Time estimate for the following items 3

[goombawaho]

I have a customer that is not believing the time I spent to reload their computer due to a bad hard drive. I know how long it took me, but I'd like Tek-Tips to estimate what it would take to do the following, assuming a new SSD hard drive and PC with the following specs.

http://www.tek-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=655

Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz
4GB RAM
Samsung EVO 850 250GB SSD
Windows 7 64-bit

Install SSD
Install Windows 7
Install all Windows 7 updates
Activate Windows 7
Transfer data from old hard drive
Install missing drivers in Device Manager
Install: Samsung SSD software, Microsoft Security Essentials, Office 365, PowerChute, VNC, Acrobat Reader, Primo PDF, Chrome, QuickBooks 2014
Join computer to domain
Log in as two users to set up user profiles
Set desktop icons, folder options and power options, mapped network drives for each user
Set up VPN to other office and made hosts file entries for remote office computers
Enabled remote desktop
Opened PC firewall for ping and VNC access
Installed 4 printers - 1 local / 3 network
Configured Outlook using IMAP for both users





"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[goombawaho]

If it was just a matter of principle, then yes - 100% for giving a refund and saying goodbye. But that gets ignored when money enters the equation.

If I was a real pinhead, I would subtract the money he shafted me out of and give him the rest back, but that would likely end up in court and I don't want to be the bigger jerk in the equation here.

Thanks for the advice. I will update when I have decided my own fate.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[SamBones]

Yes, never be the bigger jerk if you think it may end up in court. These are words to live by.

 

[Mountainbear]

Not a computer guy but could you give him the server and tell him you do not have the time to install it?

 

[goombawaho]

We had a conversation the other day. I had not realized but I had given him 19.5 hours of free support - whether it was for remotely researching his network/environment at two office or comp time because he complained about the amount of time for one thing or another.

He was mad because he thought the issue was settled when I agreed to the subtractions in hours. But I got peeved when I realized I had been double screwed - by him AND myself. So, at this point, I don't know that we will be working together any longer.

I realize that I was an idiot for:
1. Giving him that much free time
2. NOT documenting the free time as I went so that he could see what he was getting for free.
3. Caving on the billable hours especially in light of the free time he got

His problem is that he doesn't think that an IT person should be billing at $90 per hour. That's actually LOW if you were to call a "real company" plus they wouldn't give you any damn compensatory time or agree to a reduced number of billing hours. I think he's screwed if he doesn't use me, but he'll have to find that out himself.

The last guy he used had zero consistency in anything he did - it was almost comical. Allegedly he was pothead!!!!
- One computer was named LeftFront and the other was named FrontRight.
- At one office he had a server functioning as a domain controller, the other office server was just in a workgroup.
- He had RDP ports open on the firewall and I replaced that with PPTP VPN capable routers.

I'll add a comment when things are decided. I'm going to give him his money back for the server and he and the new guy can start over. It was only $1300 (Super Micro server motherboard). He doesn't even have a concept that most servers are much more than that.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[SamBones]

Your customer causes ME stress! I think you'll be better off without him.

 

[goombawaho]

Not sure whether related to this customer or not, but I just had a bout of anxiety for the first time in many years - right before my vacation. Ruined my vacation with insomnia. They say you only cause YOURSELF stress, nobody can do it for you if you know how to handle things. So again, my fault.

Getting to old for all this IT crapola and the stress that is associated with down systems and cranky customers.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[MikeHalloran]

About seven years ago, I had some work done at a Chevrolet dealer in Louisiana.
Their labor rate, then, was $94 per hour. It's probably gone up a bit by now.

Your hopefully former customer needs some educating.
Let someone else do it.

Should he beg to come back, you can offer him a special labor rate, say $150 per, and he'll be glad to pay it.

 

[goombawaho]

See, I originally was a customer of HIS. Then I helped him one day. Then he said, "do you want to do my IT work?" I already saw red flags and never called him back. He called ME back after about 4 months. I should have known that my first feelings of "run away" were correct.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[edfair]

Finally.

Last time I checked, and it was a long time ago, IBM got $225 per. I quit checking regularly when it was $120 and I was working at $40.

Understand about the stress, just haven't practiced it for the last 50 years in the IT world, but that comes from staying away from the big computers and multiple people sitting idle when they are down.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[goombawaho]

I'm still waiting for this guy to call me back. Maybe he'll make the decision for me and move on to someone else. I'm too weak to end the relationship. Must be like crack - money is addictive.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[edfair]

I'm hoping, for your sake, that he finds another victim to take advantage of. If he calls you back it means he wasn't successful.

Yes, it hurts. BTDT with a $800+ per month customer. In my case they found another victim and the new victim didn't enjoy it either.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[goombawaho]

So, I actually gathered enough mental fortitude to email the guy and tell him that I'd like him find someone else to do his IT work. He didn't respond to my summary of the free hours he got, so that just made me mad. No doubt he was THRILLED at the prospect that he got free time and my billable hours reduced due to my weakness.

Now I have an email response to that message in my mailbox but I'm not opening it today.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[edfair]

Beware of getting sucked back in. Once an abuser likely always an abuser.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[goombawaho]

Ha. That's actually how I feel - abused.
Some people just don't think that IT support should cost more than let's say $30 per hour. If you have a hint that a customer thinks like that, you should run the other way.

He's either going to get some redneck computer guy from Craig's List OR pay a huge rate for a "professional" company.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[SamBones]

Beware of getting sucked back in...

Yeah, no late night drunken booty calls telling him how you miss his computers.

 

[goombawaho]

This was the email I feared to open:

Good morning Goom. I was hoping we could have worked this out and moved forward. But I understand I have no problem paying the invoices you sent me. Thank you for everything you have done for us..... I will reach out to you this afternoon or tomorrow. To settle up thanks. If you change your mind please let me know

He's trying to suck me back in with sweet talk. MUST.............RESIST
Just deleted the VPN connections to his offices from my computer.
I miss them already.



"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[goombawaho]

So, I'm done with this guy. I met with him today and gave him his money back for the server. He gave me a few hundred for some minor outstanding invoices. He already has some company lined up to do his work, but he picked somebody where he has to pay them to be on retainer. So, I'm imagining that would cost the guy net more than my work which was billed hourly (break/fix).

Too bad that he will end up paying more for likely worse service. Those people don't care about your issues, they just want to get out of there in as few hours as possible because the money is coming in regardless. No need to sweat the details!!

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[SamBones]

Those people don't care about your issues, they just want to get out of there in as few hours as possible because the money is coming in regardless.

Ok, so he's out of his steady relationship with you and now with a hooker. Move on. You're too good for him.

If possible you need to get him to see you at a nightclub or a party with some new hot young client. That'll show him.

 

[edfair]

Now he's buying an insurance policy. Generally insurance companies have the game rigged in their favor.

I wrote maintenance agreements if customers insisted. Told them up front that it would cost them more than per call, but there are number crunching accounting people that are risk adverse. Since IBM convinced a high percentage of their customers that the sky would fall if their owned machines were not on MA the leasing and service companies competing had to offer them also. At least in IBM's case it was better if they were on MA because they didn't treat their T&M customers fairly, at least in Atlanta when I was around a bunch of T&M stuff.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[goombawaho]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.