Who Can You Trust?

The vast majority of my customers are lovely people - and often very trusting. But sometimes I think they ought to be a bit more careful about what they tell me.

I contacted a customer today to arrange to call for a computer repair. She proceeded to tell me in great detail when she would be away from her house during the next week! If I assume she lives on her own, she is telling me far too much information.

Imagine if she was burgled, and the police asked her who knew she would be away from her house at the time of the robbery, she is going to say: "The computer man!"

And then there are the customers who go to a drawer in the kitchen to get cash to pay me - in full view of yours truly! "Sir, who knew where you kept your cash?" "The computer man!"

People can be far too trusting. To give my customers confidence that I am who I say I am, my picture is on my website, my picture is on the articles I write for a local postcode directory magazine, and I always show photo ID when I visit a customer for the first time. So, it's pretty straightforward to check that I am Chris Turner from TLC Computer Servicing.

But please, dear customers, be a bit more careful about the information you divulge. Tell me when you ARE available (rather than telling me when the house is going to be empty), and always keep cash and other valuables away from prying eyes.

It's lovely that you feel able to trust me (even before you've met me!), but not everyone is as scupulous as me. I will NEVER take advantage of such information or knowledge, but, please, I'd rather not know.