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Danger - Friends and Relatives AheadThe irony is that, every time I've bought services from friends and relatives, it's been a good thing. So why am I telling you to beware of buying your information technology from the people who are closest to you? I'm not talking about people who are actually IN the business of providing whatever services you're looking for. But I AM talking about the amateur who is offering to do this at night, the pal who thinks he knows everything about computers and has managed to convince you as well, friends who are looking for a career change, or little brothers who are majoring in computer science, and haven't even gotten through freshman mid-terms yet. For example, a good friend runs a fine business, and I have had the opportunity to use his services on a couple of occasions. He's always done a first-rate job. It worked out well because he was in the business of providing that service. On the other, I used to do his taxes. When I got out of school and passed my CPA exam, we both thought that I was now qualified to fill out his forms for him. At the start, it was easy. But as his business got more complicated, his taxes got messier. I'm pretty sure I screwed up, and he got much more money back than he should have. I was terrified that he'd get audited, and I'd be clueless dealing with the IRS. I may have been an accountant, but I was NOT a practicing tax accountant. I spent my time managing accounting departments. There's a big difference. Ask any accountant you know. (Note to any IRS agents reading this. It was LONG ago, and the statute of limitations has passed). When you decide to buy your information technology, it's OK to buy from a friend who is making her living in the business. But be very wary of someone who is doing this "on the side." It's likely that they're not as knowledgeable and experienced in the nuts and bolts of the technology as they think they are. And you have to worry about who will support you. When your niece goes back to college after spring break, who is going to maintain your new database? When your pal gets a real job in Tahiti, who's going to keep your network up and running? When you use amateurs, make sure you know who is going to be around when you REALLY need them, and that they really know their stuff. This "brother-in-law" scenario is a well-known phenomenon to everyone who is in the IT services business. And before you accuse me of just being upset because I didn't get the business, please note that I have never known of a situation where the "pal" helped out, and the project was a success. I once tried to sell a Web page. I made the mistake of pricing it like the customer asked...for the whole magilla. When the paramedics had revived him, he said he'd "think about it." After a few unanswered follow-up calls, I finally found out from another source that he had decided to have his son do it. This was three years ago. Today, he has an out-of-date page, with stale information, ugly design, and about one hundredth of what he had asked for and what I had offered to do. But what's he going to do? Fire his kid, for whom this was his first Web page? That's like taking those drawings off the refrigerator and tearing them up. The lesson? Beware of using your company as the refrigerator for your kid's first Web site. Or being the lab for your buddy's adventures in learning about Windows. Or, for that matter, letting your best friend do your taxes. It may be more expensive to have professionals do it. But hey, there's a reason why you don't let your brother-in-law do amateur dentistry.
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