How Have You Helped Others Save Money?

[TheGreatSatan]

I do a lot of fixing computers for people lately. Usually it's because they got a quote from someone else that was just plain old rediculous. For instance, yesterday I spoke to a woman who had viruses on her computer that had eff'ed up her HD. Dell quoted her $350 because it was out of warranty to fix. I did it for $50.

I know you're all out there. What have you done for others?

[SgtM]

Given away spare parts. I did a job a couple of months ago cleaning up viri for a lady for $50 when Geek squad quoted over $300.

[HackSore]

Yeah i do a lot of tech work for people for very resonable prices.
For friends and family or whatever, i usually accept a few beers or do it coz i know they would do the same for me if roles were reveresed!

[blueonblack]

I've helped a couple of friends who knew nothing about computers build their own systems, and they have built more since then. Knowledge is priceless.

:D
________
Subaru r1e (http://www.toyota-wiki.com/wiki/Subaru_R1e)

[FuzzyPlushroom]

I've helped a couple of friends who knew nothing about computers build their own systems, and they have built more since then. Knowledge is priceless.

Same here. I help friends out for free, only charging for parts that have to be purchased (of course), and don't often hesitate to give old parts away... because I know they'll eventually return the favor.

For instance, I replaced a BIOS chip for a friend of mine, and recommended, then built, a computer for his brother... in exchange, I got his parents' old computer when they upgraded, and he traded me his spare 3500+ for a 17" CRT I had around (he was using a 15" at the time). Good karma and all that.

[xmastree]

Not computer related, but I was in the local Halfords (http://www.halfords.com/) once and an elderly bloke in front of me was buying a headlight bulb. They have a fitting service, but he wasn't keen to pay so much for it so I offered to fit it for him.
Went out to his car to take a look and discovered that the plug wasn't pushed on to the original one properly. Gave it a push and all was well. :)

He went back into the store and got a refund on his new bulb.

[DonT-FeaR]

my friend didnt know how to set up his internet and they didnt wanna pay like 60 bucks to et it done so they offered me 20 but i did it for free.... literally took me 6mins..

[Xpirate]

I have given away old hardware and even purchased new hardware to keep some of my friends and family computing.

[Crazy Buddhist]

In the last year not too much - my activity levels and other factors have disturbed this aspect of my life. During this time I have given two complete systems to students and am in the middle of building a third for a nursing student who's laptop blew up.

Prior to that I recycle and found good homes on average for around 10 - 15 PC's a year: I find them dumped on the street or people give them to me because they know I do this. The part of London I live in is very deprived (has the highest tuberculosis rate worldwide - i.e. even higher than anywhere in Africa) and it is not hard to find people who need computers and can not afford them.

I give free computer advice to friends family and anyone I meet who wants it. Have rebuilt both my nephews PC's in the last eighteen months, set up a wireless network for my sister and her kids in their house with stuff I had collected.

Regularly do complete re-installs or major clean ups and tuning jobs for people - also for free.

I think on three occasions only have I accepted money - which I never asked for - from three people I know who could easily afford it and offered.

CrazyB

[crenn]

I give computer advise a lot, a lot of people say I should do tech support for a living.... pity it's a very stressful job and has to be done full time (if I could do it part time, I'd have a job by now).

[nevermind1534]

I've helped a couple of friends who knew nothing about computers build their own systems, and they have built more since then. Knowledge is priceless.

:D

I've been helping friends with builds and selecting parts for new builds non-stop for a few months, now. I'm also selling some athlon computers with somewhat decent vid cards to two other friends cheap, and putting their old hard drives in them. I got the computers out of the trash, and bought the video cards and for some of them, the RAM. I've also fixed and upgraded and aging computers for much less than quoted by other people and shops.

[Bopher]

Everyone I work with at the store knows I am the one to go to for any computer problems. I even looked at a mac, got it for free from him mother-in-law, for someone and gave him what i could for information. Done a couple system checks in the office during slow periods of business. I always only charge for parts even though a few people have wanted to pay because of what i saved them. And i always get this one, "What are you doing running a Wendy's when you know how to do this?"

[xRyokenx]

I helped my uncle do some maintenance on my grandma's car. If we didn't do it, it would have cost at least $2k.

[TheGreatSatan]

I do charge for my services, but it's always far less. In two days I'm going to a lady's home to set up her PC. Unbox it, set up Windows, transfer files from her old PC, create a home network, connect printer and teach her how to use it all for $100. Best Buy charges $200 to unpack box, connect printer and transfer data. I'll be there far longer to make her comfortable with her new computer (http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/touchsmart/alt/tsalt.html) and still save her 50%

[mittelmeier]

I've set up a few computers for neighbors for free and done a little trouble shooting. I also do car repairs for $20 an hour if I charge for labor. Most of the time I only charge for parts though.

[DonT-FeaR]

"What are you doing running a Wendy's when you know how to do this?"

cuz wendys is awsome.....

[SXRguyinMA]

I've worked on a Sea-Doo jet ski for a friend, was quoted $1800 for an engine rebuild, did it with a/m parts and my decreased labor rate :D all said and done for $800 http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/rockon.gif

[xmastree]

cuz wendys is awsome.....

Wendys?

[Liquid_Scope_99]

i got sent home after 20hrs this week so my boss could afford to go to bike week at daytona does that count lol had to vent a little .

Seriously i did fix the lock on my wifes aunts storage building today so she wouldnt have to pay to get it cut off .

[blueonblack]

Wendys?

Yeah, it's a brothel outside Reno... Wait, no, that was a different Wendy. Sorry.
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ACURA TSX HISTORY (http://www.honda-wiki.org/wiki/Acura_TSX)

[SXRguyinMA]

http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/haha.gif

[slytherock]

My gf daugther was always on the puter, so I builed a new one for my gf out of my spare parts; been paid in nature.... :lick:



On a side note: think this guy is obsessed with smilies. Does the rules have changed during my absence?


http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/haha.gif

[TheGreatSatan]

Seriously i did fix the lock on my wifes aunts storage building today so she wouldnt have to pay to get it cut off .

You fixed it? With a dremel?

[nevermind1534]

Or bolt cutters. Those are always fun!

[chaksq]

I like rebuilding old outdated computers and making them useful. I do not do it often but over the summer I rebuilt my parents old computer for my cousin who could not afford a computer so she can use it for schoolwork.

I personally believe that a lot of home users need no more than a P3 (~500mhz or greater) computer with as much ram installed as is possible. P3/P4 systems are cheap if not free, ram is cheap and all over ebay, and XUbuntu will make those systems fly. For people that only browse the internet and use basic office quite type applications a P3 system is perfect. If you add music or multimedia to that then get a P4. I have P1 systems that are still useful. I should start collecting outdated computers again, but rebuilding them and getting them to people who need them.

[nevermind1534]

I have tons of socket 370 cpus from 600Mhz-1.3GHz lying around.

[Liquid_Scope_99]

You fixed it? With a dremel?

lol guess i should explain lol it had rust on the part that goes in the lock i just had to jiggle the tar out of the lock to open it then sanded and wd40d the wiz out of it lol it workd like new now

[Crazy Buddhist]

I like rebuilding old outdated computers and making them useful. I do not do it often but over the summer I rebuilt my parents old computer for my cousin who could not afford a computer so she can use it for schoolwork.

I personally believe that a lot of home users need no more than a P3 (~500mhz or greater) computer with as much ram installed as is possible. P3/P4 systems are cheap if not free, ram is cheap and all over ebay, and XUbuntu will make those systems fly. For people that only browse the internet and use basic office quite type applications a P3 system is perfect. If you add music or multimedia to that then get a P4. I have P1 systems that are still useful. I should start collecting outdated computers again, but rebuilding them and getting them to people who need them.

All true - especially about your average home user being ok with a PIII or PIV. For internet and openoffice your good to go.

CrazyB

[TheGreatSatan]

I am such an idiot.

I have this old Emachine in my family room that I rarely use that has 1GB of RAM and a Celeron 1.7GHz running XP. I have lots of good systems just lying around, so just last night, I gutted the Emachine and threw in a new PSU, DVD burner, the AMD BE-2300 @ 1.9GHz, 2GB Ram, Geforce 9600GT 512MB, with Windows Vista.

I'll be using the old parts in a different case for people who just need a computer for Word and the internet. I just put another one together last week. That one has a P4 3GHz Northwood, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9600 (AGP), running XP. I have an AMD 3000+ next up. They'll all be sold for around $200 to $300 depending on the software bundle included.

[DaveW]

What goes around, comes around. I'm the guy who gets old hardware and immediately phones my friends and says "Hey, have an upgrade for you." I have a chest in my room which is the size of your average desk, completely full of unused hardware. All the contents of the box are up for grabs.

Recently, I built a friend an insane gaming rig. In return, they gave me their old one. I then phoned another friend and sometime soon i'm upgrading her computer (one I originally gave her as a birthday present) with his new hardware. I rarely if ever keep the returns for myself.

The way I see it, what goes around comes around, or Karma, or whatever you want to call it.

-Dave

[TheGreatSatan]

I hear you. I help a lot of people who have dead PC's who just want me to recover the hard drive. I usually get to keep the PC, which I repair and give to someone else. My kids have a dual core system with 2GB of RAM, and the 8400GS. I always feel bad for other kids their age whose parents buy a new PC and give the kids the old one. The older one is usually something running Windows 95 or 98.

[Crazy Buddhist]

An Example (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209991)