There’s a term we nerds sometimes use with each other: Trunk Slammer.
A trunk slammer is an unprofessional IT “consultant” who is really just an amateur working out of the trunk of his car. This personal is generally untrained and got into computer support because it looked like fast, easy money.
A trunk slammer is probably very good at installing most software. But he won’t know about most of the tools or techniques for fixing any real problems.
A trunk slammer will do a lot of on-your-job training, very often breaking things in an attempt to fix them. He might then actually fix everything. With luck, he won’t charge you for breaking things and then fixing them. But many do.
Note: A trunk slammer is NOT the same as a newbie. Many people who are new to technical consulting as a business have been working on computers professionally for a long time. In fact, some of the best IT consultants are those who spent years supporting users in a large company.
Trunk slammers often charge ridiculously low prices. Like $40/hr or $50/hr. At that rate, you can expect to buy at least twice as many hours than if you had hired a good, experienced consultant. The worst case I have experience with is a guy who charged a client for 16 hours labor and did NOT fix the problem. We fixed it in less than one hour.
There are some technical chores that can be done by anyone with a little knowledge. But in the big picture, your business will be better off if you work with a true professional.
Strand Technology is neither a trunk slammer nor a newbie. We are IT Professionals and true computer consultants through and through.
