What it Takes to Really Fix a Virus-Laden Computer
I just got off the phone with a woman who told me she had a computer that was probably well-infected with
viruses and other malware, and she wanted to know how much it would cost to fix it.
When I told her the likely cost, she said, “Okay, thank you,” and hung up.
Now I’m sure that Tina will find somebody to do the job (sort of) for less than I typically charge for a job of this
type.
And she’ll probably get about what she paid for. Or, maybe not.
Here’s my philosophy. When someone comes to me with a problem, I believe they want the problem actually fixed.
I don’t believe they want to pay half-price now in order to half-fix a problem, and then to have to pay the full
amount again in a few weeks to finally fix the same problem the right way.
This is why, if it’s a virus issue that requires reformatting the computer, I do a thorough job of it. It’s also why,
when I replace parts in a computer, I only use parts that have a known solid track record with a high percentage
of satisfied customers rather than using the cheapest parts I can get my hands on.
Now if I were to just buy and use cheap parts (like some other tech shops do), I could probably make more
money. It’s an easy formula: Spend $25 for a part instead of $40, charge the customer the same price, and
pocket the $15. Easy profit. And what’s more, the customer may be back in a year for you to replace the same
part again. “Yep, these parts go out. It happens. That’ll be another hundred bucks, please.”
On the other hand, I could also make more money by pushing more expensive solutions over less expensive ones. I
have competitors who do this, too. They’ll push the most expensive security suite available, because it makes
them more money.
But that’s not what I do. Instead, I use the least expensive parts (and software) that meet my criteria of high
reliability and customer satisfaction. My goal is to do the same thing for my customers that I would do for myself,
and give them the best value for their money. Am I stupid? I don’t know. Maybe I am. But I believe in providing the
best value I reasonably can. As a result, I get a lot of return business, and even customers who decide to try
someone else because they find them cheaper for a particular job often seem to come back after they realize they
didn’t get the same kind of value elsewhere.
This is why it’s honestly sometimes just a little bit frustrating when someone asks me for a price, as if price were
the most important thing, and then hangs up and goes elsewhere.
They have the idea somehow that computer
service is a commodity, like regular unleaded gasoline.
You can either buy gas for $2.39 a gallon here, or you can
get it for $2.44 at the other store, and it’s all the same. Only it isn’t that way.
And the exact same person will go to the grocery store and skip over the cheap-label peanut butter, because they
know that the cheap lable is not the best value.
A few days ago, my wife was telling me about someone she had talked to who had their computer reformatted and
put into new-computer condition by one of my major competitors, at a cost of $209. I started to say, well, their
price is pretty close to mine for this kind of job, then stopped. I realized that their price may well NOT have been
comparable to mine, and probably wasn’t, unless they did ALL of the things that I typically do for such a job:
I carefully back up the user’s information, doing my best not to lose anything. (Customers have told me stories of
taking their computer to a competitor and having it returned with all of their valuable data lost forever.)
I generally make a record of the software they have on the computer. On many occasions, I’ve been able to
restore software even if the customer couldn’t find his CD or license key, thus saving him or her the cost of
purchasing their software again. I’m sure that some of my competitors don’t do this.
I reformat the drive, reinstall Windows, necessary drivers, etc.
I put antivirus software back on the computer. In a great many cases, I’m able to provide a good free antivirus
solution for the customer rather than sell them the latest “major-brand” product for $79.99 for the next year.
When I do sell them a paid antivirus solution, it’s a decent one, it’s the one I use myself, and it costs a lot less
than the solutions pushed my some of my major competitors.
I also install some free preventative anti-spyware software. Again, I know that some of my competitors don’t take
this step. In a way, it’s counterproductive. It means the customer may not be back as soon.
But my philosophy is this: When the customer DOES need computer services again, he or she will turn to me,
because I treated them like I would have wanted to be treated.
I copy the customer’s data back onto the computer, and if they run an email client, I set it up for them.
Again, I know that some of my competitors skip steps here, because I’ve been called out to put the pieces back
together. The pieces were all there, but the “major shop” hadn’t bothered to put them where they needed to be.
I install all of the applicable Windows Service Packs and updates. I know that some of my competitors don’t do
this, either.
And it’s true that if you have automatic updates on, the customer will get these updates. Eventually… Maybe.
There are literally dozens of these updates from Microsoft, and they’re fairly important. They come in two main
varieties: security updates (that’s the vast majority of them), and reliability updates. Either way, you want them.
And until they are installed, you’re vulnerable to whatever security problem it was that these updates were
designed to fix.
I also, very frequently, UNinstall junkware from your computer’s manufacturer.
There seems to be almost no end to the junk that computer manufacturers load on their PCs. When you do a
system recovery, all of this stuff comes back, even if you’ve uninstalled it before. A lot of it starts up every single
time you boot your computer, and it runs continuously in the background, slowing your computer down and
sometimes even causing it to crash.
I usually get rid of a lot of this stuff.
I reinstall major software. Again, I can often do this even if you’ve lost your cds or product key, because I can
usually recover the product key before I wipe out the computer, and I will often have a copy of the appropriate
installation cd. Some of my competitors have been known to charge highly-profitable extra fees to do this.
I usually tune a few various little settings to make your computer work better. I KNOW that most of my
competitors don’t do this.
And on top of all of this, I often either pick up or deliver the computer to your home, and even reinstall your
printer, scanner, etc.
Going over the entire list of the things that I do highlights why it typically takes around 3 hours worth of work. It
also frankly makes me wonder why anyone would take their computer anywhere else. I know why, of course.
They’re looking for the “cheapest price.”
I’ve seen quite a few of my customers live to regret having tried to save a few bucks.
"Click here for the scan you computer."
I just got off the phone with a woman who told me she had a computer that was probably well-infected with viruses and other malware, and she wanted to know how much it would cost to fix it.
When I told her the likely cost, she said, “Okay, thank you,” and hung up.
Now I’m sure that Tina will find somebody to do the job (sort of) for less than I typically charge for a job of this type.
And she’ll probably get about what she paid for.
Or, maybe not.
continue reading…
November 2009
This week I talked with a man who’s concerned about security. That’s not at all unusual — most of us have some computer-related security concerns.
First, if you’re thinking about buying a new computer, I’d wait for Windows 7, which is due out 6 weeks from the date of this post. This new version of Windows arrives on store shelves on October 22, 2009.