People using you because of your knowledge

Finally got this done. I made it live finally. After I made it live, I never got a thanks or it looks great. Nothing.
 
I remember @Davidc getting quite a few requests from former coworkers to work on their personal computers. Just what a person wants to do in their down time.
 
Almost had to leave the job for that reason alone.  :D
 
One nice outcome was one I built for manager of a certain department. He sold his small farm and bought an RV. Gave me the build because he couldn't fit it in his RV. I then used the machine to pay back the neighbor for helping me winterize me house. 
 
So here I am back once again. I would like to give a shout out to my Mom for getting me in this pickle. So she tells me that this old man was getting a new computer and wanted just some of his pictures moved over, it should be simple. Red flag here, when someone say simple, it will be tough. When someone says tough, it will be simple. This goes back to when I did this everyday. So basically because of my Mom and was stuck doing this. I did have high hopes, I really did. So I get over there and this guy is nice enough, old, I mean like 80s old. He is an old military guy and was pretty easy to talk to, told me stories about fighting in the war in Europe. So get to his desktop and icons everywhere, you know the type, there is no room left. Then to top it off he uses genealogy software, then to top it off he is going from Vista to Windows 10. Still not done yet, nothing is organized, email I can't import to 10. 3 printers to hook up. 3 DAM PRINTERS TO HOOK UP WTFFFFFFFFF. So I was there for over 3 hours last night and still have to go back tonight for at least the same amount of time. He wanted to pay me but I told him his service to our country was enough, but he was amendment and so was I so he gave me a buck knife for payment. Remember I use to do this on a daily basis, but I haven't done it in 2 years now and it's hard to even remember how to do it. Why me?
 
So here I am back once again. I would like to give a shout out to my Mom for getting me in this pickle. So she tells me that this old man was getting a new computer and wanted just some of his pictures moved over, it should be simple. Red flag here, when someone say simple, it will be tough. When someone says tough, it will be simple. This goes back to when I did this everyday. So basically because of my Mom and was stuck doing this. I did have high hopes, I really did. So I get over there and this guy is nice enough, old, I mean like 80s old. He is an old military guy and was pretty easy to talk to, told me stories about fighting in the war in Europe. So get to his desktop and icons everywhere, you know the type, there is no room left. Then to top it off he uses genealogy software, then to top it off he is going from Vista to Windows 10. Still not done yet, nothing is organized, email I can't import to 10. 3 printers to hook up. 3 DAM PRINTERS TO HOOK UP WTFFFFFFFFF. So I was there for over 3 hours last night and still have to go back tonight for at least the same amount of time. He wanted to pay me but I told him his service to our country was enough, but he was amendment and so was I so he gave me a buck knife for payment. Remember I use to do this on a daily basis, but I haven't done it in 2 years now and it's hard to even remember how to do it. Why me?
Printers....I HATE THEM! I remember a service call a long time ago where the lady had 2 wireless ink jets. If printers don't suck enough, wireless ones are the worst.

 
Thought I would update this for those that remember this thread. So on Friday afternoon I get a call from this lady and she says "I can't seem to get to my website and it seems to be down". So I go and look and sure enough it is. So I do WHOIS and it shows the domain don't expire until next year. So I still had a screenshot on my phone of her FTP login detail, but I can't hit it. Hmmm. She was hosted though Godaddy, so I get on live chat but that won't talk to me until I can verify ownership, fair enough. So I text her back and tell her I need the info. She contacts who was paying for her host and she calls me back the next day, she tells me, she thought you were hosting the website for me since you did the website. I was like hmmm no I just created the page I had nothing to do with the hosting. So the following day I have to call this lady. I was like didn't you get email warning you that the hosting was going to expire? Godaddy is pretty hardcore about sending out emails since they want your business. She was like ya. I was like well your in the 30 days grace period aren't you? She goes no I let that one go also. WTFFFFFFFFFFF I don't even have a back up of the ladies website. She goes ya I guess I should had contacted her huh? You think? So basically hosting had expired and all the work I had done was lost. I explained it to the lady and she wasn't to happy, but I wanted her to know this had nothing to do with me, the other lady messed up. But low and behold today I found a backup on my computer and uploaded it. It is now up to the other lady to point her name servers to the new host (which she doesn't know how to do) but as far as my part goes I am done. Moral of the story, do get involved in anything computer related because you own it for life.
 
So ya get a text, "Hey my website won't show under Chrome. So I load it up under all the web browser, no problem on each one. So I walk her through on how to clear her cache. Still she says it won't show. All a few texts back and forth she was talking about Google. Well anyone that knows page ranking knows that there is nothing that I can do for that but I went ahead and took a look. Sure enough the raw domain name was missing from Google, it was strange it was on the first of this year Google basically dropped it. No reason, not black listed or anything. This actually intrigued me so I went to work to troubleshoot it. So I get it back on, and now she wants more things changed/added. Why me???
 
You know what you have to now... Fake your death is the only way out.
 
So this I don't get she gives someone I know a W9 form to give to me to fill out to do work for her. She has barely paid me, why would I need to fill out a tax form? Does this make sense to anyone? I really don't feel comfortable filling it out. That is like me having a guy installing gutters fill out a W9 form. Does this make sense to anyone?
 
So this I don't get she gives someone I know a W9 form to give to me to fill out to do work for her. She has barely paid me, why would I need to fill out a tax form? Does this make sense to anyone? I really don't feel comfortable filling it out. That is like me having a guy installing gutters fill out a W9 form. Does this make sense to anyone?
This gives you an excuse for a way out. Look up some stuff on it and make something up of you have to our just plain tell her you can't any more.

 
This gives you an excuse for a way out. Look up some stuff on it and make something up of you have to our just plain tell her you can't any more.
It's basically only for her tax benefit from what I have read, kinda screws me since I have to pay tax on whatever she pays me.

 
It's basically only for her tax benefit from what I have read, kinda screws me since I have to pay tax on whatever she pays me.
Yes, it goes on the IRS system matching your Ssn or TIN and will require you to report your income.  You should counter this with lost of income of your time from her nonsense.

 
Geez this whole thing gets worse and worse. In so deep I feel for you man. I guess I should be thankful of first our dad does not use technology and second that mother-in-law at least isn't like your situation.
 
I'm just going to be honest with her like @ryanator said. If she don't want to do it she can find someone else.
 
I have spent quite a bit of time on her site the last week. Something recently changed with Google's algorithms the end of last year (I have noticed it dramatically on here as well) But I am happy to say after making quite a few changes I got her to the number one spot.
 
I have spent quite a bit of time on her site the last week. Something recently changed with Google's algorithms the end of last year (I have noticed it dramatically on here as well) But I am happy to say after making quite a few changes I got her to the number one spot.
She's bigger than Amazon now??????????

 
I'll never learn, another guy we deal with in town here comes over and ask if I can take a look at an email problem he is having. Seems like a simple file association error. So me trying to be nice says sure I'll stop after work. :( 2 hours later I am still there fixing problem, then I even had to go back over this morning before my work here, only to find the computer was set to hibernate after 15 minutes so leaving it overnight made no difference, and now I have to go back on my lunch. Kill me now. o_O
 
Back
Top