Your Computer Friends wins Angie’s List Super Service Award 2011

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Susan

Wilmington Business Earns National Recognition For Excellence In Customer Service

Your Computer Friends receives the prestigious 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award

Wilmington NC, February 14, 2012.   Wilmington-based Your Computer Friends, a computer repair service, has earned the coveted 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award.  Only 5% of all companies rated on the popular consumer review site meet the eligibility requirements necessary to be considered for the award, and even fewer actually receive it.

“It is really gratifying to have our service model validated.” said Your Computer Friends owner Susan Kadar.  “Our primary objective from the beginning has been take the best technical talent and marry that with the best customer service.  We took a look at the key issues facing most companies regarding computer use, maintenance and repair, and developed some very effective, process-oriented solutions.  Knowing you have a secure backup, a competent technical staff, and friendly customer support when you are ‘on the ledge’ are just some of the reasons our customers keep coming back year after year.  We answer our phones with dedicated staff, and are therefore available when our customers need us most.  And we have an internal testing process for technicians that guarantees the best, fastest service on-site or in the shop.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

“We absolutely know that the technical quality of our work must meet our customer standards from our seniors to our HIPPA compliant practices.  I am proud to report that we have not once lost customer data since we opened our doors in April of 2006.  We have however, recovered quite a bit of data that our customers didn’t expect us to be able to, saving them thousands of dollars in rework time, and peace of mind in a theft case,” said Kadar. “We have operational policies and capabilities in place that our long-term customers appreciate, offering everything from basic computer training to encrypted cloud storage, Google Apps business email, web design and more.

If we don’t have what you need, we know who does.”

Your Computer Friends extends their philosophy of doing good work by consistently giving back to the community.  They hold computer recycling events 3 times a year, in January, April and September, and have recycled over 8 tons of equipment over the past 6 years.   Your computer friends also repurposes computers for non-profits, and have donated equipment to Communities In Schools, More at Four, the Senior Center of Brunswick County, and the Cape Fear Literacy Council, on whose board of directors Kadar serves.

Your Computer Friends was founded by Susan Kadar after a career in high-level operations and project management positions with Fortune 50 communication companies, including AT & T and Verizon.   For more information on Your Computer Friends, please visit www.yourcomputerfriends.com.

###

Posted in All About Us | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

All about Wireless, by John one of our network technicians.

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Susan

Alright, so we know that the best networking solution to get the optimal connection from your router to all computers on your network is through a cable, but we know that is not always a realistic possibility. You need a connection set up in the office, but also need to connect to the internet with a laptop in the living room while you are enjoying your television or outside on the deck on a nice day, have a gaming system in the other room for the kids to play online with, or even have someone living in a FROG outside the immediate home that needs internet connectivity. For these needs, you may opt into a wireless router. Of course it’s easier; but there are a few things you should know about wireless and why it’s important for you to have someone there that knows what they are doing when setting up your network or helping you extend it.

To be honest, wireless has its limits. By this we mean that lots of things effect a wireless signal that you may have never thought about. The biggest thing would be what is physically between your router and your computer. Yes, your box did say that the signal reaches up to 200 feet from the router, but once you put 2 walls between the router and your computer, the signal will significantly drop and the more you put in between the weaker the signal gets and if you don’t somehow extend that wireless signal, it may go out all together before it ever reaches that originally promised 200 ft. So sometimes you might need a little extra boost to your signal. Another thing to consider is what your home is made of. Some older homes are made of stucco and cement and those are definitely signal stoppers! We have the right equipment and the right solutions to make a wireless signal breeze through those walls and get wireless connections to any computer anywhere in your home, regardless of the number of walls or what they may be made of.

Did you know that your cordless phone and even your microwave can effect the signal strength coming from your router? It’s true! Microwaves have been known to effect the signal and even make it obsolete if its strong enough. Make sure you have someone who knows how to power through those obstacles and get you running wherever you need to.

You need someone with experience there to set up your network for you in your home, not someone over the phone in a different country that might be able talk you through it after hours of frustration. We come out and provide you an estimate, we bring the equipment that will get you wireless where you need it, and we set it up for you right there in your home quickly. All you have to do is get connected once everything is done for you, and we’ll even show you how to do that!

So if you’ve always wanted to make your home wireless, but just don’t know how to do it, or your wireless router is not reaching where you need it to reach, or your home network just simply needs help, it looks like its time to give us a call at Your Computer Friends so we can get you the right answers and the right solution the first time!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recycle Event 9/26/11 – 10/1/11

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Susan

Did You Know?

• E-waste represents 2% of America’s trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste
• Because computer processing power doubles roughly every two years, many old computers are being abandoned. In 2005, Americans discarded 47 million computers, up from 20 million in 1998.

• Fewer than 20% of cell phones are recycled each year, but if we recycled just a million cell phones it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.

Recycle Event
September 26 – October 1, 2011

3816 Oleander Drive
Wilmington, NC 28403

9AM – 5PM Monday – Friday
10AM – 2PM Saturday

Accepting batteries, cell phones, regular phones, printers, fax machines, copiers, TVs, computers, laptops, cable, speakers and monitors.

$10.00 recycle fee for all CRT type monitors as they are not cost neutral to recycle.
Everything else is free disposal.

No small appliances.

Posted in Caring Corner, Computer Hardware, DIY - Do It Yourself, Neighborhood | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free Classes at Your Computer Friends

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Susan

We get asked about classes all the time but in the past we have had trouble filling the seats. It’s been a while so we are going to try again and see if things have changed. Here are the classes you have most requested:

Residential
. Clean Up My Computer – what to keep, what to get rid of and how. Includes cleaning up your internet browser (internet explorer)

. Computers 101 – Basic Basic Basic information like information on searching, browsing, setting up emails, uploading/sharing pictures, copy, paste and what to do when something goes wrong.

. Facebook for Seniors – opening a new account, setting privacy settings and getting started finding friends.

Business
. Facebook for Small Business Owners – how to set up a “Place Page” for your business, adding a coupon check -in for your business, supporting other businesses on Facebook, attracting fans and getting the conversation started.

. Organic Internet Traffic – DIY online ratings for your business.


If you are interested in any of the above, email Elisabeth at elisabeth@yourcomputerfriends.com and provide the class(es) you are interested in and your contact information. If we have enough interest in any of the classes, we will schedule a training session which will be held at 6PM on a week night.
Posted in DIY - Do It Yourself, General PC information | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Susan joins the Board of Cape Fear Literacy Council

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Susan

Susan joins the Board of  

Cape Fear Literacy Council  

Most of us want to do more than just earn a living; we want to set an example, we want to be productive members of our local society.   Most Small Business owners do that in many ways, silent auctions for charity, reduced rates for non-profits, free services, ice for the boy scout troop etc.. I also wanted to do more for my community so last month I joined the Cape Fear Literacy Council.

The Cape Fear Literacy Council was incorporated in 1985, and answers the call of about 500 adult learners each year. They are good financial stewards, and nurture nearly 200 volunteer tutors annually.   Cape Fear Literacy Council serves two core needs, English as a Second Language and Adult Basic Literacy. They also provide tutoring in math, GED preparation, computers and other special life-skill topics.

What I have come to learn recently is that we have so many people who battle with words every single day: parents who cannot read their children’s cards, poems, report cards, medicine labels, doctor’s orders, apartment contracts, car loan paperwork, job applications… and the list goes on.   Reading is as necessary to me as is shelter. I am a voracious reader. I cannot imagine life without the joy of reading or being stymied by the necessity of reading each and every day.

My time is very valuable and is always in short supply, but I think CFLC, and the people they support deserve that time. This is not a hand out. The students at CFLC come for tutoring services after work, sometimes several times a week. They work hard to achieve their reading goals. It may surprise you that some remain in the program for years before achieving that goal.

If you have been looking for a way to support the community, and if you happen to be a huge fan of reading, maybe you, too, belong on the CFLC team!  

 We are having a fundraiser and luncheon on August 12. If you would like to be my guest, please give me a call before August 1st. (910) 799-8585  

If you would like to learn about other opportunities please call the Literacy Council at 910-251-0911.

Posted in All About Us, Caring Corner, News | Tagged | 14 Comments

Google Plus / Google+

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Susan

Google Plus – What the heck is this all about?

In short, Google+ is a new social network that combines some of the Facebook features, some of Twitter features and some new stuff thrown in for good measure.   

Do I need another social network? Not really. Frankly, I’m having trouble keeping up with what I already have!   If we had all started out making choices of this vs. that (Facebook vs. Google+) that would be a different matter.  But by now I already have fans and friends and people I’ve never even heard of eager to read my wall posts and see my mobile uploads (not).  What would they do if I left for Google+? What would I do for that matter if they didn’t go with me?  As of the writing of this article I have 2 friends and 2 family members on Google+.  Of those, only 50% know that they are on my list and potentially care. That includes the person that sent me the Google+ invitation.  Oh yea, and Elisabeth, our customer service rep, is now in my ‘work buddy’ circle – mostly because I needed someone else to test this all out with.  And since I pay her she had to participate.  Sorry Elisabeth.

So what is the difference between Facebook and Google+? Well, here is what I can see:

 Circles – these allow you to embarrass yourself in front of your friends, but not your parents, or ‘work buddies’.  In theory I guess that also keeps prospective employers from seeing your posts as well but in Facebook you can block that if you take a few minutes and apply yourself.   As the owner of a business, I have a bunch of people on my ‘friend’ page and a bunch of people on my ‘business page’  what both accounts have in common is that I have friends in business and business in friends.  It is so hopelessly intertwined that I would never be able to unravel it.  I guess Google gives me a chance to start over again and put everyone in their proper ‘circle’, might not be a bad idea when they allow ‘business pages’.  As of today, they don’t allow Google Apps email addresses to join, which says they are not yet focused on business applications. 

 Spell check – Google+ has this for those of us who can’t spell or have a lot of typos in general.  Yea.  Google+ also allows you go back and edit a post when you realize you wrote pickles instead of principles and that a sentence makes no sense at all.  (Has that auto correct feature every left you looking stupid?)

 One Online identity – When I joined Google+ it incorporated my online pictures from Picasa into account.  I’m not sure this is a good thing but it does save some time if you were going to upload all that stuff again.

No Applications – at least not yet.  So far Google+ doesn’t have any  Mafia wars stuff or cows wandering around my world.  Many of these things are the cause of viruses so I’m all for not including them. 

 If you think you want to give Google+ a try, send me an email and request an invite.  (you must have a gmail account – nothing else works.) Right now Google+ is in Beta and the only way to play is via an invite.  Pure marketing hype I’m sure.

Posted in Computer Software, Fun Stuff - for your computer, General PC information | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Having issues with Quickbooks? Who isn’t? See what those updates are doing to you.

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Susan

Have you noticed this?  With the recent updates to QuickBooks, that started back in the spring, a new message appears on your statements saying ” Pay online at: https://ipn.intuit.com/more  This message is also appearing at the bottom of your email if you send your invoices via Outlook.  It happened to me back in the spring and just when I got rid of it all, back it came with the most recent update this week.  UGH.  I so hate it when a company is all about THEM and not about ME, the customer.  I didn’t ask for this message, I don’t want this service and yet QBs keeps shoving it down my throat.  Unfortunately I can’t stop the updates or change the way QBs does business; but I can tell you how to get rid of it!  

Go to your company preferences tab from the home page of QuickBooks and click on the payments tab.  Then check the two boxes shown in this picture:  

 

  show payment link on emailed invoices
.  shop payment link on printed invoices

You may have to do this again after QuickBooks “helps you out” with the latest update.  So watch for new updates and check your invoices for more QuickBooks-focused messages in the future.  Don’t you just hate doing the same task over and over – as if you have all the time in the world to keep saying ‘I’m not interested!’?

Please note:  Every computer configuration is different.  We would not intentionally give you ‘bad’ information but can also not guarantee your  machine would not be affected by DIY suggestions. 

Posted in DIY - Do It Yourself, Small Business News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phone Numbers and Paperwork – details you will be glad to have later.

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Susan

 

While it may be a snap to put your fingers on important data now, after a catastrophic event it may not be so easy. Prepare for a disaster by keeping a complete list with you of your important numbers.

 

Because phone service may come back in stages, (wireless vs wired), have alternate numbers for critical contacts.

 

Will you need assistance to reopen your business? Do you have those resources in place?  See Business Spotlight section above.

 

Some other people you may want to contact after a disaster:

Suppliers – do you need more or fewer supplies shipped?
Customers – will you need to contact your customers?

Do they have your alternate numbers?

Phone systems – can you re-route your phone traffic? Do you have the password to your mail accounts?
Bank/credit card companies – keep account numbers and passwords with you in case you need to contact these institutions.

Insurance companies - policy number and phone numbers for autos & business.

 

I hope we never have a hurricane again here in Wilmington, but that is not realistic. Living where we do we have to plan for these events. There is no reason to lose data, important family photos and medical records. It breaks my heart every time I see this happen to people which is why I am so passionate about backups! (Personally, I have TWO backups of my data.)
If you do nothing else, at least backup your photos and business data today – right now – make this a priority!
Two weeks ago we had 8 hard drives come into the shop that had failed. Of the 8 failed hard drives we were able to recover data from 2 locally. Of the 6 remaining only one customer had the financial resources for extensive data recovery. ($800.00 for this particular job.)
A good backup plan is an insurance policy against loss.
If you are not sure where to start or what solution you need, just pick up the phone and call us – we will figure it all out for you.

 
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

About Surge Protectors and Uniterupted Power Sources (UPS) or Battery Backups

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Susan

A UPS usually serves two purposes.  It is a surge suppressor, and it will hold your computer “on” for 20 minutes to an hour so you can safely turn it off. UPS devices are priced according to how long they hold.  If you are going to be home you just need a small one. Ten machines to shut off at once? Then you need a UPS that will hold longer.

UPS devices don’t hold computers “on” for as long as the BIG print says. Be sure to readthe fine print on the box.  With monitor plugged in, your up time is considerably less than what is stated in big print. 

Bigger is not necessarily needed.  If you are around during a loss of power, it will only take you five minutes per machine to shut down.  If you are not around, the battery power will run out before you get there anyway.

Definitely have your computer on a surge suppressor whenever you turn it on–not a power strip.  Not something more than 5 years old.  Invest $25.00 in protecting your electronics.  I swear by surge protectors in this town and have everything at the shop and at home plugged into them.  They have saved me thousands of dollars, I am sure.

For laptops and Windows 7 machines, a surge protector will keep your data pretty safe.  Even so, don’t work on the great American novel in a storm unless you have a second copy somewhere else.

Surge protectors are often our recommendation if your wireless router continues to go out from brown outs.  This causes the network to reset and frequently means customers can’t get to their printers again.  A router reset process is easy but a pain if required once or twice a week.  If you find brown outs cause your wireless network to go down frequently, this may be a very viable solution: plug both the modem and router into a UPS.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

After Water damage – What to do.

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Susan

After a storm, people are always eager to evaluate the damage.  No matter how tempted you may be, DO NOT turn on any equipment that has been wet or even damp.  Turning on electronics with water still present may be the kiss of death.

 Computers that will not start may still contain important data – save them!

 Data recovery may be possible for even the most water-damaged hard drives — call us.

 Small electronics can be dried by putting them in a bag of rice for a few days.  This can work well for cell phones accidentally washed or dropped in the ICW.

Take pictures to document your losses.

Use professionals for repair services.  They have more tools and knowledge for these high level issues.  Also, a professional service company can put an independent value on your loss for the insurance company.

Posted in DIY - Do It Yourself, Hurricane Preparedness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment