2009-10-15

This doc makes house calls

By Julie Whitmore

Hill Country residents are proud that every year one of our hamlets or small cities makes the “best places to retire in the United States” lists. But for some, the Hill Country offers not retirement, but a place to find balance and to feel “home at last.”

Richard Stevens – aka “the Computer Doctor” – is one of the latter. His small ranch off FM 1283 in Pipe Creek houses not only his family, but also a small full service computer business. In addition, the ranch location gives him time to breed and raise paint and quarter horses.

Stevens considers that after a career in the field artillery division of the US Army, he has returned to familiar roots. His father, who also spent his career in the Army, was born on a dairy farm. Stevens grew up in San Antonio and attended Trinity University on a ROTC scholarship.

Gifted with an affinity for computers and small electronic devices, Stevens started “playing” with personal computers in the mid-1980s when they became widely available. He also capitalized on this ability during his career as field artillery became increasingly automated.

After leaving the military in 1994, Stevens, even while working as a manager at Auto Zone, started the Computer Doctor, a small business serving primarily individuals and small business owners. In 2002, he moved home from Mississippi to Pipe Creek. He works from home, makes house calls and makes them quickly.

“I can call Rick, and he’ll be here in an hour,” says realtor Karen Ripley of Lakehills. Like many others, Ripley can recite a litany of horror stories about computer consultants who made appointments and didn’t show up or tried to sell her services she didn’t need. “Rick was about the fourth ‘expert’,’’ she said. “I called, he came and fixed our network and all the craziness went away.”

Ripley also noted that Stevens charges by the hour and performs on-site work rather than remote diagnostics. “I feel very safe with his work,” she said admiringly. Secure networks are of course important in all proprietary businesses, which most small businesses are.

“I think I offer the most reasonable service for at-home calls,” Stevens said, whether it’s designing a network or a quick repair. He charges no retainers for continuing work and generously teaches small business owners what basic maintenance they can perform themselves.

“Both hardware and software have changed so rapidly in the past few years that it is more difficult for a single proprietor to keep up, and yet more vital to be web-connected,” he said.

And Stevens obviously loves solving problems. The biggest one he faces in individuals’ machines is inadequate anti-virus protection. “There are a myriad of nasty viruses out there, and all it takes is one family member downloading one file to implant a Trojan Horse which can fry a hard drive,” he said.

But then the fingers start clicking and customers’ eyes often widen as they see damaged files clicking across the screen during a scan.

His clients range from Castroville, Hondo, Devine, Lakehills, to Bandera and beyond.

Another realtor, Rene Leith, owner and broker of Stagecoach Realty on Main Street, also praised Stevens’ dependability. “We’ve been through 10 computer people and Rick is the only one who keeps his appointments.”

Moreover, she noted, “He’ll pick up the computer after we close and it’s back on-line before we reopen in the morning.”

A realtor or any other small business is even more dependent on being on-line than larger firms, so speedy service and a quick turnaround is one of Stevens’ priorities.

“I can always grow the business if I want to,” Stevens admitted, however, Saturdays will often find him shoeing one of his horses, or trail riding. “Who doesn’t love a paint horse?” he asked rhetorically, with the awe of the true horseman.

Computer Doctor can be reached at 830-535-9503, or computerdoc@wireweb.net.