Should I support home users?

there are specialized places that do exactly this, you call their phone# and they solve your computer problems, paid by the minute / hour etc.

this is great for some as it avoids the problem of billing and people not paying. one of the PC mags reviewed some of these, by posing a sample question and seeing how long each took to fix it.

not sure how many home users use these tho. and of course there is some stuff hard or impossible to do over phone if there system is too messed up.

I am always amazed (and mildly amused) when some obvious deranged individual is reprimanded...Then some Uber reasonable guru points out that taking the idiot to task...using similar sewer language...is somehow wrong? Since when?

I figure it this way, If I am sitting in a cafe minding my own business, some nut case comes in an begins to speak ill of me and mine or even the stranger sitting in the seat next to me: he gets a free pass? No one can confront him, except in senatorial, Shakespearean tones...in rhyming couplet, if possible.

That?s exactly what encourages these misogynistic, narcissists and their random rants; many in this country try so hard to be accepting, that they forget that a social contract has limits as well as tolerance. I can pretend not to notice when a child has pooped his diaper, but that doesn't mean I should remain seated next to an adult that does the same thing. Random diatribes against minorities, women, new immigrants? might be tolerated in private, but never in public. Even in private, hopefully, a non reactive, dignified silence may allow the person to recover their common sense and decorum. The OP, in this case, just continued to spew?its good that someone had the sense to address him in his native tongue.

...just stating things as I find them to be.

I have had many folks stop me in my area & give me their rundown on their PC situation- it's generally as per norm- slow, unable to connect to internet, etc...

IF they actually call to have me over, I do a complete sweep & clean. I take time to explain what's what RE: spyware, viri, system upkeep, etc...

What happens is that in a month or 2, they call me back- & when I arrive, I find that the very things we went over previously were never done.

Now, I make a point of not only explaining, at the time of install, what these programs do- I update & run them while I have that person in front of me. I then go home & post an email that goes over it all in print- in case they need a hard-copy.

This is what I was posting RE: "home users don't HAVE to keep things ship-shape". They can afford to slack- since they can always call someone "next time" if need be.

Their very livelihood does not depend on their computer.

Just that. Thanks.

Something is gnawing at your guts, right? Something you did to your mum must have scarred you badly. You should get threapy and see what it is that makes you lash to other people, whom you don't really know. For all you know my mother could be earning 5000 grand a month and that might be pocket change to her. But what do you care? You have an open wound, and it's supurating all over the place. Go get help, please. It's hard for us well-meaning, adjusted people to witness so much suffering. And don't bother to answer, I've had enough of pseudo moralists like yourself for the rest of 2006, I won't be following these posts any longer. Good luck with your problem. Bye.

Yes some people learn diffrent ways, So I love screen dumps to make instructions that they can follow easy

90% of my business is Home Tech and Home Support.
Oh I have a few small businesses that I keep going and a Abused Women's Shelters that I care for, "At no charge".
As for the rest, my rates are what I consider reasonable, but the business itself is quite sporadic. You can go two weeks with nothing do do and then it starts and before you know it, you're faced with fifteen or so broken down Computers that everyone want's fixed yesterday.
I charge by the hour and have no monthly retainer. As I am retired, this suits me just fine.
Usually it's the typical disaster resulting from not cleaning our properly, or not keeping the spyware and adware up to date and they get nailed.
Now and then, I get a dead Drive and the people want the information, this costs a little more.
But in general, this is how I keep myself going and my clients happy.
I've been involved with Computers for 25years and I started doing this approx 3 years ago. I've watched it go from a pastime to almost a full time job. I've become grateful for the moment of quiet time.
So perhaps it might be worth the effort for us to take a second look at what is definitely an up and coming field. It ay not be IT Big League, but it's still Computing and it pays the bills. Not to mention I feel very strongly that there should be an alternative to the big firms, who gouge you to Death and then have the temerity to treat you as though they just did you a favor.
I've also made a lot of friends in this business, so all in all, it's been good to me and the future promises to be even better first the Techs coming up.
We will be the wedge that saves the day, not the "Big Firms"
But little Old Us ;)
Warmest Regards
Aaron :)

Its all about dignity. No matter how much money they give you for the "service", your parents will always see it as an investment in you, their future. Go ahead and accept the money. Put it in a piggybank and buy her a better present for her birthday or christmas or whatever.

Thanks for all the advice, except for the negative Australia/US comments as both countries are great!

Here's my solution;

I will only accept new home users within 20 minutes drive time of my home/office.

I will only accept customers running PC's that are 3 years old or newer (XP or newer Mac OS, NO Windows 98 or ME.)

I will not accept customers running dial-up.

I will strongly recommend they run an APC or other UPS, an external backup, a hardware firewall and my recommended antivirus...plus quarterly checkups.

If they do all of the above they'll get the privilege of being my customer and I'll treat them well plus they'll get my preferred customer rate, some free email support and an online monthly seminar to teach them new tricks.

All other home users will be kindly turned away.

Hi, if you mean in HOME service..well let me see...you have cases under, over, filled with dust, mouse nests,and in one case a snake as well as users with no idea where their install disks or backups are. You are also dealing with folks that won't register their complentary antivirus programs and get mad when you remind them of this the 2nd trip out. LOL When they "pay" you they expect you to "fix" the problem, not tell them that their browsing habits or kids are putting their computers at risk adn their biggest problem is unsecure habits and adware/malware/spyware. They just want it fixed, so you fix it and charge for 1 hour when in reality it takes longer to clean the crap off their computers, back-up their important data if possible, or format and reinstall OS and security. I much prefer doing this in MY enviroment, not theirs. It was hard for me to charge someone 300+ for a major problem when they could take that 300+ and almost get a new computer with it. Somthing to think about when you are dealing with PC users that do not want to learn much, and want much.

Because you'll jut end up working for free. Most home users don't
call a support person more thana couple of times per year. I'd be
losing thousands of dollars if I gave my services away for free.

That's also if you can handle it. I'm nearing my wits' end with
home users strictly because I'm tired of supporting people who
can't buy a clue how to keep a computer running somewhat
healthy. I just returned to a home user who I had helped 3
months ago. I had to remove a couple of nasty viruses the first
time. Got him all updated and cleaned out.

Well, lo and behold, he get smore viruses. WTF? Well, a few visits
to a bunch of unknown porn sites, etc. and you get the picture.
No matter what you do, these people are always going to have
issues with foreign-born spyware and viruses.

I also constantly get calls from people who panic when all of a
sudden their wireless network isn't working. Is the power
working? No? Then plug it in! It is plugged in? Then reset the
modem and router! It may not sound like a lot, but after a while,
the repetitiveness of the low-grade issues wear you down and
aren't worth the money.

No way my friend should you consider that! I'm tired of people wanting to pay me pocket change to fix problems for them. Especially when they *want* to pay LESS THAN $50 parts & labor for a power supply replacement or drive 30+ miles to add memory for $5 plus the DIMMS! When I was working a full time job, I did freebies, now that I'm in business for myself, it is hard to impress on them that freebies are a thing of the past. When I inform them what Geek Squad would charge, the usual responce is.....Well I'll just buy a new pc from Dell or Best Buy. Good luck, because you'll find they charge too, for stupid things before the warranty is up, and of course once the warranty is up in 90 days or a year, they'll see!

Oh God, lol.
I've been there and it's really hard not to break apart when they come out with that.
Think I should back up my "Electrocuted Drive?" ;)
I just smile as we had this conversation in the past and he hadn't taken me up on it.
Regards
Aaron :)

You might be a great support person, if that is the case, good for your cust. I do not want to take anything away from that. I have been in I.T. for 17 years, and I am sick of the the "children" giving advice and "trying" to fix things and then charging people for it. YOu know, Certs do say something, alot of something. First, most "children" CAN NOT get them. In order to pass those tests, you better know eaoh and every fine detail about the subject you are testing about, or guess what? You FAIL! That means you don't know what you thought you knew. I have been an I.T. director for many years, hiring and firing. I know "children" when I come across them. And all "Children" are not young. Some are retired from other fields like cutting grass, policeman, pool refinishers and the like. And yes, they try to come in, and give bad advice and charge for services they know nothing about. So before you go and start speaking to me the way you did, I will challenge you on any OS, any software, any hardware and see if you can keep up. My expierence is people who knock hard and expensive things, are the same people who cannot attain them.

I respect that. And you are right, if in fact you are "disinfecting" something. Unless, that person's PC has data on they do not want to lose. You see, people who seek help, just do not need cleaning. They need data recovery, data transfer, data protection. If you think about it, we all are not in business to fix computers, we are in business of data. Data like pics, media, accounting, taxes, payroll and such. And yes there are alot of home users that i come across that they hire someone for $25 to "clean" their problem, then the next thing they know, there pics are all gone! There quicken is lost. I know, because we are almost always the 2nd or 3rd company called out to "fix" what the "cleaning" did.

You saidit. But, then again, that person is exactly who should not be doing support.

...the reality is that if these folks go out to buy a new PC every few months- that new PC will be in the same state a few months down the road. They risk losing precious photos, emails, & other data, as well.

That's why I stress educating/tutoring to the people that call me. I make it clear that what I want to show them will pay itself back, many times over, in a short timespan. I do not intend to be there forever- what I teach are safety/security basics as well as how to research, for yourself, online. Once you get to that point, you can find your own answers & won't need to pay for help as often. That's where the value lies.

I try to use their OLD hard drive for their new computer in some way so the stuff they had is just a drive away, ( also saves them some money ) and just add more new stuff to the newer computer then all thats left is a Motherboard cpu and memory . . Just add a case and power supply, hard drive, cd rom and you got a computer for sale to some kid to play on and put games on ( can be sold back to then to keep kids off their "NEW" computer . . )

his mom is just giving him his inheritance early.

Mainly because the guy in question saved all of his grand children's pictures to the "Old HDD" and when it failed I was accused of selling him Second Hand Goods at "New" prices.

As the computer had been made over 18 months previously I of course knew what had happened and as I didn't have a copy of his invoice there things got quite nasty for a while.

Of course there was no apology offered when I got back to base and found out what had happened and rang him with the result of his requested actions.

Old HDD's are a real hazard to use new ones are bad enough with a few DOA and some working but not properly. I've just spent 2 days off and on repairing one of my computers and I started off with a new HDD for a Boot Drive and it was worse than DOA it seemed to work till you got Windows Loaded and then applied SP2 at which point I kept getting an error message that My Account had become Corrupt and Windows Couldn't open. But initially it passed the Drive Makers Tests and naturally I didn't think to retest it until it had fallen over several times and the HDD test was only an after thought then as I was concentrating on other Hardware Issues with possible faulty RAM/CPU's/M'Board.

What I was taught from that experience was to test and retest everything as often as possible particularly when things fall over. :(

Anyway the Guy in question with the Old HDD fitted just had to have his data recovered so he took it to a [i]"Mate"[/i] and when I got it back I was faced with an open HDD that still was Dead. I tried another circuit board from an identical drive and it fried the circuit board so I sent it away for a quote from a Data Recovery House and when he got the price he suddenly decided that the pictures where not that important and he could get most of them back from other family members.

But to top it all off he then tore into me for allowing him to use Second Hand Hardware in his New Computer. Mind you he's still using a 14 inch monitor on that same machine. :D

Col ]:)

I am a Home Tech.
Almost all of my work is done in the client's home, unless it's such a disaster that I have to take it home.
Oh they have Business Offices etc and they have on site staff that takes care of their needs.
However at home, it become a different story.
The kids playing online games, downloading things they aren't supposed to, most of the time the PC haven't been cleaned out, scandisk or Defragmented properly in months.
It's amazing to me that a person who could be so meticulous at work can let his home PC go to waste in such a manner. Problem is, they just don't have time to do what is needed so they call me in and this is what I do.
I clean out the Pcs, get rid of the rubbish, spyware, Trojans, viruses etc and then give it a thorough going over in terms of straitening out. Theses are things that might be considered below the level of an IT Tech, however it's my bread and butter. Yes, I charge a lot less, Yes I work long and hard for the kind of Money that most Techs would laugh at, but the fact remains that this is a viable market.
I've been involved with PCs for over 25years and I much prefer the home work vs. the Businesses, IT Politics, machinations and motivations and all the rest of the nonsense that ITs have to tolerate, regardless of the amount of money.
I'm semi-retired now, so it works out well for me, I'm just a little business,who get's the calls that no one else wants or to be more precise, Client are not prepared to pay what they consider to be outrageous prices for the work being done.
It would indeed be nice if I could say to a client that I'm charging then $200 plus dollars for the work done, but since it was done at home and not in a shop, the inference is that it should be much cheaper.
So I charge accordingly,. Needless to say, I'm not living like a king, but I am kept busy and it's getting busier all the time.
This is why I see the day coming when there will be two completely different fields in Computing, one IT Tech, the Other Home Tech.
Both will be viable and who knows, perhaps with a public that is a little more savvy, the rates just might balance out, although I doubt it. But let's be honest folks, the rates truly are outrageous in some cases. My Surgeon doesn't get $300.00 an hr and he;s got a ton of things to pay for. Staff, Hospital fees etc.
And so it goes.
Warmest Regards
Aaron ;)

We offer exactly this type of service. You are exactly the type of customer that we wish to service, we want to be known as your and your mom's own personal technology consultant, and we fix the little things too. Often we can be dispatched in a short notice, usually a flat fee, we love this type of work ... and you will too!!
www.consultapro.com (nationwide support)

and it didn't cost me any money, I picked up a beta version and got it for free.

I am also getting all the updates to this product for free too, but for a business, providing support to a number of users, particularly in the home/end user market, and working from afar, it is invaluable, and surely the fee for the pro version is a tax decuctable expense?

I found it, because I was looking for a remote assistance package that was both simple to use, versatile (and free lol) and that could link two different OSs, XPs version needed two XP machines both ends, Logmein allowed me to link my XP to a 98.

Its beatuty is it's simplicity for the end user. All they need is a PIN code, which you email. phone or IM them, they enter this into the website and you are off!!! No complicated setting up of computer IP addresses, admin permissions etc. They can also easily control what you see and do, with the two basic modes, observe and remote control, the end user feels very reassured about security. As most end users are (typically) not technically minded, this is a Godsend for them.

I agree Carey, logmein is so simple to use. Yet so powerful.

It had one unexpected bonus for me.

I was helping a woman several thousand miles away, used Logmein to fix her problems, and an online relationship developed. To cut a long story short, last July, she bought a one way ticket from California to Scotland, UK and we have been living happily together ever since, and plan to get married this year.

All thanks to logmein, THANKYOU!!!

I am in the same boat, friend, one-man-band. I have found that the home user market is quite lucrative. I am not to the point yet where I am ready to contract this work out, but I will when I get to that point. Consider what is coming up in the home market...complete integration of home entertainment systems, appliances, home security, environmental controls, etc. This market will probably outpace the business market over the next ten years. Add to this another fact...the line between the home consumer and the business consumer is blurring. iPod's are as readily found in the office as they are in the gym. Many of my commercial clients are asking me how I can merge their personal tech into their business environment seamlessly and securely. Don't let this market go. It's going to be a wave you can ride to success.

I get thanks from the people too ( sometimes they even add a tip ? extra money ) Oh yeah I have a web site too where I sell those nasty things called computers at http://www.lynnsstore.com
I make people take a MIN OF 1 gig ram and at least a 2.6 gigahertz CPU and a 64 meg DDR video so they are some where near running with the big people ! ! Then after they get it and it screams they love it . .

supporting people on the LAN/WAN is bad enough, going to thier homes never, they'll have you up for loosing data/work they have noit done.

stop!! don't go there i urge you please!!

You have to advertise a LOT?
No way, unless youre an utter moron, word of mouth advertising will pay for itself. People are time poor, and need you. Advertising cuts the profit from the botttom line. You cant put in many more hours to cover it..

I see that there are a bunch of Americans in this forum who are a little too touchy. The guy ws not being political, nor was he bagging your country. Instead of trying to understand his point (which was a great one) you attack him. So I explain because I no scare.

I think your first mistake is the dollar terms. Wages and cost of living the hiring out costs he gave you are on par with a good plumber or electrician ( a job on par with low level IT work). He was referring to the level of service he gets as a consumer (i.e. the market that is supposed to be the focus) in Australia and that he felt that that lacked in US. Having witnessed your reactions to his innocent remarks then perhaps I see why. For you eediots claiming political bias Australia is a member of the Coalition of the willing with troops and special forces soldiers helping out US (however small) so to bag the US's stance is to bag Australia's stance hypocrytical

I've just got back from installing a new computer at a Doctors Surgery well a Surgeons anyway. I charge a flat $50.00 per hour to install new hardware where it involves moving bulk amounts of data over to the new machine.

Any way he hit the roof and complained bitterly even though I only charged him for 2 hours and not the 4 that I was actually there but here's the killer he quite happily paid $150.00 to have his Medical Program reactivated after hours when I have to go down there in the morning and could have done it for free or at least the cost of a phone call to get the correct code. :^0

He's a [b]Blackmailing BARSTEWARD as well.[/b] But I think it's hilarious that he doesn't want to pay me for 2 hours work and is quite willing to pay 50% again just to have a program activated that can not be used before I could get there in the morning. Some people are really funny. :D

As he mucked up my entire weekend by organizing to be there to have the unit installed and then went away without telling any one I told him I was going to repossess his boat moored at his back door and charge him the cost of removal. It's really quite expensive to float a bulldozer down there to demolish his house so I can get a crane in to pick up the boat. I just loved the look on his face when he realized what I was telling him I was planning to do. But I'm expecting another round of Blackmail to come up shortly as he'll point to a mole on one of my arms and say something along the lines of "I don't like the look of that you had better come in tomorrow and I'll cut it out." He then makes the first incision and then asks me quite politely to do something for him and I never argue with someone standing over me with a sharp instrument.

Then when I get the results after the work has been done he says well there was nothing to worry about there so He shouldn't have wasted his time and effort removing it. :p

You never know fear until you have some mad Surgeon standing over you with a knife in hand and shaking his hand after making the first cut. Good thing that he's a friend but I give as good as I get. :D

Col ]:)

Spend 10 minutes assessing the problem and talking to them about it. (for NEW customers only)
If after 10 minutes of observing/listening and possible if you are on site..having them SHOW you what is broken, you are unable to tell them 'THis is what I charge for this job, (hourly or by the job) and this is what I expect THIS problem to take in time (eating it at times but hopefully you have learned how long this will take by now and can accurately quote enough to cover your time and effort)

If they want to hire you, let them. Otherwise tell them that they are welcome to get someone else to repair their problem.

With end users / home users, this is an option but if you have to travel to them, a minimum charge may be what is needed to cover your fuel costs for going there. 30 minute drive there, 10 min on site 30 minute to next job...this could potentially eat up a considerable portion of the day.

YOu may want to attempt to diagnose the problem via telephone, and provide an estimate via telephone based on the ONE PROBLEM being described.

Outline your responsibilities in writing, put it on a website or a handout-paper that you can give to customer to read.

Have them sign it if it is in contract form. Have it cover billing/site revisits.

Go over with them how you work.
Call me
I will get you on my schedule
I will visit you and bill you for X (time or job)
You will pay me by (Payment methods accepted by contractor here) Payment methods NOT ACCEPTED also listed.

End users need to understand that you may pick up their computer, work on it and bring it back to them later in that day or that week. If they are unwilling to let you take it and work the trouble later...they should pay premium rates for "RIGHT NOW" service. Home users typically want to save money, so most should allow you to take it with you. You could use this to charge less/more depending on what customer is willing to accept.

Home users need to pay for service RIGHT NOW too.
Collecting from home users is tougher than businesses. Most people are honest, but some are just too financially strapped to pay on time....which also strains the relationship.

Best to do what others suggested and sell the
Regular maintenance type service.
So many hours per month/week etc....for updates / regular PC maint...etc.

Sell a block of TIME. 10 hours for example costs XXXX.XX or whatever...charge them off as time. Paid in advance by end-user.
Once you have the machine cleaned up it should be relatively easy to maintain from that point forward.

Independent Contractors IT people are professionals, warm bodies that replace parts are not always professionals.

In other words why hire a Geek who will replace parts, when you can have a professional that will help you determine your needs and guide you accordingly for a fee which will get you to your goals...instead of just fix something and let you call them again next week, same trouble, fix it again, repeat (ad nauseum)

Wireless Networks should NOT be supported for end-users. This should be covered under maintenance. It is nearly impossible to troubleshoot with an unknowledgeable user a WIRELESS trouble....unless you have REMOTE access to the devices experiencing the trouble and can see them enough to guide the user.
Of course this all depends upon whether the user is capable of understanding technology enough to assist via telephone instead of "ummm I don't know what it looks like, I don't know where it is" "Um what's that?" "why don't you just come out here cause I have no idea what you are talking about" (aspirin time)

i've been supporting home users for over 10 yrs now and i do it on the side of other things. i would not suggest a monthly rate or *package* deal because you will be called at all hours for every little thing since the month is paid for. it will border on slavery - it would only work if you set up a set amount of number of calls allowed per month and a set number of visits, but you will run into problems with this as well. i charge much less than best buy and compusa and my hours are at their convenience. i charge per hour and of course they pay for the hardware/software they need - one perk i also offer is i will go do the shopping for them (some give me the money to purchase right away and others pay me when i bring the item and install it) - it takes a certain person to be able to handle mom, dad, and the kids and even the *expert* that each family always seems to know that messed up the computer to begin with. my advertisement is soley word-of-mouth, which keeps it manageable (there is a tendency to try to grab as many clients as you can in the beginning) but you can wear yourself out doing this. also, do not schedule clients back-to-back - space them out with at least 3 hours between them but it's always best to do one client per day.

good luck

We are going to discuss this topic on tomorrows show. (Tomorrow = Friday, March 24, 2006).

You can listen via the Internet or you can use the station locator to find a station that broadcasts the show in your area. We invite listeners to call in with their questions and comments during the show.

Learn more at http://www.computeramerica.com

Carey,

Not everyone is bigoted, amateur or a wannabe that has posted here. Granted, there have been some real comments here that were not necessarily kind, correct or even intelligent. I posted in here and my point was that I perform home service specifically targeted at older people who cannot afford the geek squad, or $10.00 per minute troubleshooting calls. I find that most of the people I have supported could not afford the help they need, so am I supposed to take the good old American attitude and say "tough, too bad"? There are many variables on what people can define as their business. My efforts are actually done as a business, but associated with some other things my wife and I do at the same time. It is the only way I can do what I think is the right thing, and deliver on my education and experience and share that with people who need that help. I have had many frustrations where people self inflict their own harm on their systems whether by spyware, virus infection, or even a machine full of dustbunnies and crud that finally dies of heat stroke. I don't believe I am godlike enough to tell an 80 year old woman that it is her fault for not opening up the mystery box and cleaning it out, but I do have enough knowledge to do it for her, and repair the problems, and install some filters (sometimes an amateur homemade job, but meets the need) and then show her how she can open it up, and clean it out herself. All for 25.00 and parts at cost.
No, I could not survive on making that, but just because I have to have a real paying job doesn't mean I cannot use 10 years experience in making the chips, using the equipment, building systems, a BS in IT degree, and 20 years before that in the Navy. It would be nice if a group could brainstorm a model that would allow for it to be viable, but until then, those "wannabes with part timers, retirees and others filling the niche" will have to fill in to help out those who cannot help the geek squad fatten their bank accounts.
And yes, your message came off as a little arrogant.

I looked at their site, and does it make sense to pay 96.00/hr, or 396/year plus 86.00/hr for service? This is proof of the argument against service, you can get a decent system new for almost as much as one year service! Just keep all your data files and backups in a seperate drive or flash, and transfer it every year!
Wow, what was the old saying about crowds and certain types of people in them???

Mr. G,

In all of your post, there seemed to be a small opening to maybe use. How about a class on home user PC use, and maintenance? Myabe have them learn how to do thier own basic software maintenance, and clean it out, and also show them why certain upgrades are worth it, and when a new system may be the best bet. Maybe you could increase your client base, and still make some cash, as well as expose your business to more people. Just a thought...

But can I make a living out of it.

The obvious thing is at first glance [b]YES[/b] as this is a very un-catered for side of the market and extremely big as well. But can you make a living from it is a different story.

Here is one example of how not to do things.

On Tuesday Night I installed a New Computer in a Doctors Surgery it's a stand alone unit with only a Dial up Modem attached for the Government Supplied Bulk Billing process here and On line Banking to pay the Staff. Well with the entire setup intact except for a copy of PC Anywhere, MYOB and his Medical Program I allowed 2 hours for the install with very specific directions on how to transfer the Medical Program over and get it running.

Within the 2 hours I had everything up and running and they where as pleased as punch with the thing. But I was a bit concerned about their ability to actually send the Bills to the Government Department so I asked for a test one to be sent and rang the agency and made sure that it arrived. Well that should have been the end of things [b]BUT.[/b]

At 11.30 AM the next day I got a phone call from a Tech at the Medical Program asking could I go down there as the billing side of the program wasn't working as well as PC Anywhere as he couldn't log onto the system remotely. So no problem I went down there rang the guy and allowed him access to the system while he remotely played around but naturally he couldn't access the working of the billing side as you can not have two simultaneous connections on a Dial up Modem at the same time. After the was satisfied that everything was installed properly he asked me to break the connection and try to send a Test Bill and read any error messages that came up to him while he stayed on the line. Eventually after much mucking around he decided that the other program that works Hand in Glove with theirs needed reinstalling so I had to ring another company and they offered to e-mail me the new program which was supposed to make things much easier.

Well I got their e-mail but I couldn't have it sent to the site as they have no e-mail account there just two outgoing connections one for On line Banking and one for the Bulk Billing. So today I returned with a USB Stick with the new upgraded program and thought it should be a 10 minute job installing and making sure everything worked, How Wrong Can You Be?

6 Hours latter after constantly being bounced between both companies who where blaming each others software for the problem I think it's now working but as I'm not overly familiar with the software involved I was unwilling to submit 4 days of bills to the Government just in case things didn't work out properly. If that happened they would have to have submit each bill individually and with currently 4 days worth there would be a lot of wasted time involved so I suggested that I come back Monday when the person responsible would be there and try again, but it's sending Test Bills OK now as I have had people from both companies on the phone and the receiving agency when I send a [b]Test Bill[/b] through and I know that it's getting there.

I tried to back out gracefully and I just said that I'm not familiar with this software so I didn't want to send off 4 days worth of bills and even though it was adversely affecting the Doctor's I thought it would be better to wait one more business day rather than muck things up completely. The Head tech from the company who supplies the program said that after 9 years she still didn't understand how it works so I'm not supposed to worry. X-(

The Head tech from the other Company involved said that she couldn't understand why it wasn't working but after 2 hours on the phone with her I decided to take control and made the decisions and told her how to do things which eventually got things working correctly. She didn't see the need to test a new connection before making changes to it but after reestablishing the connection 6 times and reinstalling the software 4 times I decided that they had no idea and started to follow basic troubleshooting steps after she insisted that the modem wasn't working so I logged into the Bank and it worked perfectly, so I then proved that it wasn't the modem but the setup of their side of things that was the problem. ! for the Moron who said that they would do the job. :^0

Then just to add the icing to the cake after I had rung the management and complained bitterly about the lack of tech Support that I had received that day and finally got 2 techs that could talk to me and accept that I just might know a little bit about computers and maybe even know something about Windows XP I discovered that I was in fact not ringing 2 different companies but 2 different divisions of the same company. Talk about the right hand not knowing what the left is doing. :x

Anyway so far I've wasted 12 hours on it 14 if you count the original install and none of it is related to any software that I supplied but I'm expected to get it working and because it isn't it's the computers fault!

Right at the moment I want to send a bill for my wasted time to the company involved but I'll wait until Monday morning and make sure that it actually works before I start climbing down the phone to kill someone. And just to make things interesting I'm sitting at the front counter so I can not tear into those on the other end of the phone line as there are patients waiting not 4 feet from where I'm sitting so I have to bite my upper lip and put up with the constant stream of condescending comments. :(

While none where as bad as you are totally incompetent and can not even fit a CPU and Heat Sink, I was constantly asked could I rename a File and I had to explain how to alter the default location for a new install of some software.

Col

From the last message and this one I guess I am in the right area and I will take all your rejects !
And I could live very nicely on the say $25.00 to fix it even thought I may spend a few hours doing it
As I know the word of mouth wil get around and and I will have a Ga zillion customers times 25.00 is 25 ga zillion dollars

So then I assume what you are saying is that you agree that you could not do this full time as your sole source of income and be able to make ends meet?

Today we had the home user that is a pain in the butt...
There computer needs work.. ok we will be around at 5.30 pm to look at it. Oh no we are busy tonight. we are free sunday morning, before the kids have to go out at 11am.
This is a freebee and people dictate terms. we should be able to fix it at our time.
It is now at the bottom of the list, and will stay there. you offer to help and get kicked

I have a client that wants to setup a system to charge customers by the minute for phone support.

The customer would purchase blocks of support time via their website. Then the customer would call the 800 or 900 number and enter in their home phone number and apasscode [home number and passcode create a unique userid]

Once the call was connected the software would track how long the call went and if the call gets close to the final minutes it could do something like ask for further payment or disconnect the call.

I have seen this sort of solution on the web before and I am trying to search for solutions and not having any luck. I probably am not searching the correct terms.

Does anyone know of any software or companies that could help out in this situation? Can anyone help point me in the correct direction for this search?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Phil