I told you guys it was going to cost me, and I was right. However, it didn’t cost me what it could have. If you remember a while back I posted a blog entitled; Ya Gotta Trust Your Jeweler. (5-15-09) The story was that I had taken my laptop to a repair shop, and I was hoping I could trust the folks to take care of my computer while not taking me for a ride. Well after it had been there for a week, I called and asked what he had found out. The first thing he did in response was ask me a question. “Did you receive a call from us letting you know we had found out anything?” The meaning was clear, why are you calling us, we said we would call you when we knew something.

“ OK, I’m sorry for being impatient, but you said you would know something on Monday, and here it is Thursday, and since you haven’t called I just thought I’d check on things. So since I have called can you go ahead and let me know what you think?”

“Well let’s see…. What was your computer? Oh , yes here it is….well it’s not running hot, and I did a few diagnostics and we really haven’t found anything so…I guess we could try something else. Why don’t you give me a few more days and I’ll, blah, blah, blah…so I’ll call you on Monday.” 

The following Thursday:

“Hi, this is Kent Smith, I was just wondering if you knew anything yet? I didn’t mean to get in a hurry or anything, but you said you’d call on Monday and it’s Thursday, so I just thought I’d call and check in, ya know?”

“Well let’s see…oh, ya… you had the ‘angry laptop’ (even my computer seems to be feeling my iibs)…well…OK…ya…I think it maybe Google causing the problem, they got this thing that blah, blah, blah….so anyway why don’t I try blah, blah, blah, and I‘ll call you on Monday.”  

The following Wednesday:

“Hey, this is “GRUMPY” Kent Smith I was wondering if you knew anything about my computer or not? I know you said you’d call, but it’s Wednesday and you’ve had the thing for a long time and I just wanted to check and see what you thought.” 

“We’ll let’s see…oh yea… the angry laptop…well ya know it’s not showing up on the diagnostics, but sometimes that doesn’t mean the problem isn’t there… so… I’m thinking it may be the Mother Board or it could be…blah, blah, blah, but I think we should start with the Mother Board and go from there. I was really hoping I could take care of this for ya without spending a bunch a money, but I guess we’re gonna have too.”

“But, you really don’t know if it’s the Mother Board or not, right?”

“Well…no, not really, buuuutttttt I think that’d be a good place to start.”

“How much do I owe you so far?”

“Well, let’s see…just the diagnostic fee of $69.95 that you prepaid.”

“And how much do ya think it’ll cost to put in a Mother Board?”

‘Well, let’s see…maybe…well, it’s gonna cost quite a bit, but I’d have ta check and, blah, blah, blah.” 

“Tell ya what, I’m gonna come pick that thing up.”

‘What?”

“I’m-going-too-come-pick-my-computer-up.”

So, I picked up the computer, but the man wasn’t there, and the guy at the counter said that I owed them $17.95. “WHAT?” “The man told me I was only out the original fee that I have already paid” And, after a call to the man, I was given my computer and walked out the door.

I called Josh and ask him if he could put a Mother Board in my laptop, and said yes, but how did I know it was a Mother Board? And he wanted to know why I hadn’t brought my computer to him to begin with. I told him he had plenty to do without fixing my computer. He told me to get it to him and he would check it out. He did check it out just this past Saturday. I don’t know what he did, or how he did it, but my computer is fixed.

My computer needed a Mother Board about like the first Gulf War was the “Mother of all Wars.”  The only comparison I can come up with on that, is that this computer guy is just as much a “Scud” as those missiles were that Saddam was going to whip us with.

So it all goes back to trust, and this man didn’t earn mine. The silver lining is, I could have been out a ton of money, but I’m not. Think I’ll just bother my son first next time, and save even more money.

Till next time,

Grump