The Gig Economy
I’ve spent several years (since 1992) upgrading my computer. The place where I find satisfaction, with writing books, making 2D art and now exploring making art that moves.
Recently, while I was in hospital, a hard drive failed and the computer shut down to protect itself. I managed to get day passes on the weekend to get home and rebuild it so it could ftp serve movies again to my tablet while in hospital.
So me and my main art tool were in need of some recovery.
I spent a few months gathering resources like cash and energy and information, finding out what was new on the computer scene and what was recommended by Memory Express, my main supplier. My plan to spend 1000.00 quickly escalated to 1800.00 as they didn’t have my items in stock but would happily sell me more expensive ones.
Classic bait and switch.
Also, they refused to assemble my computer parts I was to buy from them at exorbitant prices unless I signed a work order in their presence. Due to disability I wasn’t going to their store in -30 Canada. They refused to accept a digitally signed PDF here in the 21st Century. “We’ll get back to you we’re very busy right now.” It seems I’m not a priority.
OK then! Hello Amazon! Hello Best Buy! I had my new parts with a week and I saved 500 bucks buying way better hardware than I had planned with the other guys. All I needed now was an onsite installation and since I run an art business, invoiced on 30 day net.
I found such a creature on Google, EzeIT, interviewed them on the phone, decided to hire them, emailed them, got an agreement to invoice and an appointment.
The creatures were very charming, a huge red flag.
He showed up bragging about his 30 years experience and his masters in IT and his business degree. At another point he said he was going to school to get them. Uh Oh.
I watched him like a hawk assembling my equipment. All that is required is a Phillips screwdriver and the ability to read a manual. And 2 hands, I only have one so I depend on creatures.
He said he spent a year in Germany, a very orderly society, with a stern significant look. My German friends are all disorderly compassionate liberals.
He started the criticism of me upon arrival for having a cup of water on my desk. As if I’m a 12 year old. He picked up my thousand dollar Onkyo high fidelity portable music player (it’s basically a hand held hard drive) and threw it back on my desk when I told him it was for music.
There were several times during the assembly when he was about to put things in the wrong place on the motherboard, like one would with a simple home computer but not on a high end piece of art making equipment. So he allowed himself to be corrected about placing my stuff like memory and drives, as my research says it makes a difference to the optimum speed of the gizmos.
So either he was just stupid or this was setting it up to run poorly so he could charge to come back and fix it as there was no warranty on his work.
Actions count, his claiming to have 30 years experience doesn’t.
So we got it connected and running, with me supervising, and then he held his hand out for money. His boss didn’t do invoices he claimed. I had a record of the email chain, but he phoned his boss anyway which was humiliating, and put his boss on the line who also claimed he doesn’t invoice until I mentioned the email chain. So it was all typical chaos loving narcissism. Overvalue Undervalue Dump Smear.
We finally got the creature out of my studio and an invoice on the way. He left behind a puddle on the floor because he didn’t clean his boots and a total chaos of packaging. I’m thinking I was just invoiced by these guys to create tripping hazards for the disabled. They would like me to pay for criticism (abuse), incompetence, and disrepect of my studio.
The next day the invoice arrives for 0 day net. I email the head creature with a WTF? He responds “it is people like me that keep him from having a viable business.”
I told him I refused to pay anyway as I hired a real tech service at Best Buy to come over and check his creatures work, as well as my cleaning service to recycle the garbage left behind and clean the floor. Also I refused to pay for the ‘people like you’ criticism aka abusive behavior. I did send him this handy mug though.
