Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
Your tech, sorted at your kitchen table.
I come to your house and sort out the thing that's been annoying you - the printer, the phone, the Wi-Fi, the telly. I explain it in plain English, at your pace, for as many times as it takes. No jargon and no rush.
I'm Ayden. I live in Aberdeen, I'm HND-qualified in networking, and I'm studying cyber security at RGU.
Every price published No fix, no fee You type your own passwords Background checked
Four things I promise you
You have been told, rightly, to be careful about letting anyone near your computer. So here is exactly where my limits are. They don't move.
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One
You type your own passwords
Some jobs need a password - setting up a new phone, or getting your email working. When that happens I turn the keyboard to you, tell you I'm looking away, and look away. I never take a password off anyone.
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Two
Nothing gets written down
No passwords in my phone, on paper, or saved anywhere. Nothing about your accounts leaves your house with me. If you'd feel better changing a password after I go, I'll show you how before I leave.
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Three
I never go near your banking
Not the app, not the website, not to check something works. Not once, not ever, no matter what the job is. This is the line that doesn't bend, and it's the one you should hold any visitor to.
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Four
You know the price before I start
Every price is published further down this page. We agree what's being done and what it costs before I begin, and it doesn't change afterwards. If I can't fix it, you don't pay.
Anyone can say they're trustworthy - the people who ring you pretending to be from Microsoft say it too. What's different here is that these are specific enough to hold me to.
What I can sort
If it's plugged in and it's annoying you, ring me.
This is most of it, but it isn't everything. If what's bothering you isn't on the list, ring anyway and I'll tell you honestly whether I can help.
Computers and printers
- A new computer set up from scratch
- Everything moved over from the old one
- Slow or noisy machines sorted out
- Straight advice on what to buy - I sell nothing
- Printers that won't print or connect
- Photos and documents backed up safely
- Windows and updates explained
Most computer and printer jobs fit the £45 hour. A brand-new machine set up with everything moved across from the old one is usually the £70 visit. And if a computer is genuinely past saving, I'll say so before you spend anything - no fix, no fee.
Phones and tablets
- New phone or iPad set up and explained
- Contacts, photos and messages moved across
- Text size and sound made easier to use
- Video calls with family, set up and practised
- Apps installed and shown to you properly
A single niggle - an app, the text size, something that's stopped working - fits the £45 hour. A new phone set up properly, with your contacts, photos and messages moved across and everything explained, is usually the £70 visit.
Wi-Fi and internet
- Wi-Fi that keeps dropping out
- Weak signal in the back room or upstairs
- New router set up after switching provider
- Passwords written out large for your drawer
Networks are what my HND is actually in - Networking and Cloud Infrastructure - so this is home ground. Nearly always the £45 hour, including getting a new router going after you've switched provider. If the honest answer is that you need different kit, I'll tell you exactly what to buy - and I earn nothing on it.
TVs and sound
- New telly set up on the existing bracket
- Soundbars connected and balanced
- iPlayer, ITVX, Netflix and Prime set up
- The remotes simplified down to what you use
A telly set up on its stand or an existing bracket is the £45 hour; add a soundbar and the catch-up apps and it can be the £70 visit. I don't drill or fit brackets - once a handyman has the bracket up, I do everything after.
Smart home
- Alexa or Google speakers set up
- Smart plugs for lamps and heaters
- Video doorbells and indoor cameras
- Everything shown to you until it makes sense
Speakers, smart plugs and video doorbells usually fit the £45 hour - set up, connected, and shown to you until you're comfortable using them without me.
Lessons, at your pace
- One-to-one, in your own home, on your own devices
- Email, photos, shopping, banking safety, video calls
- Written notes in large print to keep
- Ask the same question as often as you like
An hour is £45, or four lessons booked together for £150. We go at your pace, on your own devices, and you can ask the same thing as many times as you like - patience is the whole point.
What it costs
Every price, published, before you ring.
I charge for the time, not the job, so there's no cheaper or dearer way to buy the same hour. Find what's wrong with yours below and you'll see the price before you pick up the phone. It won't change afterwards.
What this covers
- A printer that won't print or connect
- Wi-Fi dropping out, or weak upstairs
- A new router after switching provider
- A telly or soundbar set up on the existing bracket
- iPlayer, ITVX, Netflix and Prime set up
- Alexa, smart plugs, a video doorbell
- A slow computer sorted out
- A list of small annoyances in one go
What this covers
- A new computer set up from scratch
- Everything moved over from the old one
- A new phone or iPad set up and explained
- Contacts, photos and messages moved across
- Photos and documents backed up properly
- Video calls with family, set up and practised
- Text size and sound made easier to use
What this covers
- Several devices in one visit
- Getting everything working again after a house move
- A full fresh start on an old machine
- A whole house of Wi-Fi, telly and smart gear
- Sorting out someone's tech after a bereavement
What this covers
- Your own devices, in your own home
- Email, photos, shopping, video calls
- Staying safe online, in plain English
- Written notes in large print to keep
- Ask the same question as often as you like
Four lessons booked together - £150. Works out at £37.50 each.
What this covers
- A password manager set up - you keep the master password
- Two-step login on email, shopping and social accounts
- Dodgy browser add-ons and toolbars cleared out
- Half an hour on spotting scam calls, texts and emails
- A printed guide for beside the phone
What this covers
- Ring or text me whenever something goes wrong
- Anything I can talk you through on the phone, free
- Priority booking when a visit is needed
- £10 off every visit while you're on the plan
- Can be arranged and paid for by family, from anywhere
If I can't fix it, you don't pay No fix, no fee. You're not paying me to fail.
Travel is free within 20 miles Beyond that it's £15, and I'll say so when you ring.
A few minutes over is free If a job turns out much bigger, I stop and tell you first.
I don't sell equipment I earn nothing on what you buy, so my advice costs you nothing extra.
Card, transfer or invoice Never cash-only. Never gift cards. Anyone who asks for those is not legitimate.
Family can arrange and pay Happy to agree everything with a son or daughter first.
The Scam-Safe Check
Two hours that make you a much harder target.
The scams aimed at older people have got very good, and they arrive by phone, text and email all day long. This is the job I'd want done for my own gran: your accounts tightened up, and half an hour together learning to spot the con before it lands.
One visit, everything opposite included. You keep a printed guide for beside the phone, so you've got something to check against when a suspicious call comes in and you're put on the spot.
I'm studying cyber security at Robert Gordon University, which is genuinely the part of this I know best.
To book a Scam-Safe Check 07733 185242 Nine in the morning till seven at night, any day of the week.
What's included
- A password manager set up - you choose the master password and I never see it
- Two-step login switched on for your email, shopping and social accounts
- Dodgy browser add-ons and toolbars cleared out
- A look at what's exposed online and what's worth tidying
- Half an hour on spotting scam calls, texts and emails
- A printed one-page guide for beside the phone
Not included, deliberately: anything to do with your bank. I never go near banking - instead you keep a printed, large-print guide for securing it yourself: what to ask your bank to switch on, what your bank will never ask you, and the safe way to ring them. Your bank will do the rest with you, free and gladly. I'm never in the room for it, and that's the point.
What actually happens
So there are no surprises at the door.
Not knowing what to expect is half of what makes letting someone in feel risky. Here's the whole thing, start to finish.
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You ring, and we agree the price
Tell me what's wrong in your own words. I'll say which visit length it needs and what it'll cost, before we book anything.
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I text you the day before
My name, the time I'm coming and the price we agreed, so you know exactly who is due at your door and what it will cost. Nothing turns up unannounced.
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I show you photo ID before I come in
Without being asked. If anything feels off, don't let me in - that goes for me and for anyone else who turns up at your door.
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Have someone with you if you'd rather
A neighbour, a friend, your daughter on speakerphone. I'd genuinely rather you did. It costs me nothing and it should make you feel easier.
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I explain before I do anything
What I'm about to do and why, in plain English. If a password is needed, you type it and I look away. Stop me and ask at any point - that's what I'm there for.
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You get it written down before I go
What I did, anything you need to remember, in large print - plus printed guides you can keep for the things you'll want to do again. Then you pay by card or transfer - never cash-only, never a gift card.
For sons and daughters
Arranging it for a mum or dad? Easy, from anywhere.
You can arrange the visit, agree the price and pay for it without being in Aberdeen at all. Your mum or dad gets someone patient at the door, and you get a message afterwards telling you what was done.
- Book it, agree it and pay it entirely by phone or email
- I'll ring or text you afterwards with what was done
- You can be on speakerphone during the visit if you'd like
- The Scam-Safe Check is built for exactly this
- With Peace of Mind, there's always someone on the end of the phone
Where I come to
Aberdeen and round about.
- Aberdeen
- Bridge of Don
- Dyce
- Westhill
- Cults
- Peterculter
- Portlethen
- Stonehaven
- Banchory
- Inverurie
- Ellon
- Kintore
- Newmachar
- Balmedie
Travel is free within 20 miles of Aberdeen. Further out it's £15, and I'll tell you that on the phone rather than adding it to the bill afterwards. Not sure if you're in range? Ring and ask.
Questions people ask
Asked and answered, before you ring.
Is there a call-out charge?
No. The price you see is the whole price of the visit, and travel is free within 20 miles of Aberdeen - £15 beyond that, agreed on the phone before I come. Nothing gets added at the door.
How quickly can you come?
Ring and tell me what's wrong, and I'll give you the first time I can genuinely do. If something's urgent, say so - and if I can't get to you quickly, I'll tell you that straight out rather than leave you waiting.
Can you put a new TV up on the wall?
I'll set a telly up on a bracket that's already on the wall, or on its own stand. I don't do drilling or fit new brackets - if one needs putting up, have a handyman fix the bracket, and I'll do everything after that: setup, channels, apps, soundbar and the remotes.
Should I ask you before buying a new computer or printer?
Yes - ask first, before you spend anything. Buying advice is part of a visit, and because I don't sell equipment and earn nothing on what you buy, you'll get a straight answer about what's actually worth it. If ordering online is the fiddly bit, we order it together on your card.
What happens if you can't fix it?
You don't pay - that's the no-fix, no-fee promise. And I'll tell you in plain English what it would actually take, whether that's a repair shop, a part, or honestly a replacement, so you're not left guessing.
Get in touch
Tell me what's annoying you.
07733 185242Nine in the morning until seven at night, seven days a week. If I'm at someone's kitchen table you'll get my voicemail - leave your name and number and I ring everyone back the same day, without fail.
Rather write? ayden@granitecitytechhelp.co.uk
No menus to press, no call centre, nobody else answering. It's just me.