Tips for Finding a Reliable Computer technician or Company
Posted: Monday, April 12, 2010
by Bill Arnoldi
FireBall Tech
Are you concerned about whether you are getting a trustworthy computer repair service company?
Do you want to make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck for your computer service?
Did you ever have a tech come out to repair your system just to tell you that you needed to buy a new computer without even really trying to fix yours?
Unfortunately, it usually it takes a couple of unsavory experiences with computer support companies and technicians before a person realizes they have been spending more on getting their computer problems resolved than they need to.
Usually, after a person goes through a few bad experiences, they realize that the one they finally were comfortable with is the provider that has had the most experience in computer repair service.
I am Bill Arnoldi, owner of FireBall Tech computer support services in Aliso Viejo, California and a form Chief Technology Officer of over 16 years.
There is some valuable information you should know when choosing a tech support service provider. In the next several paragraphs, you will learn why.
Early in my over 16 year career as a C.T.O. and owner of several tech companies, I learned that when I hired new employees, I would invariably get the best employees from those candidates that had a resume of long-term hands-on experience in the tech skill for which I was recruiting. All too often, and nearly without fail, after hiring prospects that were fresh or recently out of school with all their certificates and academic degrees, the employees would come either to myself or one of the ranking I.T. managers to solve even the most elementary of problems.
So shy did this occur? The employees' lacked knowledge of the fundamental processes and relationships involved in computer technology that enable a person to draw informed decisions to solve problems. Put simply, they did not understand how things work. And how could they? They had plenty of book and lab knowledge, plenty of theory, but no real-world practical knowledge. This knowledge can only come from years of experience.
Now, I am not suggesting that this is the rule. There were unquestionably the special gems that persevered so hard to resolve a trouble, never giving up, researching, making repeated attempts, and eventually resolving the problem whilst gleaming that knowledge they needed on the way. But in general, the optimal results we ever measured came from those with a lot of hands-on and subject experience.
Okay, so you may be wondering where this is all leading.
Well, in effect, when you, the consumer, select a company to furnish you with computer support help, you are engaging them just as you would an employee for yourself. And with that in mind, you want to make sure you hire someone with experience to get the job done right and at a fair price.
Something that I have experienced over the many years I have been in the technology industry is the vendor or supplier, and sometimes the employee that routinely rushes to the conclusion that the only solution to the technical problem is to upgrade or buy new equipment. That's a red flag to me. Not only does that lead me to believe that this person has little or no competency in their technical field, but also that they have an agenda, and that is to get me to buy stuff from them to part with my hard-earned money, and furthermore, that they do not have my best interest in mind... financially speaking. Sure, sometimes it does make good sense to invest in upgraded equipment, but I want to know that doing so is necessary and/or beneficial to me in some way. To quickly form such a conclusion that cannot generally be arrived at without first putting forth an attempt to properly diagnose and troubleshoot the problem is unreliable. When that effort is not evident to me, I am highly suspicious of a recommendation to spend money on new equipment, as should any wise individual.
This is similar to many of the experiences that my own customers have conveyed to me where they too have had a service provider rush to recommend that they buy new or upgradeded equoment. Sometimes it was found out, and too frequently, that the service provider had an interest in selling the new equipment or service either through some commission arrangement or revenue sharing arrangement. In essence, this motivated the service provider to sell rather than repair equipment, and often when it was not needed.
Try to find a service provider that practices frugality and works to avoid needless costs and waste. Sometimes all an individual can afford is just what they need to get by on. The service provider you select should work with you and your financial needs.
Personality is very important as well. After all, in my company, we want our clients to have a good experience with our service. Most of our business comes from word of mouth recommendation, and we want that to continue. A company's technicians should be very personable and genuine and demonstrate professional and trustworthy behavior. If you have ever had an encounter with some companies, particularly the big chain ones, then you may have experienced a tech that made you feel uneducated or ignorant, or was intimidating to you. Thats unfortunate. Techs are there to supply you with great service, not to inflate their own self-worth by exhibiting some form of superiority complex about their technical expertise. Look for experienced and knowledgeable technicians doing their best to help you out and explain things in everyday words to help you understand what's going on. Stuff occurs to computers, its just a fact of life. It even occurs to the greatest technicians in the business and even to me personally. So don't feel bad when it does, and avoid those self-important ego-driven tech people.
Keep a look out for guarantees that in effect say that you will not be charged if it cannot be fixed. It sounds great to the customer as a way to make sure they are going to get something in return for their money, and it is a great marketing line for the company, but if it were truly executed at face value, the company would risk losing lots of revenue. Why are those guarantees even provided? Read the fine print in the service agreement. In there it will spell out exactly how the guarantee applies. In general practice, these guarantees require the client to accept any solution that the technician offers to solve the problem, even up to and including requiring them to purchase completely new equipment. And therein lies their "fix", as in the phrase, "If we can't fix it... Get it? Then, if the client declines the fix, the guarantee does not apply. These guarantees look great up front, but is really no even reasonable to expect it. A company is not going to gamble and risk losing money. Realistically, a person should expect to pay something when a tech comes out or they take a computer in for repair, regardless of the outcome. It just should net cost an arm and a leg.
Not all technical issues are repaired as easily as we expect. After all, a tech never really knows how bad the problem is or what the cause is until he can actually get his hands on the equipment and diagnose it. Once he figure out the problem, it may not be worth the expense to fix it. And, it will usually cost to have a tech arrive at that conclusion. A diagnostic and/or troubleshooting fee is common in these situations.. After all, you were still supplied with service to determine what is required to be done to repair the problem. When choosing a company or technician, make certain to understand the fee schedule under these circumstances. Numerous service providers will even credit a share or all of the diagnostic fees towards succeeding business or the purchase of new equipment from them if so decided by the client. If they do not extend any sort of fee credit, then the fee should be minimal, usually an amount of money enough to cover the company's expense of sending a tech out to the client.
There are almost always mileage or travel fees for on-site services. Naturally this is because time is money, and the company has to pay expenses of the technician by the hour, regardless of whether they are being productive on-site or just sitting in traffic. Factor in the mileage or travel fees into the other fees to see what kind of deal you are getting.
Finally, I want to communicate to you, that you should pick out a company or technician that will empower you with the ability to help keep the problem from occurring again. If the reason can be found, the technician should explain what steps, if any, that can be taken to perhaps preclude recurrence. Sure, they could take your money for another on-site visit for the same trouble at a later date when it repeats, and do that over and over, but that would be unethical and downright reprobate in my judgment. Search for a company or technician willing to help you with an ounce of prevention through some suggestions so you can save the pound of cure in expense afterwards.
The bottom line is this. When selecting a computer repair company or technician, do a little research. Ask them questions, how long have they been around? What is their background? Google them on the Internet. Look up the names of the principles of the company. Get testimonials from friends or associates. However you do it, just do it before determining on whom to hire.
In closing, I hope you heard this information usable in helping you to choose a dependable computer repair company or technician. You can also find other related useable computer technology tips at our website at FireBallTech.com. Thanks for reading, Bill Arnoldi
This Article has been viewed 361 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.