I Fixed A Man's Laptop. / Social // Drowned In Sound

I fixed a man's laptop.

pichaelmarker [Edit] [Delete] 39 replies 09:28, 22 February '13

He's the parent of one of my mum and dad's friends. I suppose technically I didn't fix it. It was new so I set it up, installed windows 8, got rid of all the shite that would confuse him (he's 89) and personalised it so all the things he uses it for, email and internet and photos mainly were dead easy to access. I also spent a couple of hours making some jargon-free instructions for Windows 8 since it's so different to previous versions.

Anyway, I don't want to take the piss, but I could use the money. What do you think is reasonable to ask for about 4 hours work?

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a few cups of tea and a thank you

he's 89 ffs

japes | 22 Feb '13, 09:38 | X

Matt_was_taken, chickenbones, TheoGB, Epimer, saps, pentargo, forzaborza, meths, sausage-dog-YOLO, Smyth2, Noblet, _TheBeautifulOnes_, Antelope, yousername, and SarcasticFringehead this'd this
- negiotiate with him for a biscuit
  
  Matt_was_taken @japes | 22 Feb '13, 09:39 | X
  - Or a Tunnock's teacake if you really press him hard.
    
    licky_kicky @Matt_was_taken | 22 Feb '13, 09:40 | X
- *69
  
  pichaelmarker @japes | 22 Feb '13, 09:43 | X
  
  Antelope this'd this
  - dude
    
    andyvine @pichaelmarker | 22 Feb '13, 11:13 | X
    
    Icarus-Smicarus this'd this
    - D:
      
      He's 69, not 89! It worra typo
      
      pichaelmarker @andyvine | 22 Feb '13, 11:30 | X
  - accidental ^this
    
    fucking hell
    
    Antelope @pichaelmarker | 24 Feb '13, 03:28 | X
you've helped a family friend

give me money!
prick

Matt_was_taken | 22 Feb '13, 09:40 | X
- Definitely.
  
  I'd never met the guy before he rang my dad and asked.
  
  pichaelmarker @Matt_was_taken | 22 Feb '13, 09:42 | X
  - and yet you said yes
    
    Matt_was_taken @pichaelmarker | 22 Feb '13, 09:50 | X
    - Is the view good from up there?
      
      pichaelmarker @Matt_was_taken | 22 Feb '13, 09:53 | X
      - thers a common theme in the replies to this thread
        
        pichaelmarker vs the world
        
        Matt_was_taken @pichaelmarker | 22 Feb '13, 10:01 | X
        
        pichaelmarker this'd this
Did anyone suggest that you'd be getting paid before you did this?

If not then it's probably not reasonable to ask for anything at all.

If so and you didn't agree a rate then it's probably up to him to decide what your time was worth.

However, given that you've clearly left his home now and haven't been paid as yet I suspect you can whistle for it.

(And by that I'm not suggesting that anyone will pay you for whistling).

This initial reply is free but I will be charging for any additional time I devote to this thread.

saps | 22 Feb '13, 09:44 | X

andyvine and Antelope this'd this
suck his dick

cat_race | 22 Feb '13, 09:45 | X

ma0sm this'd this
whatever you can get out of him

maybe create an issue on the laptop so you know he'll have to have you round his house. Once you've got access to his home the world is your oyster

prison_keith | 22 Feb '13, 09:46 | X

urbanfox this'd this
You negotiate the fee BEFORE doing the work.

Rookie error.

theguywithnousername | 22 Feb '13, 09:46 | X
You don't do things for friends/family friends for money

Me and my grandad built a whole fucking extension to a house one summer for free because they were vague acquaintances to my grandma

Songs_about_ducking | 22 Feb '13, 09:49 | X
- St. S_A_D
  
  pichaelmarker @Songs_about_ducking | 22 Feb '13, 09:52 | X
  - What I mean is
    
    Youre OBVIOUSLY agood guy. These things mean alot to people (especially old people), do the right thing.
    
    Songs_about_ducking @pichaelmarker | 22 Feb '13, 09:56 | X
    - Fair enough.
      
      pichaelmarker @Songs_about_ducking | 22 Feb '13, 09:58 | X
- HAHA.
  
  You got punk'd.
  
  Even a bunch of drunk illegals would've got a couple of grand for that sort of thing.
  
  forzaborza @Songs_about_ducking | 22 Feb '13, 10:02 | X
  
  sexy_girl this'd this
He was intending to give me something. But I couldn't do everything I needed to at his house so I brought it back to mine to finish.

I'm dropping it off later today. I perhaps didn't word the OP particularly well. I've been asked on numerous occasions to fix peoples PCs (not just covering the vulnerable age ranges) And I never know how much is reasonable? PC World for example take the absolute piss.

I have no intention of demanding money from him should I only be offered a brew and biscuit (although I don't drink tea so...) And we'll probably do the awkward thing where he tries to offer me money and I try to turn it down and I leaving with a tenner or something, feeling guilty and ashamed on the way home.

pichaelmarker | 22 Feb '13, 09:50 | X
- You sound like a real cowboy
  
  4 hours for a couple of short-cuts?
  Did you tell him he needed his guttering doing too?
  
  quakerstoy @pichaelmarker | 22 Feb '13, 10:00 | X
  - I've ordered some parts in for it.
    
    pichaelmarker @quakerstoy | 22 Feb '13, 10:07 | X
i don't believe

that you could make Windows 8 straight forward enough for an 89 year old to use

soapy | 22 Feb '13, 10:12 | X

TheWza and Icarus-Smicarus this'd this
- You're telling me.
  
  pichaelmarker @soapy | 22 Feb '13, 10:13 | X
  - seriously though
    
    is there a way of turning of the panels nonsense so it runs everything automatically from the desktop and i can have my precious start button back?
    
    soapy @pichaelmarker | 22 Feb '13, 10:57 | X
    - ;-)
      
      http://linuxmint.com/
      
      TheWza @soapy | 22 Feb '13, 11:00 | X
    - Yes.
      
      maybe.
      
      I'm not doing that for him though (cheapskate hur hur) because in some ways win8 makes it easier for him (he only needs three tiles and they're all there when he turns it on. It's just learning to turn it off etc. And the touch pad does some bizarre things and i'm not sure why. So as long as he's confident enough to alt+tab or press the windows key he should be okay.
      
      I'm going to be getting phone calls everyday for the next few weeks aren't I?
      
      pichaelmarker @soapy | 22 Feb '13, 11:03 | X
      - yes you are
        
        soapy @pichaelmarker | 22 Feb '13, 11:03 | X
wreck up the place

but secretly, and then do an estimate on repairing all the things you wrecked.

incandenza_ | 22 Feb '13, 10:44 | X
¤¿¤

http://shouldiworkforfree.com/

TheWza | 22 Feb '13, 10:48 | X
- I'm no prostitute.
  
  Cheers whizzer.
  
  pichaelmarker @TheWza | 22 Feb '13, 10:50 | X
As the old saying goes, Pichael:

Give a man a laptop, he won't give you any money.

Fix a man's laptop for a day, and he'll give you a fish.

Or something.

deadonthestairs | 22 Feb '13, 10:49 | X

andyvine and pichaelmarker this'd this
bet he is watching porn

RIGHT NOW (and thinking of the kind young man who made it all possible)

prettyshittygangbang | 22 Feb '13, 11:31 | X
If you've installed Windows 8 on his computer

you should paying him compensation, rather than the other way around.

crablin | 22 Feb '13, 11:41 | X

pichaelmarker, TheWza, Icarus-Smicarus, and Antelope this'd this
12 easy monthly payments of 169.95

CrispinAlexander | 22 Feb '13, 12:58 | X
i once fixer a man

_TheBeautifulOnes_ | 24 Feb '13, 01:08 | X

TheWza this'd this
Politely ask if you can be added to his will

Antelope | 24 Feb '13, 03:34 | X

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