PC Repair Business - Hints and tips

Idiophreak

The_JinJ wrote: »

Other ideas:
Get some cards printed up to hand to customers.
Talk to local pc stores to see if you can put flyers in their shop, or have a fler handed out with every sale (for a fee probably)
Card in newsagent, supermarket board
Car sticker (vinyl lettering type?)
Press release in local rag - they are always looking for filler - write an article on pc security or something - free advertising
Around xmas (ok a bit late ) offer PC setup
Free PC audit - check for viruses/spyware etc - charge to clean
PC building/repair course at your local night school

All good stuff, but one other (obvious) thing I haven't seen mentioned - get yourself a good website set up. I wouldn't think about having my computer fixed by somewhere that didn't have a professional looking site - and I'd probably google "PC repairs in XXXXXX" to find someone in the first places...so get something knocked together (you get £5 quidco for doing the MS small business thing at the mo) and (if you haven't already) read a book or two on SEO - will pay for itself real quick.

patrick999

Idiophreak wrote: »

All good stuff, but one other (obvious) thing I haven't seen mentioned - get yourself a good website set up. I wouldn't think about having my computer fixed by somewhere that didn't have a professional looking site - and I'd probably google "PC repairs in XXXXXX" to find someone in the first places...so get something knocked together (you get £5 quidco for doing the MS small business thing at the mo) and (if you haven't already) read a book or two on SEO - will pay for itself real quick.

I am currently doing a site on the MS Small Business thingy, getting it desgined etc, then going to buy a domain name using their service (https://www.xxxxx.co.uk) and transfer it over to it, as bit skint atm :P

Going to be getting some spare parts in soon too.

Savvy_Sue

pgilc1 wrote: »

Also, if the machine has malware / viruses it may work out easier to take their machine away and sort it out over a couple of evenings for a fixed price. This will be better for the customer and saves you having to make polite conversation to them in their spare room / study for several hours.

this is particularly important if you are slightly lacking in social skills / the ability to pick up that it's time to leave. Please, if the customer's wife goes to bed and the computer lives on the landing outside the bedroom door, DO NOT stay until the early hours discussing abstruse computing concepts with the customer and their sons.

Even if you've been called out to someone's office and YOU'RE willing to work until 3 am, don't assume that your customer has nothing to go home to ...

I suspect I've said this before!

motorguy

patrick999 wrote: »

I thought about this.. doing a callout charge of £30 which covers first hour, then doing so much an hour thereafter.. but instead of sitting there for 2-3 hours fiddling with it there (which wud cost the customer a lot of cash), i'd say what i felt needed doing, then offer them one of my fixed price services.

Good idea?

Yes, thats what i did. You can evaluate on site quite quickly if its an easy fix or a 'takeaway'.

People are very amenably to 'this is going to take 3 hours for the antivirus to run, however i can take it away, remove the viruses, update you with the latest antivirus software (AVG Free) and return it to you by the weekend for £40 / £50.

patrick999

pgilc1 wrote: »

Yes, thats what i did. You can evaluate on site quite quickly if its an easy fix or a 'takeaway'.

People are very amenably to 'this is going to take 3 hours for the antivirus to run, however i can take it away, remove the viruses, update you with the latest antivirus software (AVG Free) and return it to you by the weekend for £40 / £50.

Good idea, what I had in mind.

I'd still charge £30 to come out and look, then offer them a solution.

slewis1972

Hi All

Been in IT like 10years and thinking its time I consider buying a pc repair business eg small shop that does consumerables, some equipment but also heavy on the actual repairs eg hardware and software. Considering the queues I see in pc world, I think its one of those markets that going to be viable as everyone child will soon have a pc for school, and you know what kids are like.

I do this now in my spare time and when I push it, I do get quite a few calls and mainly are from people that are too busy to sort themselves or dont have the aptitude.

Anyway - is anyone in the business full - time working from themselves and any advice they can give? has it been a rewarding change or had they wished they had never done it?

Thanks

Scott

going2die_rich

Do a search, I recall reading a post about this. Some advice and tips about it, it was quite a long thread. Although the majority of the opinions were it wasn't worth it. As the people without the aptitude for PCs, would always say you broke their PCs.

Eg. You fix it because of a virus and next week their DVD drive stops working, they'll automatically say it's because of you and expect it fixed.

Not only that, I remember people saying that they expected you to sort it out there and then, and when factoring in petrol, it wasn't so profitable.

Like I said though, do a search, it's on here somewhere.

Jakg

Profit margin is nigh on non-existant tbh.

EDIT - This, coming from someone who works at PC World and whose Dad runs a PC Repair business from home.

slewis1972

I was more looking at either starting or taking over a pc repair shop, and then doing consumerables, plus where people can bring there machines. I also think, as the credit cruch bites deeper people will be more inclined to get there older systems repaired or buy good , second hand systems. When you consider the average person uses a pc for web, emails and docs, most pcs made over the last few years are quite capeable of this.

Also - with Windows 7 out end of next year, I can see a demand for users ditching vista or upgrading from xp finally, even more so as MS will no longer support it at some point.

Then, chuck in some after work visits, I think it could be viable but then again, it depends on the area, competition, and how well you market it.

Just my thoughts, but am happy to be advised otherwise.

Scott

Ed_Zep

I've worked in IT for 10 years, as well. Personally, I don't think a shop would be profitable at all. One has just closed near where I work.

Difficult to see how a little shop could compete with PC World (rip-off place, I know) or more particularly, online. If I had a printer (would never have one), I'd get cartridges off Ebay, etc. Likewise with any IT stuff, I guess.

I'd stick with the part-time thing you're doing. A nice top-up to your income, cash in hand, almost no overheads.

From what I can gather, contracting is the way to make serious money in IT. It never ceases to amaze me what my employer pays contractors. My colleagues know how lacking in knowledge these people are, yet they're raking it in.