Responding to non- techs

[cucuklotz]

Let me add one further thing to put what I said in proper light.When someone who buys from Staples comes to site asking questions looking for free info,they should not be dignified with answerCompeting with staples causes us to lose more money then we can count.They nickle and dime you,then try to sap whats left.

[fausto1981]

"I'm paying ahead for when I need help..."

This is why i like to help people here too. I just started working on this industry its been about two years and sometimes I found the answers here. so now that i have a little experience i like to help with whatever i can.

[CanonHPTech]

Hmmm... I understand completely.... I used to work in the IT/Desktop Suppor realm... and trust me, someone always trys the WebMD or the fixyourowncomputer.com way first everytime and then calls you when they really brake it and only when you completely convince them that they did the damage and that the tech. advice that their little nephew who has a A+ Certification preached to them is wrong... only then will they pay you.

Hey, trust me, if you want to get paid everytime, you should have been a lawyer or a doctor. They get to rack up $150 bills just for 5 minutes of their time once every 3-5 years and have the power to collect whether you agree or disagree with their diagnosis or advice.

This just opens up the age old question about this site... how do we setup a filter to prove that techs are techs and not just owners/operators? I do not see anyway to do this fairly. What could we do? Give them some sort of OEM Certification style test, where 5 out of 10 of the answers are wrong and not in any of study material?

There will always be the 'brain picker' who has a PHD in Physcology but just wants a free answer of how a Primary Corona works.

[cucuklotz]

Im NOT cheap when it comes to helping others.I WILL HELP ANY ANY ANY ANY TECH I CAN .THAT IS NOT MY ISSUE.


My concern is with those who come to this site ,buying their supplies elsewhere( Staples,Office Max.ect) and then expect you to help them.


They should not be helped.

If you really want to help your BROTHERIN TECH,then you would not help those who dont support us on the supply end,or those who want that free estimate only to go to out and buy machines from some discount store. Those who buy equipment at the real office level dont visit sites meant to help techs only.The small office who is struggleing,you empathize with,but they still should support the techs who help by buying supplies from us.

If you worked for any copy company as a tech,more then likely YOU GOT SCREWED.While companies charge $90-175 Bucks per hour,Did you get $30,$40 an hour.
I dont need an answer,I KNOW
SOOO I dont need customers screwing me also..

[blackcat4866]

Cuckoltz,
Accept this site for what it is. This is an open site for anyone willing to ask a question, or provide an answer. The are no requirements for you participate, so just stop whining.

We all get screwed, sometimes too often. So get over it and participate, or don't (I don't care).

[laserman06]

Cuckoltz,
Accept this site for what it is. This is an open site for anyone willing to ask a question, or provide an answer. The are no requirements for you participate, so just stop whining.

We all get screwed, sometimes too often. So get over it and participate, or don't (I don't care).

Well said blackcat. I agree. This site is not perfect, but I have found it helpful.

[Scott_Lewis]

Im NOT cheap when it comes to helping others.I WILL HELP ANY ANY ANY ANY TECH I CAN .THAT IS NOT MY ISSUE.

The nice thing about this forum is you get to pick and choose which questions you will answer and participate in.

When I get a customer who is trying to help themselves and takes a little initiative on resolving their own problems, I usually thank them. It is only when they get too aggressive and damage the machine that criticize the effort and possibly charge them for damages. Keep in mind most of my clients are on maintenance agreements.

A side story....... We took a loaner Ricoh 1035 to a client with an Af450 that was acting up and brought back to the shop. Later we got a call that the loaner was jamming and went to service it. Turns out somebody had gone into the fuser to apparently dig a jam out of it. They had scratched up the hot roller to the point of gouging out the aluminum and broken ALL of the sep fingers. They got charged for a fuser rebuild.

If you worked for any copy company as a tech,more then likely YOU GOT SCREWED.While companies charge $90-175 Bucks per hour,Did you get $30,$40 an hour..

Yeah, can get a little discouraging looking at what I charge vs. my own hourly rate. Something to keep in mind, though. Back when I used to write project estimates for projects back when I worked in aerospace, my cost estimates had to include a factor for overhead costs that amounted to 100 to 150% of the tech's salary. IOW, for a tech making $20/hr I had to use $40 to $50 as the cost of labor when figuring the quote. This is actual cost, not including profits.

p.s. The brand new laptop my boss bought for me to use just came in Friday.

[knightfall]

How many techs have in the past said they wished their customers were smart enough to clear a jam or reset that code on the copier/printer before placing that service call and causing you half an hour traveling time? well this site offers the opportunity to non technicians to learn a little bit of service knowledge to clear that jam, reset that code and maybe not make that service call. Besides whats the harm in letting non technicians get a glimpse into our lives, its not like they could take away your job so lighten up.

[Paper_Jam]

Look at the bright side. People here would only give a non tech enough information to make them dangerous. And then when they screw the machine up even worse, you can make even more money off of them.

[WayneW]

I can certainly see why some would have "chips" on their shoulders about helping others and so on. Lord knows i've had my days as well. But for those who would intentionaly misdirect someone, or otherwise flame them for asking questions i have the following remark.

I am a tech at my company for over 27 years. I have worked on everything from copiers, and printers to presses, ink jet machines, bindry equipment, building computers, setting up web servers, and networks. I am the "go to" guy so to speak. I also manage databases, and have worked on more machinery in those years than most here would even know what it did (not flaming there, i'm jsut saying). I have the SOLE responsibility of managing the lettershop in which i work, everything from fax and copiers, to offest presses, inserting machines and that's just Monday mornings (ha ha).


I came here looking for help, and was wondering why any reply or slight push in the right direction was not forthcoming. After reading these posts, i believe i have my answer. Perhaps i insulted some of you in saying the service contract on this machine went null and void, due to the techs inability to repair the equipment. Well i'm sorry but techs can be idoits too, it's not an insult to anyones intellegence, just a personality trait.
I personally stood over these clowns, and watched them fumble and scratch their heads for days on end working on this machine. If you're offended because we cancelled the service contract, i guess i can understand the sloidarity, but that dosent make THEM right. We had 37 service calls within the first 30 days of having the equipment. It was at that point we decided to relieve them of their duties, and take responsiblity "in house" since we had purchased the machine outright, and their contract was service/supplies only. We did not fail our end, not in any respect. However, now that the machine is in house, and without "professional" service, that leaves me (the go-to guy) to get this thing up and running. A task i can assure you i will not fail.

So you see, when someone asks for help, sometimes it's because they NEED HELP. (SOMETIMES their jobs depend on it).

It was my impression, when i signed up for this site that it was techs helping people. And indeed i see some who do. However this post thread dosent speak well of some. It appears some are VERY "clickish". If this is a strictly "Tech to Tech" board, then perhaps your "welcome" private message should be changed, and/or your registration require some sort of benign tech service code or something to allow you to sign up.

If i have offended anyone, i am sorry, it's not my intention. I am a tech in need of some help, and finding this stuff is tough. I will find my answers here or somewhere else. Frustration abounds!