I’ll be keeping this page updated as things develop with information that my customers in DC and Maryland need to know.
The next chapter
It is with mixed emotions I announce that JimmyMac will be packing up and moving to San Francisco in November. My partner got an incredible job offer and they want him to start nearly right away. I’m extremely excited to start a new chapter in our life in the Golden State, but I’m also sad to leave behind Washington DC which has been my home for the last 18 years. The friends I have made here and the business relationships developed will always be held
What does this mean for my customers?
My calendar is open for the next several weeks as normal, so if you are an existing customer please feel free to book an appointment on my website.
However, I do plan on maintaining my business here in DC and Maryland for a while to wrap up loose ends and to help people transition to another Mac person. I am planning on coming back to the area once every month or two for a week at a time. You’ll be able to make an appointment on my website as before, you just might see larger gaps of availability.
And of course, I’ll always be available for a telephone appointment. I don’t ever expect to be ending that option.
As for my pricing, you may have heard that San Francisco is an expensive city to live in, so I do intend to charge a higher rate, to be determined. However, for my existing DC-area clients I will adjust my rate to always track below my published price.
Ultimately you will probably decide it’s in your best interest to carry on business with someone else. I am currently working on finding others to recommend, and you will have no resistance from me in helping to make your transition easy if you would like to work with anyone else.
Of course, you can continue to follow my blog here or follow me on Facebook.
I know this is bittersweet, but if you know anyone in San Francisco that could use my services please send them my way. Currently, my intent is to only work within the city of San Francisco.
Phone Calls from the West Coast
Fortunately, long-distance charges are pretty much extinct, so I’m happy to help you from across the country if that works for you, though I do encourage you to find someone local who can visit you in person (more on that below). You can still book an appointment at jimmytechsf.com/book (or use the umbrella icon in the upper right corner of your screen if you have that) and choose the Phone Consult option. Choose your own time zone and our calendars will coordinate properly.
Occasional Visits to DC
During the 2020 calendar year, I’m planning to make a trip once every month or two for visits back to DC to tie up loose ends and to help the transition. When those times are available you’ll see them on my calendar just as before. While I am here my calendar will not offer any phone call appointments as I’ll be trying to saturate my calendar with as many in-person visits as possible.
New Pricing
As you might have heard, San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the world. I have yet to decide what my new rate will be. But my East Coast customer rate will be $130/hr, effective January 1 through at least the end of the year. If you see different pricing on my website you can ignore that. Your rate will be $130/hr through the end of 2020.
Billing and Mailing
I have closed my PO Box in Silver Spring and have opened a box here in San Francisco. My new address is:
You may just find it easier to pay by card rather than mail a check. Whenever I send an invoice there is always a link to pay by card or PayPal. If it’s easier for you I can securely keep a card on file to automatically charge (entirely optional). Just let me know and I can send you a link to enter your card into my system.
New branding: JimmyTech
While I love the name “JimmyMac” and it’s not a legal problem, Apple has chosen not to have business partnerships with companies whos names have any references to their products. So earlier this year I changed my business name to JimmyTech.
New Phone Number
My new number is 415-510-2000.
At least through the end of 2020, I will keep my existing 301 phone number.
No More Text Messaging
Texting will remain with my old 301 number for now, but expect that to go away in the future. However, I suggest that you don’t contact me by text message. Use email instead. It might sound counterintuitive, but text messaging is not the most efficient way to get ahold of me. For two reasons. First, I have turned off notifications on text messages because too many people text me in the middle of the night. And second, if I am gone for the weekend or on vacation there is no way for me to set an out of office reply with instructions on contacting me in the way I can with email.
New Website, Email, Social Media Links
Website: jimmytechsf.com
Email: jimmy@jimmytechsf.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jimmytechsf
Twitter: twitter.com/jimmytechsf
Instagram: instagram.com/jimmytechsf
Google: g.page/jimmytechsf
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCk-MBcY0HqQTc1u3upMHOGQ
Yelp: yelp.com/biz/jimmytech-san-fancisco
Nextdoor: nextdoor.com/pages/jimmytech-san-francisco-ca
My old website and email address will simply forward. I don’t plan on ever ending that because it costs me next to nothing.
Finding a “New Jimmy”
Ultimately you will probably find that working with a local is going to be far better than working remotely. I can only do so much by phone when your computer breaks or when your internet goes down or when your printer is having problems. I’ve met with a few others who do something similar to what I do. I’ll offer several options because they are each different and you may find that one particular one will be better suited to your needs. If you contact any of them do let them know that you were a customer of mine. I’ve invited them to reach out to me with any questions they may have with your setup.
If you want them to have access to any of your passwords or personal information that I may have you’ll need to let me know directly. For your security, I’ll need that in writing in an email from you.
Also, if you choose to work with any of these people I urge you to work with only them and don’t bounce back and forth with me. If I do something that they aren’t aware of or vice versa you could run into problems.
Mitch Galen is the owner of MacsOnDemand. He works much like I do, an individual person taking calls and visiting clients in their own homes and home-based businesses. He has a lot of experience with home Mac consulting and works out of his home office on Jones Bridge Road in Bethesda, sometimes meeting with clients there. He deals exclusively with Apple products. He also refurbishes used Apple products. You can check out his website macsondemand.com.
Gerard Massey works part-time as a systems engineer, but he has his job so automated that he’s looking to fill his downtime with some extra work. He lives in Alexandria but can visit you anywhere in the DMV area. He’s a very friendly and personable guy who knows his way around a broad range of technologies including Windows, Linux, and Google (but not Android). But of course, his specialty is Mac, iPhone, and iPad. You can contact him at gerard@gerardmassey.com.
Grove Technologies is a small Mac shop in downtown DC. Their philosophy is a more involved approach using a lot of management technologies to maintain and proactively support your tech. While they have a focus on small businesses they are also happy to work with home users. They may be of particular interest to you if your livelihood depends on your Macs running smoothly and you really need a part-time IT department. Since they are a small firm with a couple of people on staff urgent needs can usually be taken care of very quickly. You can check out their website at grovetech.co.
Cutting Loose
With these changes and if you begin working with a new person you may wish to have me remove access to your computer, remove my software, and unsubscribe from my mailings. No hard feelings if that’s what you want to do.
Remove my diagnostic tool. That’s the little umbrella icon in the upper right corner of your computer screen. My diagnostic tool allows me to see the vitals of your computer and I get alerts if your drives start to fail or if you catch malware. It doesn’t let me see what you are doing or make any changes to your computer. If you want to remove it follow the instructions on this page. If you can’t follow the instructions simply reply to this email and ask me to do it for you. I can instruct the program to self-uninstall from my end. At this time if you are running the new macOS Catalina you’ll have to ask me to do it for you.
Remove my screen sharing tool. My screen sharing program doesn’t run unless you explicitly ask for it and even then I have to ask for a connection that you approve. But if you want to get rid of it entirely go to the Applications folder on your computer and look for “TeamViewer QuickSupport” and drag it to your Trash.
Unsubscribe from my email list. If you don’t want to receive any more mailings from me click the unsubscribe button at the bottom of my next marketing email. If you enjoy the tips and tricks, you’re welcome to stay subscribed!
Passwords on File. For many of you who have shared your passwords with me, I have kept them in my encrypted vault. If you would like me to delete them or would like a copy of them just email and ask me. Otherwise, I will keep them for a couple of years in case you discover you’re missing something important.
Thanks so much
It has been a pleasure working with each and every one of you over the years. I’m sure I’ll see or speak to many of you again from time to time, but for those I don’t, I wish you the best.