• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Computer Technician Code of Ethics

Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
2,873 (0.54/day)
Location
Corpus Christi, Texas
System Name FumoffuFumoffu
Processor Intel i7 4770K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z87X -UD3H
Cooling Corsair H100i
Memory 16GB DDR3 1600 Crucial Ballistix
Video Card(s) Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7970 OC
Storage 1- WD 500GB 1- Samsung F2 1.5TB 1- Crucial M4 128GB SSD 1-256GB ADATA XPG SX900 ASX900S3 SSD
Display(s) Hanns-G HZ281HPB 27.5'' 3ms Full HD 1920x1200 WideScreen LCD Monitor
Case Corsair Graphite Series 600T
Audio Device(s) Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Titanium
Power Supply Corsair HX 750W Gold
Software Windows 7 Pro x64
Hey, Im writing a page for my coworkers that is to assist them with diagnosing and repairing computer problems over the phone. The first page of the site is going to be for Explaining the ethics of being a computer technician. The big thing here is to make sure that the agent understands the ethics of computers and that it is logical. Any suggestions?

I was thinking of obvious ones like : Never lie to the customer. Always make sure that the customer understands what you are doing....
 

stinger608

Dedicated TPU Cruncher & Folder
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
11,102 (1.98/day)
Location
Wyoming
System Name Dean Machine/2020 Ryzenfall
Processor Intel 4790K/AMD Ryzen 3700X
Motherboard MSI 1150 Gaming mATX/Gigabyte AORUS ELITE B550
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED/SilverStone AH240 AIO
Memory 16 gigs Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer/16 gigs G.Skill TridentZ NEO DDR4
Video Card(s) Gigabyte 1660 Super/Gigabyte GTX 1660
Storage Crucial SSD 256 and 2TB spinner/Dual Samsung 980 Pro M2 NVME 4.0
Display(s) Overlord 27" 2560 x 1440
Case Corsair Air 540
Audio Device(s) On board
Power Supply Seasonic modular 850 watt Platinum/EVGA T2-850 Titanium
Software Windows 10 Pro/Windows 10 Pro
Always assume the customer knows nothing about computers.

Always explain things in a simple way

Tell the customer what is going on while the tech is doing the job

Always, always be as polite as humanly possible

Just a couple that I thought of off the top of my head LOL
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2010
Messages
3,455 (0.68/day)
Location
Portugal
System Name LenovoⓇ ThinkPad™ T430
Processor IntelⓇ Core™ i5-3210M processor (2 cores, 2.50GHz, 3MB cache), Intel Turbo Boost™ 2.0 (3.10GHz), HT™
Motherboard Lenovo 2344 (Mobile Intel QM77 Express Chipset)
Cooling Single-pipe heatsink + Delta fan
Memory 2x 8GB KingstonⓇ HyperX™ Impact 2133MHz DDR3L SO-DIMM
Video Card(s) Intel HD Graphics™ 4000 (GPU clk: 1100MHz, vRAM clk: 1066MHz)
Storage SamsungⓇ 860 EVO mSATA (250GB) + 850 EVO (500GB) SATA
Display(s) 14.0" (355mm) HD (1366x768) color, anti-glare, LED backlight, 200 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 300:1 co
Case ThinkPad Roll Cage (one-piece magnesium frame)
Audio Device(s) HD Audio, RealtekⓇ ALC3202 codec, DolbyⓇ Advanced Audio™ v2 / stereo speakers, 1W x 2
Power Supply ThinkPad 65W AC Adapter + ThinkPad Battery 70++ (9-cell)
Mouse TrackPointⓇ pointing device + UltraNav™, wide touchpad below keyboard + ThinkLight™
Keyboard 6-row, 84-key, ThinkVantage button, spill-resistant, multimedia Fn keys, LED backlight (PT Layout)
Software MicrosoftⓇ WindowsⓇ 10 x86-64 (22H2)
Take into consideration that the costumer knows less than you (or nothing at all).
Be patient and explain every step of the process clearly, justify when needed.

My favorite: The costumer is always right. :p

If I remember some more, I'll post them.
 
Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
4,966 (0.92/day)
System Name i7-PC / HTPC / iMac
Processor i7 3820 / Phenom II 940
Motherboard GIGABYTE G1.ASSASSIN2 / M3A79-T Deluxe
Cooling Corsair Hydro H100i / Scythe II (HS only)
Memory G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600mhz / 4GB DDR2 1066 (@800) Corsair Dominator
Video Card(s) GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB / GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB
Storage 2x 80GB Intel X-25, 2x600gb SATA, 1x1tb 5400RPM storage /1x600GB, 3x500GB,1x160,1x120 SATA
Display(s) 1x 27" Yamakasi / Vizio 42" HDTV
Case Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 / Antec 900
Audio Device(s) HT Omega Striker 7.1 / Onboard and HDMI from ATi Card
Power Supply PC Power & Cooling 750W / 610W
Software Ubuntu / Windows 8.1 Pro / OS X / PHPStorm / Gaming
My favorite: The costumer is always right. :p

well if you say the costumer's wrong he'll make you look stupid. the customer on the other-hand can be a complete $%&$# :)
really though, they are not always right. but you have to pretend they are if you want repeat business. i don't see that as ethical so much.

for a code of ethics i would say:
1) computers, hard drives, and the information within are personal property. copy, backup, etc - but do not look at any of it.
2) obvious one: do not overcharge because you can. charge a fair price to everyone.
3) do not use pirated software for any reason. do not use a legit license more times than allowed.
4) keep track of all the time and work done. this is for their benefit and yours.
5) if you set an appointment, keep it. again - their benefit and yours.
6) do not push unnecessary work/upgrades. the need for speed is relative, if it does the job of the customer it is good enough. just because it is old or slow for you does not mean they need a new machine. however, within reason ;)

and a note: I keep a 1tb hard drive with about 20 or so clients backed up. i don't keep it forever, but more than once i have re-burned a disc with pictures they thought were lost forever. following rule 1, and keeping it secure - if you can spare space keep a backup of pictures and the documents folder.

NEVER do tech support for your family. Nothing good ever comes of it.
That should be at the top of your list.
extended family maybe be wary, but it's really a subjective thing. my family relationship is not yours, and vice versa. i do all work for my parents, sisters, and grandparents. i rarely do for cousins or aunts but am always the first called. it's a drag sure, but they're family :)
 
Last edited:
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
974 (0.18/day)
System Name Grond
Processor Ryen 5 3600x PBO ~ 4.4GHz / fabric at 1900
Motherboard MSI b550 Tomahawk
Cooling XSPC Raystorm CPU w/ am4 mounting bracket+ 2 RX360 radiator + xspc Razor R9-290 w/ backplate
Memory 32gb Crucial Ballistix @ 3800
Video Card(s) XFX R9 290 w/ XSPC Razor full cover block and backplate
Storage WD SN850 1tb-OS, SN750 1tb, Samsung 860 Evo 1tb, WD blue hdd 4tb
Display(s) Samsung 23" 120hz 3d LCD w/ 3d glasses, using 'lightboost' trick
Case NZXT H630 white watercooling case
Audio Device(s) Onboard realtek ALC 1200+ Sennheiser HD 598
Power Supply XFX Pro 850 XXX semi-modular
Mouse Logitech G703 Wireless
Keyboard Steelseries 6 v2
Software Windows 10 Pro (Had some mystery error on Win7 and decided to go W10)
NEVER do tech support for your family. Nothing good ever comes of it.
That should be at the top of your list.
 

Wrigleyvillain

PTFO or GTFO
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
7,702 (1.28/day)
Location
Chicago
System Name DarkStar
Processor i5 3570K 4.4Ghz
Motherboard Asrock Z77 Extreme 3
Cooling Apogee HD White/XSPC Razer blocks
Memory 8GB Samsung Green 1600
Video Card(s) 2 x GTX 670 4GB
Storage 2 x 120GB Samsung 830
Display(s) 27" QNIX
Case Enthoo Pro
Power Supply Seasonic Platinum 760
Mouse Steelseries Sensei
Keyboard Ducky Pro MX Black
Software Windows 8.1 x64
Yeah do family members/friends expect free diagnoses and legal advice from attorneys and doctors? No but they do expect free professional help from computer techs.

Sorry; I know this isn't what the thread is about. Digibucc covered all of mine mainly. Especially the first one as you said "ethics" not "best practices".
 
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
2,873 (0.54/day)
Location
Corpus Christi, Texas
System Name FumoffuFumoffu
Processor Intel i7 4770K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z87X -UD3H
Cooling Corsair H100i
Memory 16GB DDR3 1600 Crucial Ballistix
Video Card(s) Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7970 OC
Storage 1- WD 500GB 1- Samsung F2 1.5TB 1- Crucial M4 128GB SSD 1-256GB ADATA XPG SX900 ASX900S3 SSD
Display(s) Hanns-G HZ281HPB 27.5'' 3ms Full HD 1920x1200 WideScreen LCD Monitor
Case Corsair Graphite Series 600T
Audio Device(s) Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Titanium
Power Supply Corsair HX 750W Gold
Software Windows 7 Pro x64
ok, what about good business practices? If the goal is to fix the issue, and make a sale ( i know this goes against the concept of tech support but our company demands we sell something every call) what would help and cover our a$$? I don't make many sales because i have been looking out for the customer and not trying to sell them something they do not need but our company is putting on the pressure.
 
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
9,019 (1.47/day)
System Name Black Panther
Processor i9 9900k
Motherboard Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO Wifi 1.0
Cooling NZXT Kraken X72 360mm
Memory 2 x 8GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4 3600Mhz
Video Card(s) Palit RTX2080 Ti Dual 11GB DDR6
Storage Samsung EVO 970 500GB SSD M.2 & 2TB Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm
Display(s) 32'' Gigabyte G32QC 2560x1440 165Hz
Case NZXT H710i Black
Audio Device(s) Razer Electra V2 & Z5500 Speakers
Power Supply Seasonic Focus GX-850 Gold 80+
Mouse Some Corsair lost the box forgot the model
Keyboard Motospeed
Software Windows 10
Don't laugh at their mistakes. Or make obvious gestures like face-palm etc. where you show that you think your customer's stupid.

It's very hard, especially when someone of the elder generations calls you because their computer's broken... and you find out that the problem was that they expected to use their ISP username and password to access all forums/websites on the net which require a username and password, "the computer" refused to comply so the computer is "broken".....
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
10,881 (1.63/day)
Location
Manchester, NH
System Name Senile
Processor I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory 16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s) 34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (3440*1440) *FREE_SYNC*
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software Win 10
ok, what about good business practices? If the goal is to fix the issue, and make a sale ( i know this goes against the concept of tech support but our company demands we sell something every call) what would help and cover our a$$? I don't make many sales because i have been looking out for the customer and not trying to sell them something they do not need but our company is putting on the pressure.

Tech support with a thinly veiled motive to sell stuff, I'm sure a lot of customers can smell that.

In quite a few cases, I'm sure there is an opportunity to sell larger hard drives and memory, possibly CPU upgrades and monitors.

The art of selling is convincing a person to buy something they don't need with money they don't have. (LOL - a quote from somewhere)

Here's Dogbert selling a mousepad:

 
Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
4,966 (0.92/day)
System Name i7-PC / HTPC / iMac
Processor i7 3820 / Phenom II 940
Motherboard GIGABYTE G1.ASSASSIN2 / M3A79-T Deluxe
Cooling Corsair Hydro H100i / Scythe II (HS only)
Memory G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600mhz / 4GB DDR2 1066 (@800) Corsair Dominator
Video Card(s) GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB / GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB
Storage 2x 80GB Intel X-25, 2x600gb SATA, 1x1tb 5400RPM storage /1x600GB, 3x500GB,1x160,1x120 SATA
Display(s) 1x 27" Yamakasi / Vizio 42" HDTV
Case Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 / Antec 900
Audio Device(s) HT Omega Striker 7.1 / Onboard and HDMI from ATi Card
Power Supply PC Power & Cooling 750W / 610W
Software Ubuntu / Windows 8.1 Pro / OS X / PHPStorm / Gaming
ok, what about good business practices? If the goal is to fix the issue, and make a sale ( i know this goes against the concept of tech support but our company demands we sell something every call) what would help and cover our a$$? I don't make many sales because i have been looking out for the customer and not trying to sell them something they do not need but our company is putting on the pressure.

it's not really technical support then. not saying your service isn't, but the moment you switch from trying to find the cause of the problem to trying to figure out what you can sell them and how, you are looking for sales advice not specific to computers.

i am a horrible salesman, simply because i don't much like to deal with people. I can do tech support because i am dealing with a logical problem, whereas a person brings emotion and bias into it, and at that point i have difficulty deciphering things in real time. writing (email, etc) are fine, but face to face or phone and i don't think fast enough (gasp). i am too busy processing logical information to realize they made a joke or are upset or thinking about something totally unrelated.
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2006
Messages
43,585 (6.74/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard ASUS TUF x670e
Cooling EK AIO 360. Phantek T30 fans.
Memory 32GB G.Skill 6000Mhz
Video Card(s) Asus RTX 4090
Storage WD m.2
Display(s) LG C2 Evo OLED 42"
Case Lian Li PC 011 Dynamic Evo
Audio Device(s) Topping E70 DAC, SMSL SP200 Headphone Amp.
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W
Mouse Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
Keyboard Tester84
Software Windows 11
ok, what about good business practices? If the goal is to fix the issue, and make a sale ( i know this goes against the concept of tech support but our company demands we sell something every call) what would help and cover our a$$? I don't make many sales because i have been looking out for the customer and not trying to sell them something they do not need but our company is putting on the pressure.

Sell them shit or get a different job. You job isn't technically tech support then. It's a sales job covered in BS support.
 

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
18,914 (2.86/day)
Location
Piteå
System Name Black MC in Tokyo
Processor Ryzen 5 5600
Motherboard Asrock B450M-HDV
Cooling Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2
Memory 2 x 16GB Kingston Fury 3400mhz
Video Card(s) XFX 6950XT Speedster MERC 319
Storage Kingston A400 240GB | WD Black SN750 2TB |WD Blue 1TB x 2 | Toshiba P300 2TB | Seagate Expansion 8TB
Display(s) Samsung U32J590U 4K + BenQ GL2450HT 1080p
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s) Line6 UX1 + some headphones, Nektar SE61 keyboard
Power Supply Corsair RM850x v3
Mouse Logitech G602
Keyboard Cherry MX Board 1.0 TKL Brown
VR HMD Acer Mixed Reality Headset
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Rimworld 4K ready!
Yeah do family members/friends expect free diagnoses and legal advice from attorneys and doctors? No but they do expect free professional help from computer techs.

You're comparing computer tech with doctoring? :wtf:

Anyway, some stuff I found helpful when I was at tech support, some of it is basic, but whatevs:

Smile. Even when on a phone/headset. It helps you and the customer.
See the people as customers with a legit need (unless they're assholes, such people exist) and not things that get in the way.
Always keep your cool. Nothing good comes out of losing it.
When people insults you or yells or stuff like that, inform them that if they do not calm down you WILL hang up. If they keep on, hang up.
Be sure of what you say. Don't do guesswork.
Keep to whatever rules/principles/guidelines your company have.
Take responsibility for what you say. Try not to say stuff like "I'm sorry, but company guidelines say that.." because that sounds bad. Sometimes you have to do it of course, but don't say you're sorry. EVER.
Positive thinking will get you a long way. It makes the job easier on you and you will probably perform better.

... uhh that's what I thought about right now.
 
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Messages
9,762 (1.91/day)
Location
Jakarta, Indonesia
System Name micropage7
Processor Intel Xeon X3470
Motherboard Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. P55A-UD3R (Socket 1156)
Cooling Enermax ETS-T40F
Memory Samsung 8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3
Video Card(s) NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800
Storage V-GEN03AS18EU120GB, Seagate 2 x 1TB and Seagate 4TB
Display(s) Samsung 21 inch LCD Wide Screen
Case Icute Super 18
Audio Device(s) Auzentech X-Fi Forte
Power Supply Silverstone 600 Watt
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Sades Excalibur + Taihao keycaps
Software Win 7 64-bit
Benchmark Scores Classified
treat the pc like yours. some technician who called to fix it does bad job, although the problem fixed they left several things that make uncomfortable, like forgot to install driver, or forgot to plugin molex to optical drive
be honest of course, some err you may not know how to fix it. so try, if you cant tell them. dont lie to them. some user may more expert than you think so if you lie to them you just throw their trust out of windows
 

3volvedcombat

New Member
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
1,514 (0.28/day)
Location
South California, The desert.
System Name My Computer
Processor Core 2 Q9550 4Ghz 1.23volts
Motherboard Gigabyte
Cooling Corsair
Memory OCZ
Video Card(s) Galaxy
Storage Western Digital
Display(s) Acer
Case Lian li
Audio Device(s) Asus
Power Supply Corsiar
Software Microsoft
Benchmark Scores 25,000 3dmark06 at 4.35Ghz processor, 835core card!
For any of you thinking you should never try to sell stuff and do I.T. Support and diagnostics are crazy, because every company needs profit if they have shelves(ruthless world).

I used to be a I.T. Tech at a local in-store shop (sadly out of business) where we also had store shelving stock.

We had over 6 case's, Intel and AMD dual to latest processors, Motherboards for all processors,
DDr,ddr2,ddr3 ram and so-dims for the laptops. We had antivirus software, security "camera" software, even POS system software. We also had windows vista-7 and XP(not after micro s. stopped shelving XP) we had everything, like a mini Fry's or Micro Center store. We had more tech then bestbuy in the same complex(client reference).
(we would restock from a weekly trip to LA to distribution warehouses like D&D)

One of the reason's we went of business is because there just was not enough sale's to cover the building utility's, renting/loan, and licensing needed to make the computer shop run. We had a good number of client's that liked the quick I.T. work.

In 1-3 days every system was on the bench then finished and returned, and that was with any problem(bad drives, salvage data, virus, maintenance, system build). I saw as a lot of work was being done for clients and there computer's, but are profit was coming from the work order's and barley any sales, and we were already low balling on charge's.

Didn't go well, we couldn't keep up with the low charge's on our work order's without any sales for all the store merchandise. So don't get angry at anybody trying to sell anything, because frankly no one win's if there is not enough profit, and the client can always say no or get a refund

Tech Ethics:
*Always refer to the "customer" as the Client so there isn't this sense of best buy sales rep.
*Never argue with the Client, and never disagree with the Client unless you peacefully explain and they understand.
*Always ask for what the client want's before you get into the diagnostics, you want to make sure you clarify or assure if it can be done. (sometimes there is confusion so take it seriously on this one)
*Call the Client with any notifications if there are more problems found, and if there need's to be any extra charge's. Also notify immediately if your done with the machine, so you have a happy client.
*Explain to the Client that you will assist them if there are any problem's, (give them number for contact) some people give out there cell numbers for anytime assistance.
*Just assume that all Clients are low in knowledge and explain it as if you were telling a semi elderly man that's just not the tech geek.

there's some obvious suggestion's like, get the work done on time, do it right, and know what your doing.
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
4,966 (0.92/day)
System Name i7-PC / HTPC / iMac
Processor i7 3820 / Phenom II 940
Motherboard GIGABYTE G1.ASSASSIN2 / M3A79-T Deluxe
Cooling Corsair Hydro H100i / Scythe II (HS only)
Memory G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600mhz / 4GB DDR2 1066 (@800) Corsair Dominator
Video Card(s) GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB / GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB
Storage 2x 80GB Intel X-25, 2x600gb SATA, 1x1tb 5400RPM storage /1x600GB, 3x500GB,1x160,1x120 SATA
Display(s) 1x 27" Yamakasi / Vizio 42" HDTV
Case Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 / Antec 900
Audio Device(s) HT Omega Striker 7.1 / Onboard and HDMI from ATi Card
Power Supply PC Power & Cooling 750W / 610W
Software Ubuntu / Windows 8.1 Pro / OS X / PHPStorm / Gaming
yeah it's hard but you don't need to keep so much in stock. if a replacement part is needed RARELY is 1-2 days for free shipping from newegg for example not an option.

I also do in home tech support, and do in house repairs out of my home office. i do it all myself and so do not have employees, extra costs associated, an office building, etc.

Granted i am not doing as many repairs as a shop but as much as any one guy in the shop did i'd imagine. yes companies have to make money but then you are sales/service not service. not a technician finding the cause of the problem but rather a salesman finding an angle to sell a product.

if a replacement part IS needed, that's obviously one thing - totally different than upgrading a piece of hardware that already worked - and was fast/powerful/quiet enough for the customer.
 

3volvedcombat

New Member
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
1,514 (0.28/day)
Location
South California, The desert.
System Name My Computer
Processor Core 2 Q9550 4Ghz 1.23volts
Motherboard Gigabyte
Cooling Corsair
Memory OCZ
Video Card(s) Galaxy
Storage Western Digital
Display(s) Acer
Case Lian li
Audio Device(s) Asus
Power Supply Corsiar
Software Microsoft
Benchmark Scores 25,000 3dmark06 at 4.35Ghz processor, 835core card!
yeah it's hard but you don't need to keep so much in stock. if a replacement part is needed RARELY is 1-2 days for free shipping from newegg for example not an option.

I also do in home tech support, and do in house repairs out of my home office. i do it all myself and so do not have employees, extra costs associated, an office building, etc.

Granted i am not doing as many repairs as a shop but as much as any one guy in the shop did i'd imagine. yes companies have to make money but then you are sales/service not service. not a technician finding the cause of the problem but rather a salesman finding an angle to sell a product.

if a replacement part IS needed, that's obviously one thing - totally different than upgrading a piece of hardware that already worked - and was fast/powerful/quiet enough for the customer.
New-egg is great. But doesn't have everything and is more expensive then the warehouse's, product's come in the next day.
Yeah there was around 10-30 machine's in the shop at 1 time, most every charge was like 30-150$ for multiple diagnostics and repairs.
The only angle's that sold product's where for either client purchase(no computer turned in, just getting parts), or if the client needed that new hard-drive, ram, case fan, ect... (failure)
All we did carry in stock was what was really sold with some extra cables and wires.

Never did we send everybody out with that anti-virus software, or pointless mouse pad ect...

Just client satisfaction, needed them to comeback :p

PS: Never had a video card over 120$, a Processor over 3-400$, or a case over 50$:p Never carried "upgrades" that enthusiast love :) Just the replacement's and essentials

If any client needed that high end part, it was in stock and in our doors in 2 days or less.
 
T

twilyth

Guest
I think you can cover it with one basic rule: Treat the client the way you would expect to be treated if it involved something that you knew nothing about.

Even if the client seems like an asshole, try to look at the problem from their perspective.
 

streetfighter 2

New Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Messages
1,655 (0.33/day)
Location
Philly
Simple stuff really:
1) Never report the client to the Fed for copyright infringement unless their collection includes some really epically bad movies, like Mean Girls, Navy Seals, etc. My limit was seven bad movies before I reported them; some of my coworkers did less or more.
2) The client always expects you to rate their porn collection, belittle them for not hiding it well and discuss the best porn sites with lots of colorful language. So be prepared.
3) If the customer comes in looking for memory, tell them they need a hard drive; if they need a hard drive tell them they need memory; if they tell you they need both, tell them that neither are compatible with their system and/or they don't make them anymore.
4) Don't shower, especially if you travel to the customers site. This is the best way of avoiding having to talk to the client.
5) If the user doesn't know a lot about computers, use a bunch of gibberish terms like "flux capacitor" and "neutrino deflector". Make sure to throw in jabs about how unattractive and unintelligent they are.

I've been doing it for 10 years and it keeps them coming back.
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2009
Messages
5,614 (1.07/day)
Location
San Diego, CA
System Name White Boy
Processor Core i7 3770k @4.6 Ghz
Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe
Cooling CORSAIR H100
Memory CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB @ 2177
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX 680 CLASSIEFIED @ 1250 Core
Storage 2 Samsung 830 256 GB (Raid 0) 1 Hitachi 4 TB
Display(s) 1 Dell 30U11 30"
Case BIT FENIX Prodigy
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W Modular
Software Windows Pro 7 64 bit || Ubuntu 64 Bit
Benchmark Scores 2017 Unigine Heaven :: P37239 3D Mark Vantage
Hey, Im writing a page for my coworkers that is to assist them with diagnosing and repairing computer problems over the phone. The first page of the site is going to be for Explaining the ethics of being a computer technician. The big thing here is to make sure that the agent understands the ethics of computers and that it is logical. Any suggestions?

I was thinking of obvious ones like : Never lie to the customer. Always make sure that the customer understands what you are doing....

Having been a technician for a few year and servicing the general public, I highly recommend you make yourself and co-workers aware of the companies policy's when it comes to discovering "questionable material" (i.e. pornography , CP ect.) as I went through a year long lawsuit for turning in a customer that had CP on their machine.

I also recommend being selective about customers. If this is in a corporate enviroment, make sure your not disturbing peoples work places, and above all use common sense.
 
Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
4,966 (0.92/day)
System Name i7-PC / HTPC / iMac
Processor i7 3820 / Phenom II 940
Motherboard GIGABYTE G1.ASSASSIN2 / M3A79-T Deluxe
Cooling Corsair Hydro H100i / Scythe II (HS only)
Memory G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600mhz / 4GB DDR2 1066 (@800) Corsair Dominator
Video Card(s) GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB / GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB
Storage 2x 80GB Intel X-25, 2x600gb SATA, 1x1tb 5400RPM storage /1x600GB, 3x500GB,1x160,1x120 SATA
Display(s) 1x 27" Yamakasi / Vizio 42" HDTV
Case Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 / Antec 900
Audio Device(s) HT Omega Striker 7.1 / Onboard and HDMI from ATi Card
Power Supply PC Power & Cooling 750W / 610W
Software Ubuntu / Windows 8.1 Pro / OS X / PHPStorm / Gaming
I went through a year long lawsuit for turning in a customer that had CP on their machine.

I think you did the right thing, obviously. but how during regular technical repair did you come to find they had that?
 
Joined
Oct 13, 2010
Messages
1,113 (0.23/day)
System Name Desktop
Processor Intel Core i5 6600k
Motherboard Asus Z170-E
Cooling Cooler Master 212 Evo
Memory 16 GB Ballistix DDR4 2400
Video Card(s) NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060
Storage 120GB OCZ Vector SSD & 1TB Western Digital Black
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) N/A
Power Supply 630w Raidmax Hybrid 2 RX-630SS
Mouse Logitech G402
Keyboard Rosewill Mechanical
Software Windows 10
Always assume the customer knows nothing about computers.

That is the only one I hate HAHA! Simply because it's like...

hey, my internet isn't working. I dropped the router into some water. Could that have caused it?

Answer: Alright sir, have you tried to restart the PC?

-.-

LOL!
 

Wrigleyvillain

PTFO or GTFO
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
7,702 (1.28/day)
Location
Chicago
System Name DarkStar
Processor i5 3570K 4.4Ghz
Motherboard Asrock Z77 Extreme 3
Cooling Apogee HD White/XSPC Razer blocks
Memory 8GB Samsung Green 1600
Video Card(s) 2 x GTX 670 4GB
Storage 2 x 120GB Samsung 830
Display(s) 27" QNIX
Case Enthoo Pro
Power Supply Seasonic Platinum 760
Mouse Steelseries Sensei
Keyboard Ducky Pro MX Black
Software Windows 8.1 x64
You're comparing computer tech with doctoring? :wtf:

Fine but the point stands. No other profession gets the "I expect free work from you" like tech support. I guess they think we love messing with computers all the time no matter what unlike, say, a roofer for whom it's just work.
 
Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
4,966 (0.92/day)
System Name i7-PC / HTPC / iMac
Processor i7 3820 / Phenom II 940
Motherboard GIGABYTE G1.ASSASSIN2 / M3A79-T Deluxe
Cooling Corsair Hydro H100i / Scythe II (HS only)
Memory G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600mhz / 4GB DDR2 1066 (@800) Corsair Dominator
Video Card(s) GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB / GB Radeon HD 7950s 3GB
Storage 2x 80GB Intel X-25, 2x600gb SATA, 1x1tb 5400RPM storage /1x600GB, 3x500GB,1x160,1x120 SATA
Display(s) 1x 27" Yamakasi / Vizio 42" HDTV
Case Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 / Antec 900
Audio Device(s) HT Omega Striker 7.1 / Onboard and HDMI from ATi Card
Power Supply PC Power & Cooling 750W / 610W
Software Ubuntu / Windows 8.1 Pro / OS X / PHPStorm / Gaming
Fine but the point stands. No other profession gets the "I expect free work from you" like tech support. I guess they think we love messing with computers all the time no matter what unlike, say, a roofer for whom it's just work.

well computers are more of a lifestyle than say roofing. also it's harder for people to understand what we do than it is for other service professions. a physical repair makes sense to someone but spending hours on bits and bytes is not easily understood.

customers tend to think it takes an hour. not an hour and 15 years experience.

that, and it really is a relative cost. depending on where you live an hour shop cost can be anywhere from $25 to $100 or even more. with that kind of range it's understandable the common user has no real concept of value with regards to troubleshooting and repair.
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
4,815 (0.78/day)
Location
Wangas, New Zealand
System Name Darth Obsidious
Processor Intel i5 2500K
Motherboard ASUS P8Z68-V/Gen3
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212+ in Push Pull
Memory 2X4GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) ASUS R9 270x TOP
Storage 128GB Samsung 830 SSD, 1TB WD Black, 2TB WD Green
Display(s) LG IPS234V-PN
Case Corsair Obsidian 650D
Audio Device(s) Infrasonic Quartet
Power Supply Corsair HX650w
Software Windows 7 64bit and Windows XP Home
Benchmark Scores 2cm mark on bench with a razor blade.
From real life scenarios:-

Do not burst out laughing when you ask the client what the name of the missing folder(s) is/are and he shows you written on the palm of his hand 'shemales and wrestling'.

If you are serving a hot female friend of yours by recovering her data from her coke spoiled laptop and find hardcore solo sex clips of her in amongst the wanted data, do not mention you saw it.

If a client is an old man and shows their gratitude by pulling a lollipop out of his pants pocket for you, take the lollipop but don't eat it.

If you call up a customer to say their data is lost due to a failed HDD and they start crying, be as courteous as possible.
 

Ahhzz

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Messages
8,708 (1.48/day)
System Name OrangeHaze / Silence
Processor i7-13700KF / i5-10400 /
Motherboard ROG STRIX Z690-E / MSI Z490 A-Pro Motherboard
Cooling Corsair H75 / TT ToughAir 510
Memory 64Gb GSkill Trident Z5 / 32GB Team Dark Za 3600
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2070 / Sapphire R9 290 Vapor-X 4Gb
Storage Hynix Plat P41 2Tb\Samsung MZVL21 1Tb / Samsung 980 Pro 1Tb
Display(s) 22" Dell Wide/24" Asus
Case Lian Li PC-101 ATX custom mod / Antec Lanboy Air Black & Blue
Audio Device(s) SB Audigy 7.1
Power Supply Corsair Enthusiast TX750
Mouse Logitech G502 Lightspeed Wireless / Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum
Keyboard K68 RGB — CHERRY® MX Red
Software Win10 Pro \ RIP:Win 7 Ult 64 bit
I think you did the right thing, obviously. but how during regular technical repair did you come to find they had that?

Can't answer to his issue, but I know that I've seen all sorts of things due to viruses... The love bug infecting all those files caused the scanner to list them as they were found/cleaned/deleted, and some of the names were pretty explicit. We had a family member of the owning family in from Europe, infested with some crap or other. In deleting the content.ie5 stuff, and cleaning with a scanner... some of the files... whew....

I don't particularly care about Company Policy when it comes to child porn. you report it. period.

2 Notes I've got on my desk for my own assistance are:

Don't assume the customer is wrong.
and
Don't Get Comfortable.

Sometimes, the user actually does get it right, whether they know what they're talking about or not. It never hurts to double check, and gives them a sense that you respect their opinions, and don't look down on them.

I've also been in the position of being too comfortable in my job, and it hurt my performance. Never assume you're going to get paid the next day, or that you can't be replaced, or that you know as much as you say you do.

Along the lines of the client, I hear at least once a week "I don't know anything about these things!!" or something along those lines. The best response I've come up with, is "Well, I promise not to (repair cars/sell carpet/do your payroll), if you'll promise not to work on the computer ;) "... Usually gets a smile and a laugh. Puts them at ease, lets them know that you're pretty confident that you'll take care of them, and also lets them know that you're sure that they're good at their jobs.
 
Top