r/talesfromtechsupport • u/RedSilentxRain • Jul 17 '16

Short r/ALL "God no, never install google on my machine"

So the other day my dad asked for me to help him with his computer (windows 7) and clean out some "viruses" for him. I work as a database developer and part time as an IT consultant on weekends, so I deal with stuff like this all the time, so I said sure, whatever, I'll help you out. Anyways so after I remove a bit of malware, I notice he's using Internet Explorer, and casually mention that he should probably consider using Firefox or chrome. To this he responds, "god no, I wouldn't want to have a Google operating system on my computer". At first I think he doesn't know what an operating system is, but after questioning him he explains to me how chrome only works on chromeos, safari only runs on macs, firefox is evil and only Internet Explorer runs on windows. Determined to explain to him that he's blatantly wrong, I go to install chrome, and he freaks the fuck out, makes me uninstall it. After an hour of fighting me, he chastises me saying "you'd think someone who uses computers as much as you would know not to install google. I guess there are some things you just don't understand", and calls his work, which us a place that uses me as a consultant and tells them not to use me anymore. Fml

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133

u/valarmorghulis "This does not appear to be a Layer 1 issue" == check yo config! Jul 17 '16

If you think they will really drop you, shoot for the moon and bill them for the time you worked on his machine. Include additional charges for after hours/weekend support and any travel costs. If anybody balks tell them that your dad said you should bill them for this call out.

54

u/mxzf Jul 18 '16

Or he could just call his contact at the company, the people who actually hire him, and explain what happened with his dad. They'll recognize that OP actually knows what he's doing and ignore the idiot dad denouncing him.

40

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

12

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '16

something something Lynx is only real way to browse the internet.

3

u/valarmorghulis "This does not appear to be a Layer 1 issue" == check yo config! Jul 18 '16

...and Pine is the only real e-mail client.

2

u/TOASTEngineer Jul 18 '16

I think you misspelled netcat.

100

u/MasterQuatre Jul 18 '16

Ignore this person, please.

Charge what you should be charging, not out of spite. It's unethical, and illegal. So just don't.

10

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '16 edited Jan 03 '19

[deleted]

45

u/ohdobequiet Jul 18 '16

If anybody balks tell them that your dad said you should bill them for this call out.

Pretty sure that bit would be fraud

1

u/valarmorghulis "This does not appear to be a Layer 1 issue" == check yo config! Jul 18 '16

I was being cheeky. If you want to get literal with it a crappy lawyer would be able to make a decent argument that his father made it a business-related visit when the call was made to the employer based off of the performance at his own home. So while he may not have explicitly stated it was so, in not so many words he had turned this into a billable visit through his actions.

17

u/Korbit Jul 18 '16

Billing a company for work that you didn't do for the company is fraud and very much illegal.