Love of tech - and loving wife - fuels Dunedin IT shop

R&L Systems focuses on home computing

By Darren Greenwood, Auckland | Thursday, 21 April 2011
Rene Bakker of Dunedin-based R&L Systems reports a trend among his customers towards Macs, with iPads fuelling the drive.

Bakker, who runs R&L from home, is an autodidact with more than 20 years experience in the IT industry, starting out selling early home computers like Amiga and Spectrum.

His interest in technology began as a boy, when he and his father browsed the sound systems and early home computers on display in department stores.

When he was older, a flatmate’s uncle took Bakker to buy his first PC. This ‘Uncle Mark’ owned Clutha Computers and eventually convinced him to open a Dunedin branch. Bakker split his time between Clutha and working as a travel consultant for AA Travel and then House of Travel, where he moved into an IT role with the agency, until ‘Uncle Mark’ sold Clutha Computers, and Bakker set out on his own with R&L Systems.

While R&L Systems worked with gaming systems for a time, Bakker’s focus has largely been on the home computing market, along with some work contracted out from House of Travel, and other businesses.

Today, 80 percent of R&L’s customers are home users and 20 percent are small businesses.

“I’m totally committed to my customers,” he says. “Going the extra mile for my clients is what keeps them coming back to me. I pride myself on service and treat my customers the way I would expect to be treated should I need a service. I believe your name in business is one of the most important things to hold onto.”




The company is a one-man operation, though Bakker’s wife, Janine, occasionally helps with deliveries. It focusses on Dunedin but can send hardware anywhere in New Zealand.

Bakker is in competition with department stores and big resellers and this makes Dunedin a tough market. But doing that extra bit for clients brings them back, he says, and those customers spread the word; good advertising in such a small and friendly city.

“I never got into IT to become rich, it’s not just that type of industry, at least not unless you specialise in something,” he says.

Working from home, where he also looks after his 18-month-old son, helps keeps the costs down. Bakker offers phone-based and remote support and has a van for visiting clients. He does a large part of his work on weekends and outside of business hours. The challenge of juggling work with family life is helped, he says, by a “very understanding” wife.

Bakker has many suppliers to ensure he can keep up stock. The brands he supports include Microsoft, HP, Dell (ex-lease), Toshiba, Asus and Lenovo. His distributors are Golden Leaf International, Dove, Ingram Micro, JDI, Synnex, Ezidiots, Exeed, NZ Computer Sales (ex-lease) and DecomIT.

He has always been a PC advocate but with clients moving toward the Mac, he has bought one himself, and has even learned how to repair it. R&L Systems doesn’t sell Macs, but Bakker can support his clients who use them and he sells ex-lease Macs, finding they go out the door as soon as they come in. Ipads, likewise, continue to be “the thing” this year, he says.

“If you’re a geek and love gadgets, you need one,” he says.

He says 2010 was a great year, but 2011 is expected to be even better with his website — featuring his own e-zine — helping to drive new trade.

In addition to PC sale and the new Mac support, businesses also use Bakker’s backup and AV/spyware services, with Ezidiots (virus, backup, helpdesk and firewall) a recent, popular offering.

Bakker credits his wife for helping the business, which he says allows time for family trips to Central Otago and Southland.

“Juggling [work] is easy when you have such a supporting wife,” he says. “If it was not for my wife, I would not be able to spend so much time helping my clients out at their time of need. Janine is one of those really special people, who makes me realise how good it is to help others out.”