Quote Originally Posted by martingold View Post
Unfortunately as others have said here the computer professional is similar to a professional in any field that a layman has to hire
first the layman doesnt know what needs to be done
second the layman doesnt know that the pro is doing the job in the correct way
and thirdly the layman doesnt know if the pro is charging him / her the correct amount for the said job

sadly in all cases its a minefield
True, I've been fairly lucky - 3 competent people, one cowboy; but to me that means work out how to minimise your risks rather than hoping you'll never need them.

By asking them what they'd recommend you can check that with others

By asking them for quotes you can compare that with others

By getting them to do something small, you get to see whether they do it on time; does it work; did the costs change

Ask friends for recommendations.

Not unlike figuring out who to ask for a Private Tuition....