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I do even one better to get out of doing IT work. If someone random asks me to do computer maintenance I profess my incompetence but say that I’ll give it a try
by duado 8y ago
I do even one better to get out of doing IT work. If someone random asks me to do computer maintenance I profess my incompetence but say that I’ll give it a try. I just go into settings and make the problem one epsilon worse. Then I give it back and say “ugh I don’t know what I did, I just [disabled the network adapter] but now it won’t even open the WiFi menu.” Gives them enough information to reverse what I did but makes sure they never ask me again.
- roymurdock 8y agoseems pretty malicious why not just ask them to pay you for your time, or else say sorry you need to hire a professional instead of giving them more grief
- duado 8y agoThis is when those things aren’t working or politically infeasible at work
- justwalt 8y agoLast week my mother called me after she broke down on the side of the road. So I popped her hood, broke her timing belt, then sped off. Have to agree with you, seems fairly pointless to kick someone while they’re down. Computer problems are stressful, so it’s not surprising someone would ask the first person they know is remotely involved with computing for help. It’s very easy just to tell someone a few things that they might try googling.
- magduf 8y ago>It’s very easy just to tell someone a few things that they might try googling. That seems to frequently be perceived as an insult though. For some reason, everyone thinks that "computer people" can be counted on to solve their Windows PC problems for free, though they wouldn't ask their relative who's a car salesman to fix their car.
- jeffdavis 8y agoSetting boundaries and knowing when to bend them a bit is a skill everyone needs to have. So is understanding and respecting others' boundaries.
- magduf 8y agoIt's a good skill, yes, but you can't expect everyone to be good at it (just like anything), and I think it's a lot worse when you're dealing with family members. I don't have an actual solution here, I'm just pointing out that this seems to be a common problem.
- duado 8y agoYeah, I’m going to tell someone at work they should pay me or Google it. I didn’t do this with my mom or similar.
- jrs235 8y ago>why not just ask them to pay you for your time Because if you "charge" them and get paid for the work then everything else that seems wrong from that point forward they blame you for and expect you to fix it [often for free] because in their mind a) you caused it and b) they paid you to fix their computer. >or else say sorry you need to hire a professional instead of giving them more grief This is the best response but I think he said they get pushy and insist he do something. The person is going to be pissy at him for telling them off nicely or not.
- okmokmz 8y agoFeigning ignorance seems reasonable, but saying you'll try to help and then making it worse is an asshole move
- duado 8y agoI do feign ignorance. Sometimes they don’t take that for an answer and ask me to try. Instead of telling them to fuck off, or fixing the problem so they come back next week, I make them mildly regret pushing me when I said I didn’t know.
- piva00 8y agoStill an asshole passive-aggressive move, for a few years now I just learned to say "I'm sorry, I can't take a look" in an assertive but friendly tone, no one pushed it further and I don't have to be acting all bitchy because I didn't stand up for myself. I recommend this approach much more.
- JustSomeNobody 8y agoI'm up voting because I want to make sure plenty of HNers have the opportunity to tell you you're being a jerk when you do this.
- duado 8y agoLol, if it makes them feel good then why deny them the pleasure
- Haga 8y agoYou are evil and I'm telling mum. MUM! MUUUUM! He is doing it again, refusing to work for free, because I think a work with passion is not really work.