[kwlug-disc] OT: "No I will not fix your computer."

[John Kerr]

One more thing.

When we fix an old computer for someone we can only offer a 50/50 warranty
on the computer at best: 50 keystrokes or 50 seconds, whichever comes first.

Cheers
John


On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 7:57 PM, John Kerr <johneddie.kerr at gmail.com> wrote:

> Sometimes automation happens in industry when adding more people will not
> increase production. The industrial revolution took place when labour was
> pretty cheep.
>
> Is it correct to say as more people purchase laptops there are less
> computers to fix? There is no point to try to fix them, it will cost too
> much.
>
> About 2 years ago I asked someone in a local computer shop about the
> repair business and he said that it is mostly about getting the data off of
> a failed computer and copying it to a new one. I asked him "has computer
> repair hit the wall of the law of diminishing returns?" and he said yes.
>
> Take printer sales for example, it was over twenty years ago when a
> computer hardware supplier to the University of Guelph told me to go to
> Staples to buy a printer, we can't buy them for the pice they are selling
> them for. This was for a small office at the U of G.
>
> Bob, I will send any business your way. But I am not surprised that you
> are not doing much business in repairs.
>
> Cheers
>
> John
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 6:46 PM, unsolicited <unsolicited at swiz.ca> wrote:
>
>>
>> On 13-10-29 05:05 PM, Bob Jonkman wrote:
>>
>>> unsolicited wrote:
>>>
>>>> I don't expect Bob much wants such business.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Urm, let's not be putting words into Bob's mouth.
>>>
>>
>> Absolutely. For which I do / did apologize.
>>
>> I have made the assumption, perhaps erroneously, throughout, that we're
>> talking (home) consumer, not business (user).
>>
>> Business different beastie. Let alone easier / more predictable to get
>> paid reasonable amounts, or offered the work in the first place.
>>
>> The 30 hours I talk about has as much to do with putting in processes and
>> programs and individual / personal training to prevent reoccurrence, as it
>> does in initial remediation to return a system to usability in the first
>> place. A fair bit of this is already in motion in any business, unlike the
>> home user free for all. And a business can leverage a bit of individual
>> training to the rest of their organization.
>>
>> -----
>>
>> > Time is not valued.
>>
>> Hmm. Rather, time is not deemed affordable.
>>
>> (They'll spend millions to automate a plant so they don't have to use
>> people. I'm sure there's a crossing line in there somewhere, but still
>> trying to work that out - less employees, less money to spend in the
>> community, less ability to buy product ... less need for automation.)[Other
>> side: If you don't, your competitor will, and you'll be out of business
>> anyways. Or at least have to reduce staff.]
>>
>>
>> > When people pay, they expect a tangible good in return.
>>
>> Absolutely. They expect value. And they deserve it.
>>
>> And as long as product price/performance ratios keep going down, the
>> value being compared against (remediation time/cost) vs new product cost
>> will continue to suffer. People time will continue to lose out, and lose
>> out to larger and larger extents. Middle class, isn't any more, is
>> shrinking - wage disparities continue to widen. (Because time isn't deemed
>> affordable.)
>>
>> They also expect the problem to be solved. Since one can't promise that,
>> the problem / solution isn't yet known, and people don't like the
>> uncertainty of T&E (Time and Expense, $X/hr - the problem takes as long as
>> the problem takes to solve, charging throughout), they are even more
>> reluctant to pursue repair. They know if they spend $x predictable dollars,
>> they'll come out the other side with a guaranteed solved problem. vs the
>> lack of guarantee that 2 hours will do it. (Like said, never mind this
>> means a commitment on their part to re-learn and re-apply what they already
>> have.)
>>
>>
>> > I don't think Paul was asking for an ROI analysis, just a list of
>> repair shops.
>>
>> Nor has anyone offered one.
>>
>>
>> > The quick and dirty answer is: Geek Squad at Best Buy/Futureshop,
>> EasyTech at Staples, and Nerds On Wheels.
>>
>> I have no reason to believe that is an answer, from what I've heard. At
>> something like $75 / visit / issue, and a very narrow definition of 'issue'
>> - if you need them it's seldom a single issue expense.
>>
>> i.e. There is no answer - everything is cost prohibitive. For the home
>> user not willing to figure it out themselves, or have some nice person do
>> so for them.
>>
>> I expect Canada Computer can be included in the above list - they may
>> even give you a break if it's hardware and you buy a replacement from them.
>> Wouldn't surprise me if installation were extra, though.
>>
>> Of course ... YMMV.
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Every child born increases by one the group of people Sir Winston
> Churchill called the "so many", who owe so much to the group he called the
> "so few".
>
>


-- 
Every child born increases by one the group of people Sir Winston Churchill
called the "so many", who owe so much to the group he called the "so few".
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