As many of you know I run a PC shop…
All of our in shop services much more than…uh, windows 98? You sure you wanna fix that? Come with a 1 hour minimum labor charge. Generally we don’t charge more than that one hour if the customer declines to pursue the repair…
Ok, it happens all the time. Being the nice guys we usually offer to dump the customers personal files to a DVD or two so they are getting something for the $49 other than the news that computer has gone the way of its ancestors. Sometimes it takes a couple extra DVD’s, we usually let it go…
Computer comes in 2 months ago…customer states there are two files he really needs for work, system not firing up so, we pull the drive, mount it to a shop machine, pull those two files and copy to his thumb drive…no problemo.
We call back with the diagnosis later that afternoon, bad motherboard. Customer declines the repair and says he will pick it up later in the week. We offer him the backup option, he says no he just wants to pick it up.
8 weeks pass…
He calls and states that he has a bunch of pictures of sentimental value on the computer and wants them transferred to DVD. I tell him no problem I will start on it right away. He then follows up with, “thats no charge right?”
I reply that the only charge would be the outstanding $49 from her original estimate.
him:“but I just want my data, not the computer.” Recites long list of important event pictures, baby pics, etc on machine.
me: “I understand that, but all of our services to come with a 1 hour minimum as stated on your estimate. I have no problem including the data recovery on that $49 charge but it does still stand.”
Him: “I don’t care about the computer, I just need you to remove my files.”
Me: “The charge for that is $49”
Him: “but thats for the computer, I don’t want the computer, just the files.”
Me: “Honestly sir, I don’t want your computer either, You are asking me to perform additional work on your machine, which I am offering to do at no additional charge beyond the $49”
Him: “Well I did not authorize you to charge me for a data recovery so you cannot charge me for that! In addition you already backed up some of my files when I brought it in and didn’t charge me then, so you can’t charge me now.”
So we did you a favor that allowed you to continue working on your project, before we knew the extent of your problem, and you see it as case law :rolleyes: its official no good bit of customer service goes unpunished.
Me: actually sir as long as I do not exceed the dollar value of the initial estimate I am in the clear here, I have no desire to charge you a bunch of extra money, if you were having this discussion with “Competitor X” it would be an extra $120 above and beyond the inital $49.
Him: Fine, keep the damn pictures they were not that important anyway jerk.
Hangs up.
This is pretty much the smallest bill we write, we charge less than many of our competitors, and now they don’t want to pay.
Is this too complicated of a policy?
Should I just start charging a diagnostic fee and start charging for the repairs after that.
Does he really think that just because we have a defacto machanics lein on the machine but that the data, the only thing you are interested in, is somehow magically immune and I am duty bound to hand over your pictures of your ingrateful yuppy larvae for free because…I dunno
Does this guy just have a degree in Cognitive Dissonance?
I am going to go play Halflife2 Deathmatch now and wonder if the red hot rebar in a crossbow treatment would fix whatever is wrong with this guy.