How not to sell a house

[sqbr]

So Cam and I are looking into buying a house. We first met a guy from Mortgage Choice. He was kind of weird.

We then met a woman from Aussie Home Loans, who was much nicer and suggested a much better sounding loan.

Just now Mortgage Choice guy rang up and asked for Cam. The entire point of his call? To figure out how to format a broken memory card.

I'm pretty sure one of the rules of salemanship is not randomly ringing up potential customers and asking them to do you a favour.

According to Cam it's one of the hazards of telling people you're a computer programmer. Which is unfortunate, since he hates helping people(*). Luckily while having a pure maths major got me lots of random "Omigodgrouptheortyishardandmyassignmentisduetommorrow" emails at uni it's not so bad now :) (That and I learned to say "Sure I'll help you, I charge $30 an hour")

(*)Well, helping them with their computers :)

Comments

[evil-megz.livejournal.com]

$30/hour consultation fee for a Dr is as discounted as a rugs-a-million rug! Did you miss a 0?

[distantcam.livejournal.com]

It's the useless sort of doctorate. :P

[firvulag.livejournal.com]

Not to the person requiring your help it isn't...

[alias_sqbr]

YOR JUST JELUSS COS U DONT HAVE ONE!!1!!1!!

[alias_sqbr]

This was before I got my Phd, and was just about undergrad stuff. I probably could have charged more, but since noone took up my offer the point is moot :D

Though come to think of it, the few times random strangers asked me about thesis related stuff I helped them for free out of fellow feeling :)

[out-fox.livejournal.com]

I helped them for free out of fellow feeling

Fellow feeling is the scourge of the proletariat! Or the glue. Oh bother, I can't remember.

I do find it remarkable that people just ask for free computer help. I mean, would they just call up a chef acquaintance and ask for a meal?! Bizzare!

OTOH I find it as remarkable that the IT help people at workplaces in academia or government I've been at have been held as a world apart re: being humoured in their failure to met basic norms of conduct for tech or customer service staff.

[alias_sqbr]

Fellow feeling is the scourge of the proletariat! Or the glue. Oh bother, I can't remember.

I think it depends on whether or not it's with right thinking fellow comrades.

It's not just IT: A friend of mine is a doctor, and she gets a lot of requests for free medical advice :)