BajaNomad

Computer tech in Ensenada

Chapala-ex - 10-7-2010 at 10:19 AM

About 6 months ago I heard that there was a computer guy that did house calls. Just returned from a long trip to find that our desktop Dell wont boot up. Hard drive doesn't spool up.

Last time we needed a repair we went to a local shop and were overcharged IMO.

Afterward someone mentioned that for a $25 flat rate he/she would come work on the unit. Obviously parts extra. The source of that info is currently unavailable.

Pls email mhmclafferty@gmail.com with any info.

Thanks

DENNIS - 10-7-2010 at 10:41 AM

A 25 buck flat rate sounds hard to understand given the far reaches of Ensenada and the absence of info on which to base a diagnosis. In fact, 25 bucks seems ridiculous to expect an expert to travel anywhere around here paying the same high price for gas as we do.
I wouldn't ask a ditch-digger to come over to my house for 25 bucks. This isn't the 50s.

.

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[Edited on 10-7-2010 by DENNIS]

Chapala-ex - 10-7-2010 at 10:50 AM

Sorry Dennis that I offended your sense of value. Are you in the computer repair business? There are many retirees that like to keep their hand in their old profession and are not about competing with the local experts.

BTW $25 may or may not be a good price for ditch digging. Depends on the size of the ditch, doesn't it. The 50's???? What did you earn per hour in the 50's? $2.00?

DENNIS - 10-7-2010 at 10:55 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Chapala-ex
Sorry Dennis that I offended your sense of value.



I don't see it as a sense of value...more a sense of decency. Does your financial circumstance demand that you propagate poverty?

AmigoAnónimo - 10-7-2010 at 01:09 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Chapala-ex
Sorry Dennis that I offended your sense of value. Are you in the computer repair business? There are many retirees that like to keep their hand in their old profession and are not about competing with the local experts.

BTW $25 may or may not be a good price for ditch digging. Depends on the size of the ditch, doesn't it. The 50's???? What did you earn per hour in the 50's? $2.00?

I am an expert and a $25 flat rate is unfair whether the tech is a retiree or a beggar.

Although an HDD replacement takes only ~10min, I suppose you'd like it to boot into an OS, enjoy all of the unit's hardware features, & have some semblance of software, too.

Re-installing the OS, drivers, & then software can be a ~3+ hour affair, expert or not.

I charge min wage for travel time & $50/hr for on-site service. My invoices are ALWAYS 1/3 to 1/2 less than what Geeksquad charges for the same service. By no means am I offering my services, just showing what a reasonable rate would be for an expert. I avoid people who expect the world for a pittance. Experience has shown that those unwilling to pay a fair sum, are characteristically the most problematic. Sorry if any feelings are hurt for stating the truth.

Good luck.

Chapala-ex - 10-7-2010 at 02:16 PM

I repeat what I said in the opening post. "Afterward someone mentioned that for a $25 flat rate he/she would come work on the unit."

Whether or not it is fair is really up to the technician, isn't it. I did not ask for this price, nor am I seeking to "propagate poverty".

Perhaps $50/hr is "fair" to you and $75 "fair" to the Best Buy techs. It matters not to me what you think is fair as it is a totally subjective concept. Fair? What's fair? Is it fair for a dentist to charge $500 to extract a tooth? Maybe $25 is too much? A lot of factors are at play.

What does interest me is the principle of supply and demand. If the going rate in Ensenada is $25/hr why should I pay you what you think is fair, even though you probably are a nice, english-speaking "expert".

Being relatively new to the area, I honestly don't know what this service sells for. Hence the post.

AmigoAnónimo - 10-7-2010 at 02:36 PM

Alright, I'll play.
Arguing what's fair, or not, is irrelevant.

Anyone who would mention, much less consider, a tech charging a mere $25 flat rate for a hard disk replacement AND OS restoration anywhere on this planet is deluding them self.

Good luck.

[Edited on 10-7-2010 by AmigoAnónimo]

DENNIS - 10-7-2010 at 03:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Chapala-ex
If the going rate in Ensenada is $25/hr why should I pay you what you think is fair



Hence the confusion. You didn't say, "per hour." You said, "Per call."

25 bucks per hour is way too much here unless you're having your brain changed.

Be clear in your requests and we won't be going through this nonsense.

Chapala-ex - 10-7-2010 at 11:50 PM

Anonymous friend, where in my posts do I mention "a tech charging a mere $25 flat rate for a hard disk replacement AND OS restoration anywhere on this planet is deluding them self".

Sounds like you "know" what my computer's problem is. You not only are a self-proclamed expert but have elevated computer diagnostics to a new level. Do you also divine software solutions?

Dennis, are you confused? One would think that with your reading and critical thinking skills that wouldn't be possible. My request was, and still is, for information... Before more chest-thumping you might re-re-read the thread. Regarding "nonsense", I agree.

Oh, BTW, nothing personal.

bajabound2005 - 10-9-2010 at 07:16 AM

Chris Zamora (and he lives on your side of Ensenada).
home: 174 48 72
office: 152 70 16
cell: 124 36 32

lizard lips - 10-9-2010 at 08:59 AM

Chris knows his stuff. I use him when I need help just let him work and don't start a conversation with him. He's a talker.

mcfez - 10-9-2010 at 03:14 PM

"Last time we needed a repair we went to a local shop and were overcharged .......

get a firm estimate. it's done that way in San Felipe. ask your neighbors where they go when in need of PC help.

bajabound2005 - 10-9-2010 at 05:47 PM

Ditto on what Lizard Lips says...talk talk talk!!!!

AmigoAnónimo - 10-16-2010 at 02:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Chapala-ex
Sounds like you "know" what my computer's problem is. You not only are a self-proclamed expert but have elevated computer diagnostics to a new level. Do you also divine software solutions?.....

I have neither divine connections, nor am I clairvoyant. Continue reading to ascertain "what I know."
Quote:
Originally posted by Chapala-ex
..... our desktop Dell wont boot up. Hard drive doesn't spool up.....

Your description of the symptoms ellicited the standard solution I proffered. Seriously, a dead hard disc drive or one that "doesn't spool up," requires exactly the solution I'd provided.
Quote:
Originally posted by Chapala-ex
Anonymous friend, where in my posts do I mention "a tech charging a mere $25 flat rate for a hard disk replacement AND OS restoration anywhere on this planet is deluding them self".

You did, albeit indirectly. Continue reading to see how my statement reflects your intended message exactly.
Quote:
Originally posted by Chapala-ex
.....someone mentioned that for a $25 flat rate he/she would come work on the unit. Obviously parts extra.

1st, let's define "flat rate." A price per unit which remains constant regardless of the total number of units purchased. In other words, $25 for the service call no matter how many hours required to conclude it. I.E., $25, period.

THEN, given your description of the symptoms, in conjunction with the standard solution to resolve said symptoms AND your flat rate wish, you pretty much said what I'd inferred you'd said.
Quote:
Originally posted by Chapala-ex
.....Oh, BTW, nothing personal.

You did make it personal, as manifested by the ugliness that is sarcasm*. Furthermore, by indicating that it wasn't personal, you also revealed hypocrisy. Sarcasm & hypocrisy are both traits of humans that are incapable of engaging other humans in a societal fashion.

*Definition 2a per Webster's: A mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual. Note the "against an individual" part.

At this point, whether you reply to my retorts, or not, is inconsequential. The fact that you cannot resolve this problem on your own has already determined your place in the food chain. Find comfort there, as you have earned it.

[Edited on 10-16-2010 by AmigoAnónimo]

Chapala-ex - 10-19-2010 at 10:03 AM

Bueno AmigoAnonimo. Thanks for spending the time you did on your response. Thank goodness it is not my nickel.

I feel so enlightened by your retorts... and very comfortable in my place in the food chain.

Just so we all know what a good tech you must be, the problem was just a bad power supply. OOPS! A local, independent tech diagnosed it and replaced it for a total of $350 MX. Works fine. Good thing I didn't use you as it would have cost me at least double.