computer repair rates

[amdskip]

I have also charged not nearly enough when fixing other peoples computers. For example, install new hard drive in HP system, $85 including the cost of a 30 GB 5400 maxtor hard drive ($60), also installed win 2k for them.

I was looking at various sites around the net and it seems $75/hour is the magic number. A local computer shop charges this amount I found out. What does everyone here charge?

I have a job this week and I have to fix a friend of a friends computer like 23 miles away. It was hit with some hacking program or something and the friend who told me about the computer needing fixing said to charge the lady a lot because she owns a bar and makes a killing. She lives in a run down mobile home park but I think she chooses to live there because its freakin cheap.

What do you charge for a format and o/s install? I've charged like $40 before, I think I'm too cheap.

 

[Koing]

I would charge her $60 and hour + travel expenses. You have to factor in the 23 miles BOTH ways you are going to drive just to fix her computer.

Remember she pays (out of the money she puts in to petrol) if she travels to a shop to get her computer fixed so why shouldn't you charge it on her if your going to fix her computer.

Also if she owns a bar why feel bad, its business.

 

[m2kewl]

on any side jobs i do for clients, it's $65/hr - and i normally budget out certain number of hrs if it involves design/implementation work.

 

[Maggotry]

Here's the price list for a local shop. I've never used their services, but it seems very expensive to me.

Some highlights:

$35 service fee...fixed or not!
$125 to install XP!
$45 PC Tune Up (scandisk, defrag)
$45 to flash the BIOS!

The labor fees are great. $35 to install a CD-ROM drive. Remember, that's just the labor fee, you still have to buy the drive.

I'm glad I can build and fix my own pc's. I'd hate to pay those prices.

Edit: Acrobat Reader required to view link.

 

[gopunk]

just a word of caution, it is illegal to charge someone a different price for a reason like that

 

[Jhill]

Originally posted by: gopunk
just a word of caution, it is illegal to charge someone a different price for a reason like that

That not the only person/business that charges people more because they make more.

 

[XZeroII]

I'm really cheap. I charge people like $20. I get alot of repeat service though. I charge more if there were excessive problems though.

 

[Kilrsat]

When I worked at a little local store, the rate was $35 diagnostic and then $45/hr with a 1 hr minimum. (Diagnostic fee was waived if you had us do actual work on it.) Basically, we got $35 from you if we spent 10 minutes to take a look and see what was wrong, $45 to fix the majority of small problems, and normally around $90 if it was something that actually required brainpower.

Yes, it was cheaper than anywhere else, but we were bringing in customers like crazy because of that. Ten-fifteen people a day was not unheard of. These same customers then thought we were so nice because the price was lower that they normally ended up buying other items at some pretty marked up prices. (Things like a 52x cd-rom for $85 + $45 install )

 

[Yzzim]

I charge between $15-$20/hour.

To install an OS doesn't take long since I start the CD and leave it go while either lurking here at AT or working at my other job. I probably charge from $45 to $60 to install an OS. It rocks to have repeat customers, btw. Install their OS and drivers (plus any other apps they want) then make a ghost image of it. Every time they screw something up and you need to reinstall, just pop in the ghost

I'll charge $15 to replace a modem. However, I'll tell them the modem will cost $35 when I can get it from Newegg for like $15-$20. So I'm actually making $30 on a simple modem install. This works for 90% of my customers. The other 10% bitch and whine that they can find a modem for $25 so I have to drop my prices and end up making less. Still some easy money though.

 

[zippy]

I started a small business with my friend over the summer (just in HS) and at first we just started out putting flyers up around some neighborhoods and were charging $35/hr on-site service. Then we got contacted by the big local newspaper and they did a full page article about us as the "Business of the Week" (with a big color pic of us - heh) and started charging $45/hr once that happened. We have had a lot of business since that article. We also got called about a TV interview but we're just too busy with college apps and school right now that we can't even handle the amount of business we have as it is. Perhaps later when we are into college and can slack a bit we'll get interviewed (she said to call her if we change our minds any time...) and cash in. Heh.

I had my wisdom teeth out last week and someone needed their machine fixed so they dropped it at my house and I charged $35/hr (since I worked at my own leisure and it was my friend's bro) and $40 for a format and Win2k install (since I just set it to format and it did the rest...I just had to install the drivers).

These are good prices I think...at least for teenagers. If we were older, it would definitely be $60-65/hr though.

My bro-in-law does mac computer work and charges $75. When he started the business it was $65 but he recently upped it. He has quite a bit of business - always busy, in fact, he just hired 3 guys part time and expanded about 50 miles north which is pretty exciting.

EDIT: As some people already mentioned...repeat customer definitely ROCK! Especially extremely wealthy ones that pay in hundred dollar bills! Yes, I have two of those and another one that pays with checks.

 

[RGN]

Originally posted by: m2kewl
on any side jobs i do for clients, it's $65/hr - and i normally budget out certain number of hrs if it involves design/implementation work.

This is exactly the way I charge.

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: gopunk
just a word of caution, it is illegal to charge someone a different price for a reason like that

A reason like what?
The guy is running an independent 'shop' and can charge whatever he wants to for any individual call.

 

[HappyPuppy]

I charge people exhorbitant rates, like $60/hr with a 2 hr. minimum plus travel time. Why? Because I don't want their business. I don't need the extra money. If it takes me 20 minutes to do the job they owe me for 2 hours.

Yes, I am an ass. I never asked them to call me at 6:00am in the morning or 10:00pm at night with their trivial problems. I don't want their patronage, so I get rid of them.

 

[Tarmouth]

My shop charges a flat "bench charge" of $45, regardless of what job we are doing. Now if it's overly simple and quick we tend to give breaks on this. We stay extremely busy at this price, and we will be opening our 4th store by the end of November.

 

[zippy]

Originally posted by: Tarmouth
My shop charges a flat "bench charge" of $45, regardless of what job we are doing. Now if it's overly simple and quick we tend to give breaks on this. We stay extremely busy at this price, and we will be opening our 4th store by the end of November.

Nice. There is a shop locally that if I had to defer a customer because of a lack of time I would recommend them to a shop that charges the same as you - $45/hr bench rate. They've always been very nice to me, I don't know how well they fix computer obviously (), but I called to see if I could buy some motherboard risers (I don't know what happened to mine...I RMAed an Abit mobo and may have stuck them in the box :Q) and they just gave me a whole bunch for free. I mean, they were the plastic kind, but still, it was nice.

 

[amdskip]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Originally posted by: gopunk
just a word of caution, it is illegal to charge someone a different price for a reason like that

A reason like what?
The guy is running an independent 'shop' and can charge whatever he wants to for any individual call.

Why would it be illegal to charge whatever the heck I wanted? I have no stated prices nor do I agree upon a price before working on a machine, they just ask what do I owe you and I tell them. I think I will charge $40/hour on this one. I usually charge less because many of the people work at Walmart like I and I know they can't be forking over tons of cash to fix computers.