OK, so in my group of friends I'm pretty decent with computers, while everyone else is not. Out of my group of friends I've had to format 5 of their laptops, because they had viruses and shit. To format the shit and put new windows on always seems like the best bet. I've done this for this girl one time already, and her boyfriend(whos my good buddy) as well as this girls roomate. So i've fixed everyone in this groups computer at some point over the past two years. Anyways i get a call from this girl about how shes got some fake antivirus thing popping up and shit, and how it won't let her get online blah blah blah. Anyways, I say alright well I could stop by and take a look at it later, and she says, what if i just drop it off in a lil bit. It pisses me off that she bypassed the scenario of me looking at it in her company, on my own time. She also bypassed the scenario of me saying no, or her having to ask for my help, it was simply assumed because I've done it before. I don't like that she never had to beg for my help, she just was like hell do it asap when i get him my comp. Sorry, no netflix and facebook for a few hours, poor baby. I'm a nice guy, especially since ive done this shit before. Anyways the last time i formatted someones computer I got completely shafted. It was actually this girls' boyfriends comp. They didnt tell me their cd drive didnt work, and i tried to install windows about 5 times with no luck, it would get to like 60 percent and stop. I thought it was my cd, so i torrent another and burn it. Finially realizing it was the cd drive i had to learn how to make a flashdrive OS loader. Anyways it was a bitch, and i was thinking it would be the last time i help anyone, cuz im a jerk like that. Anyways, I wanna know what I should do. I don't have a job this summer, and this girl could take it to a computer store, and have to pay like 200 dollars to get it formatted. she would have to pay for windows, ms word, labor, etc. I'm thinking of saying fuck doing it for free, I'm putting on tons of money worth of software, I might say its free the first time. But it takes a few hours to format and set up everything, why should i do it for free? she is my friend, not a super good friend, but we cross paths a few times a week. I just feel like I'm being taken advantage of, I constantly am the ones with tons of hash and buds, smoking her and her bf up whenever i see them, overall generally being a friendly dude, and it just feels like she is trying to take advantage of me, i just don't even know what would be a reasonable amount to ask. And no i'm not trying to sell pirated software, I'm trying to sell the time i will have to deal with this shit. although i will be putting like 200 dollars of software on it and shit, it didnt cost me anything, its just my service should have value, especially since any pc store would jag for a few days and I'll do it in a timely manner GC what should I do?
Hmmm that's a tough one. If you want to keep being friendly then go ahead and do what you need to do to it, but when you give it back to her tell her to take care of it and imply that you aren't gonna keep fixing it for free whenever she breaks it. Let her know that the stuff you're putting on it is infact expensive and takes a good amount of your time to install. You could address her or her boyfriend about this since you said he's your good buddy too. Or if you're already fed up then just tell her you're starting to charge people because a lot of people are using your services. Tell her you need 100-150$ to hook her up, which she would surely pay inplace of a 200-300$ bill at a computer store. Hope it all works out, let us know what goes down
Just tell her "No. I'll be over to check it out on my own time. I'll let you know" People over complicate so much.
O yea i over complicate every social interaction and tear it to pieces, lets just say i watch too much seinfeld and curb your enthusiasm. Anyways, I'm more so curious about how to go about the situation without pissing her off too much, and shit, im not tryin to lose friends, but i would be pissed if someone asked me for 100 dollars for something they did for free once. hahhaha I think my best bet might be chattin with her boyfriend later this afternoon and speculating my thoughts.
Will you explain how to revive my windows xp computer that is messed up , my disk drive is also broken(( I wish I had a computer friend.... I would smoke hash oil and bud with you tho n chill not demand u to fix it like her ... Anyways one day if your up to ..it your probably still pissed at her about this situation I would like to know how to do it with a flash drive. All my document from college are on it!! make a white lie like my restore disc got scratched??
Im a lil too high, but I wanna help, Shouldnt she be able to understand that its going to be expensive, and you might not have the ability to do it for free...Ive always paid for parts and shit, just like kept em high and boozin right while the work was being done, work out a compromise? Maybe im missing some point/
well the process im talking about is, wiping the harddrive, and putting fresh microsoft word and windows on, the software is expensive, but i have copies, the process takes 4 or 5 hours in total. Anyways, I did it for free one time, and now I'm not willing to do it free, how do i go about nicely telling them,
I would ask for like $55 to fix it. Tell her you have fixed ALOT of people's computers and you are busy with things and doing this for her will take a huge chunk out of your day. $55 isn't too bad considering if it takes you 5 hours that's $11 an hour. She's probably going to be paying at least this much at ANY computer store. As for when to do it... Tell her you will come by when YOU can make it.
"Hey, I know ive done it for free before, but I have to get a few(w/e amount) dollars to fix it, but it will be cheaper than a comp store, and I will do it" Or some kinda barter? Idk I'm gonna think on this one. I feel like im typing stupidity. lol Ive never not paid for my own upgrades or fixes if it required something my computer needed additionally.
Lend her a windows disc & tell her to do it herself, reformatting a PC really isn't hard imo you shouldn't own something you can't use
Start your own comp business, that's what my friend is doing right now. Expand outside of your friends too, there are always people who need work on their computers, so if you can do it, it's constant money.
That is not a white lie, thats a lie. That is also passive aggressive as all hell. If you want money for it, straight up tell her. you aren't unicef, maybe oneday unicef will get into computer repairs but until then shes gonna need about 100 bucks.
And yeah tell that bitch to pay you or google how to fix a fucked up computer. No access to the internet? Better go to the library hun.
i appreciate the words, im gonna hit her up later and tell her im not gonna fix it for free cuz it takes so damn long, but it will be cheaper than anywhere else would be to fix it. Thats what i initially was thinking, i just needed some people to back me up. This chick is just super emotional and kinda crazy, so i need to tread lightly.
so yea i brought it up nicely in a well argued statement about how long it would take, and said ill look at it , but if i need to reformat and wipe it ill have to charge her money, i said 30 or 40 dollars and she was alright with it and thankful regardless. i just was worried over nothin