CLIENT CASE STUDY — REMOTE SUPPORT & CRISIS RESPONSE
AO IT Consulting | Portland, Oregon | aoitconsulting.com
A bucket list golf trip. A forgotten laptop. A customs nightmare. And an IT team that figured it out anyway — from 5,000 miles away.
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Client Attorney |
Location Scotland (Golf Trip) |
Problem Forgot Laptop + Customs |
Outcome Fully Operational in Scotland |
Every Great Story Starts with a Bucket List
An attorney and longtime AO IT client had finally done it — he’d booked the golf trip of a lifetime. Scotland. The home of golf. The courses he’d dreamed about. He landed across the Atlantic ready to play.
Then he realized his laptop was still sitting at his office in Portland.
For most people, a forgotten laptop on vacation is an inconvenience. For an attorney with active cases, client obligations, and deadlines that don’t care about time zones or bucket lists — it was a crisis. He called AO IT.
🏴☠️ ACT ONE: The Heroic Attempt
Same Day Pickup. Priority Overnight. Problem Solved. (Almost.)
AO IT dispatched a technician to the attorney’s office the same day. The laptop was retrieved, packaged, and sent priority overnight international shipping to Scotland. It was the kind of rapid response that makes clients feel like they have a team that will do whatever it takes.
The laptop arrived in Scotland the next day, exactly as planned.
And then it went into customs.
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🚫 UK Customs Had Other Plans The laptop arrived in Scotland on schedule. UK customs held it and informed the client it would take up to one week to clear. The attorney had five days in Scotland total. The laptop would be released approximately two days after he flew home. |
🏴☠️ ACT TWO: The Pivot
Plan B: Source a Computer in Scotland. Today.
AO IT didn’t wait. Within hours of learning the laptop was stuck in customs, the team pivoted entirely. A computer was sourced locally in Scotland and delivered to the attorney’s hotel the same day.
Then the real work began. Remotely, from Portland, AO IT:
- Installed the attorney’s required software on the new machine
- Configured remote access to his firm’s network and resources
- Connected him to his files and systems as if he were sitting at his desk in Portland
- Had him fully operational in Scotland — in time to work between rounds of golf
The attorney played his bucket list courses, completed his work obligations, and flew home having done everything he came to Scotland to do. He also came home with a brand new laptop.
🏴☠️ ACT THREE: The Frustrating Epilogue
And Then the Original Laptop Arrived…
One day after the attorney landed back in Portland, his original laptop was released from UK customs and delivered to his hotel in Scotland.
The hotel graciously agreed to ship it back. The laptop then spent another week clearing US customs on the return journey.
By the time it arrived back at AO IT’s hands, the laptop had traveled: Portland → Scotland → UK Customs → Scottish Hotel → US Customs → Portland. A round trip of approximately 10,000 miles. For a laptop that was five years old and due for replacement anyway.
It never went back into production.
The Full Timeline
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Day 1 |
Attorney lands in Scotland. Realizes laptop is in Portland. Calls AO IT. |
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Day 1 |
AO IT dispatches tech to office, retrieves laptop, ships priority overnight to Scotland. |
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Day 2 |
Laptop arrives in Scotland. UK customs holds it. Estimated release: 1 week. |
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Day 2 |
AO IT sources a new computer locally in Scotland. Delivers to hotel same day. |
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Day 2 |
AO IT remotely installs software, configures access, and has attorney fully operational. |
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Days 3-5 |
Attorney plays golf. Completes his work. Lives his best life. |
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Day 6 |
Attorney flies home to Portland. Original laptop cleared by UK customs and delivered to his hotel. He is already on a plane. |
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Week 3 |
Original laptop clears US customs and arrives back at AO IT. It is retired. The moral of the story is written. |
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“I forgot my laptop in Portland and called AO IT from Scotland. Somehow they got me a computer, set it up remotely, and I was working by that evening. I still got to play golf. I’m not sure how they pulled it off, but they always do.” — Attorney, AO IT Consulting Client |
By the Numbers
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~10K Miles the original laptop traveled on its round trip to nowhere |
1 Day From “I forgot my laptop” to fully operational in Scotland |
3 Weeks Total customs adventure for a laptop that was never used on the trip |
0 Rounds of golf missed. Work completed. Client happy. |
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🏌️ The Moral of the Story Don’t forget your laptop. But if you do — call AO IT. We’ll figure it out. |
What This Story Actually Shows
The Scotland story is funny in hindsight. But what it demonstrates is something every business owner should care about: an IT partner who doesn’t give up when the first plan fails.
When UK customs blocked Plan A, AO IT didn’t shrug and tell the client to figure it out. We pivoted immediately, sourced a solution locally in a foreign country, configured it remotely from Portland, and had a practicing attorney back to work on the same day — while he was 5,000 miles away on a golf course.
That’s not a special circumstance. That’s just how AO IT operates.
We Can’t Promise Customs Won’t Hold Your Laptop. We Can Promise We’ll Figure It Out.
Whether your team is across town, across the state, or across an ocean — AO IT Consulting provides the kind of responsive, creative support that keeps your business running no matter what gets in the way. Let’s talk about how we can support your team.
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🌐 aoitconsulting.com |
📞 (503) 257-3332 |
✉️ aoit@aoitconsulting.com |
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