How to deal with customers that blame you for unintended software issues after a fix

[burgerman]

I have a customer who, everytime he gets a virus, even though Kaspersky has detected and deleted it, asks me to come round to take a look manually at all processes, services and give it a speed up.

I don't mind, it's all good, easy money. But the more I go there, the more stuff i've got to hear about how "a virus melted his friend's motherboard" and so on and so forth.

Anyway, he always picks up on problems that I cannot replicate, things such as internet explorer not responding. As I built the computer for him, and it is an extremely powerful i7 at that, I feel like I am expected to help out for free.

Everytime I go there, other faults are mentioned, ones which I cannot see anything in the event logs for and ones I cannot replicate. I am always put in an awkward position when I go there because I just don't know what to say.

They're not the type of people to complain, but to be charging £30 a time to come out to their home and check everything is fine and not be able to resolve their problems makes me feel a bit guilty. I sometimes believe that they are just stating problems to have a conversation with me. Anyone else ever been in a situation like this?

Yeah i had a guy that would make orders for a whole heap of stuff and right at the last minute he would cancel and he only made the orders so he could talk to me on the phone at night.. i never ordered anything for him so i never got stung but if i had of listened to him i would be in debt.

he was a bit backward mentally and in the end he wanted to start bringing his computer to my house in a taxi at midnight.. i ended up telling him i was no longer in the business.

 

[mnadon]

I don't like to push away customers but sometimes it is necesary. They will monopolize your time with free work. Those customers you don't need.

Focus on doing good work for responsible customers. Walk away from those that don't want to pay. No can be more profitable sometimes.

 

[seedubya]

we run a full diagnostics

Sorry OP this is completely off topic but . . . .

PCX, I love your posts but this has been bugging me since you started using this phrase;

it's either "we run a full diagnostic" OR "we run full diagnostics" NOT "we run a (singular) full diagnostics (plural).

Phew.... there.

 

[PCX]

Sorry OP this is completely off topic but . . . .

PCX, I love your posts but this has been bugging me since you started using this phrase;

it's either "we run a full diagnostic" OR "we run full diagnostics" NOT "we run a (singular) full diagnostics (plural).

Phew.... there.

You know what, its funny you mention this because while I am fairly decent with grammar, I have in the past wrestled with the word "diagnostic." vs "diagnostics." I finally settled upon saying

"we run a full diagnostics"

The reason for this is because the "a" singular describes a process while the "diagnostics" plural is several different tests that make up the one diagnostic process. Anyways, I realize that its wrong, but it sounds right (to me) and it makes more sense (to me). One thing I have learned in college is that while the English is a language is bound by so many different rules (even many that seem to contradict themselves), many famous writers in the past have developed their own style of writing, of which many could be argued as wrong. While I am not a writer, I am applying the same liberty . . .