PC Techs, how would you handle this?

[VirtualLarry]

I was just thinking, if I fix my friend's mom's PC, and swap in an SSD for the HDD, and re-install Windows 7, or upgrade to Win10.

If I put in a 128GB Silicon Power A55 SSD, and give her a one-year limited hardware replacement warranty... should the drive go bad, within a year, then I'll replace it.

My question is about the labor charge, should the SSD need replacing, for re-installing Windows on the new SSD.

Should I be able to charge for labor, for re-installing Windows? Or should that be considered anciliary to, and required by, the SSD replacement?

It's not without precedence to charge labor for a re-install, even when a part is replaced under warranty. Mechanics (exhaust repair especially, like Midas) do this all of the time.

They install cheap steel exhaust pipes and cheap mufflers, with a "lifetime warranty", and then when they fail, and they do, they replace them... but charge like $600 labor to do so. That's how those places stay in business, so I think.

So, maybe I'm cutting myself short, offering a warranty on a part, as an upgrade to a PC, and not charging labor for a re-install, should that part fail under warranty.

I mean, I could simply replace the hardware, and tell them that they are on their own for a re-install, or a restore from an image backup. But that would seem kind of rude as well, not to leave them with a working system.

 

[Sonikku]

Probably wouldn't be the end of the world to charge a nominal fee, so long as it's communicated up front as opposed to a "Oh and by the way..." later if it needs replacing. People pay Best Buy $80 to reseat ram so it's not exactly like you're extorting them here.

 

[VirtualLarry]

People pay Best Buy $80 to reseat ram

LOL!

How about:

"SSD comes with FREE 5-year limited hardware replacement warranty. Labor charges for restore or re-installation of OS extra."

 

[mikeymikec]

Win7 / Win10 - how does she feel about it? I'd explain that Win7 is supported until 2020 and Win10 is supposedly supported until something unfortunate happens like the CPU is unsupported or something equally show-stopping for that computer.

The vast majority of the computer work I do for my family (ie. labour) is free. They pay for the equipment though. My parents routinely ask how much I owe them because they know it's my profession (and sometimes even when I say that they don't owe me anything they drop some money into my bank account anyway), and for a bigger bit of work like a clean OS install I'd probably charge my normal fee that I charge customers (£80 UKP), unless of course I broke it in the first place to some extent. One of my brothers on the other hand will try to get everything on a stick for free, never asks what I owe him etc., which makes me want to give no quarter with him. It really pisses me off given that he earns a tidy sum more than I do and yet acts like I've chiselled him when I said that my licence for the MS Action Pack is giving me licensing activation issues these days for my old copy of Office 2007, when it would hardly break the bank for him to pay £90 for MSO H&S 2019 and stop freaking complaining that what he used to get for free he doesn't any more.

An OS install is a requirement of replacing a boot drive, so of course it's a potentially chargeable bit of work. I don't charge to put the drive itself into the computer unless the computer is some complete and total PITA to open like those laptops that require you to dismantle everything down to being able to see the whole board when they should have just put a trapdoor on the underside like a sane manufacturer would.

I don't have a set plan for my ungrateful brother in the event of future computer work, but I do think that a grateful family member is a lot easier to spend my free time with than an ungrateful one, and so therefore deserves my generosity.

Also, I class an OS install as more than just sticking the setup media in and pressing install, to me it's getting all the updates and correct drivers on, make sure most driver-supported functions work as expected, install any printers etc, get it on the Internet on-site, copy data over. For customers I charge more if the on-site visit for the final stage of installation takes more than a couple of hours (which is unusual, usually business customers with lots of weird software that needs a fair bit of configuration take longer than 2 hours).

 

[VirtualLarry]

This is not my mom, but my friend's. So, yeah, no free labor.

I did sell her a PC a few years back (A slimline Gateway Sandy dual-core, used, but with factory-fresh original HDD), and another previously, a custom-built Core2 E5200 with 4GB of DDR3 and a 500GB HDD. I promised her an SSD for free, though.

It seems (only upon conversing with my friend about it), that the primary storage / OS drive is knackered, so I was going to replace it with an SSD, and then re-install the OS, either Win7 64-bit (what was on there originally), or Win10 64-bit, for $100 in total for the whole deal.

If, upon actually taking a look-see at it, that something else is wrong (PSU or mobo), then perhaps I either won't charge her at all, and will advise her to purchase a new PC. (Of which, I have several on offer for her to check out.)

Edit: About the "Free" or not SSD. I was originally planning (when I offered her the free one, to install a 120GB SSD, which was most of my stock at the time). Now that prices have come down, and 240/256GB-class SATA 2.5" SSDs are around $30-40, I am generally using that as my default SSD install for most of my builds, except for extreme budget builds, which still get the 120/128GB-class SSD.

So now, I'm thinking, she can get the 120GB SSD for free (parts for free, not labor), OR, I can offer her a larger SSD if she likes, but she'll have to pay for it. The Free SSD wouldn't come with a warranty, but the paid-for SSD would. Does that sound fair?

Edit: Maybe offer a 30-day warranty on labor, too? So that if the SSD get knackered off the bat, somehow, that she's not stuck paying for labor twice in one month? I mean, if the SSD dies by itself, like some of these cheaper ones do, rather than getting a virus, etc.

I use Silicon Power and Team SSDs, for budget builds and freebies, and I use Samsung and Crucial, for more expensive builds ($500 and up, or gaming PCs.) Or an M.2 NVMe (I've used Samsung, Adata, and soon, HP. If the HP performs well, is durable, and is compatible, that may become my go-to M.2 NVMe drive based on price, primarily.)

 

[mikeymikec]

I don't know why you'd promise free SSDs ever, but I suppose one could minimise damage (of a regretted promise from the perspective of hindsight) to one's wallet by offering a free SSD with no warranty or a half-decent one for the normal price.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

On site hardware install and OS reinstall would cost hundreds of dollars from any reputable tech. Even if they bring it to you, the average rate is $50 for hardware install, $100+ for OS install, and additional charges for any software install not bundled with windows. Data recovery, when possible, is at least another $50, and that is for standard, forensic is much more.

You have a skill set they do not possess, if they had it they would not need you. Do not cheat yourself, you took the time and effort to acquire said skills, you should be properly compensated for your work. If you are doing it without COMPTIA certs, a biz and occupational license, LLC, S Corp, bonded and insured, or whatever your area requires, then you may have to undercut the competition. But even pro bono does not exempt you from possible ramifications from unhappy clients, so may as well get paid for the work you do.

 

[DrDoug]

I store an image of all of my customers systems that I update every time they bring their systems in or when I send a new system out. In your example, I would charge $50 to restore the system to its last state and bring it up to date. Most of my customers have me lock out and handle their updates so they also keep a fairly up to date image on hand.

ETA: It's $50 if they bring it in, $80 if I have to do it on site (home, not business account).

 

[spacejamz]

I think you have until the end of the year to upgrade to window 10 using your windows 7 key. Even though the free upgrade program officially ended in 2016, they never turned off the key checker part so the old OS keys still work. You can google windows 10 free upgrade to see some articles about it being good until the end of 2018.

I just did it last week for a new PC I built using an unopened copy of windows 8.1 pro. Just download the windows media creation tool (it needs to match your windows 7 version, i.e., home/pro, 32/64 bit, etc) and start the windows installation. When the prompt to enter your windows 10 key comes up, just enter your windows 7 key and it should take it.

 

[mikeymikec]

I store an image of all of my customers systems that I update every time they bring their systems in or when I send a new system out.

Do you charge some regular fee for storing the image or charge as part of some monthly package? That must be a fair old chunk of data you're holding on to there.

 

[Fritzo]

I was just thinking, if I fix my friend's mom's PC, and swap in an SSD for the HDD, and re-install Windows 7, or upgrade to Win10.

If I put in a 128GB Silicon Power A55 SSD, and give her a one-year limited hardware replacement warranty... should the drive go bad, within a year, then I'll replace it.

My question is about the labor charge, should the SSD need replacing, for re-installing Windows on the new SSD.

Should I be able to charge for labor, for re-installing Windows? Or should that be considered anciliary to, and required by, the SSD replacement?

It's not without precedence to charge labor for a re-install, even when a part is replaced under warranty. Mechanics (exhaust repair especially, like Midas) do this all of the time.

They install cheap steel exhaust pipes and cheap mufflers, with a "lifetime warranty", and then when they fail, and they do, they replace them... but charge like $600 labor to do so. That's how those places stay in business, so I think.

So, maybe I'm cutting myself short, offering a warranty on a part, as an upgrade to a PC, and not charging labor for a re-install, should that part fail under warranty.

I mean, I could simply replace the hardware, and tell them that they are on their own for a re-install, or a restore from an image backup. But that would seem kind of rude as well, not to leave them with a working system.

Interesting footnote:

If you have the installation key for Windows 7 (sometimes it's on the side of the PC, or you may have a certificate for it), you can download the Windows 10 ISO and activate it with the Windows 7 key. This has to be done as a clean installation.

Microsoft never turned off it's Windows 7 activation servers and said it is fine if people activate Windows 7 and 8 keys with Windows 10 in this manner as they just want everyone to get on the same OS.

As for warranties, I'm a network engineer for a large consulting company, and we do not warranty work- it's done on a case by case basis. If a part goes bad, we honor the part warranty and charge for labor. If it goes bad in a few weeks or something was screwed up, we'll offer a bill credit towards the work. I'd say a 45-90 day warranty is plenty if you want to go that route.

 

[ctbaars]

I suggest that you sell "as is". You can always be nice later if required.

 

[13Gigatons]

90 days warranty on labor. All parts are covered by store or manufacturer warranty. After 90 days cough up money for labor or find someone else to fix it. People will break their machines in a 1000 different ways.

 

[JM Aggie08]

How good a friend is this? Is this your main source of income?

 

[dainthomas]

I stopped fixing computers for friends and family years ago. As soon as you touch it, they'll never stop calling you when their printer stops working or they can't get into their AOL or whatever. Now I just tell them to go buy a chromebook since nearly all of them just use it to surf or watch Netflix.

On a related note, I just put an SSD in my machine last week. Wow, I don't know what took me so long!

 

[BurnItDwn]

Hardware warranty covers hardware cost.

If you want to offer "free service" attached to the parts warranty, then you can charge for it up front during the original build and increase your mark up, or, charge for some sort of annual service plan.

If you doing favors for a friend and his mom, and you dont mind doing favors for them, then, tell them you are doing them a favor and that the competition will charge $XXX but this time, it is on the house. You can always underline that with a line like "I cant afford to do this all the time since I have bills that I need to pay, so, next time will be the regular rate $XXX. Feel free to call geek squad or other competition for a quote if you want to shop around"

 

[rh71]

People who just want their PC working wouldn't care about all the details (unless they're penny-pinching). Since you know a new SSD requires a new OS install, just give them a price for the whole job and mention it's mostly for the OS install to get the PC working again. No need to justify anything piecemeal unless they ask (or if you want on the invoice), because in the end, you're still being honest.

For anyone I know personally, I would charge the minimum I felt comfortable with. I don't know the going rates at all, but for a job like that as a favor for a friend, I'd do it for $50.

 

[VirtualLarry]

People will break their machines in a 1000 different ways.

True, that's kind of what I'm afraid of, if I offer a warranty on the OS install.

How good a friend is this? Is this your main source of income?

Sometimes he's a jerk to me, and no, not my primary source of income.

or, charge for some sort of annual service plan.

I think that's what I'll do.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Feel free to call geek squad or other competition for a quote if you want to shop around"

I've been tempted to just tell them to go to Geek Squad. Then they can find out how good they've had it, with me fixing their PCs.

People who just want their PC working wouldn't care about all the details (unless they're penny-pinching). Since you know a new SSD requires a new OS install, just give them a price for the whole job and mention it's mostly for the OS install to get the PC working again. No need to justify anything piecemeal unless they ask (or if you want on the invoice), because in the end, you're still being honest.

For anyone I know personally, I would charge the minimum I felt comfortable with. I don't know the going rates at all, but for a job like that as a favor for a friend, I'd do it for $50.

Yeah, my cut-rate for OS install is $50, but I found out Geek Squad charges $100 or so, so I've upped my prices a bit. I originally quoted her $100 labor and $50 for an SSD, if I did the work on-site, but I'm having her come to me, so I quoted her $100 for the whole job. (120GB SSD is around $25 these days, 240/256GB-class SSD for $40-50.)

Was going to include the 120GB SSD as part of that deal, but if she wants a 240/256GB SSD, it will be more.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Friend's Mom? Payment should be a nice home-cooked dinner or maybe some banana bread.

(btw: Photo of Mom? You know the rules.)

 

[spacejamz]

Interesting footnote:

If you have the installation key for Windows 7 (sometimes it's on the side of the PC, or you may have a certificate for it), you can download the Windows 10 ISO and activate it with the Windows 7 key. This has to be done as a clean installation.

Microsoft never turned off it's Windows 7 activation servers and said it is fine if people activate Windows 7 and 8 keys with Windows 10 in this manner as they just want everyone to get on the same OS.

From what I read (and I posted this up above), they are going to turn this off on Dec 31. I had no issues at all doing this with a Windows 8.1 pro key last week

 

[VirtualLarry]

From what I read (and I posted this up above), they are going to turn this off on Dec 31.

Interesting.

Anyways, I just found out from said friend, he said he talked to his mom, and let her know that I couldn't do on-site service due to transportation issues, (she drives too), and when faced with the prospect of having to bring the PC to me, for a $50 discount on the whole deal (or free SSD, however you want to look at it), she basically said "Forget it".

So, sigh, guess I'm not going to be able to provide service to her. I was hoping for some fairly easy money just before Christmas.

My friend was kind of leading me on, too, earlier, he was like, "Yeah, man, my mom wants you to fix her PC".

Guess she'll enjoy Geek Squad's home visits, if she needs help in the future.

 

[WilliamM2]

From what I read (and I posted this up above), they are going to turn this off on Dec 31. I had no issues at all doing this with a Windows 8.1 pro key last week

Do you have any source for this at all? I have been hearing that they are going to shut the free upgrades down ever since the official ending date in 2016. Yet it continues to work.

 

[DigDog]

It takes like 15 minutes to install a good W7..

 

[whm1974]

It takes like 15 minutes to install a good W7..

Yes, but what about updates?