Geek Bill of Rights
Washington DC’s Capitol City Geeks’ Computer Users’ Rights.
Preamble
Electronic technology in the late twentieth century has given rise to a new business, entertainment and scholastic environment, in which internet users of the world may freely interact and communicate with each other.
As individuals, corporations and nations surf the web, conduct business on the internet, research papers and store information online, it is reasonable and prudent, therefore, to declare those rights we consider inherent to any computer owner and essential to the maintenance of a free and open society on the internet.
We hold therefore that all computer users are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable on-site computer repair rights:
Article I: All citizens of the tri-state area are entitled to call CapCityGeeks for free phone consultations prior to setting an appointment. And they have a right to know what is wrong with their computer as understood in the English language without excessive tech-speak. Everyone should have the right to the same affordable, timely, straight-forward, computer repair services that does not require them to travel far and wide with their computer in tow.
Article II: Each computer owner is entitled to know the entire cost for the repair job/ server set-up/ software or hardware installation confronting them, prior to the job being started. If something new comes up in the course of the work or the client wants to add something, then they will be given a chance to decide, by knowing the additional cost before more work is done. CapCityGeeks considers computer service a right, not a privilege. CapCityGeek experts have taken a solemn oath that all prices on on-site computer repair, in-home computer and network service, and server set-up must be cost-effective for the customer, with a 90-Day warranty.
Article III: Each CapCityGeek customer has the equal right to have his or her computer serviced/ server installed/ network maintenanced Day or Night (Even After-Hours), 7 Days a Week.
Article IV: Each CapCityGeek customer has the right to (at least) a 3-month warranty on all repairs and installations that CapCityGeeks performs, including software related, in accordance with the CapCityGeek’s standard guidelines for safe computing. Also, every client (or user) has the right to be trained in the skill-set of their choice so that they can use their new skills to prevent the same thing from happening again, and save money down the line.
Article V: All CapCityGeek experts shall respect every question that our customers ask, no matter how small or non-technical. CapCityGeek experts should have the humility not to patronize or talk-down to their clients, but treat them as people with equal potential to learn technical skills and procedures.
Article VI: All consumers have the God-given right not to worship computer repair techs as “Gurus” or think of them as “Geeks” somehow endowed with some other-worldly DNA that give them special abilities that the computer owners can’t develop on their own.
Article VII: All persons have the right to access electronic communications, and to send and receive communications from any point on the network. CapCityGeeks should be expected to securely provide this access to their clients without delay, hassle or unwanted sales talk.
Article VIII: All persons shall be safe in the knowledge that CapCityGeeks will provide secure communication, that is, communication which will not be intercepted, lost, redirected, or otherwise diverted or duplicated.
Article IX: All customers of CapCityGeeks have the right to quiet enjoyment of their own communications system, that is, they shall not be experiencing undue down time due to computer problems, server interruptions or other computer and IT related malaise.
CapCityGeeks publicly assert that all our clients and customers are entitled to certain fundamental rights, specifically:
- The right to demand transparency throughout every step of an engagement – from sales to contracting to delivery and termination
- The right to fully understand the nature and character of their IT partner and the service that it provides to them
- The right to arrive at a mutually agreed upon definition of the term trusted partner
- The right to expect a clear contract that defines fees and expenses upfront before any agreement is signed
- The right to demand accountability for any actions taken within the scope of a technology project or as part of a firm’s broader business practices.
