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seems 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 ago
This is when those things aren’t working or politically infeasible at work
justwalt 8y ago
Last 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 ago
    Setting 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 ago
      It'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 ago
  Yeah, 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.

duado 8y ago

This is when those things aren’t working or politically infeasible at work

justwalt 8y ago

Last 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 ago
  Setting 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 ago
    It'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 ago
Yeah, 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.