Fixing Technical Issues Is A Real Beach

(I have set up a mail account on a client’s laptop, SSL and all. Everything is working smoothly until one day the client calls me. The client is located on an island and has no easy access to local tech support.)

Client: “Can you help me? I cannot send or receive emails anymore. I think it started when Thunderbird got updated.”

(After three hours of using a super-slow remote connection session that keeps disconnecting, I end up reinstalling Thunderbird. I also delete and re-create the account. But still nothing. I am now sure the router has a problem.)

Me: “I believe there is something wrong with your router. Did you or anyone else mess with the router settings? Can you give me access to it so I can check?”

Client: “That is not my router. I am at a beach house today and I am using the beach-bar’s free Wi-Fi.”

Me: “…”

(I charged her twice the usual support fee, and I learned a valuable lesson: before you begin any remote tech support job, first ask the whereabouts of the client’s computer.)