I LOVE free stuff

TPerry

TPerry

Well-known member
Was at my local Dr. office today fixing a "network problem" (amazing - the network actually works correctly when you plug the cable into the NIC that had to be added to the computer because the onboard one went belly up ;)). I had recently moved their stress test machine off of an older Gateway server to a desktop (much quieter). They gave me the server (my second one from them) and a box of CD's they were going to throw out (I use them down at the land to hang in the orchard trees). Happened to look in the box... and guess what I found. A copy of PhotoShop 7.0 full version (not installed on any of their computers as the person that wanted it left the practice) with the key! @Shelley now I can start REALLY pestering you!
Let's see... score so far
1 Dell 2900 server
1 Gateway 980 server
1 Dell Optiplex 380 desktop
1 Dell Dimension C521 (needs PS and DVD)
1 Gateway Celeron desktop (needs PS and HD)
1 Acer EEE PC netbook
1 copy of PhotoShop
soon 1 Microsoft Surface Pro 128GB

Life is good!
 
Thom Tyler said:
Nice one Tracy - how did you manage to blag the free Surface Pro? :O
Click to expand...

I do free tech support for their office - and am always fighting to find a desktop to work from for stuff and got tired of bringing my personal laptop. Was joking with them about them needing to get me a Surface Pro since they are a Windows shop and the Office manager and both primary Dr's agreed... it helps that they are wanting to go to the Surface Pro for the Dr's and nurses to use also. :p
 
Tracy Perry said:
I do free tech support for their office - and am always fighting to find a desktop to work from for stuff and got tired of bringing my personal laptop. Was joking with them about them needing to get me a Surface Pro since they are a Windows shop and the Office manager and both primary Dr's agreed... it helps that they are wanting to go to the Surface Pro for the Dr's and nurses to use also. :p
Click to expand...

Nice one! I hope you enjoy it. I do tech support for the world's most famous children's hospital - I wish I got free stuff! :sick: haha.
 
Usually no good deed goes unpunished. But I take good joy in your good fortune @Tracy Perry as the natural order of things seems to be working well for you in that your good deeds are being well rewarded.

Keep up the good work and keep us posted. I like hearing good news like this :)
 
Tracy Perry said:
Was at my local Dr. office today fixing a "network problem" (amazing - the network actually works correctly when you plug the cable into the NIC that had to be added to the computer because the onboard one went belly up ;)). I had recently moved their stress test machine off of an older Gateway server to a desktop (much quieter). They gave me the server (my second one from them) and a box of CD's they were going to throw out (I use them down at the land to hang in the orchard trees). Happened to look in the box... and guess what I found. A copy of PhotoShop 7.0 full version (not installed on any of their computers as the person that wanted it left the practice) with the key! @Shelley now I can start REALLY pestering you!
Let's see... score so far
1 Dell 2900 server
1 Gateway 980 server
1 Dell Optiplex 380 desktop
1 Dell Dimension C521 (needs PS and DVD)
1 Gateway Celeron desktop (needs PS and HD)
1 Acer EEE PC netbook
1 copy of PhotoShop
soon 1 Microsoft Surface Pro 128GB

Life is good!
Click to expand...

You lucky *******...:cautious:
 
Liam W said:
Now I'm going to have to ask two things:

  1. How did you get all that free?!?
  2. How can I get all that free ;)
Click to expand...

1) Just asked what they were going to do with the old stuff that's been laying around for 6 months to a year unused. ;)
2) Put in anywhere from 2-30 hours a week for free for a couple of years and never ask anything for it. :ROFLMAO:

I actually do the work for them for free because they are friends of the family - and I don't charge family or close friends.
 
Lucky you....usually when people call me and want me to fix a computer problem...I ask what is wrong and they give me a stupid answer like..."I don't know I think something is wrong with my gigabytes.." .... really? (sigh <facepalm>)

Or someone calls me up and says...hey Ant...I can't get online and I need to get these shipping addresses can you help me....then I get there and they say, so they shut our interent off because the bill was a little late...what can you do about this...REALLY...you mean besides paying the effing bill? (sigh<head-shake>)


I even had a guy (a 'friends' uncle) try to have me make him a custom interface for an auction house that would be hosted locally for his people in his shop to sell stuff. When I told him I would have to charge (X)for that he dropped it...then a short time down the road another 'friend' of mine asked if I would help him make a webpage ... and it turned out that he was trying to get me to do that same interface for him because he was working for this guy under the table and was going to get paid for (x-n) for it.

That was a few months ago and is the reason I no longer help anyone I actually know with computer stuff...since I stopped...I get no phone calls from any of my 'friends'...which is fine...they can go find someone else to rip off.


Keep that client where you are at...when it comes down to face to face support...there is nothing worth doing out here...I know I have been doing it for free for years. If they actually value your service and treat you as good as you say...all you need to do is make sure your trunk/bed is emtpy before your trips to see them.
 
Thom Tyler said:
Nice one! I hope you enjoy it. I do tech support for the world's most famous children's hospital - I wish I got free stuff! :sick: haha.
Click to expand...
Most offices wouldn't do it - but I've been supporting them for several years with no charge at all (and coming in and fixing the screw ups when they have hired a "professional" IT outfit to come in and do stuff). They've got a good company now - but it's in Arkansas so I do the local stuff and the company will do remote work and occasionally come in to install some hardware that I just don't want to fool with (like the local wireless we just installed - looks like I may score a few of the UniFi units also after an email I just got from the president of the company).
 
EQnoble said:
Lucky you....usually when people call me and want me to fix a computer problem...I ask what is wrong and they give me a stupid answer like..."I don't know I think something is wrong with my gigabytes.." .... really? (sigh <facepalm>)
Click to expand...
Ironic you should say that. I just got an email in from the wife of the guy who used to do our taxes (and I maintained his tax business computers) asking about an error she was getting on her computer. You cannot connect to the internet - reset your modem or your router. She's been told umpteen times which is which - and I even placed labels on them. Guess what she asked. Which is her modem and how does she turn it off. :whistle:

That was a few months ago and is the reason I no longer help anyone I actually know with computer stuff...since I stopped...I get no phone calls from any of my 'friends'...which is fine...they can go find someone else to rip off.
Click to expand...
That's why I said close friends. :cautious:
Keep that client where you are at...when it comes down to face to face support...there is nothing worth doing out here...I know I have been doing it for free for years. If they actually value your service and treat you as good as you say...all you need to do is make sure your trunk/bed is emtpy before your trips to see them.
Click to expand...
Oh, they know they have it good. Their out of town IT guys have even told them numerous times how lucky they are to have someone local that they can trust - and at the price they get it at. They have a couple of more local clients and the president asked me last time if I would like to work on contract for them. Told him no thanks - been working since I was 17 and 33 years was enough.:coffee:
I could have scored stuff before now, but I had plenty of computers around the house and honestly was kinda burnt out dealing with them. A hiatus solved that.
Being retired I can pretty much do as much/little as I want but I like to stay busy. They take good care of their employees (lunch is catered every working day). I've even been known just to drop by at lunch time to "check on things". (y)
 
Tracy Perry said:
Ironic you should say that. I just got an email in from the wife of the guy who used to do our taxes (and I maintained his tax business computers) asking about an error she was getting on her computer. You cannot connect to the internet - reset your modem or your router. She's been told umpteen times which is which - and I even placed labels on them. Guess what she asked. Which is her modem and how does she turn it off. :whistle:


That's why I said close friends. :cautious:

Oh, they know they have it good. Their out of town IT guys have even told them numerous times how lucky they are to have someone local that they can trust - and at the price they get it at. They have a couple of more local clients and the president asked me last time if I would like to work on contract for them. Told him no thanks - been working since I was 17 and 33 years was enough.:coffee:
I could have scored stuff before now, but I had plenty of computers around the house and honestly was kinda burnt out dealing with them. A hiatus solved that.
Being retired I can pretty much do as much/little as I want but I like to stay busy. They take good care of their employees (lunch is catered every working day). I've even been known just to drop by at lunch time to "check on things". (y)
Click to expand...

LOL @the modem :ROFLMAO:


See and that's great.. I wonder if it has to do with the whole southern hospitality thing...around here we have shrewd northern hostility mixed in with 2 parts greed and a slice of lemon peel, if it was a drink it would be called a f***tini.
 
Free stuff or not, I don't provide tech support :p.

The only exception is my brother (who I'm teaching) and my stepdad who is blind and partially deaf and he usually pays me in fancy dinners (y).
 
I suspect he means GOSH.

We may have crossed paths - we've been there several times over the last few years.
 
Nice score. I help family out when every I can.

My mom likes to play mind games. She had a problem with her computer and it was causing me probems. She said if you can't fix it, I can ask Robert to do it (my step sisters boyfriend at the time). LOL. I told her to go away so I could fix it. Spent more then 5 hours removing a virus from her computer. She picked it up on a website. That was fun.

She called me one night and was having problems with her digital cable. I asked a bunch of questions to try to trouble shoot it. After all that I said for her to unplug it and then plug it back in and if that didn't work I would stop down and look at it. She said never mind, I will call the cable company if you don't want to stop down. I said I will if I have to but if you try that I might not need to.

She ended up calling them and they had her do 3 or 4 different things without solving the problem. They said we will need to send a tech out. We can have one out there in 4 days. :confused: She called me and told me what they tried. I said did you unplug the thing? She said no. I told her that they should have had her do that and to just try it. Finally she tries it and surprise, it worked. No waiting 4 days and then losing a day waiting for the tech to show up. Mom brags to her friends about that one. (y)

I don't charge my family. They always help me out in some way.

James
 
Forsaken said:
Free stuff or not, I don't provide tech support :p.
Click to expand...
I don't do it for free stuff either. I do it because I enjoy it and the folks I do it for are good friends that don't abuse it. Guess its just one of those Texas thangs. :whistle:
 
Last edited:
Tracy Perry said:
Was at my local Dr. office today fixing a "network problem" (amazing - the network actually works correctly when you plug the cable into the NIC that had to be added to the computer because the onboard one went belly up ;)). I had recently moved their stress test machine off of an older Gateway server to a desktop (much quieter). They gave me the server (my second one from them) and a box of CD's they were going to throw out (I use them down at the land to hang in the orchard trees). Happened to look in the box... and guess what I found. A copy of PhotoShop 7.0 full version (not installed on any of their computers as the person that wanted it left the practice) with the key! @Shelley now I can start REALLY pestering you!
Let's see... score so far
1 Dell 2900 server
1 Gateway 980 server
1 Dell Optiplex 380 desktop
1 Dell Dimension C521 (needs PS and DVD)
1 Gateway Celeron desktop (needs PS and HD)
1 Acer EEE PC netbook
1 copy of PhotoShop
soon 1 Microsoft Surface Pro 128GB

Life is good!
Click to expand...

Nice to hear @Tracy Perry . I started out using photoshop 7.0 it was the version I cursed at most since it's the initial version I tinkered with. :P
 

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