I Know this Computer Guy….

I have a friend that can fix my computer for free. He does his magic on it gives it back all done. So why should I pay for a computer Professional to do what a “friend” can do for free?

Yea, I like free but I also understand that free comes with a price somewhere. Maybe not now but somewhere.  No,  I don’t have a problem with getting your computer fixed for free, that is life and I’m all for it.

BUT…

Buyer beware. Is the problem really being fixed or is it just a get around? Does this friend have access to the vendors and support that he needs to really be able to resolve the problem? Is there any guarantee for the work done? Can you take it back for more work if need be? If there is a problem, has there been precautions taken to make sure that your data is kept safe and secure? Are they able to recover from these problems?

Most “friends’ will not have any vendor relationships for the products they use. Most are free and don’t really have any true support from the vendor. OK there are user groups and they are extremely helpful but there are some user groups that can cause more damage than help!

A Professional computer repairer will have a relationship with vendors. Usually have access to a much more knowledgeable user group, that is also trustworthy! Most of the time the work done is guaranteed so if you, the customer aren’t happy you can take it back and have them take another look at the problem.

I have heard of a situation where the “friend” reloaded a pirated version of the software to fix a computer  -for free – and the person owning the computer had major issues when they then tried to call up the support center for some help.  Not so free now is it?

An important thing to remember is that the “friend” can not offer a solution that could prevent further issues taking place, the Professional can and will.  It may will cost you, but then how much is your computer worth in terms of the data that you have on it.  It may surprise you what it’s worth when your data is lost.

Conclusion

So the next time you have a computer problem and have a “friend” that will fix it for free think about what that true cost could be.