Kite Jockey’s Weblog

They say you should not say anything when you are mad. Tonight I just have to get something off my chest. For some time now I have been helping people when they have computer problems. The problem with this is I do not do it as a business but rather as a hobby. When you do something as a hobby people automatically assume that it should be free or nearly free even though I never give them that impression. For those who I think have money and understand that things like this cost I used to just explain the problem and the time involved in the repair and let them come up with a fair amount that my time is worth. As far as parts go I have always charged them what ever it cost me. The problem in the past was that even those with money would low ball me from time to time. So for a while now I have been giving them some idea up front of how much I would expect for to fix their particular problem. This has worked much better for the most part. My price is usually a good deal for them and it makes working on PC a worth while hobby  for me.

So what lead to this rant tonight? Well, I have been working on a computer for someone that cuts my hair. The fist computer she had me work on was an older laptop with several very serious issues. I told her what I usually expect to get to do all the stuff I was going to do for her. She agreed, and I did the work and got paid. A few days later she called me and said that she wanted me to look at her daughters laptop. I did and I told her what was wrong with it and how much it would cost to fix it. Well, at first she said that she was just going to let a friend work on it for her. I said that is fine with me, and if she changed her mind she could always call me. About a week went by when she called to see if I would do the work at a discounted price. I thought about it and said I would as long as I did not have to back up and restore the documents that were on the computer. I told her I would do it for half what I had quoted her. I said that because I know she does not have a lot of money. She called me a few days later to tell me to go ahead and do the work but to try to back up some of the documents. I reluctantly agreed and I did not raise my price back to the original quote, that was my first mistake. I guess once I gave in on that point she thought I would give in on other things later.

Well tonight I called her to arrange a time to deliver the laptop. She asked me on the phone if I could give her a discount. I then explained to her that I had already given her all the discount I could. She said I don’t have a lot of money right now and needed a break. I told her I could just hang on to the laptop until she had the money but I could not go any lower.  To that she said ” Eddie, come on, I know you can do better.” I don’t know what it was. Was it that I just got through vacuuming and was already tired and not in the mood to bargain or was it the way she was said “I know you can do better” what ever it was I was not going to budge. You know, I don’t know what gets into people that they think that the world should hand them everything.  I don’t treat people this way and it really gets under my skin quickly when you have already given in to help someone and all they want from you is more. I think she thought that because she has cut my hair for the last several years that I would just take what ever she offered and do this for next to nothing. I don’t know when I will learn not to do business with family, friends, or in the case my hair dresser. It hardly ever goes the way it should.

Case in point more than a few times I have had neighbors and family members ask me to work on their computers or do other things for them that would have cost them a lot of money had I not done it and not only did they not offer to pay me but when I brought it to their attention how much time and effort it took to fix whatever it was all I got out of it was a handshake or a pat on the back. That gets real old after a while. I have even had one relative take such advantage of me that I have told them that from now on they need to go to a pro or someone else for their computer repair needs. I had to do that because it was coming to the point that it was going to create a problem with my relationship not only with them but with my wife, who by the way, gets mad when I go see this person and all they want me to do is look at their computer to fix the next issue. It is not like I feel that I should get paid for ever little thing I do, and I have in the past, done lots of quick fixes without charging a dime, but when a issue takes a day or more to fix I feel I should be compensated. After all, the time I use to do a free job could have been used to take care of a paying customer.

Anyway, I don’t yet know what will happen when I take this laptop back to my hair dresser. I do know this, this is the last thing I will help her with. Again, when someone agrees to help me for an agreed upon price I have the responsibility to meet my obligation, and I am always quick to pay. That to me is the only way to be, and I guess that is the least I expect from others. So no, it is not okey to bargain a second time. Once we have an agreement that is it. I they can’t pay then they should tell me that up front. I know that soulds harsh but what else am I suposed to do? If I had not alread cut my price in half, only to be told later that they wanted extra work done for free, I may have looked at this differnty. But as it is she will eather pay up or do with out a laptop until she can pay.  Fair is fair right?