Vicky Edwards
Vicky Edwards
3 June, 2025
Opinion

Reasons to be Cheerful: Computer says YES! By Vicky Edwards

Last week my computer went in for its annual service. It’s unusual for a day to pass without me bashing out a few pages in Word, so I felt like my right arm had been cut off. And while I have an IPad too, it’s a poor understudy for my trusty old war horse. But I knew an update and a health check was overdue, so I reluctantly packed my ‘baby’ into an IKEA bag and trotted along to Sia at SIA Computers in The Hornet, Chichester.

Sia celebrates 20 years in Chichester

Sia has been taking care of my family's technical requirements since forever. From actually building the machine to ensuring that it backs up, fires on all cylinders and generally stays on an even computerised keel, he is one of those essential services that I have on speed dial (along with Super Cooper the plumber/everything man and Dennis the TV guru).

Offering the sort of old fashioned customer service that is both rare and wonderful, Sia also understands my lack of computer know-how perfectly. He knows that I’ll probably have a meltdown if I have to undertake anything more technical than plugging the machine in, and he knows that all I need need him to do is ensure that ‘computer says yes.’

We have a shocking throwaway culture. If something on a computer goes up the spout, the chances are that almost all high street stores will tell you to bin it. But if Sia can repair it, he will.

Never confusing me with jargon, he never tries to up-sell me something I don't need either. Just cracking on and providing service with a smile and more expertise than you can shake a dongle at, it’s no wonder that he and his colleague Andy have such a loyal clientele.

When I collected my precious charge (now as clean as a whistle, fully vaccinated and updated) I discovered that 2025 marks Sia’s 20th anniversary of operating in The Hornet. Given the challenges of running a small business, especially a shop on the outskirts of the city, this is testament to how valued he is by the community he serves.

So thank you and happy anniversary, Sia. May there be many more.

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Another Reason to be Cheerful this week arrived through my letter box in the form of a thank-you card. We are so used to receiving messages digitally these days that a mailed card has become something of a novelty. Requiring significantly more effort than its electronic counterparts, a card has to be chosen, purchased, written, put in an envelope, stamped, addressed and posted. So when someone bothers to see this process through it really means something – especially given the increasing cost of postage. It definitely gets my seal of approval.

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