• Replies 5 replies
  • Subscribers 32 subscribers
  • Views 112 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

More about bulling IT man

Marianne72

Sorry to post something negative, but I feel in need of comfort. This is the IT man I wrote of, on a previous thread but the thread failed [a technical issue]. I've had repairs and second hand computers off him since 2019,  gradually realizing he didn't know as much as he claimed - several times I saw him looking up Microsoft 'how to' for things I discovered to be easily resolved.

I'd asked him to get me a new PC and laptop after he said windows 11 could be updated on my computers but would not be stable. I paid him £500 as he asked. The laptop developed a fault just over a year later. He blamed me for not shutting it down properly, yet this was the advice he gave. I paid £60 for this ten minute visit. During this, he boasted he buys cheap parts he gets, '4 for the price of one HP,' which last 4 years whilst the HP last six, which he considered insignificant. Thus he benefits not the customer, getting more callouts - £60 for an hour then £30 per half hour. 

A week later, the laptop would not load a windows 11 update. I'd tried and failed to detach the battery, following a Utube video explaining how to cure the update issue. He offered to come out - another £60. I said, surely it should be under guarantee, being just over a year old. Then he said it was reconditioned and this was on the receipt. I'd never asked for a receipt (foolishly) as I trusted him. He never supplied receipts. I asked if the PC was new, and he said it was. So, why one new and one reconditioned - it made no sense.

I offered to deduct £60 of the paid price (£250) for work he did initially, transferring Microsoft Office and Scrivener, if I returned the laptop to his shop. It will certainly develop faults due to cheap parts and be a headache - especially the advice he gave about using a knife to detach the battery! I suspect the battery is a tight fit because it's not a HP part. But he wants £165 for wiping data and cleaning if I return it. This is ridiculous - paying him so he can re-sell it.

Parents
  • Marianne72 said:
    The laptop developed a fault just over a year later.

    Was this for a HP laptop? I think my parents bought one years back. They would usually ask me about such things first but my mum found an offer. 2 weeks after the 1 year warranty expired, it was apparently running slow. When I looked at it, the hard drive was on the verge of failing completely. They would use it at a table so it wasn't even being moved about a lot while it was on, just poor quality or defective part. I replaced it for a more suitable laptop drive and the only issue for years after that was the battery being completely knackered.

    Marianne72 said:
    He blamed me for not shutting it down properly, yet this was the advice he gave.

    Was this in relation to hardware faults? It's not good to turn off with a hard reset, but it shouldn't cause major damage. It was more of a problem when computers had moving parts like spinning disks. In modern computers the only moving parts are usually the fans and they don't have anywhere near the same momentum. A hard reset is more likely to cause software issues due to files not being cleared properly, or file changes being cut off mid write, but again, this should be quite rare now unless you do it during an update.

    Marianne72 said:
    especially the advice he gave about using a knife to detach the battery!

    Seems you're already cautious about this, but do not try to remove the battery with a knife. A sharp knife may pierce the battery and cause it to explode. A dull knife is slightly better, but if you manage to short the contacts it could catch fire and explode. If none of that happens, you're still using metal against I presume plastic components, which is likely to bend and/or break them. Not as sturdy, but you want to try a trim removal tool first. Plastic on plastic fairs much better. If it does end up needing a knife/screwdriver, be vary careful.

    Marianne72 said:
    I suspect the battery is a tight fit because it's not a HP part.

    It's possible. Batteries can be tricky too if the cells start to swell. That's more likely if it's been left in the sun, overheated, been left on charge constantly or allowed to drop to 0% for a long time, or it can happen with cheap low quality batteries, which sounds extremely plausible. Overheating in laptops can be caused by many things. Poor design, blocked vents...

    Marianne72 said:
    But he wants £165 for wiping data and cleaning if I return it.

    I've not looked into the pricing for such services as I've always done it myself, but that does seem a high. There are tools built into Windows and other OSes for this. If the drive is damaged it's a lot more tricky, but generally it's just part of re-installing Windows. You set it installing and leave it to do it's thing. There are extra steps can be done to check the disk health, but it's not often someone would do this unless there's a specific problem with the drive. If you want any data saving and restoring then that is more involved.

    If you're looking for a new laptop, depending how much you're willing to spend, I would highly recommend Framework laptops. They are expensive even compared to laptops of similar spec, but they are high quality and have the big selling point that all of the parts are available to buy as spares, along with guides on how to swap them out. Not that I've ever had an issue in the 2 years I've had mine. It's running smoother than the day I received it.

Reply
  • Marianne72 said:
    The laptop developed a fault just over a year later.

    Was this for a HP laptop? I think my parents bought one years back. They would usually ask me about such things first but my mum found an offer. 2 weeks after the 1 year warranty expired, it was apparently running slow. When I looked at it, the hard drive was on the verge of failing completely. They would use it at a table so it wasn't even being moved about a lot while it was on, just poor quality or defective part. I replaced it for a more suitable laptop drive and the only issue for years after that was the battery being completely knackered.

    Marianne72 said:
    He blamed me for not shutting it down properly, yet this was the advice he gave.

    Was this in relation to hardware faults? It's not good to turn off with a hard reset, but it shouldn't cause major damage. It was more of a problem when computers had moving parts like spinning disks. In modern computers the only moving parts are usually the fans and they don't have anywhere near the same momentum. A hard reset is more likely to cause software issues due to files not being cleared properly, or file changes being cut off mid write, but again, this should be quite rare now unless you do it during an update.

    Marianne72 said:
    especially the advice he gave about using a knife to detach the battery!

    Seems you're already cautious about this, but do not try to remove the battery with a knife. A sharp knife may pierce the battery and cause it to explode. A dull knife is slightly better, but if you manage to short the contacts it could catch fire and explode. If none of that happens, you're still using metal against I presume plastic components, which is likely to bend and/or break them. Not as sturdy, but you want to try a trim removal tool first. Plastic on plastic fairs much better. If it does end up needing a knife/screwdriver, be vary careful.

    Marianne72 said:
    I suspect the battery is a tight fit because it's not a HP part.

    It's possible. Batteries can be tricky too if the cells start to swell. That's more likely if it's been left in the sun, overheated, been left on charge constantly or allowed to drop to 0% for a long time, or it can happen with cheap low quality batteries, which sounds extremely plausible. Overheating in laptops can be caused by many things. Poor design, blocked vents...

    Marianne72 said:
    But he wants £165 for wiping data and cleaning if I return it.

    I've not looked into the pricing for such services as I've always done it myself, but that does seem a high. There are tools built into Windows and other OSes for this. If the drive is damaged it's a lot more tricky, but generally it's just part of re-installing Windows. You set it installing and leave it to do it's thing. There are extra steps can be done to check the disk health, but it's not often someone would do this unless there's a specific problem with the drive. If you want any data saving and restoring then that is more involved.

    If you're looking for a new laptop, depending how much you're willing to spend, I would highly recommend Framework laptops. They are expensive even compared to laptops of similar spec, but they are high quality and have the big selling point that all of the parts are available to buy as spares, along with guides on how to swap them out. Not that I've ever had an issue in the 2 years I've had mine. It's running smoother than the day I received it.

Children
No Data