Computer & Network Service

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. Most often I am called upon to remove fake Antivirus software, or repair a malware/virus infection on a system. Data backup and recovery is often a part of this.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Ask service providers to give you a general estimate on costs and compare rates for local companies. Keep in mind that if you do not have a current backup of your files already, then creating one may be necessary before work begins and can be time consuming as well.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. It is helpful to know some of the basic things about the computer in question. The version of the operating system (Windows XP, Windows 7, OS 10), the approximate age of the system, a general description of the problem, and an idea of when issues began. Also, it is important to know if there is any data that is important to try and backup/save.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I have over 10 years of professional experience in every possible scenario involving PC repair and support for small businesses and home users. I have the skills and ability to recognize issues far more quickly and accurately than the majority of technicians out there.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I do not have to rely on other people in order to complete the job correctly the first time. I am also able to make people happier by making their day better.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. I am asked most often about my experience and qualifications. I have over 10 years of professional PC support experience and I am CompTIA A+ certified.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. No one ever thinks about backing up their data until it's too late. Same thing for anti virus software. I recently provided service for a local CPA company that let their antivirus subscription run out and did nothing about it for nearly a year. All the while all kinds of nasties became installed, unchecked and ran wild to the point the PC became unusable. There was also no kind of backup in place for all of their sensitive customer data. I did manage to save their data and files, but I did find over 5000 viruses in their user profile folder alone. It took an extensive amount of time to safely backup and restore their data, plus reinstall Windows and all of their software. Simply letting your virus and malware protection software expire and not update, can lead to things really getting out of hand.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. There are a lot of computer techs out there that simply lack the knowledge or experience to provide quality service. Customers shouldn't have to pay for someone waste time trying to figure out what they are doing. Anyone who's ever had any dealings with the Geek Squad can vouch for this.

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. A customer recently brought his daughter's Compaq PC to me for a last hope type of service. He had already gone to the Geek Squad and was given and estimate of over $500 to backup all of the saved files, pictures, and music, then reinstall Windows. (massive virus and malware attack due to Limewire) I was able to perform this service in 3 hours of labor, for a total of $195. His daughter didn't lose any of her pictures, music, or documents from the previous 7 years. Most importantly, she had all her previous school work and college application data that she had recently been working on.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I continually test different software such as anti virus/malware and operating systems. There's always a new threat emerging, or an old one popping it's head back out, so you have to keep on your toes and remember what you've learned.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. Take on as many different type of jobs as possible once you've completed your official training. Being a field IT tech is the ideal position to gain the most valuable and diverse experience. What you run into in the real world, simply does not exist in the lab or manual. That is why you are there, to fix what simply should not be.