Blue screens AFTER you left the client?

[Majestic]

Hi,

This is a bit of a dilemma for me and I'm not sure if I should or should not charge here.. I cleaned up a clients computer from a virus and did additional maintenance with ccleaner and basic startup maintenance that type of thing. She's running Windows Vista SP1 on an HP Laptop.

In any case, she told me that a few days after I left that's when she started to get spotaneous blue screens about once or twice a day.

I don't know if I was the cause of this. So here's the dilemma.. Do I go in there and find the solution and not charge her or do I charge her and consider it an addition issue/new work order.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Majestic

p.s. The Blue screen is below (if anybody recognizes this?)

Problem signature:

Problem Event Name: BlueScreen

OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.256.6

Locale ID: 4105



Additional information about the problem:

BCCode: 4e

BCP1: 0000008D

BCP2: 00011428

BCP3: 0041004A

BCP4: C06EC341

OS Version: 6_0_6001

Service Pack: 1_0

Product: 256_1

 

[vetman35]

Either way you can't leave the customer hanging. I would see what can do to remedy the problem. Maybe a remote session first to see what's going on.

As for billing, if you would have charged more if the job would have taken longer than you probably should try and charge the difference. If you get on remote or back in person and it was an obvious omission on your part you will know that not charging is appropriate.

Communication is key. Be honest and up front and do your best.

 

[Majestic]

Either way you can't leave the customer hanging. I would see what can do to remedy the problem. Maybe a remote session first to see what's going on.

As for billing, if you would have charged more if the job would have taken longer than you probably should try and charge the difference. If you get on remote or back in person and it was an obvious omission on your part you will know that not charging is appropriate.

Communication is key. Be honest and up front and do your best.

I really like the way you put that. Absolutely I would have charged more as time is money. That is exactly how I will explain it to the client. Sometimes it takes a paradigm shift to understand what you want to communicate. I will look into the issue and judge from there.

Appreciate that!

Majestic

 

[Simmy]

I agree - A remote session is a good start. It means you might be able to fix it without charging the customer extra money so they don't feel cheated in someway and you don't spend too much time and petrol returning to the customer.

You can say the problem didn't present itself when you made your original visit, but had it done you would have charged for any extra time to diagnose it.

Situations like this are annoying and all too common. The customer feels they have paid you to fix the machine once already and don't like the idea of paying more. On the other hand your time is money and it's not like you could predict she was getting a blue screen. The bluescreen could even be completely unrelated to your work and be something she caused after you left! Of course most people would never admit to that. Let us know how you get on.

 

[atlanticjim]

You can say the problem didn't present itself when you made your original visit, but had it done you would have charged for any extra time to diagnose it.

I agree, but I will ask you, what was the original complaint that brought the person to you? I would ask her "Is this the first time you have seen this blue screen or have you had it in the past"? The other question you have to ask yourself is . . should I have caught this problem vs. does the client think I should have caught this the first time? Does the client think I caused this problem?

As far as billing goes, can this client promote new business?

There is probably some business school formula to weigh the different factors but all I do is consider the positives and negatives to billing vs. freework and making-it-right vs. blaming the client or the computer.

[Note to self: Start doing more remote sessions.]

 

[Don]

Re: Blue Screen/Charging Client

For the Blue Screen, HP OEM Software is a pain to work (my personal opinion) I have a HP w/Vista that I sometimes use to test software before I use it on clients computers and I've killed it more than once.
The good part about it is that reinstalling Vista is really easy because Vista uses a "non-destructive" meaning it uses an image an opposed to reinstalling XP where it destroys everything as it installs. So, If you throw everything you want to back-up into a new folder in the root directory (C:\NewFolder or C:\Whatever) when you reinstall it will still be there. Just make sure that you give it a different name than the pre-existing folders and don't format the drive. There is a risk in doing this but I've never had any problems with it.Windows also makes a folder called Windows.old which contains the previous files.

About the client, I go with the rule: No Fix No Charge. I did have a client install IE8 beta after I left (without telling me) and called me the next day saying he couldn't do his online banking along with other issues. I was embarrassed that I left his house without fixing his computer and assumed it was my fault only to find that he installed IE8 beta which wasn't my fault. So, even after that experience I would still give the client the benefit of the doubt but creating a restore point before you start & before you leave leave isn't a bad idea.

 

[Majestic]

I agree, but I will ask you, what was the original complaint that brought the person to you? I would ask her "Is this the first time you have seen this blue screen or have you had it in the past"? The other question you have to ask yourself is . . should I have caught this problem vs. does the client think I should have caught this the first time? Does the client think I caused this problem?

As far as billing goes, can this client promote new business?

There is probably some business school formula to weigh the different factors but all I do is consider the positives and negatives to billing vs. freework and making-it-right vs. blaming the client or the computer.

[Note to self: Start doing more remote sessions.]

The original complaint was that the clients computer a) had viruses and b) was slow. It seems after going into more detail with the client I just found out that actually that blue screen occurred BEFORE I started working on the computer (!!). So In this case it's a new work call and I no longer feel sheepish!

Sometimes you gotta speak english and non-techy to really understand what's going on. At this point it looks like I have to figure out how to diagnose this blue screen. I've googled it but the results are quite mixed. I'm going to try to analyze that minidump file and see what's causing it and if I can replicate it.

The thing is, I have had situations like this in the past where I left the clients business or home and then they have other problems occuring. Since I don't know if I caused it or not sometimes I have not charged. I think more clearly defined rules need to be in place to avoid my time and the clients and to not lose money in the future for things I THOUGHT I did wrong.. Live and learn!

Majestic

 

[vr6rafal]

If it happened within 1 week I would go back and see what's going on. Most likely its something else, if it were something you did, it would show up right away, unless client didn't use computer right away.

If its something else, you have the right to charge the client again, its your call, I probably would not, if its a easy fix, most people do not understand and will blame you for the problem anyway, even though you know for a fact its something unrelated, but good luck making the client understand that who just paid you few days ago.

I would rather go back loose some money on travel and time than loose a client which you never know can bring you more jobs and more clients.