Tech

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Hello, I’m James Flynn Jnr - James Flynn Snr (or Jimmy as most people know him) is my father and founder of Milborne Port Computers. As you may have read in the June edition, he has now fully retired and past the reins onto me. My office manager, Kelly, and I run Milborne Port Computers together.

I joined my father Jimmy many years ago, back in the old garage office at Baunton’s Orchard, which became my second home as we spent more time in the office than we did in the house 5 metres away! This is where the learning began. I try to explain this to people when they ask, ‘How do you learn all of this stuff?’ In short, when you spend every working day plus your evenings watching your father decode, recode, uninstall, reinstall, disassemble and reassemble, over 2 years, you soon pick it up and it becomes second nature. The rest of it? Well… you have to learn on the job and never make the same mistake twice. Always tread with caution; always be one step ahead - backup first before stepping into the unknown.

So, where are we right now? As Boris would say, ‘STAY ALERT!’

We’re in the middle of the pandemic with the vast majority of people being told to work from home, if they can… Panic! Webcams, monitors and laptops are in high demand and with this, many retailers James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers have upped the price to match the panic (sometimes claiming to be selling you the best deal). Tread with caution; if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is! Also, the stock they’re selling could be old stock that they are trying to shift so spend time researching and shopping around. It might take you a bit longer but will be worth it in the long run.

Sadly, the other thing that appears to be happening is people taking advantage of others who are vulnerable and not ‘in the know’. The scam phone calls and text messages claiming to be Covid-19 Track and Trace and requesting your card details to pay for a testing kit have reared their ugly heads. Similarly, fake emails from Amazon claiming your Prime subscription is about to expire if you don’t log onto a PC or laptop to resolve an issue with bank details. We now live in a world where every phone call or email could be a scam. So, if in doubt, phone a friend, research the number used or even phone us - we are always here to help if we can.

At Milborne Port Computers, we are confident that I can follow in my father’s footsteps and continue to provide you with useful information whilst trying to explain things in a language we can all understand!

As always, the choice is yours, but if you think you need advice, you know where to call.