 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 7:03 pm

   You really can’t blame the shops or label them scammers. The business (not voluntary/charity) of providing IT troubleshooting/solutions exists because there are people who simply cannot (or do not want to) comprehend anything remotely techie.

   The rigged laptop is quite unscrupulous though.

9. 9 feng 38 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 7:07 pm

   Oh, and 40 bucks for a reformat is not daylight robbery if the n00b is happy that he has saved himself some trouble and managed to have his computer working again. If he were not happy, he’d be looking around for better prices, or for tech-savvy friends.

10. 10 Loba 86 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 7:13 pm

    the price of convenience. thankfully, I have built and fixed my last three computers.

11. 11 GlenGrim 7 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 11:35 pm

    Sadly enough even the repair people tend to be total fools. When my local computer repair store guy heard that I was studying computer science he was like: “Ah a fellow computer scientist…I did that two-week course ages ago though…”

12. 12 LianYL 778 comments Sep 30th, 2009 at 11:47 pm

    The $40 for pressing F11 seems unjustified because you know what’s the problem and solution. If you view it from an entirely I/O point of view, $40 is perfectly justified. It’s not about the F11 easy “repair” method, but more of the diagnosis that costs money.

    When people know what to do to fix their computer, doing it by themselves is easy. To find out where the problem was is a total mess that not many like to experience. The $40 is paid to the technician to experience the process of error diagnosis.

    Think about this way too, how many non-tech-savvy people actually DARE to press that F11 button even if you told them they could do it on their own? Holy shit, I was terrified of pressing a button on the keyboard while my computer was turned off back when I was 9, thinking the action will cause it to explode. Money is paid to repair shops to rid themselves of this fear.

    Money is paid for a service process, not merely to press a button.

    In fact, I’ll be sending in my own self-built rig for diagnosis soon, since I simply don’t have the time to do it myself. Freakin’ Avertek took 3 weeks to repair my ASUS P5Q, only to return it to me malfunctioned. So much for 3 years’ warranty.

    On the other hand, rigging a computer to break down after a fixed period of time is a totally different thing altogether.

13. 13 Tenshi_MKII 36 comments Oct 1st, 2009 at 12:18 am

    Lianyl: There was no diagnose, she asked for a reformat and not asking what happened to her laptop. We all know that all new laptops comes with a manual and what you should do if it breaks down(The F11 way is stated there). What’s the point of printing manuals when people don’t read? The purpose of the manual is to save your trouble and money if anything happens, unless of course, you don’t know how to read.

    For this case, money is not paid for service but rather for not reading the manual. Of course, unless the particular laptop does not have a recovery partition or a driver cd, that money is being paid to hunt for the drivers and so on.

14. 14 OnyxSyaoran 19 comments Oct 1st, 2009 at 6:17 am

    I’m studying Computer Engineering~ so I don’t get scammed, is fun to c their faces when u explain the process u want them to do, all that after I explain the problem and ask 4 a solution for it, 60% of the time they try to scam me, too bad I’m pretty good for computers~ I won’t scam people, I know how it feels and money must be earned honestly, it doesn’t comes from the trees for anyone and being honest and nice will make customers come back

15. 15 LianYL 778 comments Oct 1st, 2009 at 6:37 am

    @Tenshi
    There’s a reason why people don’t read the manuals. They don’t want the trouble nor do they think they have the expertise to do anything anyway. It’s the fear of doing something wrong in the process. Yeah, you and I screwed up some computers in the past while learning to fix them ourselves, but some people don’t see the need to bring that trouble upon themselves. So they pay for a service, and that service is for someone else to carry out the phobic action they deem.

    Like I said I/O wise, Input: $40, Output: Fixed computer. That is a good repair store.

16. 16 Stifler 103 comments Oct 1st, 2009 at 11:35 pm

    Moral of the story? Just learn how to fix your own computer. Who cares if you screw it up? All you have to do if try to fix it again. Being afraid of failure isn’t a reason for being scammed by people.

17. 17 GlenGrim 7 comments Oct 2nd, 2009 at 12:32 am

    Lolz, on the other hand, carelessness and ignorance can destroy many a thing. A computer is a delicate piece of equipment. If you don’t know what you’re doing you’re better off calling for help.
    People shouldn’t be ‘afraid of failure’ but they *should* ‘know their limits’. A person who is too proud or foolish to call in help is and always will be an idiot.

18. 18 Ls 1 comment Oct 2nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    lol. well even setups can be costly. it can cost close to 100 to setup a pc too. both assembly and os/software installation.

19. 19 bumrush1223 21 comments Oct 5th, 2009 at 10:59 am

    personally i think that 40$ is justified. she did pay for a service. how is that any different than say, going to the doctor, or to the mechanic to get your car fixed? one could read about it and fix or treat the problem themselves or… let others worry about it for them, and ergo paying them for the service. she paid for peace of mind. but i do agree, case 2 is highway robbery.

    and yes, it’s so much easier being computer-savvy or knowing someone who is. but i did go through a few computers before learning how to fix them. i always do my research before buying gadgets, mobos, video cards, pretty much anything tech. caveat emptor

20. 20 samejima 10 comments Oct 7th, 2009 at 8:51 am

    I learned how to reformat my own laptop just last year to save up money (although it’s preeeetty cheaper than your SGD40) and the hassle of lugging it to the computer shop but if problem is all about the hardware, don’t have any choice but to let the service center deal with it. Will have to change hard drive soon and maybe or not I’ll be letting them handle that.

Do not use any < and > for your own sake. It will end the comment there and then. Also, there is an automatic IQ filter which weeds out comments made by those who accidentally got transported from the stone age.

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