PC Repair Business - Hints and tips

Browntoa

this is the other thread on the subject

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=701077&highlight=computer+repair

Simon_M_2

Ed_Zep wrote: »

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.

Lol, I closed my PC buisness in July and am now contracting for a large broadband supplier, getting paid over £600 PW, so I agree contracting is the way forward.

Regards Simon

System

slewis1972 wrote: »

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.Scott

MS hope people will upgrade. Large businesses are still on the upgrade path to XP from 2000. They won't even consider Vista as a stable business platform for another year let alone Windows 7

On the consumer front, there are still a lot of people running W98. Consumers, apart from the geeks, don't upgrade their OS when a new version is released or MS stop support. Their upgrade is normally triggered by buying a peripheral that their old OS/hardware won't support.

jo_b_2

I've moved your thread over to the Small Business board where you might find some more advice and suggestions. Good luck.

Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]

Savvy_Sue

jo_b wrote: »

I've moved your thread over to the Small Business board where you might find some more advice and suggestions. Good luck.

Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]

And I've merged it into the thread which Browntoa pointed you to.

pigunderaroof

Horsham wrote: »

I don't want to put you off but it can be quite difficult to make money out of this business when you consider the amount of time you have to put in.

Most people. older people included, have a colleague, friend or relative that 'knows' PCs. Usually they will call on these people before paying somebody else. This means the market may not be as large as you think it may be.

You will also have to be prepared for a lot of 'awkward' customers. For example you may diagnose that their slow PC needs more RAM. You fit more RAM and then a few weeks later the client has an unrelated problem that slows the PC, but not understanding this he calls you expecting you to look at it for free as part of the guarantee you gave home for the new RAM.

Like I say I am not trying to put you off but I have know several people that have tried to make an income out of this but have given up in frustration due to problems like I described above.

Good luck with this. If you can find the right customers AND have very clear terms and conditions you may be able to make it work.

Spot on. I did repairs 12 years ago when it was all starting off. We made £120 on a build and £120 sticking a fuser in a laser printer. Same profit but printer took 10 mins and building a day inc loading all software/ testing etc. Also do a reload of op system and then load all drivers charge £30 and see your profit vanish with the first call back after they have loaded something, ballsdit up and then blame you!

I have loadsa people asking me at work to do the repairs and I know it is because I am the first port of call cos they dont want to pay someone. No profit in pcs me thinks, just a pocket money job. IMHO

Jakg

Ed_Zep wrote: »

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.

On hardware it never could (although selling DX cables etc for £5 when PCW charge £15 could work), but for actual technical work it could work - for "setting up" (aka turning on!) a new PC they charge £30 for example...

savemoney

I too dont think there is much to be made running a shop. Whilst I never run a pc shop I know several people in my home town that have and some still do, most of the money to be made is from corporate/schools and repair/virus sweep

The majority of computer users tend to buy from pcworld and the likes whilst this may be okay for them, the experience users who tend to play about with pc's may build there own or in some cases as its cheaper to buy a pre-built one now from Dell.

I have done both but still prefer home built, I do my own mainly because I want control of what I put in and get a good components

There really is no money to be made in pc sales for retail. If you do this you end up go to a online seller anyhow, and they dont give that much more discount. I know two peole locally who work for a large shop in my town and they buy from same online sites as I do because they can get it cheaper than there own shop at cost price.

Virus scans/odd repair is fine because you can beat pcworld of this world if you are reasonable

motorguy

Jakg wrote: »

On hardware it never could (although selling DX cables etc for £5 when PCW charge £15 could work), but for actual technical work it could work - for "setting up" (aka turning on!) a new PC they charge £30 for example...

People seem to have their brains removed when they walk into PC World. They will bend over and get rogered for setup, more hardware than they need, repair costs, queues for the repair desk, two weeks wait on the repair, but buy from some local one man band computer store and they expect 24x7 onsite support for the rest of their lives.

justpaper

have to agree with major points made by pgilc1, MikeFishcake,

I myself have done countless repairs/reinstalls/build pc's, in the long run it isnt worth it, i only started charging people so they would stop calling me which worked, i still get the odd 5-10min phone call,.and a few laptop repairs,

its really alot of hassle for nothing, it is something to do on the Side, pocketmoney,

but if you are going to do it,

my tips are,

dont do call outs, crazy??, nope, most of the time i found you end up taking the pc away, and its more of a problem when your in someones living room for over 60mins,

do a promo on a reinstall service cheaper then virus Removal service, less hassle/ faster for you,

get a place small unit that you can rent, their must be alot of cheap places going now, with all thats going on,

anyways is it really worth it ? instead of a less stress 9-5 ?? nope not in my book, running around with the friends and family route is ok for pocket money,

sorry if i put a down'er on the idea, but i think alot of us techies have taken this path,. good luck