why the hell do parents ask your advice on computer stuff and then ignore it?!?!?

Woogie · 6 May 2014 at 10:53

Thankfully my GF and her rents listen to me on IT related issues

The only thing that annoys me about being in the IT profession is that 99/100 you are asked to pretty much help out for free yet are given "Mates Rates" for friends services who work in a trade or some such.

Zethor · 6 May 2014 at 11:02

You handled the situation badly as old people are normally very easy to handle. Your reaction should have been "Wow, a Sony laptop, I didn't know you had such expensive taste!" even if their choice was actually cheap. If you want them to actually make a purchase, start with "This laptop has the biggest discount I've seen, you'll save loads if you purchase it!".

Works flawlessly every time.

Admiral Huddy · 6 May 2014 at 11:11

haha great idea for a thread.. My mum got a problem with a new PC i built for her.. Given that it was just Google wasn't set up as a home page, rather than ask me she took it to a local well known retailer.. I was livid.

Trying to explain how an attachment in an email was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to explain..

dirtychinchilla · 6 May 2014 at 11:15

Admiral Huddy said:
haha great idea for a thread.. My mum got a problem with a new PC i built for her.. Given that it was just Google wasn't set up as a home page, rather than ask me she took it to a local well known retailer.. I was livid.

What the hell is it with people thinking that Google is the portal to the internet?! I don't think my mum has any idea how to actually get onto Outlook, or Google even, without using Google.

The address bar? She's never heard of it.

pitchfork · 6 May 2014 at 11:34

Who cares, its parents man, they probably only want it for facebook, amazon and porn.

Amp34 · 6 May 2014 at 13:31

Energize said:
Spec is nowhere near as important as other factors for most users.

Agreed. Sounds like the OP said no to the Sony then recommended an"gaming" laptop with better "specs" but horrible styling and no real benefit. That's generallly what happens on this forum anyway.

CREATIVE!11 · 6 May 2014 at 13:33

TLDR people are morons.

Friends do this with my advice all the time. They ask me what to do about something I AM SPECIALISED IN AND 100% KNOW I'M RIGHT then they'll go off and do something the opposite.

It's why I don't waste my time any more.

Amp34 · 6 May 2014 at 13:34

mark2410 said:
i agree, but because they know the brand name sony is not a particularly good reason

i feel your pain

Did you recommend something else instead?

Going by a brand you know should be at least reasonable is not a bad way to go. Same way many people won't touch certain brands because they are known go be fairly poor (Acer is one I'd name here). Law of probablilties says the Sony laptop is probably going to be better than the Acer. If you don't know much then get the better brand.

abbotsmike · 6 May 2014 at 13:49

I wouldn't buy Sony any more because I'm not sure what will happen with their support now they've sold off VAIO.

I also wouldn't buy Acer after having 3 dud laptops in a row, that were repaired several times each. This was a few years back, but I just won't take the chance.

One of my parents was considering an iPhone recently. I told them fine, but i won't even think about supporting it! I am an android user, and just don't want the hassle of learning a new mobile OS for something that I don't use. They listened

Judgeneo · 6 May 2014 at 14:07

This is why I stopped giving tech advice to friends and familly.

The last few times I've told them very rough guidelines, and their purchases seem to have worked out better.

wordy · 6 May 2014 at 14:18

Remember when your parents used to say "you never listen to bloody word we say!"?

Well that's where you get it from

darael · 6 May 2014 at 14:38

Sony, Dell and HP all laden you down with software whose ultimate aim is to flog your wallet. I'm not saying Fujitsu don't, but at least their hardware isn't over-priced and you can actually feel why you paid that little bit extra.

matt_fsr · 6 May 2014 at 15:02

..... and this thread beautifully sums up why Apple are selling Macbooks faster than they can build them.

Most of the poor build quality / loaded with junk complaints above are immediately out of the window, and it does what most people want from a laptop.

memyselfandi · 6 May 2014 at 15:04

My Parents aren't to bad ... my Dad is ex-IT industry and knows when he's getting towards the end of his knowledge and my Mum is borderline technophobic and won't buy any kit without advice.

My Mum needs a new computer at the moment so they will be getting a new laptop which I've pointed them at which should cover her (minimal needs). On the other hand my Dad needed a new printer and he's bought that himself and just needed a little help setting up a network print queue to it.

Atlas23 · 6 May 2014 at 15:20

dirtychinchilla said:
What the hell is it with people thinking that Google is the portal to the internet?! I don't think my mum has any idea how to actually get onto Outlook, or Google even, without using Google.

The address bar? She's never heard of it.

Sometimes, I search for Google in the address bar of Chrome, to get to www.google.co.uk

Where is your god now?

Energize said:
And try using a dictionary, "ungrateful" wtf.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ungrateful

un·grate·ful (ŭn-grāt′fəl)
adj.
1. Not feeling or exhibiting gratitude, thanks, or appreciation.
2. Not agreeable or pleasant; repellent: "I will not perform the ungrateful task of comparing cases of failure" (Abraham Lincoln).

abbotsmike · 6 May 2014 at 15:24

matt_fsr said:
..... and this thread beautifully sums up why Apple are selling Macbooks faster than they can build them.

Most of the poor build quality / loaded with junk complaints above are immediately out of the window, and it does what most people want from a laptop.

Yeah, they just flog your wallet right at the start! I don't think it's an entirely fair comment though. I paid £900 for my samsung ultrabook, similar money to macbook. It's well built, metal chassis and minimal bloatware.

The issue with macbooks is they have nothing at the end of the market where most people buy, ie sub £500.

arknor · 6 May 2014 at 15:27

the only vaio I had experience of was extremely well built

Resident · 6 May 2014 at 15:31

mark2410 said:
so parents ask is some sony laptop is a good buy. i say no not really, they sod off and buy the stupid thing anyway!!!

not that i should care as they have been expressly told if i didnt pick it then im not supporting it.

I was with you right until the last sentence. Upon reading that you became a complete and utter ***** who seemingly has entitlement issues.

For the record, My ex had a "cheap" Sony Vaio for 3 years whilst we were together. Never had a single issue with it.

Mat · 6 May 2014 at 15:41

mark2410 said:
not that i should care as they have been expressly told if i didnt pick it then im not supporting it.

Nice. Treating your family as if they were customers, bravo, you're a real credit to your parents.

Janesy B · 6 May 2014 at 16:04

mark2410 said:
so parents ask is some sony laptop is a good buy. i say no not really, they sod off and buy the stupid thing anyway!!!

not that i should care as they have been expressly told if i didnt pick it then im not supporting it.

They've basically asked your opinion to help base their judgement on something and they've chosen to buy the Sony laptop. I don't know why people get so offended just because others don't follow their recommendations.

Anyway you're acting like a child.