How much for PC Repair.

Lil306

rdpro wrote: »

I charge £20 an hour for any travel and the time actually working on the PC. I don't charge for the time that I leave Memtest running, etc.

I see a lot of people do free quotes or no fix/no fee in my area, but I only really generate work through recommendations.

It's a tough business now, with everyone 'knowing computers', so I fill my days up by contracting to major suppliers for warranty work. Good way to drop off business cards too

Referrals is the way to go, I just really do it as a hobby, if I wanted to go full time I'd be working on building my client base up through referrals.

I'm not really going into that sector anyway since everyone is an "expert"

dragon934

rdpro wrote: »

I charge £20 an hour for any travel and the time actually working on the PC. I don't charge for the time that I leave Memtest running, etc.

I see a lot of people do free quotes or no fix/no fee in my area, but I only really generate work through recommendations.

It's a tough business now, with everyone 'knowing computers', so I fill my days up by contracting to major suppliers for warranty work. Good way to drop off business cards too

Yeah, I think actual PC repair isn't viable as a standalone business, at least not starting out. Maybe i should head down the local weekend market and throw out the old phone unlocking/debranding and handheld console repair etc. stall.
Does anybody "flip" broken kit they've bought and fixed. maybe thats a good sideshow to have

HO87

Rather than trying to fix an hourly rate based solely on what you judge the market can stand you might be better looking at what you need to make to cover your overheads and then see what margin there is between that figure and what the market can bear. That should help you avoid a classic start-up stumble. As for everyone being an expert I agree that was the case a few years ago but there are far more people these days who simply haven't got the time or inclination any more.

dragon934

HO87 wrote: »

Rather than trying to fix an hourly rate based solely on what you judge the market can stand you might be better looking at what you need to make to cover your overheads and then see what margin there is between that figure and what the market can bear. That should help you avoid a classic start-up stumble. As for everyone being an expert I agree that was the case a few years ago but there are far more people these days who simply haven't got the time or inclination any more.

You still find yourself sweeping up after Bodgit and Legit have called in before you,:mad: now and again!!

rdpro

dragon934 wrote: »

You still find yourself sweeping up after Bodgit and Legit have called in before you,:mad: now and again!!

An excellent source of income, indeed!

rdpro

dragon934 wrote: »

Does anybody "flip" broken kit they've bought and fixed. maybe thats a good sideshow to have

I find a lot of warranty work customers with out-of-warranty kit that they can't be bothered with getting fixed once they check the supplier or Big Boy company prices. I offer them a cheap fix or buyout to recondition, then sell on.

dragon934

rdpro wrote: »

I find a lot of warranty work customers with out-of-warranty kit that they can't be bothered with getting fixed once they check the supplier or Big Boy company prices. I offer them a cheap fix or buyout to recondition, then sell on.

something else worth looking into

rdpro

it's the main reason they buy the new, warranted, kit in the first place. Customer today has 5 laptops I'm negotiating a price on (and I'm guessing 4 out of 5 are dustballed inside judging by description)

HO87

dragon934 wrote: »

You still find yourself sweeping up after Bodgit and Legit have called in before you,:mad: now and again!!

Indeed. However the problem remains that B & L have usually queered the pitch having ripped the customer off and left the job undone. The customer is disinclined to agree to an hourly rate and you know damn well that the spyware/malware clense is going to take 4-5 hours if they are lucky. It boils down to the fact that customers always want a cheap job and can afford to work their way through Thomson's directory or whoever to find someone to do it.

dragon934

HO87 wrote: »

Indeed. However the problem remains that B & L have usually queered the pitch having ripped the customer off and left the job undone. The customer is disinclined to agree to an hourly rate and you know damn well that the spyware/malware clense is going to take 4-5 hours if they are lucky. It boils down to the fact that customers always want a cheap job and can afford to work their way through Thomson's directory or whoever to find someone to do it.

It's not always bodgit and legit of course, I usually have a small silent groan to myself when the (usually elderley) person begins with "I had a problem and my son/grandson/little cousin fudgit said he would take a look....."

Oh well keeps us busy.

Thanks to everyone for your replies, it's nice to get a slight insight into the real world after leaving the forces, so hopefully I can put that advice into good use
:beer: and :T all round