Did the computer store take advantage of me?

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Dear Jerry:

Earlier this year, I had to replace a key cap on my computer keyboard. I went to a computer store near my office. There, a service person found a used key cap in the supply closet. He replaced the key and the whole matter took about five minutes. He charged me nothing.

Last week, the same thing happened. Since it was a Saturday, I went to a computer store near my home. Although the situation was identical, the service person charged me $30.

Did the second store take advantage of me?

— Bill S., Gaithersburg, Md.

Dear Bill:

No. The two stores may have different policies. Or the two service people may have different philosophies. Either way, based on the information you gave me, both stores conducted themselves appropriately.

Whether a shop repairs computers, bicycles, eyeglasses, or anything else, the “quick fix” may require only five minutes of labor and virtually no parts. However, the amount of time spent is not the only issue. Equally important is the education, expertise, and experience of the service person. That enables him (or her) to give you useful service. And that has a value.

The first store probably decided that “good will” would take precedence over charging you a fee. The second store probably charges a fee for any service rendered. Both are respectable ways of dealing with the same situation.

Dear Jerry:

Around 1983, there was a TV miniseries called “Chiefs.” It was a great story with Charlton Heston and other fine actors. To my surprise, it has not been rerun.

I have tried to find this show on DVD. All I could get online was a bootleg copy. About four hours was cut. The picture and sound were terrible.

Can you help?

— Shirley K., Venus, Texas

Dear Shirley:

Of course. The “Chiefs” miniseries is available on DVD. Unfortunately, many of those DVD copies are incompatible with U.S. and Canadian DVD players.

Here is your solution. Buy a new or used VHS copy of “Chiefs.” Bring it to a shop that duplicates and transfers videotapes. There, it can be copied onto a blank DVD. To find such a shop, check your yellow pages under “Video Tape Duplicating Transfer,” “Video-Duplication Service,” “Video Production…” etc.

Meanwhile, here are two ways to locate a VHS copy in clean, complete, viewable condition.

#1. Visit www.amazon.com. Type “Chiefs miniseries Heston 1983 VHS” without quotation marks. Or,

#2. Consult the 2012 “VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever.” In the “Video Sources” section, it lists merchants who offer obscure videos. That would be “Chiefs” and a wide variety of TV series. Your nearby Arlington (Texas) central library owns a reference copy of the 2011 “VideoHound’s.” Other area libraries, including Fort Worth, own circulating copies of the 2012 edition. The publication is also available at general bookstores.

Jerry Romansky is a syndicated columnist. Readers are invited to write in English or Spanish: Ask Jerry, Post Office Box 42444, Washington DC 20015. E-mail askjerry@earthlink.net and (because of spam situation) write the name of your newspaper in subject heading. Questions of popular interest are answered in the column. Unpublished letters cannot be answered individually.

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