Blood will Tell
Working at this job can be depressing; around this time of year kids are graduating and moving on to college. In another nine months the computers will return, battered, broken and smelling like beer. I seldom see the kids themselves but it’s easy to spot the parents. They march in through the front door lock step and hard jawed and walk directly to the counter. They set the computer down hard on the counter and wait as Sam or I saunter up and ask what we can do for them.
*Long Pause*
Mother: This is our Son/Daughter's computer, (s)he's back from school and (s)he say's that it isn’t working.
Me: Ok then let me open this up/plug this in and I can see what We’re dealing with here. (note the imperial 'we' the customer is a part of the process here remember)
So I open it up turn it on and brace myself to tell the parents how much computer equipment their little angel destroyed this year and what they will be paying me to fix it. Some highlights from last year include:
* A pc card modem that would not eject. I opened the case and found dried coke all over the inside of the PC Card slot glueing the modem in place. Loss: 1 Hour, a new modem and a whole bunch of solvents. ($189)
* A girl who put her chewed gum on the back of the PC and managed somehow to screw up the power supply fan. Loss 1 Hour labor and a Power supply, ($139)
* The guy who spilled beer on a Compaq Laptop and ruined the keyboard. Compaq wanted about $90 to ship a replacement. I sold them a external keyboard and recommended they shrink-wrap the computer. Loss: Keyboard ($15)
* The fellow with 'anger management issues' who returned with his case so badly twisted that several of the PCI cards had broken. Loss: Total, he goes to school without a computer this year,
* The Guy who spilled beer on a Sony, the Sony did not have a plate between the KB and the mother board so the beer hit the motherboard and burned it up. Data was recovered. Loss: Total ($89 + new laptop)
* Several computers so heavily infected with virus that I was afraid CDC would shut us down. ($133-$223)
* Computers so choked with dust, pot smoke and cat hair that the fans looked like feathers. ($89+)
* and finally the computers that simply were not fast enough to play the latest games ( the horror the horror, cash up front please. )
We also get our fair share of wunderkinds around spring break and summer vacation. As a rule I respect do-it-yourselfers, provided they are humble enough to admit what they don't know and smart enough to crack a fucking manual once and a while. As a rule these kids are too smart to buy retail, they go straight to price watch ("Wow look a 450W power supply for $19.95 what a deal!").
They are also too smart for advice. It's like a modern case of 'blood will tell'. Clearly a 19-year-old communications major with a healthy trust fund will have more native ability then any scruffy nerd who is actually working. Never ever underestimate scruffy nerds. I have continued my education after highschool on my own damn terms. I should stop here, tomorrow I will tell you a story Bob told me. That story helped me to be less angry at this crowd. more later.
*Long Pause*
Mother: This is our Son/Daughter's computer, (s)he's back from school and (s)he say's that it isn’t working.
Me: Ok then let me open this up/plug this in and I can see what We’re dealing with here. (note the imperial 'we' the customer is a part of the process here remember)
So I open it up turn it on and brace myself to tell the parents how much computer equipment their little angel destroyed this year and what they will be paying me to fix it. Some highlights from last year include:
* A pc card modem that would not eject. I opened the case and found dried coke all over the inside of the PC Card slot glueing the modem in place. Loss: 1 Hour, a new modem and a whole bunch of solvents. ($189)
* A girl who put her chewed gum on the back of the PC and managed somehow to screw up the power supply fan. Loss 1 Hour labor and a Power supply, ($139)
* The guy who spilled beer on a Compaq Laptop and ruined the keyboard. Compaq wanted about $90 to ship a replacement. I sold them a external keyboard and recommended they shrink-wrap the computer. Loss: Keyboard ($15)
* The fellow with 'anger management issues' who returned with his case so badly twisted that several of the PCI cards had broken. Loss: Total, he goes to school without a computer this year,
* The Guy who spilled beer on a Sony, the Sony did not have a plate between the KB and the mother board so the beer hit the motherboard and burned it up. Data was recovered. Loss: Total ($89 + new laptop)
* Several computers so heavily infected with virus that I was afraid CDC would shut us down. ($133-$223)
* Computers so choked with dust, pot smoke and cat hair that the fans looked like feathers. ($89+)
* and finally the computers that simply were not fast enough to play the latest games ( the horror the horror, cash up front please. )
We also get our fair share of wunderkinds around spring break and summer vacation. As a rule I respect do-it-yourselfers, provided they are humble enough to admit what they don't know and smart enough to crack a fucking manual once and a while. As a rule these kids are too smart to buy retail, they go straight to price watch ("Wow look a 450W power supply for $19.95 what a deal!").
They are also too smart for advice. It's like a modern case of 'blood will tell'. Clearly a 19-year-old communications major with a healthy trust fund will have more native ability then any scruffy nerd who is actually working. Never ever underestimate scruffy nerds. I have continued my education after highschool on my own damn terms. I should stop here, tomorrow I will tell you a story Bob told me. That story helped me to be less angry at this crowd. more later.