Debate: Do you tell the client the full truth or keep it simple?

I had this older guy bring in a laptop last month (at my shop in Austin). He asked me straight up if the hard drive was failing, and I told him yes, it's showing reallocated sectors and bad blocks. But then I thought, maybe I should have just said "your computer is slow" and replaced it without the scary diagnosis. Some techs say clients get scared and don't trust you if you give too much detail. Other say full honesty is the only way. What do you all think, is there a line between being helpful and overwhelming them with jargon?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthew_dixon13d ago

Reading between the lines isn't talked about much. Some folks just want the quick fix while others research everything and will catch you in a lie later. Figure out your customer's vibe in the first minute and match their level of detail from there.

wren_brown13d ago

What's the worst that's happened to you when you gave a client more info than they could handle?