Microsoft Techs
 

I was at my parents yesterday and through the door came a pamphlet from a guy working from home repairing and building PCs and he says he is a Microsoft Partner and also a qualified Microsoft technician.

How do i check if he is qualified or not and if not how do i report the fact he is advertising the fact he is?

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

he might just be someone trying to earn a living. Why the need to be a busy body?

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

I think you can check the Microsoft Partner claim here ...

http://pinpoint.microsoft.com/en-GB/...28?q=&fcrc=GBR

Seems to be mainly business orientated but if your guy is listed you can click through to his listing and his Competencies & Certifications should be listed.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

If he's lying about being a Microsoft Partner then it does raise questions about honesty in other areas of his work.

It would be like a local backstreet garage sticking a massive dealer spec "Ford Service" sign up.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

for the jobs he will be doing being a Microsoft certified engineer would be of little or no use to him. Being a Microsoft partner would give him access to recycled licences but any legitimate system will have its own anyway.

I have no paper qualification but am very good at hardware and software repairs

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

If thinking about using his services then you would want to check his credentials. If just being nosy, then yes why interfere.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

I have nothing against guys who fix PCs for a living, but claiming credentials that they don't hold is a step too far IMO.

He could always describe himself as a computer engineer, PC expert or even Windows expert, but "qualified microsoft technician" and "microsoft partner" implies MS sanctions what he does.

---------- Post added at 14:38 ---------- Previous post was at 14:30 ----------

"Being nosy" depends on your point of view.

For example, I do a bit of IT repair work "on the side" for friends and family (my day job is also IT). Now I wouldn't really mind if someone else was to start a computer repair firm locally, as my livelihood doesn't depend on those little jobs.

However, if that firm was falsely advertising that they were Google/Cisco/PC World "partners" I would be concerned, as many people could be sucked in by such advertising. Also, if the owner's happy enough to mislead in advertising, would the temptation of misleading during fault diagnosis be resistible?

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

And is that hard to believe? What makes you think he isn't qualified? What makes you think he is claiming credentials he doesn't hold? As for claiming credentials they don't hold, don't even get me started on magicians, homeopathists, scientologists or politicians...

Do you question every piece of advertising this way? Do you go check the references every time you see a TV ad that says "8 out of 10 users would recommend shampoo X"? If not, then why this guy?

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

"Microsoft Partner" status isn't usually handed out to people working from their house. If he's claiming it when its untrue then its false advertising and taking advantage of people. The OP was asking where such things could be checked. If it turns out this particular firm is legit then I retract any statement to the contrary.

As for "Qualified Microsoft Technician", I can't say I've heard of such a qualification (except forr MSCE of course).

The ASA cover TV adverts (and they have to show their sources on the screen, much to my amusement), they don't cover door-to-door stuff like this.

My reason for wanting to check up on someone like this (especially if they were local to me) is that if they were to royally screw up a system I'd probably end up picking up the pieces (where I live the nearest alternative repair shop is a good 45 mins drive away). An equivalent scenario would be a gas boiler engineer checking if someone who'd started up in the area recently, driving a rickety van with GAS SAFE written on the side was in fact gas safe/CORGI registered. Its about kicking the cowboys out of the industry.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

You could try to report it: mlsecure@microsoft.com

http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b...id=kQhLEp9OfZ2

I'm not sure Microsoft will ever comment on individuals so you may never find out the truth but if it helps your conscience then why not email them.

---------- Post added at 16:44 ---------- Previous post was at 16:43 ----------

or maybe better, local trading standards as I doubt Microsoft will investigate a single person!

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

The real reason i think he is not a microsoft qualified engineer or anything at all to do with microsoft he closed his shop down and is now working from home. The home is in a hell of a mess, he his wife and kids are all very scruffy and he drives a battered old volvo yet he claims to have been in business over 40 years.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

If I was giving my computer to someone to repair who claimed to have qualifications and was doing it as a living I'd expect them to have some sort of insurance to cover it in case he screws it up or damages my machine in some way.

I don't know much about liability insurance for computer engineers but I'm pretty sure they would only cover someone who was qualified. So if he was lying about being qualified but had years of experience I wouldn't be 100% certain I'd get my computer back in one piece.

If he had insurance and was qualified but not to Microsoft level I'd still not trust him due to such a lack of honesty. If someone has to lie about their qualifications to get work you have to wonder why they're not able to rely on word-of-mouth.

Each to their own but if he turns out not to be Microsoft qualified I'd steer well clear.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

He is not a microsoft engineer because there is no such thing. All the people that work at microsoft are computer programers. Microsoft is a software company. I am a pc enginer but I am not a microsoft enginer, I can build, install software, setup windows and fault find, every thing that the person says he can do but I am NOT a microsoft enginer, if I was I would be living and working in silicon valley.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

you can engineer software you know

---------- Post added at 21:31 ---------- Previous post was at 21:30 ----------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_engineering

---------- Post added at 21:31 ---------- Previous post was at 21:31 ----------

http://www.jobsite.co.uk/jobs/software-engineer

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

However, there are currently no recognised Microsoft Engineer qualifications - there used to be MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) in the 90s/early 2000s, but not any more.

My first (non-forces) passport had 'Software Engineer' as Profession, as I worked for a US company, and that's what they called their coders....

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

Well i have been digging and found out this guy is a total idiot.

He claims he has been in the computer business full time for over 40 years and is Microsoft certified, he also has another Facebook page claiming to be a full time DJ and worked for the likes of British Airways where in fact he works for the ambulance service on the passenger transports.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

He sounds more like a scammer.

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

So you've never heard of MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) then?

---------- Post added at 21:09 ---------- Previous post was at 21:09 ----------

I take it you know the guy personally then. I'd be careful what you say about him online as he can sue you for defamation.

---------- Post added at 21:11 ---------- Previous post was at 21:09 ----------

Personally I find most customers having an individual fix their computer use someone they know through word of mouth, otherwise they go to a reputable bricks and mortar store. I wouldn't be entrusting my computers to someone who shoved a leaflet through my door that I know nothing about.

---------- Post added at 21:14 ---------- Previous post was at 21:11 ----------

I'm not sure what you think is wrong with working as a DJ and a computer tech, I've done both in the past as well...

However the latter part of your sentence makes little sense at all, why the hell would a DJ be working on an ambulance passenger transport?!

Re: Microsoft Techs
 

The person might have given up working from a shop because of the overheads and the fact competition is stiff and there isn't a fortune to be made out of repairs.

Working from home is also good when self-employed because self-employed people generally work longer and different hours to those employed by a company. They don't get much family time if working after hours in the back of a shop. If at home, it's possible to work until midnight but still be there for the family.

It is a job to gain the trust of people. No word of mouth recommendation to begin with. All you have is an advertising leaflet with which to sell yourself and hope that people will believe what you say on it.

Well, that's what I found when going self-employed as a TV and video recorder repairer all those years ago. A similarity with that chap perhaps.