2nd Opinions DO Matter – Don’t trust your Computer Support Person

You might think this is a weird title to have on a blog run by a guy who fixes computers.  Well, if you knew my disdain from having to fix computer technicians mistakes you would completely understand where I am coming from.

Elsewhere on the site I compare computer repair specialists to car garages.  They are people that will fix a problem on something that you, personally, no very little about.  You need a mechanic just as badly as you need someone to fix your computer.  I like to think I know a good deal about my vehicle without being a gearhead.  Sadly, I still have gotten burned by the untrustworthy mechanic.

Lesson to learn from:  I had a bad oil leak on my car while I was in college.  Being a poor college student, I put off getting it fixed.  By the time I spent a few hundred to get a valve replaced it was too late.  AFTER I pay the bill I ask if they had checked out the “knocking.”  The guy says no.  Well, I had him listen to the car after before I leave.  As I’m sure most of  you are aware, a knocking in the engine is bad thing.  He said the engine is going to die.  I said how long will it last.  He says I’d maybe make it Sun Praire (that was 20 miles away.)  Needless to say I was mad and there was nothing I could do about it.  By the way, this garage is located on Monroe St in Madison, WI.  I went there because I had heard they had good service.  Good service would have checked out that knocking that was written on the agreement before replacing a valve.  I actually made it 30 miles before I had the blue smoke bellowing out of the back of my car.

What I should have done in that instance was to ask other people who were more informed about vehicles (not my friends and not my father) to find out about the knocking.  I knew enough that the knocking wasn’t good but I have alleviated the problem in the past with more oil and whatnot.

The same applies for to the computer.  I was told about a person that my mother wanted me to help who was told to buy a NEW COMPUTER because supposedly these “million” viruses that he had totally destroyed his computer.  An IT professional at a school told this person that.  Trustworthy?  Absolutely not.

  • The viruses count was fake
  • An infection so bad that destroys a computer?  Without getting technical lets just say you have a better chance to win the lottery five times in one year.
  • There was a simple file to download off the internet to remove the virus that no one told him about

It just goes to show you that you can’t take everything at face value.  Ask questions.  Ask for Proof.  If someone is telling you to shell out money for a new part, make sure he has exhausted every avenue of troubleshooting.  My personal experiences with Dell is that changing the part out is always the answer to the problem.  LOL…and they wonder why their reputation isn’t want it use to be.