Right Or Wrong

[Tech_Greek]

Right or Wrong

So, we have a lady that comes in with a Laptop, she says her wireless isn’t working (usually just the switch on or off).

When I was booting the computer up it randomly wouldn’t go into Winders…which 9/10 means the OS corrupt which 9/10 times it’s from the Hard Drive going out.

SO

I scanned it with a Hitachi HD scanner on a HITACHI Hard Drive and it came up with bad sectors which usually means (via a Google Study that they did on their own collection) most of the time the hard drive WILL fail with in the year.

I told the guy who contacts the customer that the HD was on the way out and it will be bad within the year, most of the times that message means impending doom.

SO, in my notes I recommended:

New Hard Drive
Windows Install
Windows Updates + Bios Updates, etc
Data Back up
SpySweeper w/ AntiVirus

The other tech goes back behind me and rediags it (he always half asses it and rushes through them) so, he thinks that I was trying to ‘scam’ the customer saying that the HITACHI Test said that it wouldn’t recognize the own hard drive (or so he says, no one sees this screen BUT it’s there though haha).

Then he wants to sit there and tell me I’m not doing my job when I didn’t fix the original problem…ummm hello I’m not going to fix their wireless and have them return next week when their computer won’t start and then blame it on me…then I’ll really be up **** creek.

So what do you think, was I in the right to recommend new stuff or should I have just said f’ the customer and fixed the wireless and sent them on their way.

- Eric

[x0dyssey]

IMHO being a dell tech, you should still attempt to fix the wifi as well and ADV them of the impending doom. Since the laptop originally came in because the WiFi was not working properly, you might of just stumbled upon the bad HD sectors, which sometimes a scan disk can fix. Anything else going on to cause the Wifi not to work? Like being too close to a street light, i know it sounds dumb but its a possibility. But nope your not wrong, your correct to inform the customer but from what i read you didnt fix the main issue. so you guys double teamed her lol

[Tech_Greek]

IMHO being a dell tech, you should still attempt to fix the wifi as well and ADV them of the impending doom. Since the laptop originally came in because the WiFi was not working properly, you might of just stumbled upon the bad HD sectors, which sometimes a scan disk can fix. Anything else going on to cause the Wifi not to work? Like being too close to a street light, i know it sounds dumb but its a possibility. But nope your not wrong, your correct to inform the customer but from what i read you didnt fix the main issue. so you guys double teamed her lol

No, the wireless was just a switch, the way I saw it is that from personal experience that a HD with bad sectors is impending doom, so I made that recommendation, had they not heeded my warning I would have went ahead fixed the wireless (just the switch was turned off, it was a dell laptop btw).

We don't fix the main issue until the repair is approved/disapproved, thats the way it's always been done any in shop (but this tech doesn't think so, because he's older...blahblahblah)

[HONkUS]

I think you should bash that guy in the face with a shovel and tell him to STFU.

[x0dyssey]

I think you should bash that guy in the face with a shovel and tell him to STFU.

I second that! lol, if hes older doenst that mean he might not know whats sooo new and cutting edge? lol j/k but yeah kick his Arse! read up in maxim mag about destroying your enemy coworker.

[Tech_Greek]

He's one of those guys that thinks he knows anything

For Example:

Windows Updates, if you get 3 or 4 hex codes in a row, your best bet is to reformat as the OS is fubared anyway as it's not worth chasing the other bugs down in the system (and there WILL be a lot)

NOOOO not from him, no you can repair those hex codes and the rest of the system will be fine.

[Dragon_Cooler]

Hey wheather its right or wrong, all i can say is you arent one of those in the video frauding!!! LOL thank you for that

[NAiLs]

Let me just say, bad sectors are not always saying that the drive will fail within the year. I have drives that have bad sectors on them and they've been in operation with those bad sectors for over 7 years now. Don't get me wrong, I don't like drives with bad sectors by any means and yes, they could spell failure, but not all the time.

As far as the lady, I agree. Just inform her of the problem and let her decide what she wants to do.

Now, if you think your coworker is being a dick, I totally agree. Tell him to shove it.

[KnightRid]

Fix the wireless and inform her of the impending doom.

Make her sign a release form if she does not get he hard drive replaced!!!! I can see her taking it home then coming back in a wekk and telling everyone that you broke her computer by fixing the wireless network!

Mike

Side note - its a sad day when we have to charge someone to push a button to or flick a "switch" to make something work ;) I know, business is business, but damn...how much does your company charge for a flipping switch problme ;)

Oh and beat the hell out of the arse who thinks he is better - in school they were called jocks, or target practice :p

[Tech_Greek]

Exactly, that's essentialy what I was doing, covering my own arse because I don't want it to come back at me...but yeah that's why we ask what they want to do before we repair.

http://labs.google.com/papers/disk_failures.pdf

Interesting on Bad Sectors, etc...personal experience they DO go out within a year, every single one of them.