The Cat Factor

Two recent cat killings in the United States can simply be said as this…. despicable and evil! The first was reported by the ASPCA when Humane Law Enforcement officers arrested Cheyenne Cherry who at 17 years old took a 2 month old kitten and placed her in a burning oven. It happened on May 6th when Cherry broke into the apartment of an ex-roommate with an accomplice and splattered bleach on the walls. Then she took the tiny kitten and placed her in an oven with the intent to kill. Her excuse for doing it, Cherry said simply “I hate cats.”

Though she faces a 10 year sentence and can be tried as an adult under New York State law the act was simply, evil. This woman should get the maximum sentence but the fact remains, this kitten was killed in such a manner that allowing these types of criminals to live is a light sentence.

There also seems to be a trend of more teenagers committing these types of crimes. While Cherry now awaits trial, 18 year old Tyler H. Weinman was arrested by authorities for a string of cat killings in Cutler Bay, a suburb of Miami. Officials said that Weinman smirked for a mug shot and seemed to be unremorseful. Officials also reported that Weinman seemed to enjoy chasing the cats down and killing them. Weinman was charged with 19 counts of felony animal cruelty each carrying up to 6 months in prison. He’s also being held for psychiatric examination and his bail set at $249,500.

The cats Weinman killed like the 2 month old kitten in the Bronx incident, belonged to humans who loved them. While the kitten that Cherry killed was inside her human’s home, Weinman caught cats that were allowed to roam outside by their humans, which every animal  rescue group in this country and even Cat Galaxy has said many times that cats need to be kept indoors because they’d be safer. For the humans in Cutler Bay who will no longer have the pleasure of enjoying their cat’s purrs or sharing private laptime with them, it’s a painful lesson to learn.

Cats that are allowed to roam outside are in danger of crossing paths with someone that would want to do them harm. Yes, they can also get hit by cars and get in fights with other cats, but what Weinman did was cruel and a strong reminder that cats are going to live longer being indoors only. Sure, some might argue that Cherry was able to get inside someone’s home and kill their kitten as an argument to allow cats to roam outside, but what this woman did was intentionally break in to commit the act. However, as the economy gets worse more acts of cruelty against animals are being seen and reported. Regardless, what Cherry did was just as evil as what Weinman did.

These two disgusting and heinous acts of violence against these cats also is a message to lawmakers that the animal cruelty laws in every state in this country need to be a lot stronger than they have been. While it’s hopeful that both Cherry and Weinman get the maximum punishment for their crimes, too many times these incidents are plead down to some lesser charge. These cats deserve justice and they should get it.

While I believe both of these evil individuals should be dealt the same punishment and pain they gave to those cats, the reality is our laws don’t see animals in the same light as humans when it comes to cruelty. This must change, especially now that a lot of us humans see our cats (and other animals) as family members rather than just pets. It’s time that lawmakers put animal cruelty on the same level as murder, assualt and other violent crimes against humans. Until we do that, people like Cherry and Weinman will think they can continue to kill innocent animals because the law will be soft on them.

I hope the lawmakers in every state in this country are watching these two stories unfold and are now going to be more willing to act to get zero tolerance animal cruelty laws placed on the books. Only then will these cats and the other animal victims like them truly get the justice they deserve. I just hope that lawmakers will eventually see the light before another animal suffers and dies at the hands of a human abuser.

Recently, the Fox News Channel and especially Bill O’Reilly  came under fire from scores of liberals blaming them for the shooting death of Dr. George Tiller by Scott Roeder. Tiller who’s known for practicing late-term abortions was shot and killed in a church in front of his family by Roeder, an anti-abortion activist. While O’Reilly was very strong in his dislike for Tiller on his show The O’Reilly Factor, he and the FNC can’t be held responsible for what another person does to another.

Yes, the abortion issue is a heated one but I never saw or even heard O’Reilly suggest that Tiller be killed despite his dislike for what the man was doing. No matter what the subject, shows like The O’Reilly Factor may have their rants but O’Reilly overall is pretty fair about talking to both sides. While news shows like The Factor (which isn’t to be confused with The Cat Factor) do offer people the chance to share their opinions, ratings always seem to be the main reason why news organizations air their fights before the viewers these days.

I’ve watched a lot of the news channels like NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNC, and others but I always find myself watching the Fox News Channel. Perhaps it’s because I like fair reporting or maybe it’s because I enjoy watching The O’Reilly Factor. Who knows, maybe it’s because I’d rather get my news from Megyn Kelly in the morning than from some joker on CNN.

Still, whatever heated subject comes to light in the news world you can’t blame Fox News (FNC) for wanting to report it accurately or even challenging the rest of the news world to do so. One example is their coverage of President Obama. While the other channels still continue to treat Obama like a rock star, Fox News dares to ask the tough questions.While I would’ve loved for FNC to talk more about the standing lawsuits in the federal courts challenging Obama’s real birth certificate, Fox News has brought other stories to light which challenge his policies. There are more issues that are even bigger than Obama appearing these days on Fox News.

Recently, O’Reilly had the CEO of ACORN Betha Lewis, and also Reverand Gloria Swieringa, head of the Maryland chapter of ACORN on The O’Reilly Factor.  The organization which is involved in voter registration fraud and received government bailout money was put on the spot by O’Reilly who simply asked where the money had gone and where it had been spent. The two voices of ACORN didn’t seem to want to give the answer except to say they help poor people.

O’Reilly, treated them fairly but also asked ACORN’s reps if they’d be willing to allow him and his staff to see ACORN’s books to show where the money is going so they could report it to the public. Swieringa tried to avoid the answer, drawing to the conclusion that they don’t want the public to know what they really did with it. Score another point for O’Reilly who’s looking out for you and me.

While I don’t always agree with O’Reilly, he does a good job in reporting the story and covering topics not just fairly but accurately.  He does his homework and gets the facts straight which is an important yet refreshing standard for the FNC. When he’s wrong, he steps up to the plate and admits it. Recently, he corrected an error he made claiming that only Anderson Cooper from CNN covered the murder of Private William Long who was killed by Abdulhakim Muhammad, a Muslim extremist in Arkansas and that was the only extent of coverage by the network. O’Reilly admitted that he was wrong and apologized to CNN because they in fact covered Long’s story more extensively. For O’Reilly, that added credibility because it’s rare these days that a member of the mainstream media makes corrections or even apologizes.

I enjoy watching The O’Reilly Factor, not just because Bill O’Reilly throws the facts out there for the viewers to decide for themselves what they see as the truth but because he believes in free thought. I can’t say that about many of the other news organizations who seem to interject their own bias into the story. Perhaps that’s why O’Reilly chose to be on Fox News which may be one of the last outposts of equal reporting in today’s world.

But to blame The O’Reilly Factor or even Bill himself because someone chooses to kill another is simply ridiculous. It’s like someone blaming a cat for getting pregnant because their human decided to let the cat roam and not have them spayed or neutered. It was Roeder who decided to pull the trigger and kill Tiller in that church not anyone else. Sure, O’Reilly got a bit heated over the subject of late term abortions and clearly doesn’t agree with it, but he didn’t tell anyone to go out and execute Tiller and those doctors like him who perform these procedures.

Regardless of the topics covered by Fox News and The O’Reilly Factor, they’re brave and professional enough to report the news in a more balanced fashion. Another point to O’Reilly’s credit is that despite whether or not he agrees with your position, he still thanks the person for coming on The Factor. Sure, O’Reilly might seem like he’s talking over people that he doesn’t agree with, but then again that’s what being passionate about a subject is all about. O’Reilly calls it the No Spin Zone and for good reason. He’s not there to sugarcoat the issue. There are some tough issues covered on that show, so in O’Reilly’s own way he’s telling the person he intends to interview to be prepared.

It’s hard to conclude this one except to say that I tip my hat to you Mr. O’Reilly for your show. However, you haven’t answered our call yet to come on Cat Galaxy for an interview. There’s nothing tougher than getting the questions posed to you by the cats of our station but I hope someday you’ll answer that challenge. Until that time, we’ll keep watching your show (and Fox News) and put out the hope that you in turn will tune into our station and listen. After all, the only ones that can truly judge us either Pinheads & Patriots are the cats.

Recently, during his “Kiss The Backsides  Of The Arabs Tour” President Obama once again showed how he favors Islam over traditional American values by apologizing to Muslim ruled countries and their leaders for the United States not adapting to their ways and customs and not accepting their very silent takeover of the world. To appease the followers of Islam, Obama made the following statement:

“If you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world”

Could it be that President Obama has been hoping that the United States becomes a Muslim nation because he himself is one? After all, it’s been reported that growing up Obama attended a Muslim school when he was living as a youngster in Indonesia and even in his book Dreams Of My Father wrote about his experiences and mentioned that he studied the Quran. Also, according to Worldnet Daily, Obama also attended a mosque with some friends as well.

While Obama has insisted that he’s a Christian and not a Muslim, the evidence is starting to say otherwise. Instead of asking the Arab countries to cease their attacks on Israel, he’s asked Israel to be the one to make concessions to the Muslim world. Apparently,  Obama is wanting Israel to just sit there and take it when they get attacked by rocket fire from Gaza and the West Bank. He’s also asked Israel to split Jerusalem and not build any settlements within Gaza or the West Bank.  In other words, he wants the Israelis and the Jewish community to bow before the Arabs and accept Muslim rule. This is something no Jew will tolerate, unless of course you’re amongst those who were stupid enough and naive enough to vote for Obama.

Certainly, nobody in the Jewish community whether they’re living in Israel or in the United States would be willing to bow before a Muslim. Obama’s tour of the Middle East clearly shows that he fully supports the Islamic nations. Why else do you think a visit to Israel wasn’t on the agenda? It’s because Obama is choosing the side of Arab nations and doing what he can to make sure that Israel is labeled the bad guy in the Middle East. In essence, his decision not to visit Israel is pretty much a symbolic effort to spit in the face of the Jewish state. The Arabs have done this for many years but now they have the U.S. President joining in to support it.

I think Obama is clearly showing  by his actions that he has no intention to support Israel in this production of good vs evil. Why else would he reach out to groups like Hamas while at the same moment asks Israel to back off from defending itself against attack?  It’s groups like Hamas (which has received financial backing from Iran) that has its members strap bombs to their chests and blow themselves up in crowded marketplaces in order to kill as many people as possible. You don’t see Jews doing that. The Jews also aren’t the first ones to attack the Arabs with rockets being launched from civilian areas either. The truth is, the Arabs have always been the aggressor and just like the Nazis during World War II they are determined to destroy the Jews and finish Hitler’s plan.

Another reason Obama may not have included Israel as a stop on his recent “apology tour” is because he’s also an anti-semite. Obama has made it very clear in his own way that if Israel were to strike Iran in self-defense that they would be on their own. I guess Obama like his fellow democrats Jimmy Carter and even the late Franklin Roosevelt is happy with his anti-semtism. Though Obama repeats that he’s Christian, his actions have been clearly showing his support for Islam and doing what he can to show his Muslim love. And like a good Muslim (he can state he’s Christian all he wants but his actions have spoken louder than words) Obama is asking the United States which in its history began as a Christian nation to accept a Muslim takeover and embrace the Arabs as allies.

In his own unique way by reaching out to those countries that clearly hate Jews, Israel and even the U.S., Obama is trying get the Christians of this country to turn their backs on Israel. Why else would Obama keep stating he’s Christian and yet do everything he can to embrace the Muslim community? Perhaps in his mind if he can’t get Israel or a lot of the Jews in this country to accept Muslim rule, maybe he can convince the other faiths to accept it. He certainly is trying to get the Christians to accept a Muslim takeover. If he wasn’t, then he might not be so insistant that he’s Christian. The Christians have more in common with the Jews and they’ve noted it many times.

As a result of their common likeness and appreciation for the Jewish community, a lot of Christians in this country do support Israel and see the Jews not as their enemy but as God’s chosen people, as the bible has clearly pointed out. Obama might be surprised that some Christians also don’t recognize his Presidency as being legitimate and believe this country is still worth fighting for. They see Israel as our greatest ally in Middle East, and like the Jews believe God will save them in the end.

Obama is clearly no friend to Israel and that much is clear. To reach out to groups like Hamas pretty much shows that Israel isn’t a nation he has much love for despite saying in Cairo that “the bond the U.S. has with Israel is unbreakable.” It’s evident that he’s doing everything he can to break ties with Israel by shaking hands with Iran. After all, Iran is hell bent on destroying the Jews and has repeatedly stated that they want to “wipe Israel off the face of the earth.” Obama has said nothing regarding that even though if Iran were to succeed in carrying out that threat (not that Israel would let them) the United States would be next. However, Obama seems to have no problem turning a blind eye to that issue. After all he’s Jimmy Carter 2.0.

It’s also not surprising Obama has asked Israel to back down from the fight with Hamas. During his Presidential campaign it was pointed out that Hamas was raising money for Obama’s campaign and clearly was hoping for an Obama win. Meanwhile, Obama during his Presidential run at a speech for AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committe) was quoted as saying the following:

“We should never seek to dictate what is best for the Israelis and their security interests. No Israeli prime minister should ever feel dragged to or blocked from the negotiating table by the United States.”

Right now, Obama is clearly trying to do just the opposite by asking Israel to stop building settlements and asking them to give in to Hamas’s demands. By his making friends with Iran, he’s also asking Israel not to defend itself once Iran has finished its nuclear program which also includes rockets that are already targeting Israeli cities. What’s next with Obama? Will he ask Hamas to visit the United States and join in on a 4th of July BBQ?

Obama can say all he wants that he’s Christian but his actions of defending the Islamic world clearly shows he’s Muslim. He’s also quoted words from the Quran during his visit to Cairo and used his middle name in an effort to show his solidarity with the Muslim community. By apologizing to the Arab world for current U.S. actions both domestically and abroad, Obama clearly indicated he’s not proud to be an American. In fact, continuing to say he’s sorry for everything the United States has done in regards to foreign policy  in order to please the Islamic nations and the Muslim community is clearly sending the message that he’s ashamed of being an American.

It’s clear to see that Obama is a danger to this country and as a result more people will rise up against him. Back in April, Americans across the nation spoke out at TEA parties to protest taxes and the government’s continued spending of our dollars towards Obama’s very obvious socialist agenda. Now, it looks like we may need to hold more rallies, but this time to show the true American support for Israel which Obama doesn’t believe in doing.

The Jews have given much to this world as a whole. They’ve created technology that has helped improved our lives, have been responsible for helping build and shape world economies, have helped to design and construct American cities (as well as others abroad), and have created inventions that we use every day. The list of Jewish contributions is endless from creating blue jeans (yes, Levi Strauss was Jewish and made his first pair of jeans back in 1873) to designing lasers (invented in 1958 by Gordon Gould). Heck, it was a Jew that even created the first television remote control (Robert Adler did this in 1950) and the atomic bomb (J. Robert Oppenheimer built it in 1945).

Instead of hating the Jews, the people of the world should be thanking them for everything they’ve done to shape it. While I don’t normally throw it out there, I’m Jewish myself and with the help of a cat named Isis helped to create a radio station for cats called Cat Galaxy. While some might not see this as being a significant invention, I like to think that I joined the list of Jewish inventors who gave something to this world to make it better.

Despite all the Jewish contributions to this world, the Arabs will continue to hate us, and by his actions of bowing down to the Arab community, Obama is showing that he too has a distaste for the Jews. After all, he’s surrounded himself with people who are either self hating Jews (Rahm Emmanuel) or have absolutely no love for Israel (Hillary Clinton, George Mitchell among others). Let’s also not forget those Jews who voted for Obama in the first place as well as all those others who believed his lies.

The Jewish community needs to make their voices heard in this country now more than ever. If we don’t stand up in support of Israel then we end up allowing Iran, the Arab world, the terrorist groups and even Obama himself to continually threaten the Jewish community. I for one don’t believe in going gentle into that goodnight as I for one am proud to say, I’m Jewish.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse with President Obama, now he’s asked United States embassies across the globe to invite Iranian officials to a July 4th celebration and cookout. No doubt, Obama has gone completely mad here? Even fans of Obama who already think the man can do no wrong has to now start questioning his policies if he’s going to invite a country that wants to destroy us and Israel to dinner.

It’s pretty evident Obama is Muslim despite telling everyone otherwise, but culture aside, this latest decision to invite the Iranians to a good old fashioned American BBQ is just the latest in a whole history of mistakes he’s made since he’s taken office. First he started with not answering the growing number of lawsuits brought against him asking that he provide his real birth certificate to prove he was born in this country. The federal courts refuse to hear the cases which are valid as a President must be a United States (yes both parents must have been born in this country) citizen in order to be a legitimate candidate for the post.

Obama’s second plan was even more painful as he chose to continue throwing money to the greedy corporations to help bail them out. Heck, he even gave money to ACORN which was involved in voter registration fraud, but then again Obama sat on the board as well as had a friendship with William Ayers, a known domestic terrorist. While the mainstream media largely ignored this, Fox News and The O’Reilly Factor put it forth to the public. They dared to question Obama while the rest of the media bowed before him in quiet reverence.

Even with Obama’s socialisitic programs such as nationalized health care and giving  money to those who don’t work or pay taxes, he’s still willing to stomp on the Constitution which is our country’s most sacred document. Already, he’s attempting to change or get rid of both the First Amendment (Freedom of speech, expression, and the press), the Second Amendment (the right to keep and bear arms), and of course the Twenty Second Amendment (The President is only allowed to run for 2 terms) to suit his needs. Despite all his intentions to build an Obama empire, our President is putting forth his most dangerous agenda ever, an alliance with Iran.

By being friendly with Iran, a country that clearly wants to destroy the U.S. and Israel he’s weakening our position in the world. We’re going from a country that’s proven itself strong in the eyes of a world to a third world socialist nation in the blink of an eye. Obama and his supporters are single-handedly destroying the very fabric that’s made our country the beacon of freedom and liberty on this planet. At one time we were strong financially and now we’re asking for loans from other countries.

Regardless of all that Obama has done to our country so far, his fans still worship him as if he were some rock star but yet he’s destroying the very country that has given him opportunity. This latest pitch of being friends with Iran has him not only selling out our country to an enemy but also stabbing in the back the only country that is truly our ally in the Middle East, and that’s Israel.

Israel repeatedly has warned the United States on just how dangerous Iran is, but this seems to be a fact that Obama wants to ignore. After all, Iran is funding groups like Hamas and Hezbollah which are hell bent on not only destroying Israel but slaughtering every Jew and attempting to complete the genocide that the Nazis during World War II set out to do. Even knowing that, Obama is pressuring Israel to make peace with the so-called Palestinians which have no interest in allowing the Jewish state of Israel to exist. No doubt, the Israelis have told Obama this, but then again he is Muslim so he’d rather cater and listen to other Muslim nations.  Since when have they ever wanted to live in peace with the Jews?

Obama is also choosing to ignore the links between Iran and al-Qaeda which was responsible for the 9-11 attacks on our nation’s soil. I’m not sure just how much of this incident Obama wants to remember but Iran’s link to terrorism is well known throughout the world. I’d think the 9-11 attacks would be enough to tell Obama these are not nice people he’s wanting to make friends with. Then again, Obama is ignoring a lot of facts these days in his quest for ultimate power.

Despite the evidence being overwhelming,  inviting Iran to the dinner table shows how dangerous Obama has become to our nation. Has he thought how this will put U.S. citizens at risk? Has he forgotten our past history with Iran where 52 American hostages were once held against their will in Iran for 444 from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981? Does he even remember recent threats were the Iranian President has called for the destruction of Israel? Does he even want to remember 9-11?

This latest offer of a sit-down with Iran is another example of how a revolution in this country may be coming soon. While Obama’s followers may be OK with him taking away our freedoms or instituting policies that put us deeper in financial ruin, there are some in this country who read about what’s really going on and are clearly seeing how our civil liberties are being taken away. They’re also seeing the changes happening to our country economically.

I have to wonder how the Obamites (fans of Obama) will feel if they were told to sit down next to someone from Iran at dinner who clearly called for their destruction or was responsible for killing Americans and even proudly said they wanted to kill a Jew or even a Christian? Would that be welcomed rhetoric amongst the other guests that were also from our country? Probably not.

Bottom lining it, Iran wants to kill the United States and Obama could be giving them the opportunity to at least make the attempt to do so. Then again, by this latest gesture of inviting the Iranians to dinner he’s also helping them do it. That’s not a great way of saying “I love you America.”

Just like clockwork, President Obama fulfilled another campaign promise to install a new Cyber Czar who’s job description is to oversee the protection of government computer systems from hackers who utilize the Internet to conduct such attacks. But that’s the description Obama is feeding to the public. What is the true intentions of this new position?

Plain and simple, it will more than likely control how we use the Internet in this country. Yes, Obama said this new Cyber Czar won’t be used to take away our civil liberties or dictate how private companies handle their computer security but is that really true.?

Take a look at the word czar.  The definition means either an emperor or king. It’s also defined as an autocratic ruler or leader or someone exerting great power or authority over a particular industry. The title alone should scare you, because despite what is being said by Obama this person could literally have the power to shut down a web site or even a blog for any number of reasons and use the excuse that it’s for the protection of national security or say it’s being used by potential terrorists which the Department Of Homeland Security labeled most of us who attended the Tea Parties in April.

While Obama tells the country that our civil liberties won’t be harmed, I can already see it happening. Currently, Obama has been changing our system of government from capitalism to socialism, has planned but not yet implemented a civilian police force which he said would have equal or more power than our military, and now wants to put a judge (Sonia Sotomayor) on the bench who isn’t liked too much by her peers and it’s been reported she rules from the bench more by emotion than by the rules of the Constitution. Also, we must remember that Obama has never stepped forward to provide his real birth certificate to prove he was born in this country which every U.S. President must provide.

The fears about Obama are very real, from his trying to change the Constitutional Amendments to his wanting to make friends with terrorist nations like Iran. Now, we face a danger from within our own borders by the appointment of a new head of cyber security who will have vast control over how we as citizens use the Internet. Will this person that our President appoints go after the anti-Obama sites or anyone who posts a blog questioning the government and attempt to shut them down? That is a very real possibility, especially since some have already disappeared from the net mysteriously.

It’s already bad enough that we have to purchase Internet access from big corporations and live with the fact they may be tracking our every move (every web site we visit registers our IP address) but now we have to live with our government dictating which sites we visit and where we go on the net.

Despite the fears, the flip side could be that people will start taking security very seriously when it comes to their own computer networks. As a computer tech I’m often talking with customers about security. With more and more people now setting up businesses in their homes and using wireless networks to share their Internet connection, at least 90% of them haven’t set up any kind of security to keep others from using their network. Yes, your neighbors could be using your network without your knowledge and getting a free ride while you’re stuck paying the bill for the access.

Today, as bad as it will be to have a Cyber Czar controlling our moves on the Internet (although I must repeat Obama did say this will not destroy our civil liberties), it will more than likely cause people to start calling their local computer repair person such as myself (you can reach me at Panther TEK) to ask how they can better protect themselves from outside attacks on the net.

Nonetheless, the question still remains: why do we need a Cyber Czar? The title alone is scary because this person will indeed have control over almost every online computer system and site in this country. That alone is enough to cause us some concern. Right now Obama hasn’t appointed anyone yet but he stated that he’ll work with businesses to help develop a strategy for cyber security. However, will he listen to those small business owners who question his administration’s true motives behind the creation of this position? Will even the private citizen have a voice here? Believe it or not, we the taxpayers will be paying the salary of whomever Obama picks.

The bottom line, we should be worried but panic should be reserved for later. As citizens we should question this newly created position. Right now Obama said this person will be dealing with government computer security but we always know that’s the first step towards wanting to control private citizens. Sure, some of them are using the Internet for criminal means (scams, child porn, stealing identities) and deserve to be shut down and locked up but the ordinary citizen that uses the Internet for school, work, to post a blog or web site, make purchases, check their bank statements, and any other non-criminal means is put at risk to having their rights taken away.

So, if you need advice Mr. President on this new position you’re creating then give me a call. I think the voice of those who question why you really want a Cyber Czar should be heard. Besides, I’m in the computer business so who better to advise you on the pitfalls of this step you’re taking. After all, the rules of the Constitution don’t stop simply because we’re in a more technological age.

Have you noticed that these days there are more and more computer companies popping out of the woodwork claiming they’ll fix your computer for $20, $40 or some other cheap cost? While on the surface this might seem like a real bargain, what are you really getting for your money?

If you’re a small business owner like myself, you try to save money where you can, but being in the computer repair business myself I know that a skilled and professional technician wouldn’t sell themselves that low. In fact if you do quality work then you know you’re worth the money, especially if you’re always there when the customer needs you.

However, with the economy in poor condition a customer needing help could fall victim to a lot of so-called techs who say they’ll charge you a low flat rate and end up not delivering. I’ve gotten a few customers who have had that happen to them. It made me put together a list of the most common things I’ve heard potential customers have say when they called the cheapest tech they could find. Here were the top complaints I’ve heard about low quality or cheap techs.

1. The tech they called never solved the problem or made the current issue worse.

2. I called the tech when another problem came up and they didn’t call me back.

3. I called the company this tech works for and got the runaround.

4. The tech didn’t show up when the appointment was scheduled.

5. The tech wanted to sell me a new computer, parts or software when I didn’t really need it.

Even though I’ve heard some of these scenarios when it came to the big companies (such as Geek Squad and others) I’m starting to see a trend with these fly-by-nighters or part-time techs coming into the market. I always tell people to go with their gut. If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is. If you’re one of the lucky ones to find a good solid tech then do what you can to keep them in business. But if you’re searching for a tech to fix your computer, here are a few tips that might prevent you from falling victim to a bad  or otherwise disreputable computer repair company.

1. If you see a computer company advertising online in such areas like craigslist, make sure they have a web site.

Some of these computer repair companies will use photobucket or some other site which only shows photos. A professional technical company will usually have web site that lists the company’s prices, phone number, years in business, and other useful information.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when calling or emailing a tech for service.

A professional and skilled computer tech doesn’t mind if you ask questions about their qualifications and experience. The best way to find out if the tech will suit your needs is to ask them questions about their background. Also, find out how long they’ve been in business and if they’re licensed. Never be afraid to ask for references as well.

3. Make sure there are no hidden costs when you schedule that appointment.

You’d be surprised just how many hidden costs you might get stuck with. Some techs will charge a travel charge just to come to you. While that isn’t unreasonable it can be questionable. Another hidden cost is the diagnostic fee or a fee just to simply pick the computer up. Another fee is if they have to re-visit an already existing problem. In other words, you call them, they come to fix it, they leave and you find that the problem never got solved.

4.  Listen to your gut feeling.

If you contact a technician and they put the pressure on you to buy parts, software or something else just to get you to choose them, then run away. A professional technician will make recommendations but it’s very hard for them to troubleshoot the issue over the phone if they’re not present to see it with their own eyes. While some issues can be an easy fix, others are not. If your gut feeling is telling you not to go with a tech then be sure to listen.

Remember, a lot of techs provide in home service now and these people are going to be coming to your home to do the work. If your computer does need repair then it’s important to note that your personal data will be in their hands. With identity theft being on everyone’s minds it’s ok if you ask to be present when the tech does their work. Remember, you’re the one paying the bill so it’s perfectly fine if you want to make sure you get the service you need.

5. Check with your family, friends and neighbors to see if they know a tech.

With so many techs out there doing computer work, it’s good to have a reference. Ask a family member, neighbor or a friend to see if they know of a tech that helped them with their computer problems and what their experience was. As a technician I’ve gotten many customers through word of mouth. If you do good work for one person, they’re sure to tell others about the positive experience they had.

A true professional that prides themselves on providing quality service knows that their customer is the most valuable commodidity they have.  The question to ask when faced with a cheap tech company is how reliable will they be if they charge $20, $40, $50 or some other extremely low price? Why would they charge such a low price and what will happen if things go wrong even after the work is done?

The bottom line, if it sounds too good to be true it usually is but if you’re having a computer issue, having a skilled professional in your corner can be a lifesaver.  I know my customers have always been glad to have me there when they needed me whether it’s a small problem with their email software or a larger problem battling a virus. As a skilled and professional tech (not to mention a business owner) I’m proud to serve.

If you’re looking for a computer tech then feel free to call Panther TEK at 480-980-8541 or visit the company’s web site at www.panthertekit.com.