Computer Repairs = Money

[WarmAndSCSI]

Man, I never realized the market around here. I'm making $150 doing simple repairs because people here have nowhere to take their computers because the local repair shops are run by morons. I'm just replacing one vid card and one motherboard....

 

[rudeguy]

the problem with that is follow up. You are now the person that those people are going to call at 11pm when they cant check their aol email...I stay away from fixing things for anyone that isnt really close to me

 

[RichieZ]

you are now tech support 4LIFE

 

[WarmAndSCSI]

Actually, they are all friends/relatives of a friend of mine who couldn't do the repairs but helps them with most computer stuff anyways, so they'll still turn to him for the easy stuff hopefully

 

[Oakenfold]

Originally posted by: RichieZ
you are now tech support 4LIFE

Yup, I do it for my family and it's PITA.

It doesn't matter if something is actually wrong or they are just calling you to get assistance with how to access a floppy disk.

 

[Wallydraigle]

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper
Actually, they are all friends/relatives of a friend of mine who couldn't do the repairs but helps them with most computer stuff anyways, so they'll still turn to him for the easy stuff hopefully

Yeah, if I didn't want to deal with annoying relatives I'd probably get a friend to do it too. It doesn't matter, they're coming to you from now on.

 

[rudeguy]

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper
Actually, they are all friends/relatives of a friend of mine who couldn't do the repairs but helps them with most computer stuff anyways, so they'll still turn to him for the easy stuff hopefully

see above:

You are now tech support 4LIFE!!!!

 

[Spac3d]

I'm glad you aren't my "friend." $150 to replace a motherboard and video card is hardly a deal, you took their money.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper
Actually, they are all friends/relatives of a friend of mine who couldn't do the repairs but helps them with most computer stuff anyways, so they'll still turn to him for the easy stuff hopefully

You charge your family and friends to do such simple stuff?

 

[WarmAndSCSI]

Originally posted by: Spac3d
I'm glad you aren't my "friend." $150 to replace a motherboard and video card is hardly a deal, you took their money.

Actually it's two separate jobs. And they OFFERED me the money. I didn't even ASK. The computer shops in town would charge 2x more and want to replace 3x as many parts.

 

[WarmAndSCSI]

Originally posted by: Moralpanic

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper
Actually, they are all friends/relatives of a friend of mine who couldn't do the repairs but helps them with most computer stuff anyways, so they'll still turn to him for the easy stuff hopefully

You charge your family and friends to do such simple stuff?

^ See post above ^

They aren't my family/friends.... they are my friend's family and their landlord.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper

Originally posted by: Spac3d
I'm glad you aren't my "friend." $150 to replace a motherboard and video card is hardly a deal, you took their money.

Actually it's two separate jobs. And they OFFERED me the money. I didn't even ASK. The computer shops in town would charge 2x more and want to replace 3x as many parts.

Where do you live that they would charge $300 to replace a motherboard and videocard?!

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper

Originally posted by: Moralpanic

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper
Actually, they are all friends/relatives of a friend of mine who couldn't do the repairs but helps them with most computer stuff anyways, so they'll still turn to him for the easy stuff hopefully

You charge your family and friends to do such simple stuff?

^ See post above ^

My hair stylist is a family friend, and i fixed her computer... she wanted to pay me, but i turned her down. All it took was a reinstall of the OS, took all of 20 mins. And got a free haircut.

 

[WarmAndSCSI]

Originally posted by: Moralpanic

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper

Originally posted by: Spac3d
I'm glad you aren't my "friend." $150 to replace a motherboard and video card is hardly a deal, you took their money.

Actually it's two separate jobs. And they OFFERED me the money. I didn't even ASK. The computer shops in town would charge 2x more and want to replace 3x as many parts.

Where do you live that they would charge $300 to replace a motherboard and videocard?!

The computer repair shop in our town... then they'd just replace it with a PoS.... and they'd be replacing even MORE parts, so even more money wasted. Trust me, I'm doing them a favor.

edit: whoops, misread! We live in a small place called Yellville, AR... here's a link to the computer repair place's "site" The Computer ZONE

 

[aircooled]

I have stopped doing repairs on peoples home machine for that exact reason.
I have no desire to fix computer problems for dumb people at midnight for free.

 

[LeStEr]

Originally posted by: rudeguy

Originally posted by: TheUnhappyCamper
Actually, they are all friends/relatives of a friend of mine who couldn't do the repairs but helps them with most computer stuff anyways, so they'll still turn to him for the easy stuff hopefully

see above:

You are now tech support 4LIFE!!!!

 

[0roo0roo]

optimally you should only help when a friend asks you to help build/pick parts. that way you can put together something that won't likely fail. if your just fixing a pos, the pos is probably going to die in some other way soon after and you'll be stuck with some responsibility ... sucky sucky sucky.

 

[purplehippo]

it's thankless work -- charge all you can