#fifonetworks — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #fifonetworks, aggregated by home.social.
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This is the second time in a week that I’ve removed a “web browser” called OneLaunch from a client’s computer. This was two different clients. In both cases, the client didn’t know how it got there. I’m still not sure how they’re downloading it, and without realizing it, approving the installation.
It’s a little dickens to get rid of. You can uninstall it, but then it’ll show up again after a reboot, so you have to find the loader file. The loader file for each client was different, so I can’t give you a simple solution here.
If you know what the “bait” is, I’d love to learn what it is my clients are clicking on to install this adware generator, so I can educate people not to click on it.
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This is the second time in a week that I’ve removed a “web browser” called OneLaunch from a client’s computer. This was two different clients. In both cases, the client didn’t know how it got there. I’m still not sure how they’re downloading it, and without realizing it, approving the installation.
It’s a little dickens to get rid of. You can uninstall it, but then it’ll show up again after a reboot, so you have to find the loader file. The loader file for each client was different, so I can’t give you a simple solution here.
If you know what the “bait” is, I’d love to learn what it is my clients are clicking on to install this adware generator, so I can educate people not to click on it.
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This is the second time in a week that I’ve removed a “web browser” called OneLaunch from a client’s computer. This was two different clients. In both cases, the client didn’t know how it got there. I’m still not sure how they’re downloading it, and without realizing it, approving the installation.
It’s a little dickens to get rid of. You can uninstall it, but then it’ll show up again after a reboot, so you have to find the loader file. The loader file for each client was different, so I can’t give you a simple solution here.
If you know what the “bait” is, I’d love to learn what it is my clients are clicking on to install this adware generator, so I can educate people not to click on it.
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This is the second time in a week that I’ve removed a “web browser” called OneLaunch from a client’s computer. This was two different clients. In both cases, the client didn’t know how it got there. I’m still not sure how they’re downloading it, and without realizing it, approving the installation.
It’s a little dickens to get rid of. You can uninstall it, but then it’ll show up again after a reboot, so you have to find the loader file. The loader file for each client was different, so I can’t give you a simple solution here.
If you know what the “bait” is, I’d love to learn what it is my clients are clicking on to install this adware generator, so I can educate people not to click on it.
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This is the second time in a week that I’ve removed a “web browser” called OneLaunch from a client’s computer. This was two different clients. In both cases, the client didn’t know how it got there. I’m still not sure how they’re downloading it, and without realizing it, approving the installation.
It’s a little dickens to get rid of. You can uninstall it, but then it’ll show up again after a reboot, so you have to find the loader file. The loader file for each client was different, so I can’t give you a simple solution here.
If you know what the “bait” is, I’d love to learn what it is my clients are clicking on to install this adware generator, so I can educate people not to click on it.
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Okay, I’m naive. And gullible. I just have to face the fact, and admit it.
So, here’s what’s going on. I have a pretty detailed spam filtering system for my email. I’m filtering on top-level domains (TLDs), keywords in the subject, keywords in the message body, and so on. Most messages go into a review folder before deletion, because I’ve made mistakes in the past with filtering parameters that were too broad.
Today, I had a brilliant idea: “I’m going to contact some of these people with compromised top-level domains and tell them, ‘Hey, someone is using your domain to send spam. It may be an employee computer that’s been compromised, or it may be an account in your email server that’s been compromised, but either way, I can find the problem and fix it for you.’”
Brilliant idea – or so I thought.
I picked an email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage.
Uh-oh. It’s not a legitimate business. The website is a front. The whole TLD is owned by the spammer and exists for the sole purpose of sending spam.
So I picked another email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage. Same thing. It sort of looks legitimate, but a lot of the “links” aren’t actually clickable.
All this time, I thought spam was coming from compromised businesses, and I’m sure some of it is. But a lot of it is from shell companies, not “real” domains at all.
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Okay, I’m naive. And gullible. I just have to face the fact, and admit it.
So, here’s what’s going on. I have a pretty detailed spam filtering system for my email. I’m filtering on top-level domains (TLDs), keywords in the subject, keywords in the message body, and so on. Most messages go into a review folder before deletion, because I’ve made mistakes in the past with filtering parameters that were too broad.
Today, I had a brilliant idea: “I’m going to contact some of these people with compromised top-level domains and tell them, ‘Hey, someone is using your domain to send spam. It may be an employee computer that’s been compromised, or it may be an account in your email server that’s been compromised, but either way, I can find the problem and fix it for you.’”
Brilliant idea – or so I thought.
I picked an email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage.
Uh-oh. It’s not a legitimate business. The website is a front. The whole TLD is owned by the spammer and exists for the sole purpose of sending spam.
So I picked another email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage. Same thing. It sort of looks legitimate, but a lot of the “links” aren’t actually clickable.
All this time, I thought spam was coming from compromised businesses, and I’m sure some of it is. But a lot of it is from shell companies, not “real” domains at all.
-
Okay, I’m naive. And gullible. I just have to face the fact, and admit it.
So, here’s what’s going on. I have a pretty detailed spam filtering system for my email. I’m filtering on top-level domains (TLDs), keywords in the subject, keywords in the message body, and so on. Most messages go into a review folder before deletion, because I’ve made mistakes in the past with filtering parameters that were too broad.
Today, I had a brilliant idea: “I’m going to contact some of these people with compromised top-level domains and tell them, ‘Hey, someone is using your domain to send spam. It may be an employee computer that’s been compromised, or it may be an account in your email server that’s been compromised, but either way, I can find the problem and fix it for you.’”
Brilliant idea – or so I thought.
I picked an email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage.
Uh-oh. It’s not a legitimate business. The website is a front. The whole TLD is owned by the spammer and exists for the sole purpose of sending spam.
So I picked another email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage. Same thing. It sort of looks legitimate, but a lot of the “links” aren’t actually clickable.
All this time, I thought spam was coming from compromised businesses, and I’m sure some of it is. But a lot of it is from shell companies, not “real” domains at all.
-
Okay, I’m naive. And gullible. I just have to face the fact, and admit it.
So, here’s what’s going on. I have a pretty detailed spam filtering system for my email. I’m filtering on top-level domains (TLDs), keywords in the subject, keywords in the message body, and so on. Most messages go into a review folder before deletion, because I’ve made mistakes in the past with filtering parameters that were too broad.
Today, I had a brilliant idea: “I’m going to contact some of these people with compromised top-level domains and tell them, ‘Hey, someone is using your domain to send spam. It may be an employee computer that’s been compromised, or it may be an account in your email server that’s been compromised, but either way, I can find the problem and fix it for you.’”
Brilliant idea – or so I thought.
I picked an email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage.
Uh-oh. It’s not a legitimate business. The website is a front. The whole TLD is owned by the spammer and exists for the sole purpose of sending spam.
So I picked another email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage. Same thing. It sort of looks legitimate, but a lot of the “links” aren’t actually clickable.
All this time, I thought spam was coming from compromised businesses, and I’m sure some of it is. But a lot of it is from shell companies, not “real” domains at all.
-
Okay, I’m naive. And gullible. I just have to face the fact, and admit it.
So, here’s what’s going on. I have a pretty detailed spam filtering system for my email. I’m filtering on top-level domains (TLDs), keywords in the subject, keywords in the message body, and so on. Most messages go into a review folder before deletion, because I’ve made mistakes in the past with filtering parameters that were too broad.
Today, I had a brilliant idea: “I’m going to contact some of these people with compromised top-level domains and tell them, ‘Hey, someone is using your domain to send spam. It may be an employee computer that’s been compromised, or it may be an account in your email server that’s been compromised, but either way, I can find the problem and fix it for you.’”
Brilliant idea – or so I thought.
I picked an email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage.
Uh-oh. It’s not a legitimate business. The website is a front. The whole TLD is owned by the spammer and exists for the sole purpose of sending spam.
So I picked another email, identified the TLD, and visited the homepage. Same thing. It sort of looks legitimate, but a lot of the “links” aren’t actually clickable.
All this time, I thought spam was coming from compromised businesses, and I’m sure some of it is. But a lot of it is from shell companies, not “real” domains at all.
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Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.
Adding more Wi-Fi access points does not create more bandwidth.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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He did five tours in the Middle East. He came home with severe PTSD. He retired from the US Air Force a few years ago. He cut off communications with his mother and disappeared in 2020. She asked me to find him.
The dilemma with Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) research is “privacy versus information.”
His mother wants to know where he is, and if he’s doing okay. He apparently doesn’t want his mother to know those answers.
I took the job. Property records, voter registration, crime reports, obituaries, and of course, social media – there’s lots of publicly available information, if you have a few “starter” bits of information to work from.
I found him.
He moved to a different state in 2021. He owns a home. He’s married.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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He did five tours in the Middle East. He came home with severe PTSD. He retired from the US Air Force a few years ago. He cut off communications with his mother and disappeared in 2020. She asked me to find him.
The dilemma with Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) research is “privacy versus information.”
His mother wants to know where he is, and if he’s doing okay. He apparently doesn’t want his mother to know those answers.
I took the job. Property records, voter registration, crime reports, obituaries, and of course, social media – there’s lots of publicly available information, if you have a few “starter” bits of information to work from.
I found him.
He moved to a different state in 2021. He owns a home. He’s married.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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He did five tours in the Middle East. He came home with severe PTSD. He retired from the US Air Force a few years ago. He cut off communications with his mother and disappeared in 2020. She asked me to find him.
The dilemma with Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) research is “privacy versus information.”
His mother wants to know where he is, and if he’s doing okay. He apparently doesn’t want his mother to know those answers.
I took the job. Property records, voter registration, crime reports, obituaries, and of course, social media – there’s lots of publicly available information, if you have a few “starter” bits of information to work from.
I found him.
He moved to a different state in 2021. He owns a home. He’s married.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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He did five tours in the Middle East. He came home with severe PTSD. He retired from the US Air Force a few years ago. He cut off communications with his mother and disappeared in 2020. She asked me to find him.
The dilemma with Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) research is “privacy versus information.”
His mother wants to know where he is, and if he’s doing okay. He apparently doesn’t want his mother to know those answers.
I took the job. Property records, voter registration, crime reports, obituaries, and of course, social media – there’s lots of publicly available information, if you have a few “starter” bits of information to work from.
I found him.
He moved to a different state in 2021. He owns a home. He’s married.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
-
He did five tours in the Middle East. He came home with severe PTSD. He retired from the US Air Force a few years ago. He cut off communications with his mother and disappeared in 2020. She asked me to find him.
The dilemma with Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) research is “privacy versus information.”
His mother wants to know where he is, and if he’s doing okay. He apparently doesn’t want his mother to know those answers.
I took the job. Property records, voter registration, crime reports, obituaries, and of course, social media – there’s lots of publicly available information, if you have a few “starter” bits of information to work from.
I found him.
He moved to a different state in 2021. He owns a home. He’s married.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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Botnets everywhere...
The client’s firewall was installed with the default settings only. They changed IT resources and started paying me a monthly fee for network infrastructure monitoring (yay!). I tightened up the firewall’s security settings, and discovered they were paying licensing fees for seciurity features that had never been activated. Next, I reset the log counters, set up email alerts, and started paying attention.
Wow. In a couple of days I was seeing a lot of outbound traffic communicating with known botnet command-and-control (C&C) servers.
I notified the business owner, and he authorized me to do a network scan during working hours to identify the devices with the IP addresses recorded in the logs.
Good news! Every one of the compromised devices was a mobile device; some Apple, some Android. No servers, no workstations, no printers. This company has two Wi-Fi networks: StoreName, and StoreName Guest. The next step was to change the encryption key (what most people call the Wi-Fi password) for the StoreName network, and limit access to devices like wireless printers and security cameras. This ensured that no employee or customer phones were connecting to the enterprise LAN.
As a courtesy, employees were notified that there were some infected smartphones (“We don’t know who, but it may be you”) and offered the opportunity to compare their phone’s Wi-Fi IP address against the list derived from the logfile.
LESSON 1: A firewall installed with its default settings is good. A firewall configured by someone who knows what they’re doing is better. A firewall that is configured and actively monitored is best.
LESSON 2: A guest Wi-Fi network, isolated from the company network, isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity, if you’re going to let employees and customers use Wi-Fi in your building.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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Botnets everywhere...
The client’s firewall was installed with the default settings only. They changed IT resources and started paying me a monthly fee for network infrastructure monitoring (yay!). I tightened up the firewall’s security settings, and discovered they were paying licensing fees for seciurity features that had never been activated. Next, I reset the log counters, set up email alerts, and started paying attention.
Wow. In a couple of days I was seeing a lot of outbound traffic communicating with known botnet command-and-control (C&C) servers.
I notified the business owner, and he authorized me to do a network scan during working hours to identify the devices with the IP addresses recorded in the logs.
Good news! Every one of the compromised devices was a mobile device; some Apple, some Android. No servers, no workstations, no printers. This company has two Wi-Fi networks: StoreName, and StoreName Guest. The next step was to change the encryption key (what most people call the Wi-Fi password) for the StoreName network, and limit access to devices like wireless printers and security cameras. This ensured that no employee or customer phones were connecting to the enterprise LAN.
As a courtesy, employees were notified that there were some infected smartphones (“We don’t know who, but it may be you”) and offered the opportunity to compare their phone’s Wi-Fi IP address against the list derived from the logfile.
LESSON 1: A firewall installed with its default settings is good. A firewall configured by someone who knows what they’re doing is better. A firewall that is configured and actively monitored is best.
LESSON 2: A guest Wi-Fi network, isolated from the company network, isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity, if you’re going to let employees and customers use Wi-Fi in your building.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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Botnets everywhere...
The client’s firewall was installed with the default settings only. They changed IT resources and started paying me a monthly fee for network infrastructure monitoring (yay!). I tightened up the firewall’s security settings, and discovered they were paying licensing fees for seciurity features that had never been activated. Next, I reset the log counters, set up email alerts, and started paying attention.
Wow. In a couple of days I was seeing a lot of outbound traffic communicating with known botnet command-and-control (C&C) servers.
I notified the business owner, and he authorized me to do a network scan during working hours to identify the devices with the IP addresses recorded in the logs.
Good news! Every one of the compromised devices was a mobile device; some Apple, some Android. No servers, no workstations, no printers. This company has two Wi-Fi networks: StoreName, and StoreName Guest. The next step was to change the encryption key (what most people call the Wi-Fi password) for the StoreName network, and limit access to devices like wireless printers and security cameras. This ensured that no employee or customer phones were connecting to the enterprise LAN.
As a courtesy, employees were notified that there were some infected smartphones (“We don’t know who, but it may be you”) and offered the opportunity to compare their phone’s Wi-Fi IP address against the list derived from the logfile.
LESSON 1: A firewall installed with its default settings is good. A firewall configured by someone who knows what they’re doing is better. A firewall that is configured and actively monitored is best.
LESSON 2: A guest Wi-Fi network, isolated from the company network, isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity, if you’re going to let employees and customers use Wi-Fi in your building.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
-
Botnets everywhere...
The client’s firewall was installed with the default settings only. They changed IT resources and started paying me a monthly fee for network infrastructure monitoring (yay!). I tightened up the firewall’s security settings, and discovered they were paying licensing fees for seciurity features that had never been activated. Next, I reset the log counters, set up email alerts, and started paying attention.
Wow. In a couple of days I was seeing a lot of outbound traffic communicating with known botnet command-and-control (C&C) servers.
I notified the business owner, and he authorized me to do a network scan during working hours to identify the devices with the IP addresses recorded in the logs.
Good news! Every one of the compromised devices was a mobile device; some Apple, some Android. No servers, no workstations, no printers. This company has two Wi-Fi networks: StoreName, and StoreName Guest. The next step was to change the encryption key (what most people call the Wi-Fi password) for the StoreName network, and limit access to devices like wireless printers and security cameras. This ensured that no employee or customer phones were connecting to the enterprise LAN.
As a courtesy, employees were notified that there were some infected smartphones (“We don’t know who, but it may be you”) and offered the opportunity to compare their phone’s Wi-Fi IP address against the list derived from the logfile.
LESSON 1: A firewall installed with its default settings is good. A firewall configured by someone who knows what they’re doing is better. A firewall that is configured and actively monitored is best.
LESSON 2: A guest Wi-Fi network, isolated from the company network, isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity, if you’re going to let employees and customers use Wi-Fi in your building.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
-
Botnets everywhere...
The client’s firewall was installed with the default settings only. They changed IT resources and started paying me a monthly fee for network infrastructure monitoring (yay!). I tightened up the firewall’s security settings, and discovered they were paying licensing fees for seciurity features that had never been activated. Next, I reset the log counters, set up email alerts, and started paying attention.
Wow. In a couple of days I was seeing a lot of outbound traffic communicating with known botnet command-and-control (C&C) servers.
I notified the business owner, and he authorized me to do a network scan during working hours to identify the devices with the IP addresses recorded in the logs.
Good news! Every one of the compromised devices was a mobile device; some Apple, some Android. No servers, no workstations, no printers. This company has two Wi-Fi networks: StoreName, and StoreName Guest. The next step was to change the encryption key (what most people call the Wi-Fi password) for the StoreName network, and limit access to devices like wireless printers and security cameras. This ensured that no employee or customer phones were connecting to the enterprise LAN.
As a courtesy, employees were notified that there were some infected smartphones (“We don’t know who, but it may be you”) and offered the opportunity to compare their phone’s Wi-Fi IP address against the list derived from the logfile.
LESSON 1: A firewall installed with its default settings is good. A firewall configured by someone who knows what they’re doing is better. A firewall that is configured and actively monitored is best.
LESSON 2: A guest Wi-Fi network, isolated from the company network, isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity, if you’re going to let employees and customers use Wi-Fi in your building.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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“That costs more than I thought it would.”
A residential client told me that she had talked to a friend who needed someone to restore her ability to print. She gave me the name and phone number of the prospect, with the woman’s permission. She also told me that the woman is about 90 years old. Her son had tried to get her printer working, but wasn’t able to, so she needed a tech support person.
Today I called. She said, “We have two printers, and I can’t get either one of them to work since I got a new router a couple of weeks ago.”
(Side note: wait, did she just mention her router? And did she say she and her husband have two printers? Yup, and it should come as no surprise. This is the new, common reality of working tech support with the elderly. They’re often more technically literate than you think. Do the math. Let’s say she’s a full 90 years old, and retired at the age of 65. That was in 2001. Computers were everywhere in 2001. If you know elderly people who don’t understand computers, it’s not because they’re old; it’s because they had a job that didn’t involve using computers. Today, there are 90-year-olds who were software engineers).
Back to the story... I told her yes, I could help her with that, and I have a “no fix, no charge” guarantee. She was all set to have me do the work. Then I said, “First, I want to be transparent about the cost.” I told her my hourly rate.
[silence for over a second]... “Okay, I’ll talk to my husband and let you know.”
My rate is the same for residential service as for business service. Many years ago I charged less for residential. I learned my lesson. Now, if anything, I’d say (only half joking) that residential clients could legitimately be charged a premium.
I charge the same because my costs are the same, and because I’m running a for-profit business. There are several other reasons, too, but we’ll leave it at that for this post.
THE LESSON
If you’re doing residential tech support, give serious thought to your fee structure. If you try to sell it cheap, you can end up working your tail off and struggling to make ends meet. Find clients who can afford to pay you at the current competitive rates.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
-
“That costs more than I thought it would.”
A residential client told me that she had talked to a friend who needed someone to restore her ability to print. She gave me the name and phone number of the prospect, with the woman’s permission. She also told me that the woman is about 90 years old. Her son had tried to get her printer working, but wasn’t able to, so she needed a tech support person.
Today I called. She said, “We have two printers, and I can’t get either one of them to work since I got a new router a couple of weeks ago.”
(Side note: wait, did she just mention her router? And did she say she and her husband have two printers? Yup, and it should come as no surprise. This is the new, common reality of working tech support with the elderly. They’re often more technically literate than you think. Do the math. Let’s say she’s a full 90 years old, and retired at the age of 65. That was in 2001. Computers were everywhere in 2001. If you know elderly people who don’t understand computers, it’s not because they’re old; it’s because they had a job that didn’t involve using computers. Today, there are 90-year-olds who were software engineers).
Back to the story... I told her yes, I could help her with that, and I have a “no fix, no charge” guarantee. She was all set to have me do the work. Then I said, “First, I want to be transparent about the cost.” I told her my hourly rate.
[silence for over a second]... “Okay, I’ll talk to my husband and let you know.”
My rate is the same for residential service as for business service. Many years ago I charged less for residential. I learned my lesson. Now, if anything, I’d say (only half joking) that residential clients could legitimately be charged a premium.
I charge the same because my costs are the same, and because I’m running a for-profit business. There are several other reasons, too, but we’ll leave it at that for this post.
THE LESSON
If you’re doing residential tech support, give serious thought to your fee structure. If you try to sell it cheap, you can end up working your tail off and struggling to make ends meet. Find clients who can afford to pay you at the current competitive rates.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
-
“That costs more than I thought it would.”
A residential client told me that she had talked to a friend who needed someone to restore her ability to print. She gave me the name and phone number of the prospect, with the woman’s permission. She also told me that the woman is about 90 years old. Her son had tried to get her printer working, but wasn’t able to, so she needed a tech support person.
Today I called. She said, “We have two printers, and I can’t get either one of them to work since I got a new router a couple of weeks ago.”
(Side note: wait, did she just mention her router? And did she say she and her husband have two printers? Yup, and it should come as no surprise. This is the new, common reality of working tech support with the elderly. They’re often more technically literate than you think. Do the math. Let’s say she’s a full 90 years old, and retired at the age of 65. That was in 2001. Computers were everywhere in 2001. If you know elderly people who don’t understand computers, it’s not because they’re old; it’s because they had a job that didn’t involve using computers. Today, there are 90-year-olds who were software engineers).
Back to the story... I told her yes, I could help her with that, and I have a “no fix, no charge” guarantee. She was all set to have me do the work. Then I said, “First, I want to be transparent about the cost.” I told her my hourly rate.
[silence for over a second]... “Okay, I’ll talk to my husband and let you know.”
My rate is the same for residential service as for business service. Many years ago I charged less for residential. I learned my lesson. Now, if anything, I’d say (only half joking) that residential clients could legitimately be charged a premium.
I charge the same because my costs are the same, and because I’m running a for-profit business. There are several other reasons, too, but we’ll leave it at that for this post.
THE LESSON
If you’re doing residential tech support, give serious thought to your fee structure. If you try to sell it cheap, you can end up working your tail off and struggling to make ends meet. Find clients who can afford to pay you at the current competitive rates.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
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“That costs more than I thought it would.”
A residential client told me that she had talked to a friend who needed someone to restore her ability to print. She gave me the name and phone number of the prospect, with the woman’s permission. She also told me that the woman is about 90 years old. Her son had tried to get her printer working, but wasn’t able to, so she needed a tech support person.
Today I called. She said, “We have two printers, and I can’t get either one of them to work since I got a new router a couple of weeks ago.”
(Side note: wait, did she just mention her router? And did she say she and her husband have two printers? Yup, and it should come as no surprise. This is the new, common reality of working tech support with the elderly. They’re often more technically literate than you think. Do the math. Let’s say she’s a full 90 years old, and retired at the age of 65. That was in 2001. Computers were everywhere in 2001. If you know elderly people who don’t understand computers, it’s not because they’re old; it’s because they had a job that didn’t involve using computers. Today, there are 90-year-olds who were software engineers).
Back to the story... I told her yes, I could help her with that, and I have a “no fix, no charge” guarantee. She was all set to have me do the work. Then I said, “First, I want to be transparent about the cost.” I told her my hourly rate.
[silence for over a second]... “Okay, I’ll talk to my husband and let you know.”
My rate is the same for residential service as for business service. Many years ago I charged less for residential. I learned my lesson. Now, if anything, I’d say (only half joking) that residential clients could legitimately be charged a premium.
I charge the same because my costs are the same, and because I’m running a for-profit business. There are several other reasons, too, but we’ll leave it at that for this post.
THE LESSON
If you’re doing residential tech support, give serious thought to your fee structure. If you try to sell it cheap, you can end up working your tail off and struggling to make ends meet. Find clients who can afford to pay you at the current competitive rates.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422
-
“That costs more than I thought it would.”
A residential client told me that she had talked to a friend who needed someone to restore her ability to print. She gave me the name and phone number of the prospect, with the woman’s permission. She also told me that the woman is about 90 years old. Her son had tried to get her printer working, but wasn’t able to, so she needed a tech support person.
Today I called. She said, “We have two printers, and I can’t get either one of them to work since I got a new router a couple of weeks ago.”
(Side note: wait, did she just mention her router? And did she say she and her husband have two printers? Yup, and it should come as no surprise. This is the new, common reality of working tech support with the elderly. They’re often more technically literate than you think. Do the math. Let’s say she’s a full 90 years old, and retired at the age of 65. That was in 2001. Computers were everywhere in 2001. If you know elderly people who don’t understand computers, it’s not because they’re old; it’s because they had a job that didn’t involve using computers. Today, there are 90-year-olds who were software engineers).
Back to the story... I told her yes, I could help her with that, and I have a “no fix, no charge” guarantee. She was all set to have me do the work. Then I said, “First, I want to be transparent about the cost.” I told her my hourly rate.
[silence for over a second]... “Okay, I’ll talk to my husband and let you know.”
My rate is the same for residential service as for business service. Many years ago I charged less for residential. I learned my lesson. Now, if anything, I’d say (only half joking) that residential clients could legitimately be charged a premium.
I charge the same because my costs are the same, and because I’m running a for-profit business. There are several other reasons, too, but we’ll leave it at that for this post.
THE LESSON
If you’re doing residential tech support, give serious thought to your fee structure. If you try to sell it cheap, you can end up working your tail off and struggling to make ends meet. Find clients who can afford to pay you at the current competitive rates.#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks +1 206-465-2422