How Not To “Own” Computer Problems

As a reader of PCMech, you learn quite a bit from the content within this site and its Premium system.

Being that most people are helpful by nature, you might be inclined to help other people out with their computer problems with the knowledge gained from this site. There is nothing wrong with this.

However..

There are times when your helpful nature does nothing but strap you down with a ball and chain.

Example: Your neighbor expresses an interest in getting some anti-virus software installed on his system. Being the helpful person you are, you volunteer to install some freely available software on his computer and do so.

That’s a mistake.

The mistake was not putting anti-virus software on his computer. The mistake was that you installed it for him. At that point, anything that goes wrong with the computer from that point forward is your responsibility as far as that neighbor is concerned.

“My computer was running fine before you touched it!”

You know that’s a lie. But since you “touched” it – even with his full permission to do so – any problem that happens is totally your fault. You now “own” the problem. The nice favor you did completely backfired on you.

Things you can do to avoid “owning” problems

Never install software on another person’s PC

Using the neighbor example above, have him sit down at the computer and do the installation himself. Never sit in front of the computer. Don’t touch the keyboard. Don’t even get in the chair. Let the guy do his own work. Stand to the side and instruct but don’t touch.

For anything you instruct someone how to do personally, CONFIRM that they are satisfied with the job done.

Stand to the side and instruct whoever you’re instructing what to do (remember, don’t touch the computer). When finished, have him reboot the box. When it’s rebooted, ask him specifically, “Does everything seem OK to you?” Wait for a “Yes, everything is fine” or something similar as your confirmation.

In addition, specifically instruct how to uninstall the software, stating, “Remember, if you don’t like the software, here’s how to uninstall it.”

Defend yourself politely for those that try to make you fix all their computer problems for them

If that person comes back at you the next day and says,

“My computer was running fine but now it doesn’t work since you told me to install that software!”

You can reply with,

“I asked you specifically if everything was OK. You said yes. I don’t know what you’ve done to your computer since then.”

And if he replies with,

“I haven’t done anything!”

You can reply with,

“Nonsense. You’ve used your computer since that point. I don’t know what web sites you’ve been to. I don’t know what you’ve downloaded. If you don’t like the result, uninstall the software. I instructed you how to do that.”

What you’re doing is throwing the blame game right back in the guy’s face, because you know it’s his fault his computer is messed up to begin with. You just have to make sure to let him know that without directly accusing him.

Never give software to anybody

Don’t burn CDs or DVDs and give software to anyone you know. Send an email instead with a link and tell them to download it.

When you give software, anyone you give it to will “attach” you to any problems they might encounter installing it. When you send emails this doesn’t happen.

And if you encounter someone that says, “I don’t know how to use email!”, just tell them to go to www.hotmail.com, get an account and then send an email to your email address so you can send the download link to them.

If you never get the email, don’t worry about it. Don’t ask about it. Consider yourself off the hook from otherwise owning a problem of theirs.

Remember, email takes a six-year-old’s intelligence to know how to use. It is the most basic form of communication on the internet.

Recommend an on-site computer service instead

If someone is beyond help (and I’m sure you know a few), don’t try to save a sinking ship. Tell them to call Nerds On Site instead and to call at 1-877-MY-NERDS.

You will quickly discover that whenever someone with a computer problem has to actually spend money to fix it, all of a sudden it’s not a problem anymore.

Funny that.

Do you think I’m being cruel?

Some of you will read this and think I’m being a very cruel person. After all, when someone comes asking for computer help, you should help, right?

Not necessarily.

You will encounter those as said above that want you to fix all their computer problems for them. And if they find out you’re willing to do so, they will milk you for all that you’re worth. And when you object to doing all this free work for them after fixing their computer for the ten-thousandth time, they will complain and say you are a bad person in return, stating “I knew I never should have asked you for help! You broke my computer!”

People are cruel like that; that’s just the way the world is sometimes.

You don’t have to refuse helping people out – BUT – you do have to ensure that those you assist are responsible for their own problems.

I’ll put it to you this way: You’re a good computer user and take care of your hardware and software. You perform routine (or at least semi-routine) computer maintenance. You read, learn and moreover took the time to learn.

There’s an old saying:

You cannot help those who cannot help themselves.

If someone isn’t willing to take the time to learn computers as you did, touching that someone’s computer means you own every single problem that happens with it.

Don’t fall for this trap. Don’t own other people’s computer problems.