Fair prices to charge college students for computer help?

[CoolTech]

any ideas? all these people need help, i dont wanna rip em off, but i have to make a living too. any input is appreciated, thanks.

 

[CKDragon]

Go easy on them... they're poor college kids, too 😀

CK

 

[Nitemare]

depends on what you do and their financial situation. I find that bartering works good..10-20 an hour depending on the problem and how long you spend to fix it..

If they are a cutie coed...Can you say ...trade/services rendered? 😀

 

[UofI]

I have a little operation going here at the Univ. of Idaho.
Basically I charge $5 for anything. If I cant fix it you dont pay. Anything means anything.
Flyers work damn good🙂

 

[Jzero]

<< any ideas? all these people need help, i dont wanna rip em off, but i have to make a living too. any input is appreciated, thanks. >>


I used to do work in exchange for Ramen, Campbell's soup and beer. I'd "charge" different amounts depending on the service.
I charged double for Natty Ice, Beast and Coors Light.

 

[Rent]

<< depends on what you do and their financial situation. I find that bartering works good..10-20 an hour depending on the problem and how long you spend to fix it..

If they are a cutie coed...Can you say ...trade/services rendered? 😀 >>




^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Cyco]

Beer
-Cyco-

 

[JohnnyReb]

I charge $20 for the first half-hour, with the understanding that "Most" problems can be handled for this amount, even if it takes a lot longer than 30 minutes. In effect, this is a minimum fee and I have the option of going up in price for exceptional reasons.

John

 

[BruNgoLD]

if it looks like its gonna be a one time thing, and you wont see them again, i usuaslyl charge the 20..

if they live close to you and dont have that complicated of problems, i usually do 10

if they are cute, usually free 😀

 

[b0mbrman]

You gotta charge something. Plenty of college kids have problems with their computers that they could solve themselves if they just took the time to read a manual...

And you only have so much time

 

[amdskip]

I guess I need to start charging more

 

[Bulldozer]

1. Charge more than you normally would if the computer is old. Working on old computers sucks.

2. Charge a lot for installing operating systems, the risk of running into problems is too great to quote a low price beforehand.

3. Don't assume the customer is a "poor college student." More than you think receive generous amounts of money or weekly allowances from their parents.

4. Factor in the fact that any future computer problems that occur in the next 3 years will be blamed on you.

5. The hotter the girl, the more you charge. I haven't come up with a good reason for this but it seems like a good idea. The hotties get enough breaks as it is. The more it costs, the more said hottie will appreciate your services.

 

[pillage2001]

What about after-service service?? Do you guys follow up on how things are with their pcs after you deal with them?? 🙂

I wanna start something on my campus too. 🙂

 

[CoolTech]

bump

 

[NogginBoink]

You'll learn this later in your business classes, but you want to charge what the market will bear.

You want to charge more for the folks willing to pay more, and less for the folks willing to pay less. You want to get every last dollar that someone is willing to pay.

Now that we've laid down the basic economic theory, putting it into practice is a little more difficult. As others said, college students aren't known for their wealth.

I'd suggest you choose an hourly wage you think you're worth and charge by the hour.

 

[HappyPuppy]

$65/hour with a two hour minimum. If it takes you 15 minutes you pocket $130. You won't get much business, but then, you won't need much.

 

[CoolTech]

bump

 

[rgwalt]

I would say charge a flat fee of $20 for the first hour, and $5 for every 15 minutes after that. That way you are guaranteed to walk away with $20, and many problems can be fixed in one hour. If the computer is really hosed and you have to get and install part, and/or re-install the OS, you may then want to negociate with them for a fair price.

One last thing... I installed Ethernet cards in the dorms for free. It was a great way to meet the people when everyone moved in at the beginning of the semester, especially hot freshman girls. Of course, then you become the computer geek to them, but thats OK. I met a girl who I dated for 3.5 years when installing an ethernet card.

Ryan