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Dealing with Client Questions
In my many years of dealing with computer repair clients, I occasionally get asked questions where I have to justify my prices. I have a handful of responses that I use to answer these questions and I would like to share them with you in case similar questions arise for you.
When you fix a clients computer after only pressing few buttons, the client says..
“That’s all you needed to do? I could have done that myself!”
You say..
“Although I fixed it by pressing a few buttons, I knew which buttons to press. It looked like I pressed a few buttons but I was drawing upon my knowledge obtained after X years at University doing X course and my X years of experience seeing similar problems onsite. I analysed this issue, referenced it with my past knowledge and took the appropriate steps which happened to only be a few buttons”
The client says..
“You charge $XX per hour? I get less than half of that per hour!”
You say..
“Actually, much of that $XX goes to my advertising to make sure I keep on getting work, furthering my education, buying test equipment and of course there is a ton of unbillable time such as invoicing, driving and picking up stock. Then there is business insurance, my superannuation etc.. You most likely cost your employer more than you think per hour because your employer has to pay for your superannuation and other benefits, you just don’t get to see it because its being done for you”
The client says..
“Can you give me an estimate of how long it will take to fix this?”
You say..
“Without taking a look at the PC I cant give you a time estimate. Sometimes these problems can be fixed in a few minutes and sometimes it can take many hours but until I see it I cant tell. Its like going to a doctor and saying “I have a pain” but not saying where. He needs to spend some time doing various tests before he knows what the problem is.”
A client brings in a system that isn’t working. You spend half an hour doing diagnosis work and find that its a motherboard problem and it will cost $200 for a new one. The client decides not to get it replaced but purchase an entire new computer instead. So, you charge for your diagnosis time and the client says..
“You want to charge me? But you didn’t fix it!”
You say..
“I have no problems fixing it as I know what the problem is, but you chose not to fix it. It takes time to diagnose these problems and I need to bill for it. If I was doing free diagnosis’ all day I would be working 8 hours a day, not make a cent and going out of business. Would you not pay the Doctor if they discover you have an illness but you wont take the medication?”
The client says..
“Why should I pay you when my 16 year old cousin who ‘knows computers’ can do it for free?”
You say..
“Its like going to the doctor because you have a headache. You could listen to what your cousin says just take a pain killer; or you could go to the doctor who might even say the same thing, but the doctor takes into account things like your allergies, is this pain killer safe to take based on your current medical conditions or does he need to test further for something more serious like a brain tumor. Its just not the same”
The client says..
“I could just go to (insert bigbox computer repair company here) and get it done there”
You say..
“You could, but remember they employ young teenage boys who are usually fresh out of school so they often lack experience. Also, my reputation and direct income relies on my clients being happy with my work unlike the bigbox stores where the teenager will still get paid his hourly wage no matter how badly he treats you.”
The client says..
“Why should I buy a system from you when X has it $XX cheaper?”
You say..
“As you know, I work as a computer technician and because of this I get to see which parts are troublesome and unreliable out in the field, because, well, its my job to go fix them. The salesmen in other stores may know about the features of the product he is selling, but he doesn’t know how reliable the product is once it leaves the store. I only use parts that are known to be the most reliable. Besides, I don’t want computers coming back to me to do warranty work on them. So I only use the good stuff.”
Of course, always watch your tone when saying any of these as you don’t want to sound condescending or that you don’t appreciate them.
Are there any other questions like this you are frequently asked? If so, whats your usual response to them? Drop us a comment.
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Great stuff here! We may use some of this in our training. :)
Why do IT/techs (aka “the technical people”) get so annoyed with End Users (EUs) aka non-technical people? If they all knew what they were doing, A) They’d be running Linux and have far less problems and the problems they would have, they could most likely fix and B) the IT/techs (aka “the technical people”) would have a lot less work because most people wopuld be able to maintain their own system(s) / network(s).
Excellent post!
Your answers are better than mine. I guess I need to re-evaluate my attitude toward “customers”.
When you fix a clients computer after only pressing few buttons, the client says..
“That’s all you needed to do? I could have done that myself!”
You say..
“Idiot! Why didn’t you and not waste my time?”
The client says..
“You charge $XX per hour? I get less than half of that per hour!”
You say..
“I want to three times that amount but the Geek Squad makes em keep my prices “competitive”.
The client says..
“Why should I pay you when my 16 year old cousin who ‘knows computers’ can do it for free?”
You say..
“Call him for your support or try that friend you met at party or someone else. Leave me alone.”
The client says..
“I could just go to (insert bigbox computer repair company here) and get it done there”
You say..
“Please go there now.”
Very good post…I agree fully with the author. I have been repairing/fixing/programing for the past 20 years…I also write my own Utilities to assist in the repairing of computers. Where a normal “repair” might have taken 1 hour(example), my Utility does the same thing in a couple of seconds. What do i do? I charge like a normal tech would have charged…for 1 hour
Great read. I actually do say most of these things already. Although I’m thinking exactly what Richard said while I’m saying it.
I think I would have a tendancy to reply to
The client says..
“Why should I pay you when my 16 year old cousin who ‘knows computers’ can do it for free?”
with
You say..
“Then why did you even come to me in the first place?”
Lol! Clients can be such a pain! Thanks for the customer care crash course, I needed that. ;-)
Excellent post! This is the art of computer repair. Anyone can learn how to diagnose a computer problem, but it’s only a select few that have the social skills to really work well with customers. Having the right answers to these questions can make the difference between keeping or loosing a customer.
This was an excellent reminder article. Thank you for your continued stewardship in keeping us ‘on-the-road’ techs in the loop.
Hank:
I think I would have a tendency to reply to
The client says..
“Why should I pay you when my 16 year old cousin who ‘knows computers’ can do it for free?”
with
You say..
“Then why did you even come to me in the first place?”
I Actually do say this, but I finish the question with an answer.
E.G.
You say..
“Then why did you even come to me in the first place?”
“I hope it was because my reputation superseded me, or that my xx years of college and £xxxx spent furthering my education, made me much more of a viable option.”
“Or did you call me for some other reason?”
my last question may not be the most tactful thing to say but the way I see it, if these customers don’t come back, then I can do without them in any case, after all this type of customer are the ones who annoy all of us..
Great Read. A lot of people think IT is just so easy, because we make it look easy, but if they spent one day in our brains, they would have an information overload and probably short circuit, screaming MEM_DUMP MEM_DUMP!!!!
I think we all have had our fair share of weird clients, but one thing I would like to know in particular is when any of you build a computer to sell,(black case, Gigabyte board, Kingston ram etc.)and a client asks what brand is it? How do you answer this question to them.(We know this is a better PC then a basic Dell but how do you let them know that and most importantly make them beleive you)Especially when the only obvious badge is the “LG” for instance on the DVD drive(They beleive is an LG computer)…
I have a few that really irritate me.
“Is that your best price?”
Desired reply: “No that’s not my best price, but because you asked I’ll drop it down a notch (heavy sarcasm)”.
Real reply: “These prices are standard and there’s not a whole lot I can do, I’m already not making alot of money of these anyway.”
And:
Customer: “How long will that take?”
Me: “Well depending on how well the computer performs, between 2-3 days.”
Customer: “Can you get that done any faster?”
Me: “That depends on how many jobs are infront of yours, and how well the computer performs? (quietly suppressed rage)”
I just thought I’d get those two off my chest. There’s a few more though.
These are good answers Bryce, but I hear in yours and many of the others’ apologies for the pricing and rationalization for what we do.
Client:
“That’s all you needed to do? I could have done that myself!”
Jim:
“Ok, well next time you can do it your self but I will be happy to come over and take a look at it if you have any trouble.”
Client:
“You charge $XX per hour? I get less than half of that per hour!”
Jim:
“Yes, I charge $XX per hour” (I do NOT have to explain or rationalize my pricing. And of course any time that I spend answering their questions is time billed.)
Client: “Can you give me an estimate of how long it will take to fix this?”
Jim: “After I make a diagnosis, I will be able to tell you” (My competition is the big stores who take 1 week to call you with an estimate, so this one is easy for me.)
A client brings in a system that isn’t working. You spend half an hour doing diagnosis work and find that its a motherboard problem and it will cost $200 for a new one. The client decides not to get it replaced but purchase an entire new computer instead. So, you charge for your diagnosis time and the client says..
“You want to charge me? But you didn’t fix it!”
I tell them upfront that a diagnostic in the shop is is $50US, I will then call them and give them an estimate for the repair, which they can choose to have done or not.
The client says..
“Why should I pay you when my 16 year old cousin who ‘knows computers’ can do it for free?”
Jim says
“Ok, have your cousin fix it, but if you have any problems, here is my card. I hope your cousin doesn’t make things worse than they are now.”
The client says..
“I could just go to (insert bigbox computer repair company here) and get it done there”
Jim says:
“They will take two weeks, I will have it back to you this week, and they charge more than me.” (I show them the comparison price list)
The client says..
“Why should I buy a system from you when X has it $XX cheaper?”
Jim says:
“Oh, if you want to buy a [insert name of any large manufacturer] computer that is ok, but I am sure you have heard the stories about horrible service and workmanship” I don’t say that they are terrible machines, I just plant the seed that they have heard the story, and of course they have heard a story or two, no matter how valid the stories are. I am building the IMPRESSION of value and quality and that is all I need to make the sale.
Do good work, build a reputation for honesty, charge a good price.
Some very expensive cars have an undeserved reputation for excellent craftmanship. When a carbuyer pays a high price for a vehicle, they anticipate it to be high quality and that anticipation colors their view.
The client says..
“Why should I buy a system from you when X has it $XX cheaper?”
If dealing with a truly obnoxious individual I don’t want as a customer I usually say something along the lines of:
“Wow! That’s a really good deal. I’d go buy it from them right now if I were you. You’s be crazy not to. (then I wait 10 seconds, smile and say) so…is there anything else I can help you with today?”
They usually catch my drift and sail off into the distance. Maybe I’ve lost a client, but who wants clients like that? They’ll only be more grief than they’re worth down the road.
“I make $1 per hour for pushing a button. I make the other $44 for knowing which button to push.”
Great post. Some great replies and some that are worth using. I am currently embarking on a slightly new career of field repairs after spending 2 years doing telephone diagnostics with customers of a large ISP
I’ve had the first scenario you’ve mentioned above already this week, and it was so fullfilling giving that answer to the client, but I doubt I said it word for word though. Lol!
The amount of customers who tell me they know someone who “knows what they are doing”, “are really good with computers” or even “works for the police computer forensics department” and I’m like, “Well why didn’t you call them in the first place?”
Half the time it’s probably just bluff, usually right after I’ve told them something they don’t want to hear.
I
My best client started as a pain in the ass who wanted to know everything I was doing, how come I used a certain brand of screwdriver, why didn’t I use an anti static starp when removing his floppy drive and 1000 other idiot questions. In the end he said he wasn’t going to pay me for my ability to use a screwdriver and told me to leave. As I left I handed him his motherboard, standoffs, jumpers and assorted screws, cables etc and my favourite No2 Phillips Head screwdriver. I told him if he called me back it would be double the price for two call outs and labour. He called me after 2 hours and he has now been one of my best customers for over 10 years.
I don’t pull punches when dealing with customers.
If they are idiots I tell them so. I don’t need the money that badly I will kow tow to fwits.
My worst customers are those who spent $3K on a computer 7 years ago and when you tell them it isn’t worth $2.00 today they think you are trying to rip them off or something. I just pack up and leave without a comment.
If they come the “My 16 year old cousin etc” I tell them to go see them first but if they want a professional job done then they will have to pay for it.
I never do free jobs for family or friends. (My free time is my free time not help desk support for everyone in the family). They should realise I am making a living from my expertise not running a charity.
I will give freebies to big clients on occasion when I can afford it.
But always give the small businessman a break when you can. He is also trying to make a living just as you are. Support when he is small may just turn into something bigger if he makes it big.
nice…i learned something…
Its stupendous, thanks for the tips. Lessons well learned. I always wanted to be like Mike Busby,
“I never do free jobs for family or friends. (My free time is my free time not help desk support for everyone in the family). They should realise I am making a living from my expertise not running a charity.” But ended up they always bugged me for free or with huge discounts. Kudos Mike.
Great post, I have struggled with one or two of these in the past, im definately keeping this for future reference.
I have directed people to geek squads website before now, as soon as they see $100 backup and $200 callout, it usually cements them with me as a client.
One of the scariest things that I have done, and continue to do so are system reformats/ OS reinstalls. Not that I’m really afraid, (i’ve been doing this for 8+ years) but because all of my clients want the convenience of having their data backed and transferred over. Now, we all know to tell customers that they are responsible for the data etc. etc. etc., BUT, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, and if the client doesn’t have the time or backups his work incorrectly. He will be pissed and upset, be it at me or himself. Its a bad situation, and no one wants to be in a bad situation. So what I do (although takes a little extra time) is I use Acronis image backup (if used with a seagate hard drive its free to run) to backup their work. That way just in case, i accidentally miss a file (of course its the ONLY file they need) i have a backup that I have kept for several weeks that is an exact copy of their drive, insuring their work is saved. Its more work, but its Insurance. My techs and I practice this and it has helped quiet a few times. I love this site.
P.s. its also a great idea to go on ebay and buy all the 2/3 year subscriptions to various magazines and have them mailed. Its great reading material and helps keep you up to speed about problems and new gadgets and in general what else is out there. I hope this helps someone…
Regards,
After 8 years in business-part-time, I learned something here, do not be to friendly with your regular customer,
Rates must be same for everyone, one day someone will tell…x who refered you was charge x$ for the same job …why ?
And it is hard to explain …