Frequently Asked Questions
Updated 2 November 2009
Why do you charge by the hour for your services?
We've found that it is more affordable and feasible
for customers to "pay as they go" for computer services. While other
companies charge as much as $179 for services that are usually completed within
30-45 minutes, we cannot do that in good conscience.
Fair Enough. What's the hourly rate for a
Royal Geek?
$100 per hour for online tech support we provide to you
over the Internet.
$125 per hour for onsite service. Currently our
service areas are Central New Jersey, Orange County, California, Los
Angeles, California and the City of Las Vegas.
Should I got with Onsite Computer Support or
Online Technical Support?
That's easy math. If your computer can boot and get
on the Internet you should take the Remote Tech Support option because
you'll save a substantial amount of money.
There's no reason to pay extra for onsite tech support
unless your computer cannot start or cannot get on the Internet.
Why do you prefer to provide remote tech support over
the Internet instead of making a visit to my home
(or office)?
Answer 1: It is our strongest goal to
assist as many people as possible and that goal is best achieved by
eliminating the inefficiency of driving to a customer's location when it is
not necessary.
This is the RoyalGeeks.Com Mission Statement:
To help as many people
as possible with their tech support and IT consulting needs in a friendly,
informative fashion.
This is why we always prefer to provide remote technical support
over the Internet; it is vastly more efficient to serve clients directly
from our support center right over the Internet than it is to send a
technician driving from location to location all day long.
Our records have shown us that our technicians were
spending up to three hours per day simply travelling from client location to
client location. That's three more hours of time we can devote to
serving more customers with their computer support needs...every day.
Simple math: 3 hours per day time savings
x 7 days in a week = 21 hours of time saved per technician per week! This
means that we effectively gain nearly three more work days per week which we
can devote to helping you with tech support instead of fighting traffic and
shuttling miles and miles across town and across the state.
It is a documented fact that 98% of all computer problems
and technical issues can be solved using remote computer support instead of
a physical presence.
Since this is the case why should you wait hours or even
days for a technician to show up at your door when in almost all certainty
we can tackle your computer issues within minutes of your request?
Answer 2:
RoyalGeeks.Com has Turned Green!
It's not environmentally friendly to deploy a fleet of
vehicles to drive miles and miles between appointments to serve clients when
it is not absolutely necessary.
Going further, it is not a sensible use of precious
natural resources to burn fuel when it is not necessary and emit greenhouse
gases that results in global warming if we can deliver the same tech support
you need with none of the damage to our environment or further depletion of
what limited oil and gasoline there is left in the world.
Our eco-friendly policies started in 2008 when we stopped
mailing out paper client statements and transaction receipts and opted to
email digital copies of all such documents to our clients instead.
We have one planet and the shared responsibility of
preserving the finite amount of resources given to us. As a responsible
corporate citizen, RoyalGeeks.Com is doing everything possible.
In closing we ask you to consider this:
If your computer can start up and get on the Internet
we can help with you almost anything via remote tech support.
Why Doesn't Howard Deliver Technical Support Himself
Anymore?
in 2003 Howard took the kernel of an idea from a customer
to deliver professional technical support and grew it into the
RoyalGeeks.Com we all know and love. Having always been a "hands on"
kind of guy, Howard led the way in developing the RoyalGeeks.Com tech
support model by leading the charge in helping clients personally and
learning "in the trenches" the very best way to deliver world-class
technical support. As Howard himself would say: "That's how I roll."
From then straight through to present day RoyalGeeks.Com
and its founder have both evolved; Today Howard is the Chairman & CEO of
Malinche Entertainment Corporation a global technology company (and the
parent company of RoyalGeeks.Com) which means he always has a full plate of
responsibilities and commitments making it impossible for him to handle
every request that comes in personally.
Don't fret - sometimes we're so busy serving clients from
coast to coast that Howard will step in from time to time and handle a
client issue himself when no other Royal Geeks are available. You may be one
of the local ones who is attended to directly by the king himself.
Wait a Second - Howard Holds Microsoft's Highest
Technical Certifications and Decades of Information Technology Experience
Yet He Himself Doesn't Deliver Computer Support Anymore? That Doesn't Make
Sense.
It makes a lot of sense if you stop and think about it.
Howard has the experience and the training to run a world-class technical
support company. But he can't do it all alone. He is just one person and
it's physically impossible for him to personally execute every IT Consulting
request that comes in no matter how gifted he may be.
If that wasn't reason enough, please understand that the
demands on Howard's time are formidable - almost unbelievable. That's
because Howard isn't just a technician; he's the president of a company.
Realizing this, Howard tapped into his 30 years of
experience and education to assemble the perfect technical support model to
match every client need with the technical talent present at RoyalGeeks.Com
to the benefit of everyone.
If you absolutely insist on having Howard handle your
technical project personally his formidable workload demands he command a
higher rate; $250 per hour.
Why can't I drop my computer off at your location?
Because we want to make sure we
solve your computer problems thoroughly. In many instances we have found
that factors OUTSIDE the computer effect its performance. For example,
if your computer cannot stay connected to the Internet the problem could be
just as much found in your modem or your router as it may be your computer.
If you have a printing problem, the problem could be something in the
printer.
Do You Guys Still Fix Computers? Computer Repairs
Seem to be a Thing of the Past.
We agree which is why we rarely fix computers these days.
We'd rather help our clients make the most of the latest technology than
helping you milk the last bit of life in an old computer.
We must make an important distinction: an infected computer isn't broken -- it's
just sick and needs to be cured. We are that cure. It would be crazy (and
irresponsible) to trash a computer because it has a few pop-ups and is
running a little slow. We're eco-friendly, remember?
Think green!
At the same time. when a desktop computer has a burnt-out
motherboard or a laptop has a cracked screen, fixing such problems
just doesn't make any economic sense.
With loaded laptops going for $499 and DualCore Desktops
going for $349 (including a 20" widescreen monitor) it just
doesn't add up to repair a computer in many cases.
We'd rather see you invest the money in a new computer
with much more speed and let us set it up for you and transfer all your data
and files over from your old computer.
I Have Just a Couple of Fast Questions.
Can I talk to a RoyalGeek on the phone instead of scheduling a visit?
Sure! Telephone consultations are available in 30 minute
blocks starting at just $50.00 allowing you to get all the information you
need without incurring any unnecessary charges.
See for yourself how much you can benefit from our paid
technical support.
Visit our
testimonials section and read all about the horror stories people
have had with "big company" tech support and how happy they were to pay us
to quickly and efficiently solve all of their technical issues.
Q & A About our Online Tech Support Services
Q. I am worried about
privacy and identity theft. What do you do to protect me and my personal
information?
A. First and
foremost, every single thing we do on your computer is done in plain sight
-- you can watch every mouse click and every key typed as if a Royal Geek
were sitting right there in the room with you. Funny business is completely
impossible -- since The Royal Geek never knows when you are (or aren't) watching
him work, he is always on his best behavior.
Moreover, you control the entire process. With our
remote technical support software, you initiate service requests and decide when you
want a Royal Geek to provide remote computer repair. And once work has
started, you can end the session at any time by pressing just a single key.
And finally, all members of our staff have employment
agreements with us forbidding them from taking, sharing or disseminating any
private information. Every member of the
RoyalGeeks.Com team understands that he will be fired and probably sued for
violating the privacy rights of our clients.
Our hard-line stance to protect our clients' privacy
extends to on-site visits as well as remote support calls.
When you deal with RoyalGeeks.Com you can breathe easy.
Q. What
is your average wait time?
A.
What wait time? In most cases, a technician will respond to your
service request in five minutes or less - day or night. In the unlikely event no
technicians are available, the Geek on Call is automatically alerted to your
service need and will contact you within 15 minutes and arrange for service.
Q. How long does it
take to get my computer fixed? Do I have to stay there?
A. Most issues are
resolved one hour. You don't need to be present if you don't want to be.
We can remotely reboot your computer and reconnect automatically during our
remote computer support session.
- "The King" leading a morning training session
with his Royal Geeks.
What Payment Methods Do You Accept?
The Royal Geeks epitomize flexibility. We accept
all major credit cards, PayPal, checks and cash.
Will a Geek Erase My Hard Drive?
Probably not. Reformatting a hard drive is
always our last option when everything else in our bag of tricks fails.
In most every case we can fully restore your system and make all necessary
repairs without having to erase your entire system and reload it.
If we are left with no choice but to reinstall your
operating system, rest assured we will backup all of your files and make
sure you don't lose any important files like work documents, pictures, videos or music.
I'm One of Those Rare Cases You Just Mentioned.
I Can't Find Any of My Programs, All of My Settings Are Gone and All of My
Files are in a Folder Called "RESCUED FILES". Now What?
Sorry to say but it's back to the drawing board for
you. Your hard drive has been cleared back to factory settings. Think
back to the day you first unpacked that shiny new computer from the box it
arrived in. There was hardly anything on that new computer, was there?
Well, we turned back the hands of time and your computer's operating system
is back at that new, never-used-before, state.
You'll have to reinstall all of your program files and
move your files from the "RESCUED FILES" Folder to the appropriate locations
on your computer as you wish.
What If I Can't Find All My Program Discs? Can you
load Microsoft Office for me? How About A Free Upgrade to Windows Vista?
No way. That's software pirating and it's a
federal crime. Howard can lose his Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
status, RoyalGeeks.Com can be sued into oblivion and a Geek or two could
even end up in prison. Sorry, but we'll pass.
We'll try to help you as best we can but illegally
copying software is not an option. In some cases, totally free and
perfectly legal software alternatives are available.
Open Office
is an example of this.
Is Your Work Guaranteed?
Definitely. All of our services are backed by a
30 day satisfaction guarantee. If any of the work we performed doesn't hold up
under ordinary use just let us know within 30 days and we'll make it right
for no additional charge. Please note that there are no refunds for any
reason and at any time for any of
the services we provide.
Will "King Howard" Speak at My Group Function?
Sure. The King volunteers his time for worthy
causes. If you run a non-profit organization or are an educator with a
certified K-12 school Howard will speak to your group or your class for
free.
For everyone else, Howard will be happy to speak to your
group at his standard hourly rate of $250 per hour. Yes, Howard's rate
per hour is double that of a standard RoyalGeek. After all, Howard
Sherman is the king of all geeks.
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