THE LOGISTICS OF WORKING TOGETHER

 

How much of my financial information do I need to give you ?
Suppose I am preparing a spreadsheet for you that requires some or all of the following information ....

• INCOME: Wages, Rent, Pensions, Dividends
• Mortgage Payments & Equity in your Properties
• All your living expenses

In the above case (and in most other cases) I would need absolutely none of the above information. I will collect non-specific general information from you and prepare the spreadsheet to your individual requirements. I use notional figures in the spreadsheet at this stage. I will then give you the spreadsheet and give you a demonstration, making sure that you know how to alter the notional data, to your personal data. All the key calculating elements will be locked so you won't have to worry about messing up the spreadsheet.

What is your typical work day ?
All call-out times and durations are by mutual agreement. If I am doing a full day at your place, I like to start at about 10 or 11am and work through until about 7 or 8pm. I sometimes work through until about 10pm just to finish off a job.

Do you mind people looking over your shoulder as you work ?
Not in the least. I consider it as part of the service. I'll tell you exactly what I'm doing and you can take notes if you like. You can either watch the whole procedure, or drop in and out to see how things are going, or simply leave me to it - it's entirely up to you.

Do you teach students ?
Of course, I'll teach anyone of any age so long as they are interested in learning.

What about breaks and lunch time ?
If we are working together, I work at your pace. In general I'll leave it up to you. Some people can go for 3-4 hours without a break, others like a short break every hour or so - it's up to you.

Do you offer remote control support via broadband ?
Remote support would enable me to carry out most sortware setups and configuration on your computer remotely from my house. It is almost the same as me being in your house. It is very secure and must be initiated by you from your house. You will be able to see exactly what I am doing and you can disconnect any time.

I should be in a position to offer "PC Anywhere" support by the end of 2009. This will reduce costs for you and travelling by me. I will let all customers know when this service is available.

Do you travel to places like Galway or Kerry ?
In general I do not. However, if the project can be completed mostly, or exclusively by email and telephone then distance should not be a problem. It all depends on the type and scale of the project.

Do you travel to Northern Ireland ?
I cover south Armagh and south Down and some other areas by special arrangement.

THE GENERAL FAQ

What do you mean by a One-To-One service ?
If I am showing you how to do something on your computer, it will be just you and me. However, if you want to have another couple of people looking on, I'm fine with that - it's up to you.
The really big advantage for you, is that you will always be dealing with same person.

Is your service primarily a call-out service ?
Yes - I normally call out to your place. I carry out repairs and upgrades at your place which makes it much more convenient for you.

Can I come to your place ?
Our first meeting would normally be at your place. Once we get to know each other you are welcome to come to my house, when it makes sense and it is convenient for both of us.

How long do I have to wait for a call-back or call-out ?
As an new or existing customer I will normally phone you within 1 - 12 hours on weekdays.
The average call-out waiting time is indicated on the home page of this website just under the navigation menu on the left. Even though I update it regularly it's not an absolute guide. The waiting time can be affected by cancellations, re-scheduling and over-runs.

At the moment about 65% of my work time is spent at home working on spreadsheets, databases, websites etc. This give me the flexibility to fit in a call-out at relatively short notice.

What happens when you get too busy ?
I reduce or cancel advertising and work Saturdays until I start to catch up. I can reduce waiting periods fairly quickly. When I have done a job for a customer I often don't see them for a couple of years. This is because I set things up for them in such a way that they can look after most of their own maintenance, security, websites themselves.

Do you you take my equipment away for repairs ?
This is completely and entirely up to you. If you only know me through a website and not a personal recommendation, then I would not expect it to happen until an element of trust has built up between us. In general, I prefer to do the work at your place, however, sometimes it might be more convenient for you and for me, to have the repairs/upgrades done at my place. The decision is always yours.

Can I drop off equipment at your place ?
Yes - You can leave your equipment at my Dublin base during business hours and outside business hours by arrangement. I would normally collect it within 2-3 days. (Details are on my contact page).

Do you offer financial advice ?
No - I am not a financial advisor and I do not give financial advice or recommendations. I do help you to set up the tools and spreadsheets which will help up make up your own mind and make your own financial decisions.

Has Eirnet anything to do with Eircom ?
No, Eirnet.com & Eirnet.ie have absolutely nothing to do with Eircom.net. The similarity of the names is purely coincidental. It's simply a domain name I registered about ten years ago.

Do you work on Saturdays ?
I try to avoid it if I can. If emergencies arise or I need to clear a backlog from earlier in the week, then I will work on a Saturday. I only work on Sundays in the case of dire emergencies.

Can you help me with Crystal Reports ?
At the moment, not really - I'm still studying the program and should be to speed in a about six months. If you do have a Crystal Reports problem that is not urgent or too intricate give me a call.

Did you design this website yourself ?
Yes - every word and every graphic, using Dreamweaver & Fireworks CS4

Why do you repeat the same thing on different pages ?
Firstly, some topics cannot be categorised under a single heading so at the risk of boring people, some repetition is necessary.
Secondly, very few people will read this website in it's entirety. They will just skim through it looking for information relevant to their needs. If information partly relevant to a particular category is excluded because it is mentioned in another category, that information would be missed by many readers.

Why have you stopped advertising ?
It just means that I am not actively seeking large numbers of new customers. Naturally, new customers are always welcome.

What experience do you have ?
My very first word processor used cassette tapes for data storage. I used CPM and DOS in my early computing days and then progressed from Windows 3 up the present day Vista.

I built up a successful security company in the course of which I designed, built and maintained the company database, network, and document management systems. I also carried out all on-site training. In recent years I set up eirnet.com/ie and offered my computer skills to my security customers and to private clients.

I sold my Security Company in 2008 and I now have plenty of time on my hands, so I decided to advertise and expand eirnet.ie.

FINANCE AND FEES

How much do you charge ?
There are just too many variables to give a stock answer. It depends on the amount of travelling, the complexity of the task(s) and the time taken. Before I undertake to do any work for you, we will have a good chat over the phone and you will have a very good idea of what the final cost will be.

What do you charge for follow-up phone calls ?
Normally nothing. It doesn't matter whether or not it's related to a recent job or project that I completed for you. I am generous with my telephone time and we will both know when free telephone support becomes excessive and some charge will have to be made.

Do you give a reduction for OAPs or students ?
Not specifically - reductions can encompass a wider cohort than simply OAPs and students. I do have an element of "ability to pay" in my charging structure. A reduction does not necessarily have to be financial - it could be a few extra free hours here or there, it could sometimes be a free half day, it could be software that I paid for.

What happens if a job takes a lot longer than you quoted ?
If it's a software/programming job that is taking me a lot longer than I anticipated there will be absolutely no extra charge.
If I have to spend a lot longer trying to repair a damaged operating system or remove a particularly nasty virus infection then there will normally be some kind of extra charge charge. This will not be a pro rata charge as I like a challenge (in other words, if it take me 50% longer than quoted I would only charge you about 20% more).

If the job over-runs because of unforeseen problems at your end, then I would hope you would absorb some of the extra costs. Whatever happens, we will agree on a final price. I'm easy to get on with and we won't fall out over a few euro.

Do you charge the same for two half days as for one day ?
It depends - If I say that a job will take a day and I wind up having to split into two half days because of other commitments, forgetting something, having to split the job to research something then you will not be charged any extra. Other than that, two half days would cost about the same as 1.25 days.

What happens if I need a special piece of software ?
Very frequently there is a good freeware option available which will cost you nothing. If a shareware option is required we can buy it in your place on your credit card or I can buy it on your behalf.

Do you ever require a deposit before starting a project ?
Normally no. However, if the project is large and requires a lot of individualisation, I may ask for a deposit.

What are your payment terms ?
I normally expect full payment on completion to your satisfaction. If you wish you split up your payment using a number of post-dated cheques that's fine (there is no interest involved).

How do I pay you if I never meet you ?
If a job is done completely by Email and telephone and we never meet face to face, you can pay me by cheque, Bank transfer or Paypal.

If I get you a new customer do you give commission ?
If it's a good lucrative lead, I'll give you some free time or a payment.

COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN YOU AND ME

 

What is the best way to contact you ?
If you are contacting me for the first time, it would be best to fill in the form on the contact page. This means all your contact information etc will be properly recorded in my database. I check this once or twice a day.
After that you can still use my contact form, my Email address, my Landline number, my text number, my mobile number, my base mobile number or where appropriate my home number.

How come you never answer 01-8745555 ?
It's only connected to an answering service. This may change in the future. At the moment I check it for messages two or three times a day (Mon - Fri) and once or twice over weekends.

How to I contact you in an emergency ?
I will give you a text number which I monitor all day. Depending on the nature of the emergency I might call you back immediately. Normally I would just text you back saying for example ... "Message Received - I'll call you back at 1pm if that's okay"

Why don't you answer your mobile during business hours ?
I don't use my mobile when I'm with a client or driving. Think of it like this .... If I'm working alongside you, I'm sure you don't want me interrupting our work by taking phone calls. You are paying me for my time and It's only right that I give my time exclusively to you.

Are there any exceptions to the above ?
If I'm in a client's premises/residence but not working alongside the client, I sometimes make and receive calls. It can relieve the boredom of some computer tasks such as updating and installing software where I am just sitting and looking at a very slowly advancing progress bar!

It it okay to phone you in the evenings or at the weekend ?
You can leave a message on 01-8745555 anytime. If your query or problem is moderately or very urgent you can ring my base mobile. I may be able take your call immediately or I may say that I will call you back in a half an hour or an hour. I may also say that I cannot speak to you in depth until the next working day.

Why do you sometimes use your client's land line ?
I would never dream of using a customer's phone without their express permission. It tends to happen where a good working relationship has built up between the customer and myself. As you will find out, I am always happy to give free telephone support and advice, which is always appreciated and is frequently reciprocated in some manner.
I like to limit my mobile usage to less than 10 minutes a day as I believe excessive use could be harmful to the brain. Until it has been proven otherwise, I prefer to reduce the risk. That is why I refuse to have long mobile calls and use texts quite a lot.