Does your family give you crap....

the_Grinch

for not supporting them? My mother recently got ticked because I didn't have patience with her for a number of computer issues she had this past couple of weeks. The big one being yesterday, in which case, I had two root canals during the day and the dentist was kind enough to not only hit a nerve in my jaw (causing a ton of pain and me almost jumping from the chair), but also cut me under my tongue enough to have a stitch put in place. Dealing with IT issues day in and day out can be draining on good days, so the last thing I want to come home to is more problems. Oh, I should mention the problem she was having was when she went to the Amazon page to Christmas shop it was asking for my dads password (it autofilled his email account in). So I told her, erase it and put her account in (obviously I probably said it with an attitude, but are we serious?). So anybody else's family give them crap when all you want to do on your day off is relax and not think of anything computer related? Moral of the story is I just need to move out and not answer my cell when the calls come

Bokeh

A L L T H E T I M E! lol

Daughters call from 800 miles away, asking dear ol' dad to fix things on their computer, and then get upset when it doesn't work NOW. They dont understand it takes steps sometimes.

Girlfriend has issues with her laptop and her Ipod, and tosses them at me "fix it, youre in IT." Doesn't matter if I am busy doing something else, must drop it all for them, lol.

We have a thankless profession ....

Plantwiz

It's your mother...just fix it.

the_Grinch

LOL....I did tell her to just erase the email address and put hers in. It just compounded on the other issue she had when she lost access to her Gmail account and since she didn't setup an alternative or cell phone number, you have to jump through 100 hoops to get it back (which of course means I have to jump through 100 hoops). I should probably just blame Bill Gates and Steve Jobs....computers should not be for everyone

earweed

Father in law does it to me.
Says he can't get on internet. Checking it out and finally figuring what the problem is he just can't get into a gameroom on Yahoo chess. He can't accept the fact that I can't "fix it"

the_Grinch

earweed wrote: »

Father in law does it to me.
Says he can't get on internet. Checking it out and finally figuring what the problem is he just can't get into a gameroom on Yahoo chess. He can't accept the fact that I can't "fix it"

LOL and now you must be a terrible IT person since you can't fix that issue....

cisco_trooper

I don't fix a computer for anyone who is not paying me anymore. People will take take take and never give anything in return if you let them. I especially don't fix machines for people who only call when their computer is broken. If you don't give a crap about me the rest of the year, why should I go out of my way to help you. It may seem a bit harsh but people need to get a freaking clue. I'm under high stress 50 to 60 hours a week and get calls at 2am. Your computer doesn't matter much to me if that is the only time I enter your thoughts.

ptilsen

cisco_trooper wrote: »

I don't fix a computer for anyone who is not paying me anymore.

This. Very few exceptions. I'm also very frank with my friends and family that I don't have time and if I do help them, it will be days or weeks until it is convenient.

cisco_trooper wrote: »

I'm under high stress 50 to 60 hours a week and get calls at 2am. Your computer doesn't matter much to me if that is the only time I enter your thoughts.

Especially this.

NightShade1

I really hate computer support stuff... i don't like it... i HATE IT
When people ask me if i know how to fix comps i just say i don't, even if i know how... i mean anyone even family... i just tell them "i just deal with networking equipment and networking related stuff"...
I just fix my comp, obviously, my gf comps my dad comps and sometimes my sister comps but besides that i always say no i dont know....
My gf and my dad always tells me i got a problem with the comp when you get sometime please help me....if im playing they let me finish playing if im watching tv they let me finish what im watching , they are not demanding me to help them right away... so that's good and that's why im willing to help them.

Anyways i dont know if someone feels like me that hates fixing comps?

NOC-Ninja

pshhh calm down guys!

My dad asked my to download 70s-80s songs. He gave me 5 pages paper (list of songs). Also, he wants to upload it to his ipod because he doesnt know how. His excuse is so that he and my mom can listen to good songs in the car.

I have to insert it to my labbing schedule.

Of course, I have to deal with computers and network problem at home. Its family so i have to suck it up.

the_Grinch

Its tough because people out of the industry truly don't understand. My mom is a teacher, not like when she gets home I can be like "Oh can you teach me how to read?" Obviously, she does have stuff she has to bring home and do, but not in the sense of what an IT person has. I want to leave the office where it is. Working on computer problems all night, doesn't make me want to come home and deal with them. If it isn't the computer it is "how do I watch a dvd?" or "how do I record a tv show?" or "this damn tv isn't working (not on the proper input)". At least at work I get paid to deal with these issues (and really don't have a choice lol). I dunno, just felt like whining today hahahaha

TeKniques

cisco_trooper wrote: »

I don't fix a computer for anyone who is not paying me anymore. People will take take take and never give anything in return if you let them. I especially don't fix machines for people who only call when their computer is broken. If you don't give a crap about me the rest of the year, why should I go out of my way to help you. It may seem a bit harsh but people need to get a freaking clue. I'm under high stress 50 to 60 hours a week and get calls at 2am. Your computer doesn't matter much to me if that is the only time I enter your thoughts.

Exactly how I feel. What's up with the old high school friend calling once a year to ask for help fixing their computer? "Hey, how have you been? By the way I'm having this computer problem."

Once you touch it, you own it for life. Best to just stay away

SteveLord

Plantwiz wrote: »

It's your mother...just fix it.

On the subject of it being your parents, this is the only response that matters.

Shockwave29361

Only person I help is my mom and that's because a microwave can leave her confused for days. Not saying she's dense or anything, just grew up in a rural area and hasn't quite grasped technology. Anyone else I'll tell them I only work on servers and don't know anything about desktops or "did you Google it? cause that's all I'm going to do". That last one seems to work the best.

instant000

the_Grinch wrote: »

The Grinch Song - YouTube

Look at your avatar. Now look at your post.
Look at your avatar. Now look back at your post.

... cue the Old Spice guy

the_Grinch

LOL, yup I choose my handle perfectly

Trifidw

Shockwave29361 wrote: »

I'll tell them I only work on servers and don't know anything about desktops.

Not a bad shout here to be honest. Although I tend to say phones (people are less confused when I say phones instead of my actual job of IT communications).

I've actually come to realise I know very little about computers bar putting bits in and formatting them.

VAHokie56

Do you live with your parents? even though I have not lived with my rents for a number of years I had to setup Logmein on all of there computers ( brothers & sister to) so I can fix there crap. Its family dude just knuckle up and fix it...

effekted

I will generally only help out my parents, siblings, or grandparents (Who owns a backhoe so anytime the wife wants a tree planted or something like that, he will generally repay the favor for when I fix his and his GF's laptop, ftw) and they always approach it when I have time could I look at their computer. Everyone else is at the mercy of what mood I am in, which after a long day and having to deal with outages and amazing end users I ignore their call and delete the VM after getting a laugh out of them wanting me to fix their computer ASAP.

VAHokie56 wrote: »

Do you live with your parents? even though I have not lived with my rents for a number of years I had to setup Logmein on all of there computers ( brothers & sister to) so I can fix there crap. Its family dude just knuckle up and fix it...

I install TeamViewer on their computers, just this past weekend my mom and sister were telling me that they were trying to remove a few toolbars and were having trouble. After dinner, at the table I connected from my iPhone and ran some uninstalls and etc.

VAHokie56

Ya I agree TeamViewer is better , I am just to lazy to go to everyone's house and change up lol

bababooey1

My father in law gets me all the time. He has a thick german accent and is 70 years old. He has windows 7 and I have XP so over the phone support is a nightmare.

vCole

To avoid this issue, I've trained my parents. I have taken the time to explain and have them actually DO the steps so they learn. Occasionally, there is an issue which I can only fix. However, they're quite self sufficient now. They better be with a iPad, desktop, laptop, kindle, Wii, Xbox 360, DVRs - just to name a few. My parents are pretty cool.

veritas_libertas

Yes, it seems that people don't understand the amount of work it takes at times. I have users ask me all the time if I can work on their PCs. My answer is always no. I just don't have the time, which is also true at this point.

If you quote them a price they look at you like you're a jerk. Hey, knowledge isn't free. I wouldn't ask my coworker to work on my car for free, now would I? I wouldn't a lawyer friend to support me for free, would I? I wouldn't ask doctor friends to fix me for free, would I?

I have much more mercy for my parents. Now that I have I child of my own, I know how expensive I was. They doubtless have spent many thousands of dollars on me. I have LogMeIn installed on their PCs, which makes it easier for me to repair and maintain them.

Turgon

the_Grinch wrote: »

for not supporting them? My mother recently got ticked because I didn't have patience with her for a number of computer issues she had this past couple of weeks. The big one being yesterday, in which case, I had two root canals during the day and the dentist was kind enough to not only hit a nerve in my jaw (causing a ton of pain and me almost jumping from the chair), but also cut me under my tongue enough to have a stitch put in place. Dealing with IT issues day in and day out can be draining on good days, so the last thing I want to come home to is more problems. Oh, I should mention the problem she was having was when she went to the Amazon page to Christmas shop it was asking for my dads password (it autofilled his email account in). So I told her, erase it and put her account in (obviously I probably said it with an attitude, but are we serious?). So anybody else's family give them crap when all you want to do on your day off is relax and not think of anything computer related? Moral of the story is I just need to move out and not answer my cell when the calls come

I get some grumbling when things are not working as my wife would like them. But that's mainly because I never take time out to set up her laptop exactly as she would like it. The other day her advice on fixing the connection to the scanner worked a treat when I thought it was pointless. Never heard the end of that one..

In terms of supporting everyone why not take a leaf out of a fellow IT professionals book years back. He said when quizzed about what he does for a living he never said that he was an IT professional because people would either start talking about all the problems they expect you to have a fix for with their home PC, or alternatively people just think you are a real dweeb. Either way it's was not a conversation he wanted to happen..

dave330i

My wife asks me to fix her work laptop all the time. I ask her why doesn't she have her work IT fix it? Her response is usually she doesn't want to fill out trouble tix.

Tackle

It's your parents, think of how many times they helped you growing up when you didn't know how to do something, whether it was wiping your a$$ or helping with your homework.

I too setup logmein on my parents, brother and sisters computers. They are free of charge, anyone else that wants me to fix their pc will cost them money.

I do give free advice or will tell them the steps to fix an issue free of charge though.

it_consultant

My wife asks me about work IT issues all the time. I try not to bash her IT folks because I only get one side of the story.

MAC_Addy

I have people come to my office asking me to fix their home equipment. Someone recently ruined this for everyone. I would be the nice guy and fix peoples computers when I had free time (which is usually never these days).

Someone had a HDD problem - i told them I'd fix it, but I was scheduled to be out of the office for the next week and a half. The receptionist called asking for the key to my office because he needed it back IMMEDIATELY! It had only been 2 or 3 days. I had already taken the HDD out of the laptop and started to add permissions so I could get the data off of it. I had left from my house early - 3am to go on location, got back into my town at 4:30pm, which was when the receptionist called me. I told them I'd come back to the office, which is a 20 - 30 minute drive. When I got to the office, the guy that apparently needed his laptop back so bad was gone and all the office doors were locked.

I told him I should charge him for the time I had already done and that any other home computer questions are going to be diverted to a computer store from now on.

He's actually asked me a couple of questions since then, i just say... sorry, i can't help you.

I didn't know this until recently, but in our employee handbook is states "if you have home computer issues, please do not bring this to our IT department, as their needs are tied up with current work-related issues".

I just tell everyone that I can get fired for supporting their home needs - that gets them out of the door quicker than they walked in.

They know now not to bother me with home related questions because I support 700+ people in my organization. I did help out some people when our company was around 150 people.

As far as family goes, I have a program I use to remote into my mothers computer. He has problems all the time, I don't blame her as she didn't grow up with computers like I did. I just tell her to leave the computer on and I'll get to it when I can. She's funny though, she'll e-mail me with the subject has Trouble Ticket: 'insert problem here', so i know that she's having a problem.

It's much easier to install something like this on family's computers. You can fix them at any point, or, if they need training on something you can actually show them instead of just telling them or e-mailing them what to do.

rsutton

My parents, my ex wife, my friends all ask for help, but I never get any complaints when I say I can't get to something right away. If I say I can't get to it, I have a reason, and if you don't understand that, then you may get no help at all. I'm happy to do favors, unless they cop an attitude.

snokerpoker

I am constantly fixing my family's computer problems. They always want me to fix it asap. It gets pretty frustrating sometimes. Especially due to the fact that I have a 17 month old son, and I try to spend a lot of time with my wife and son. Just this week my dad's gf has called me 4 times about her computer that apparently has malware on it.

NightShade1

snokerpoker wrote: »

I am constantly fixing my family's computer problems. They always want me to fix it asap. It gets pretty frustrating sometimes. Especially due to the fact that I have a 17 month old son, and I try to spend a lot of time with my wife and son. Just this week my dad's gf has called me 4 times about her computer that apparently has malware on it.

Just tell them like i do... i dont know
i just know network servers related stuff sorry haha that works for me, they will eventually stop asking... like isaid before i just fix the comps of 3 persons and thats all if you are not one of those then im sorry for you