Computer Purchase Consultation - Let's Save Some Money!

This is a post more for those local to me. This is also a bit of an advertisement for services provided by my company, Diverse By Design.

Computer Purchase Consultation

Before you say to yourself, "Why would I need something like that? Do I really need someone advising me on the purchase of a new computer?" consider the following. 

Most people who walk into Best Buy to purchase a new computer will walk out having spent anywhere from $500 to $2,300 for their new system. You might feel like you are happy with what you bought and you might try to justify the cost to yourself by saying that it was necessary to spend that much if you wanted a computer to fit your needs. However, the truth of the matter is that if you spent that much, then you have over-spent. If you spent that much then most likely 40% of that cost is for the brand alone. And finally, if you spend that much on a new computer from Best Buy you probably also got suckered into paying for their "extended warranty plan" or their "service plan" that includes the services of Geek Squad. Don't even get me started on the waste of skin that those fools are. 

Over the last few years computer manufacturers have made some changes industry wide in how things are done. New companies have come on board to provide various parts and equipment. New companies have also sprung up selling complete computer packages at economy prices too. Overall the computer industry that consumers are exposed to is vastly different than it was about 5-10 years ago.

In my experience the people who shop at Best Buy (in general) for a computer fit into one of the following scenarios:

• Parents buying a computer for their son or daughter.
• People buying their first computer.
• Senior citizens purchasing their first computer.
• Young couple buying a computer for their home/apartment (just moved in).
• Finally, just the average guy or gal who needs one - they just know almost nothing about computers.

Do you see the pattern that has emerged? Generally these people who purchase from Best Buy have one thing in common. They do not know hardly anything about what they are buying... computers.

This is where I come in, or rather Diverse By Design does. Like I said, people who know about computers, about what they are buying, do not shop at Best Buy. Why? Because for one the staff at Best Buy are trained to try and oversell you. Two, the staff at Best Buy do not have the proper amount of knowledge. Ask them a question that they cannot answer and they will lie instead of finding the answer. It is easier to  sell someone on the computer they are staring at if you just sit there and say, "yea.. it will do that. Sure it will do that too." They will say things like this even though they have no clue if it is true or not.

When you work with Diverse By Design you get full professional service. You have a question? I will answer it with the truth and with facts. If for some reason I do not know the answer, I will tell you that I do not know the answer. BUT! I will then go and find the answer for you. I have been doing research all my life. So if I do not know the answer, I promise you I can find it.

As mentioned above, you will receive proper and professional service when working with me. You will get the benefit of my knowledge, my experience, as well as some of my connections and ability to work a deal. When people purchase a computer it should be treated as a big deal. It is for this reason that a process has been developed by myself for helping people who are purchasing a computer with our help. Just because I know what I am talking about, does not mean that you do. So I have to make it easy for people to understand exactly what is happening when going through the technical options. It is always best for the customer/client to know what they are buying. Not just to know that they have "a good one."

The Computer Purchase Consultation Process

Purchasing a computer is more and more becoming a big family purchase. This is especially true when it fits one of the situations I mentioned above. It is for those reasons (and more) that it makes sense to involve someone who knows what is going on. Especially when you are not so sure yourself. But, you of course have to be able to trust that person. The trust is a difficult thing to build when there is no previous relationship. This is why I try to include references or previous customer testimonials in various places on my ads or website. Sometimes there is no better way to build that trust than to show that others have already taken that leap of faith and found out that I am trustworthy and that I am true to my word.

That being said, let me fill you in a little bit on the process and how involving someone like me in the purchase of a computer can work. Communication is the biggest tool in all of business and it is often times the biggest tool that is used the least. I am big on communication and that is why I have been told that I sometimes overuse email. While this might be the case, the way I look at it is that we have a communication tool like email that allows people to communicate various messages of equally varying importance. But, no matter how menial or important a message might be the fact is that it gets through to the intended recipient. At least the point gets across.

To that end I will often tell my clients that anytime they have a question, no matter how small, do not hesitate to email me about it. I will always respond within 12 hours (usually way sooner). There are no stupid questions and unless you ask it, I cannot help. When was the last time a place like Geek Squad or a similar outfit has told a customer to email them anytime for free tech support? They would not, have not, and do not. Nothing they do is free. I give all my clients free email tech support. If I cannot solve your problem via email, then we can take it to the next level.

OK, on to the actual process. The first thing is to send me an email with your plans. Just, in a very relaxed manner, explain to me what you are trying to accomplish. What are you looking to get in a computer and where (if anywhere) have you looked already)? Once I get this email, and the conversation has started, I will send you a form to complete with some more specific questions that help me to determine what you are looking for exactly.

After this form is sent back and I have time to review it I will then send you one final email detailing my suggestions, what I think you are looking for and asking for you to confirm my thoughts. This email will also contain information on the next steps. Confirmation of my fee for the consultation as well as an attempt to coordinate a time for us to go wherever we will be going for the purchase attempt. I will accompany you to the store to help speak with the staff, negotiate a deal (you would be surprised how many times you can haggle/negotiate a price these days - and I am good at it). This way any final questions you have or if you change your mind regarding certain features or devices, I will be there to help. After all, that is what a consult should consist of. I will be with you every step of the way.

The Final Steps

After this trip to the store, and after your purchase is made, our consultation agreement is coming to an end. Even so, you are now my customer and you are welcome (as are all my clients) to free email tech support anytime from this point forward. Once getting the system home if you need further assistance with setup, networking configuration, or anything else, those services are also available of course. It all depends on you and how much help you need from me. But the one thing I can tell you is that you will be happy with your purchase and because I was there to help throughout the process you will have a system that you can be happy about. You will have spent less money than you would have otherwise and the computer will fit all of your needs perfectly. THAT is the main benefit to using someone like me for this process.

I know doing something like this, using someone else to help you make a purchase, is not exactly what you might be used to. But you have to consider the fact that these days we all have to do things a little bit differently in order to save money. This is a service that can definitely do that for you. Sure, I charge for this service, but even so, when you are done and you go home to unpack your system, you will have spent hundreds less than you would have without the help. My goal is to help you learn more about your computer and be able to use the technology that you have. This is the first step to that process, and one that you will enjoy. When is the last time you can say that you actually enjoyed spending money?

Giving E-Cigarettes A Second Look

As a 38 year old who has smoked for 24 years, it takes a lot to get me to say, "yea.. I like this." Even so, that is exactly what I have said about the new E-Cigarette kit that I have purchased. I am a harsh critic and someone that is not easily swayed. But when I was reviewing the various websites, products, and options available to me, I made a choice that I am happy with. In the end, I have become a second time E-Cig convertee.

Second Times A Charm...

I have tried going the E-Cigarette route before but with less stellar results. About a year and a half ago I made the plunge after trying just one disposable and bought myself a starter kit. In retrospect I know that I jumped in too soon and did not do the research that I normally put into most things in my life. But at the time I felt that it was right and the brand that I had chosen was sufficient and refills were easy to come by. It had also appeared by my early calculations that I would save about $5-$10 a week or basically get the equivalent of a free pack and a half of smokes every week. Sounded good at the time.

At first I enjoyed the new way to smoke. I guess it was sort of a novelty. I will say however that I did get the nicotine that I craved and for about two weeks this method and brand worked just fine. It wasn't until my third cartridge refill pack that I really started to get curious about how they worked and weather or not I could get a little more out of the cartridges before tossing them. So I did what any regular guy does, I started taking things apart.

I realized that inside the cartridge was a cotton or some similar material wrapped around a heating element. This "material" was soaked in the liquid that produced the vapor (propylene glycol diluted nicotine). When this liquid was all used up the heating element would start to slowly burn the cotton material and you would get a really nasty drag that tasted like burning cloth. So I started looking for ways to rectify this. This was before some one got the bright idea to sell what is now called E-Juice.

Eventually I ran out of patience for the process and decided that the E-Cigarette was too much of a pain and that is was so much easier to just use my lighter to light up a real tobacco cigarette. So I smoked the old fashioned way for about a year and a half. Well, actually I quite for about 4 months in the middle of that time period. I tried Chantix and it worked just fine for me and the only side effect I had to deal with was about two weeks worth of feeling nauseous.

Everything Deserves A Second Chance.

Out of the blue one day I came across a blurb  in something I was reading about being able to refill your E-Cigarette using something called E-Juice. Naturally I got curious and I went to the web to see what the deal was. I instantly found a short video of some guy using a container that looked like the old fashioned nose drops bottles to refill his E-Cigarette. I thought to myself, "hmm... this could be a great way to keep the E-Cigarette from burning and tasting horrible if it is always full." So I did what I always do when intrigued by something, I did some research.

What I found was not really a surprise. I found that over the year and a half that I was away from E-Cigs they have gone through some changes and improvements. The E-Juice market seemed to be huge and there were various brands and distributors selling different flavors and sizes of juice. The varieties were endless. So my interest was peaked once more. I decided that I would give this another shot. With the E-juice and the right brand of E-Cigarette I could not only save money in the long run, but I could actually enjoy smoking these because I could control my nicotine and flavors. I was in!

After some searching and reading I settled on a tank system because there is no cloth-like or cotton-like material to burn. The tank just holds as much juice as it can as it waits to be pulled into the atomizer for vaporizing. I went with an average product that got good reviews for quality and gave me options in style. I chose to go for a stainless look manufactured by a company called Joyetech.

When I ordered I also selected a bottle of the standard tobacco flavor juice. I did not want to experiment with flavors just yet. It did not take long to arrive and when it did I put it to the test immediately. As it turns out I was not too fond of the tobacco flavor as it was too much on the sweet side for my taste even though it should not have been. Regardless of the flavor the tank system and E-Cigarette worked flawlessly. I expected to get a good flow of vapor from the tank system and that is exactly what I got. It felt like I was smoking a standard tobacco cigarette but without all of the burning flavor.

The LED light at the tip shined a subdued purple hue that was a pleasant surprise to me. I half expected a red color as that is what you typically see. The purple was nice and as it is my wife's favorite color she noticed it right away and was thrilled to see it. The next morning I looked for places in my town that sold E-Juice so that I would not have to wait for a shipment to arrive before getting rid of the tobacco flavor that was anything but.

I found a tobacco shop nearby that had a decent supply of E-Juice and the owner was very pleasant and helpful. Their prices were the same as what I had seen online but without the shipping costs of course. So it appears that I had found my local E-Juice supplier. I picked up a tobacco flavor, and Camel Cigarette comparable flavor (I was a Camel smoker), and I went for a peach flavor as well. I wasn't too sure about the peach but I figured what the hell. As it turns out, the peach was light enough to not be overpowering yet strong enough to give you that underlying and undeniable peach flavor. I loved it!

The Joyetech 510T that I bought and the E-Juice that I purchased have kept me smoking for the last week and I am very happy. I actually got a regular tobacco cigarette from a friend the other day and I only smoked about half of it. After being a vapor user for the last week and getting used to the clean taste the tobacco cigarette tasted very "dirty". I could taste the burning tobacco leaves and I could almost taste the chemicals. I know that is probably not possible but it felt like it. There is a big difference between the vapor and the tobacco. The vapor is much, much cleaner and you can really tell the difference after using a tank system for some time. I could not be happier.

The Future Of Smoking.

It is almost funny to me to think of smoking as something electronic. Being someone who reads sci-fi and who writes science fiction, it is clearly one of those things that was sort of predicted long ago in some science fiction story. Just like Roddenberry had things similar to cell phones in Star Trek (tricorders)  other writers have had electronic vapor-like smoking devices in their stories. So in a way, to me this is a bit like the future coming to life. Anyway, it brings up the question, where does smoking go from here?

More and more the government and other watchdog groups are fighting the tobacco lobby in Washington and new taxes are put onto cigarettes it seems like every year or so.  In Chicago where I grew up (I'm in  the suburbs now) a pack of cigarettes costs around $10-$12 which to me is outrageous. By me they are still around $5-$7 but how much longer until they reach that $10 mark? The people who make the laws are against smoking and have been for a long time. The general public is against smoking and have been for a very long time. There is not much left for smokers these days. It is even getting harder and harder to smoke outside in public. New laws in my state dictate that smokers cannot be within 10-15 feet of any public entrance or building. Smoking in bars and restaurants has been outlawed and pretty soon you will not be able to smoke on your own property it seems like.

The advent of the electronic cigarette has come at a time when smoking tobacco cigarettes is frowned upon by society. Employers are getting in on the act as well. When an employer finds out that you are a smoker it is common for them to suggest a cessation program and even offer to pay for it. Some of them will not hire smokers and will even go as far as freezing their pay and promotions. If something like that happens I'm not even sure if you can sue for discrimination. Can you be discriminated against if what makes you different is something nobody likes or that they think is dangerous and you should not be doing it anyway? The environment is getting increasingly hostile towards the smoker these days.

The electronic cigarette may be the answer. It may be the only way that people will be able to smoke soon. Or at least it might be the only acceptable way to do it. If you want to continue smoking you might need to consider going the vapor route, if you have not already. In the recent past something like that might be a bit difficult to swallow. Now however it is not so bad. Like I said before, I rather enjoy the E-Cig now and the product that I have been using for the last week is very pleasant, gives me what I want, and does not bother those around me. Is smoking acceptable for me again? Actually, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" My wife hates the smell of tobacco smoke and would always complain, even when smoking outside. Now, she does not say a word. The only thing that comes from her with regards to my smoking now is, "I like the purple light."

Diversity and ME!

Diversity is a lost art and one that seems to be losing its allure lately. In the recent past it was considered and asset if you were a diverse individual with a varied skill set. It seems like these days however people are looking more for people who have a talent or a skill in one area. I can see the draw this might have, but I would take someone with a diverse skill set any day over a one trick pony.

 

Diversity - It Brings You More!

When I managed the warehouse for Webvan years ago I ran an inventory committee. I needed to develop a new cycle count system for over 50,000 products. Because the work load once the system was designed would be heavy, we decided to bring in a few more people and build an inventory team. While we were doing this I had one of my first encounters with your typical "entry level" warehouse worker. These were your typical pick and pack type staff and none of them had any impressive talents or skills. At least none that we could see.

My point is this. We trained these people to do one thing and one thing only, to take inventory. We trained them on the system I developed and for about 6 months or so that is all they did. The company (and I) realized how much of an issue this was only when we were going through our final couple of months during the company closing. Upper management was instructed by the CEO to drop staffing by nearly 80% and to use the remaining 20% to run the large list of things that needed to be done in order to close down the company, warehouse, and materials.

When this was first starting I picked 2 of the best inventory team members to remain on and help with final counts and whatever else came up. As the days went on more and more started getting dropped onto my plate and that of everyone else as well. There was always something that needed to be done and no one to do it. This was fine for me as I was able to handle much of what I needed to do because I have always been a very diversely skilled individual. For the others however, it was a much more difficult undertaking.

The two remaining inventory team members we came to find were actually incapable of doing absolutely anything except counting. It might seem a bit like an exaggeration but these two guys literally had a hard time doing anything around the warehouse that they were not specifically trained for. Now I know that generally people should have some common sense and understand simple instructions, but these two must have been aliens because they did not understand anything. And these were supposed to be the best out of the 9 person staff.

Diversity is a huge asset in the business world. When you have someone who knows how to do more than one thing and can adapt to various situations easily because of their past experiences, you have someone that you should do whatever you can do to keep on the payroll. Ever since this experience I made absolutely sure that I learned as much as I could about anything I could no matter where I worked. When I worked for a fire sprinkler supply company, I learned everything that I could about the products, how they were made, why they do what they do, and how to install, operate, and fix nearly everything that we sold.

The same applied to every job I have ever held during my working career. From selling high performance motorcycle chains and sprockets to a convenience store supply company. I figured the more I can learn about everything the better off I will be. This was also the case for things that I did on my own time as well. Being involved with computers my entire life I taught myself everything about them. How they work, how to fix them, I learned about all the various parts and how they work. I learned almost everything there is to know about computers and other electronic devices. After doing that for more than 25 years it is safe to say that I know a lot about computers.

Where Does This Take Me and What Does The Future Hold?

I'm not too sure what to do moving forward. Of course I have certain dreams and aspirations. None of these are going to help me make any money in the present time. Just like the rest of the country I am in a position that dictates I need to make money NOW. I have a family to care for. My wife and my three children depend on me to bring in a certain amount of income and that has not been happening lately. I have been making some money but it is not anywhere near the amount that I need.

As it stands now I will most likely be forced to find a job somewhere in retail just to bring in some immediate income. Not what I would prefer but what choice does one have. I have been trying to use my writing as a source of income but there just has not been enough of that work to go around. I have been trying to use my various skills to develop a business or resurrect my computer and network repair business but it just has not taken off fast enough to make a difference.

This is actually one of the few times that I have gotten entirely personal in one of my blog posts. Honestly, I am not sure where I am even going with this post. What I aim to accomplish or what I hope to gain from writing this and sharing it with the world. Or at least the small portion of it that pays attention to this site. I will continue to march on and strive to make the most out of every opportunity I am given. I am getting older though and the physical aspect of my career is at an end. It's kinda sad though because I am just approaching 40 yet I feel like I am coming on 60!

I Can Hope.....

I did not have a normal upbringing in the sense of what a typical "suburban" family is. Of course, I was not raised in the 'burbs. I grew up in Chicago and that part of my personal history adds to my diversity. Street smarts is not something that can be taught or learned from a book. So I am extremely grateful for my time living in the city. I learned a great deal. About myself mostly, but others too.

What I mean is that my parents did not force me to stay on the high school football team when I wanted to quite because the coach wanted me to cut my hair. They did not make me go to college, nor did they even talk about that as something that should be a goal of mine. So growing up I was left to make my own mistakes, and I made a few. Unfortunately I am still dealing with the effects of some of those mistakes now - like the fallout of having credit at the age of 16!

So I make sure that my kids have better parents than I did and that they will NOT make the same mistakes. No matter what I will not let them make my mistakes! So I need to continue moving forward and do everything that I can to make sure they continue to have the things that I did not have. That I can do.

I always try to look on the positive side of things. While I am a realist, I still try to remain positive. I do not think it does anybody any good to dwell on the negative. That does not mean that I ignore the negative, no. Not at all. The negative is there and it is real. You have to beware and be prepared. But at the same time if I let it get me down then I cannot make it to the positive aspect of reality. That is what I strive for, to reach the positive aspect of things. Everything has a positive side.

That is where my hope comes from. I hope that I can find a way to bring in more money. I hope my kids continue to get the spectacular grades that they have been. I hope my son continues to plays sports and continues to be a stand out star. I hope my wife continues to love me (this should be possible as long as I remain me). I hope that one of my business ideas or projects takes off. I hope my daughters continue to make the right choices in life. I hope that I am able to finish writing my book, and then write another.

I could go on and on with the things that I hope will come to fruition, but I have to end this sometime. I am happy that I have this blog with which to express my thoughts and feelings sometimes. I am not sure what made me get so personal tonight, but I did. I will continue to provide the followers that I do have with the diversity of content that I have to this point. I have a lot to share so I only hope that I have interested people to share it with. My diversity seems to have no bounds so I will continue to share it with everyone.

Thank you!

Write For Cash! Board Full And Here Is Why!

"Never say never!" Even when I think all hope is lost, sometimes good things can still happen. For those who are familiar with me, I am a Freelance Writer like many of you. I have used my blog to write a few posts regarding the freelance writing industry (can we call it an industry?) and how we must adapt in order to continue making money. I myself am at that "I'm desperate for some cash" mode at the moment. My income is far below what it used to be and far below what it needs to be. So it should go without saying that I am someone who seeks out any and all money making opportunities. The difference between me and some other people is that I will share the wealth with you all.  :)

We Must Adapt In Order To Overcome

A while back I mentioned in a post that I shared with my friends in a Google + community how to make money utilizing a website/company that has writing work available. They were busy one month then all of a sudden the work just stopped. I for one was crushed because they were one of my main sources of constant income. Recently I have noticed some changes in the way they are operating and I wanted to make sure that I was right in my assumptions before writing about it and telling all of my Google friends.

So as it turns out, AMS or London Brokers as they are known to some, have altered the way they handle the work that is available to their writers. In the past they would just let whatever they had flow to the bulletin board for writers to grab as they saw fit. The board was rarely empty. This system worked rather well for me at least. I liked having the ability to get work from the bulletin board anytime.

Then came the dark days. For almost a month the board saw no action. There was nothing available to write. I thought that I had a decent working relationship with one of the moderators so I emailed and asked if work was ever going to return. She had told me they were working on finalizing a new contract and work would be back to normal very soon. She was right because about a week later the bulletin board was full once more. But then, after about 3 days the work was gone again!

I was perplexed. After a couple more days the work had returned again. So it went like this for a couple weeks. The work would show up, stay available for a couple days then disappear. After about a day it would return once more. It took me about a week or so but I figured out what they were doing. Or at least I think I have.

Is This The New Way?

One of the reasons that I like working for AMS so much is the way they pay. They are extremely consistent and on top of that they pay twice a week. The one drawback to their pay schedule is the time it takes place. The payments usually hit Paypal anywhere from 10pm to 1am (CST). I know some people don't like that but I am rather found of the frequency. What I found however has a lot to do with their paydays and how they do it.

I discovered that when the work disappeared it was payday. Then the next day it would return. So it seemed to me that they were making it a bit easier for them to handle their payroll. When you right an article it must first be approved (of course) before the money for it hits your account. But even after that, the money that does go to your account from the article first goes to a "pending" payment category. Then, after a little bit, the money is moved from "pending" to "active" or "ready". So there is a bit of a gap between the article and money being submitted, approved, paid, etc..

I think what they are attempting to do is keep their system or their responsibilities under control. I guess they figure if they stop people from submitting articles all the way up to the last minute they will not have to worry about them messing up their accounting. It makes perfect sense to me, and it is well within their rights to do what they want or make this work how they want it to.

The same applies for today as well. Friday was payday and the board was full all the way up to about 7pm (CST). Then the board was full again today. Sometimes the work does not return right after payments are sent out, it can take a while it seems sometimes. But the fact is that the work does return. I am hoping, for my sake at least, that the work continues to return after being taken down. I need the money and I am used to their way of doing things and the articles they need done.

Keep The Work Coming And We Will Keep Writing.

I have seen that a few people have signed up since I started mentioning London Brokers in these posts. If you are one of the people who recently joined, the work is there. You obviously joined for a reason, you want to make money. Well, it is available. All you have to do is write. Their criteria for article acceptance is not too stringent and if you pound out a few you can make some decent cash. I have made over $1,700 in the last year and a half with them, and that is no joke!

If you have any questions just ask, I am always willing to help. Otherwise start writing. I plan on doing so all night long.

If you need the link to join once more, here it is. Click here to sign up!

Until next time....

Computer Repair and Everything Else!

Lately I have been spending a lot of my time writing. Not that there is anything wrong with that. The problem is however that I have let my computer repair business slip a little bit. I felt like I was slowly getting a bit more consistent with regards to orders coming in and people calling for help. Out of everything that I do, I enjoy writing and computer repair the most.

To this end I have revamped the advertising page for my computer repair services and as such I would like to share that page with more people. If I may, let me share with you why using someone like me to fix your computer problems is a good idea.

For one I will come to your house or you can come to me. Dealing with someone at my level, meaning someone who does not have a huge operation focused on other things (like Best Buy and Geek Squad), give you personal service and attention that you just cannot get from the big places. Because of this personal attention you do not get lost amongst other customers and your issues take priority.

I take the time to not just fix your issue but to also show you why it became an issue and therefore how to avoid it in the future. You will also learn how to deal with it on your own. Unlike Geek Squad I do not want to see the same customer for the same issue. That means that I am not doing my job correctly if you have to keep coming back for the same exact problem.Geek Squad on the other hand loves when you do this. It mean more money for them.

Once you become my customer you get my full attention. Even a month after fixing your problem, if you email me with a question about that issue or anything else I will respond in a very timely manner with an answer for you. I NEVER ignore my customers and ALWAYS do everything in my power to fix their system issues. I will help you as much as I can through email to help you avoid unnecessary spending.

Take a look at the information on  this page. It will detail everything you need to know about the services I provide. If you need more help, or have any questions at all please just ask. I am always available via email. That is a promise!

Find Tony HERE via email.     Look HERE for Computer Repair services.