Editing Seven questions to ask a PC repair tech

What do you do if your pc is past warranty; toss it in the trash? For most, substitution is the quickest option, but a few may try to deal with it themselves. Some don't want to have to deal with the stress and just end up throwing it out. Little do they know that locating the right computer tech could lead to a easy, inexpensive fix and a pc thats like new again. Nowadays, quality computer repair experts are a dime a dozen. Any family's rolodex of numbers is loaded with plenty of capable computer repair gurus who are more than sufficient to fix most computer issues that you may bump into. This isn't an exaggeration, it really is true. While these experts have adequate repairing abilities, there are some qualities that separate them from the person that you in fact want doing work on your computer. The most important of these characteristics being skills, documentation, and support. If you know the best questions to ask, you can effortlessly clear up the fly-by-night [http://www.pearltrees.com/tie31rene/item141981632 local tech support] from the ones that truly mean business. <h2>Qualifications and References</h2> There are actually many qualifications these days that may look great on paper, but do not compare in the real world. Some are relevant to PC repair, and others not so much. Beware that a lot of them are completely vendor specific. For example, Microsoft certifies experts for all of its goods, but outside of the Windows operating system, these certifications are no place to be found. One more problem is that frequent updates make the certification less reliable. Oracle has certifications. Cisco, IBM, and Dell additionally offer their own certifications. <h2>Credentials</h2> CompTIA is one famous organization that is one of the limited vendor-neutral certification organizations. But essentially, these firms are in it to make money. They are seeking to earn new members and member fees, so there could be a feeling that you are just paying for a certification that might or may not be up to the educational guidelines you'd find at a college or university. This doesn't mean that CompTIA certifications are invalid, they just are not on par with a four-year IT degree. Then again, people of these degrees aren't usually running computer repair agencies. The point is, it should regularly be asked if the professional has a college degree in computers. If they answer that they have a certification it's not necessarily a concern, just something to take notice of for later reference. You could always research the certification later. <h2>Experience and Referrals</h2> The next question is how much experience the tech has and how good are they at what they do? The question could be presented along the lines of how much time they've been repairing computers for a living, and additionally if they can provide customer referrals. If your technician is skilled, they will often have a number of references set aside for these inquires. Do not worry that this question is rude, it is actually quite common in this business. A skilled technician will be more than content to supply these recommendations for you. Ideally, you'll find out how long they been doing their job, and a few of their customers' names. It's important to follow through on any referrals you were provided. Query what repairs were done to their computer, and what kind of computer or software was repaired. It's also important to find out how much they billed, to make sure that you will not pay too much for a similar repair. Even a glowing rating from a favorite customer can let slip information that may reveal some shocks about how the individual runs their company. All of this insight can help you to make a choice. Remember, this may seem like a headache presently, however you only want to ask these inquiries once, at the beginning of your connection with the tech. Once you've completed this process, you're done because you can go back to this person again and again for repairs. <h2>Techs' Specialization</h2> As I pointed out earlier, Microsoft offers their own collection of certifications. Likewise, Apple offers its own certifications as well, in the form of Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC) or Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP). These indicates the person has fundamental support skills to help you out with a Mac. In the same way, CompTIA offers a Linux certification, or technicians can get an LPI certification from the Linux Professional Institute. Outside of operating systems, technicians sometimes specialize in various computer brands, even in the event that they are focused on Windows machines. For instance, technician might be so skilled with Dell computers that simply from your description of the problem, he or she can rather quickly tell you the cause. Different manufacturers have consistently different quality issues, and technicians who worked with them for a number of years are simply more familiar with those particular issues due to having addressed them so many times. This is why they come to be so effective at working with certain brands. Ask if he or she has partnerships or other relations with certain vendors. It pays to try to choose a technician that specializes in your brand specifically, this can save you a major headache now and in the future. <h2>Ask for Rates and Demand Maximum Cost Limitations</h2> Now that you know the technician has appropriate qualifications or training and experience with the make and model of computer, the following step is to talk finances. Friends and family are constantly coming to them for help with their computers, and expecting a free handout. Their relatives may often expect computer support for free. Even people whom they are close to will often ask for free support. Worse is that some individuals then expect complimentary tech support for the lifetime following the repair. So it is possible to offend them by going too low, and it is a waste of everyones time. On the flip side, there are some unscrupulous PC repair folks that take advantage of the point that lots of people know zero about computers. They'll demand an hourly price, and then claim that a 15 minute job, like a System Recovery, actually took much longer than it did. Not understanding any better, people pay it. There are sites out there that state a certain hourly range is just. Other people in the industry feel that only flat rates per service is reasonable. My feeling, having dabbled in being a PC support person for a a lot of customers, is this: In most cases, the problem can be narrowed down to just a few distinct causes. Almost any problem can be triangulated inside of an hour. Since most companies have a 1 hour minimum charge, plainly ask the PC technician to only spend an hour troubleshooting before reporting back as to whether it'll take more time and money. The hourly rate could be anywhere from $20 to $50 or even $70 in some circumstances, but a lot relies on location and local demand for the services. Regardless of the cost, just ask the max diagnostic time, and if they refuse, go somewhere else. <h2>How Data Protection is Treated</h2> Nowadays, backing up important data should be one of the first things any decent technician will do prior to attempting repairs. This procedure is a way for the tech to get your computer back to the state it was in when you previously used it. It's not just a safe thing to do, it's a wise thing to do. The process usually entails: <ul><li>1. Copying critical documents, like financial records or precious family pictures, onto a USB drive or external hard drive.</li> <li>2. Creating a restore point using the tools obtainable in the OS.</li> <li>3. Backing up Internet history or other important folders than handle your day-to-day business</li></ul> So, a great way to decide if the technician is worth anything is to simply ask them what their preliminary backup procedure is. Anyone who is short of the skills of how to do this correctly should be disregarded rather quickly. <h2> How are the changes to the system being tracked?</h2> One other thing that separates professionals from amateurs is documentation. The technicians who lack this standard or do not worry about the changes that have been made is a big red flag. This may commonly contribute to a repaired pc, but at the same time there are a few dozen modifications made inside the control panel that you are completely uninformed of once you get your pc back. It's your computer, and you've set affairs up in a way that makes sense to you, and works for you; so if a technician decides to change things around, like increased security settings, allowing or stopping Windows updates or the firewall, you really need to know. Else you'll start seeing odd activities and you will not know what's going on. To find out the degree of professionalism from your tech, the query is simple: How do you track what adjustments were made? Do they supply a full record at the end of the repair that details all of the changes made, hardware installed or any other modifications to the system? If they are able to give you comprehensive feedback about what changes were made, and why they were done, then that is a really good sign. This one issue alone is a main characteristic of an exceptional technician. If they're effective with keeping organized, detailed documentation of the work they do, the odds are pretty good that they really know what they're doing. <h2>Follow-up Service and Guarantees</h2> The final issue is needed in that you need to know how much confidence the professional has in his or her own work. You can sensibly expect that the professional will be obtainable for phone calls, or even follow-up visits, is there any lingering problems after the repair. Otherwise, the problem wasn't really repaired, it was just temporarily patched. So, ask the tech if they confirm repairs for a certain amount of time. Ask what form of follow-up assistance they give during that time, and is it acceptable to give them a call, or do you have to get the pc back in the shop again? Is the tech willing to do in-home follow-up service as an alternative? These are issues that need to be requested before any dilemmas arise, not after. Once you get a satisfactory answer, make sure that any and all agreements discussed be put down in writing preceding to the start of repairs. Always remember, you paid a fair amount for computer system, and you should know what to look forward to when you entrusted it into another person's hands. Ultimately, you need to have guarantees that the repair won't end up being more than it would cost to merely go out and pick a new computer. If you've asked the correct questions, you have a solid rate quote and all arrangements and guarantees in writing, you can leave your computer with the technician without any worries. Your PC will be repaired, the technician will get paid, and you can be safe that if the issue returns after a few days, you won't be left with the same problem but with a smaller wallet. [http://www.contrive-it.net Stop By Our Website]

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