h3%5kr3w Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Most of us that have been good local computer techs have been hit with a freebie one time or another. Usually like this: You fix a computer for someone, and something doesnt work 'right' so they give it to you, OR You cant fix a computer within price reason (bad mtb, proc, pwr supply etc) so instead of getting you to fix/rpl the parts, they give you the compy cause they want to buy a new one (even though the compy is relatively new). Ill have to say I have been too much of a moral bastard in my times of fixing computers, but the sweetest peice of hardware I ever got, was actually just a suppliment to my parts and labor pricing for building a pretty sweet gaming computer for a co-worker. He ordered me a joy-box (a usb to playstation 2 controller trans-connector) from lik-sang. Even though you could get one here, at the time, this one was the only ps2 trans-connector that is also compatible with all gaming controllers for ps2, including ddr pads (which I had, and yah, was ok at it for awhile). Cost me nada, but after shipping n handling, cost him $60, but ya kno what? He still has the computer, never had a single problem with it. Quote
snakey Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 100 bucks i spose i dont really get paided in hardware cause i usually fix everyone's pc :P Quote
dr0p Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 My one friend usually pays me in delicious ramen ^-^ Quote
h3%5kr3w Posted January 7, 2009 Author Posted January 7, 2009 yah, friends are grey areas ya kno, cause they can buy a bottle and you can drink with them er something, but im talking about people you dont know. ie. friend's mother-in-law, co-worker, etc. Quote
tim.vangehugten Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 I mostly get paid in money, but when its for friends, mostly wine or sth to eat :D Quote
VaKo Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Fixing computers for young women away from home for the first time was always fun when I was at university. Quote
Hurtcake Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Got around 100 bucks to run ccleaner and tell them they should buy a new computer. (it was old and runnling win95 :P) Quote
stingwray Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 I once got £15 ( about $30 back then, not now :( ) for telling a woman that the reason that her laptop wouldn't write to the writable CD she had put in because it was only a CD/DVD ROM drive. I did try to say I didn't need anything in return but she forced it on me. Quote
h3%5kr3w Posted January 7, 2009 Author Posted January 7, 2009 lol, thats happened to me a few times too. I have recieved alot of hardware just from people who wanted to upgrade to the 'cool guy' hardware, even when what they had was good enough for what they were doing. heck I have built whole computers multiple times over for friends and family that cant afford it, for free just from slightly dated hardware that people dont want to keep. especially video and motherboards/procs. Quote
h3%5kr3w Posted January 7, 2009 Author Posted January 7, 2009 tea? lols, id at least ask for a coca-cola, *though if tea is just your thing though, who is to complain* Quote
taiyed14 Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 tea? lols, id at least ask for a coca-cola, *though if tea is just your thing though, who is to complain* This wasn't some Lipton tea bag crap. This was a couple tins high quality loose tea. Although I have received a coca-cola whiles working on a box. Quote
StarchyPizza Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Um the few times i fixed friends pc's i was at their house and it was some simple stuff. Ecxept my friends pc that im fixing now he has a nasty virus plus loads of spyware and crap. But i usually get paid in food haha or just for free because we do favors for each other. Quote
ansichild Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 A hot redhead. 22y/o. She was crazy too. Kept dead rabbits in her freezer to make stew. Quote
Loony Guitarist Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 I once fixed my Ex Girlfriend's PC two weeks after we broke up. What did I get out of it??? I got to see her new boyfriend. Should have snuck a couple of backdoors on her machine!! Quote
misfitsman805 Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Got me a free laptop for reinstalling windows xp on a friends pc :P Still works till this day :) Quote
DLSS Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 I mostly get paid in money, but when its for friends, mostly wine or sth to eat :D ditto (tho in my case beer or vodka,.... wich reminds me yannick still owes me a bottle of eristoff...) i guess the best i got was for fixing stuff at a local radio station other computer buisnesses couldn't get running(they still used some dos progs, had to replace the box , replaced it with a dualcore box running xp, and no shit , the progs didnt work/run, so i installed dosbox & wrote some configs for each prog, getting it all to work fluently...) got payed €35 and got some racing tickets. i also get old boxes dropped off here but they're usually too old (P1, P2,...,) with the only usable parts left being fans... This wasn't some Lipton tea bag crap. This was a couple tins high quality loose tea. Although I have received a coca-cola whiles working on a box. :o coke? i usually get a beer, when i work for free the rule is simple : no alcohol no work :P even my gf's stephmom gets me a glas of gin . (i'm not rude enough to ask, but she's smart enough to offer :P) Quote
H@L0_F00 Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 I was fixing a neighbors old Dell (P4) but he got hauled off to jail (25-life) so now it's mine. I'm using some of the parts from it (fans, HDD, CD/DVD RW) in my home server. I mainly fix my family's computers and help them with tech. in general for no fee. I've softmodded some 1st gen Xboxs for $30-40 (XBMC, emulators, ton of ROMS, and fucktard proof locks on settings/configs so they can't go and fuck it up lol) Quote
rtfmorgtfo Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 I'll join the list of free food/booze while fixing friend/family computers. I also spent one semester pretty tanked when I setup a sign in the campus bar for free computer help and physics tutoring so long as they kept the draught flowing. On the more monetary side I once had a really nice and cool business man take me to lunch at a fancy restaurant with him and his wife while few pcs where formatting and installing windows. Best part was he picked up the tab and paid me the same hourly rate for the time we were eating. :D Quote
StarchyPizza Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 I'll join the list of free food/booze while fixing friend/family computers. I also spent one semester pretty tanked when I setup a sign in the campus bar for free computer help and physics tutoring so long as they kept the draught flowing. On the more monetary side I once had a really nice and cool business man take me to lunch at a fancy restaurant with him and his wife while few pcs where formatting and installing windows. Best part was he picked up the tab and paid me the same hourly rate for the time we were eating. :D Haha that is sick. Im looking to start doing some tech work for people, I posted an AD on craigslist. And I'll probably do free PC fix's for friends and family. Quote
h3%5kr3w Posted January 8, 2009 Author Posted January 8, 2009 yah, man see thats what you do (i dont post online for services cause i dont have time for that much) but you let your folks know, and your friends, and they tell they're friends, and co-workers, etc, and next time someone is phuked cause they dont know how to fix it they'll call you. It's just like Quagmire said: "Hey, fat chicks need love too ya know.. heh..heh.heh. but they gotta pay!" oh, btw, I have been paid with nice tall glasses of 151 and coke many-a-times (one time I was so drunk, it took me till 5 in the morning to reload a computer for a friend.... started at 9 that night, but hey it was all fun and games though) Quote
Deags Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 i got to drive her mums maserati(mum didn't know of course). ... common sense is my strong suit. of course you fuckin would. Quote
rtfmorgtfo Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 i got to drive her mums maserati(mum didn't know of course). This is by far the best reward posted yet. Quote
unn0129 Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 a friend of mine had a dell, where the hard drive was corrupt. so instead of actually fixing it, i just unplugged the power to the motherboard, told him it was irrepairable and forced him to buy a new computer. he gave me the dell, and now i have it setup as a dedicated web server. =D thats probably the most douch-iest thing ive ever done. Quote
Nophix Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 Hmm... I'll have to get pics of my server rack when I get home. I got it all from work as we upgraded. Servers are maybe 4-5 years old, and I know they run VMware great. The IBM server I have is about 3 years old roughly. Plus, there is the rack. It's a full-height APC cab with glass front door, and is SAWEET! Quote
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