Not too long ago, a friend of my wife's did a home video of her kids' performance in a musical. After videotaping the event, she sent the tape off to a professional company to have the show copied to a DVD. Within a matter of days, the company had returned the tape to our friend, claiming that the tape was damaged, so they couldn't transfer the contents to a DVD. As you can imagine, she was devastated. Not only was the video not copied to a DVD, but the original was unusable. Her once-in-a-lifetime memory was destroyed.
Enter me on my shiny segway. (Okay, I don't actually own a segway, but considering this is a technology story, it seems more appropriate for me to ride in on a shiny segway rather than a white stallion.) Figuring there was nothing to lose, I offered to look at the damaged tape and see if I could fix it. After looking at the tape for a few minutes, I figured out why the tape wasn't working and had the contents dumped to a DVD in no time. My wife and I will be giving the fixed tape and accompanying DVD to her friend this weekend as a birthday gift -- free of charge.
My point is this: Just because a company touts itself on the Internet as "professional" or "expert," that doesn't mean it's the case - especially if they claim to be a technology company. It's frequently more time and cost effective to ask a computer geek friend if they can do what you need done. This too can be a double-edged sword, considering that your local expert could be just as full of crap as the internet company you're dealing with. The difference is, you'll probably run into your neighborhood geek at the supermarket. If you send the work off to a fly-by-night "professional" you could be out more than just a little time and six pack.
Sometimes the local geek knows better. Just make sure that you don't wear out your welcome with him (or her). The first time or two may be a freebie, but you're better off if you offer some beer (or soft drink if they're not old enough) and pizza. After that, be willing to pay them some token amount ($20 to $50, depending on how much time they put into fixing the problem) on top of the beer and pizza. Once you call on them more than three or four times, you had better be prepared to offer them something close to the going rate, or you will quickly find them "too busy" to help you. You can only ask a friend for assistance so often without expecting to give them something substantial in return.
With that said, I've got to go. I just got a 9-1-1 call from another friend who needs assistance with her computer. Just remember... sometimes the local geek knows better. Don't be afraid to ask them for help, but make sure to not take advantage of them.
Enter me on my shiny segway. (Okay, I don't actually own a segway, but considering this is a technology story, it seems more appropriate for me to ride in on a shiny segway rather than a white stallion.) Figuring there was nothing to lose, I offered to look at the damaged tape and see if I could fix it. After looking at the tape for a few minutes, I figured out why the tape wasn't working and had the contents dumped to a DVD in no time. My wife and I will be giving the fixed tape and accompanying DVD to her friend this weekend as a birthday gift -- free of charge.
My point is this: Just because a company touts itself on the Internet as "professional" or "expert," that doesn't mean it's the case - especially if they claim to be a technology company. It's frequently more time and cost effective to ask a computer geek friend if they can do what you need done. This too can be a double-edged sword, considering that your local expert could be just as full of crap as the internet company you're dealing with. The difference is, you'll probably run into your neighborhood geek at the supermarket. If you send the work off to a fly-by-night "professional" you could be out more than just a little time and six pack.
Sometimes the local geek knows better. Just make sure that you don't wear out your welcome with him (or her). The first time or two may be a freebie, but you're better off if you offer some beer (or soft drink if they're not old enough) and pizza. After that, be willing to pay them some token amount ($20 to $50, depending on how much time they put into fixing the problem) on top of the beer and pizza. Once you call on them more than three or four times, you had better be prepared to offer them something close to the going rate, or you will quickly find them "too busy" to help you. You can only ask a friend for assistance so often without expecting to give them something substantial in return.
With that said, I've got to go. I just got a 9-1-1 call from another friend who needs assistance with her computer. Just remember... sometimes the local geek knows better. Don't be afraid to ask them for help, but make sure to not take advantage of them.
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