Question for you PC repair business owners

[mikeymikec]

Here is the issue, computers now are supper cheap. Most people will just buy a new computer every 3 years or so. The people that bring their computers in to get them fixed are too cheap to buy a new computer so they try to get them repaired. See the issue... Your cheap customers typically don't want to pay what your time is worth to fix their computers.

Plus most of you time will be removing a virus or spyware. Not fun...

This isn't my experience, but perhaps the people who buy a new computer every 3 years don't come to me <shrugs>. One weird thing that's happened a few times is that customers have come to me after competitors have said that a computer which is more than five years old isn't worth working on. I've worked on ten year old computers. It really depends on the circumstances. For the average uses, I expect my own PC builds to reach the age of 8 without limping its way there (in a reliability and performance sense), and I aim for the customer to want to replace it because their needs have moved on rather than the computer has been unreliable.

Horses for courses. Someone who really uses their computer for everything it's worth will probably trade up for something new sooner significantly sooner than 8 years. I have a few customers like that on the books.

I certainly don't spend all/most of my time doing malware removal. Crapware probably takes up most of my time (6 browser toolbars, OEM-supplied useless software, etc), but usually that's a side dish to whatever 'real problem' the customer has.

+1 QueBert's latest post.

 

[Wyndru]

I get asked every day at work if I do personal PC repair/diagnosis, so I'm not sure why everyone thinks it's a dead field. The issue with asking this question on a tech forum is everyone here thinks they are an expert, so everyone else should be too. Not everyone has people in their family that can fix computers (or if they do, not everyone is willing to fix computers for their family/friends)

That being said, I've never considered getting into it as a business because I would hate the bullshit involved. Like someone mentioned above, majority of your calls will be virus removal and the few times I have fixed someone's computer outside of my family it always turned into something more than what I expected. Be prepared for people to expect you to come out for free and "just check something real quick". Be prepared to be asked if you can install office for free on their computers. Be prepared to have repeat customers that insist the issue you fixed the 6 months ago came back, so they shouldn't have to pay you again.

That is the kind of shit I can't handle. You have to be strict with your pricing and policies, and NEVER, EVER give anyone a break. Otherwise they will tell everyone else about the great tech they have that saved them a ton of money, which turns into everyone they know calling you hoping for the same treatment.

 

[mikeymikec]

Pro tip - avoid mixing business and personal. There are few things worse than an unappreciative relation who didn't get exactly what they wanted because, let's say, the disk had eventually died after the 20+ times they attempted to boot it and failed.

 

[techs]

This's isn't always true, I run a PC repair business. I can't count how many people I've come across who paid the Geek Squad $350 to remove viruses and malware off an old ass computers. A lot of times buying a new computer would make sense, but people don't know how to get their data transferred off the old one, and places like Geek Squad charge a stupid amount for this. Sure a lot of people do just buy new computers, but there are tons who don't. Removing viruses is boring, but easy work that pays well. On a good day I get 5 calls, I charge a flat $100 + mileage to go to a home or office and do the cleaning.

If you're good at fixing computers there's plenty of money out there to be made. For every person who has a son or nephew who can fix their computer. There's 1 who doesn't, and 1 who has a family member who "fixes" it only to make shit worse.

qft

As the smaller computer shops have closed (usually because of poor business know how or bad practices) the large chains have become the only option in many areas. And quite frankly they charge outrageous prices. This has made it a good time to be a computer shop. There are no longer other smaller computer shops competing with you.

I have found that taking a deposit on older computers is a good thing. A late model computer will be worth the repair bill in salvagable parts. Heck, people who might balk at paying a repair fee will sometimes jump at the chance to wipe out the diagnostic fee if I can keep the computer for parts. I make more on the parts than on the diagnostic fee.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I think the biggest advantage I have is there is only 1 competitor, and they are in the next town over. The downside, is my town consists of about 5000 people, mostly uneducated. Geek Squad is about 30 miles away, so that's also a plus. I'm definitely going to be clear about business vs friend relationships.

As far as tech support, I'm still up in the air if I should provide it. Maybe up to a certain time period, say 90 days of support then after that you're on your own or call me back. Still stuff I'm looking for guidance on and researching.

 

[lxskllr]

As far as tech support, I'm still up in the air if I should provide it. Maybe up to a certain time period, say 90 days of support then after that you're on your own or call me back. Still stuff I'm looking for guidance on and researching.

90 days? You're brave :^D

That would seem reasonable for any of us, but never underestimate a nitwits ability to fuck up a machine in record time. 24 hours is reasonable for function, and longer for failed parts. Otherwise, I'd charge something for every request, even if it's a small amount($20).

 

[thestrangebrew1]

90 days? You're brave :^D

That would seem reasonable for any of us, but never underestimate a nitwits ability to fuck up a machine in record time. 24 hours is reasonable for function, and longer for failed parts. Otherwise, I'd charge something for every request, even if it's a small amount($20).

lol I thought that was too much, just threw a number out there.

 

[Legios]

The data on even home users PC's is what is priceless to most of them. Invest in a good recovery option and be the hero to all that wont balk at paying prices when you have saved their thousands of pictures. Then after you recover you can then offer a good backup option. Become invaluable to them in that regard. We went from hardware repair to Data Backup centric in a year based on what we found the market to bear.

 

[lxskllr]

A small town would indicate a lot of oldsters. If you're patient, you might be able to sell a yearly service contract, where you login remotely to fix problems, and maintain machines. I'm not necessarily endorsing that idea. I can think of a few ways that could get out of control, but it's something to consider.

If I were to do it, I'd sell GNU/Linux machines with the service contract. That would cover training and maintenance. A machine breaks, and they bring it in and exchange it for another. You sell it as a worry free, and secure alternative to running their own machine.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

A small town would indicate a lot of oldsters. If you're patient, you might be able to sell a yearly service contract, where you login remotely to fix problems, and maintain machines. I'm not necessarily endorsing that idea. I can think of a few ways that could get out of control, but it's something to consider.

If I were to do it, I'd sell GNU/Linux machines with the service contract. That would cover training and maintenance. A machine breaks, and they bring it in and exchange it for another. You sell it as a worry free, and secure alternative to running their own machine.

I was just thinking of remote servicing, and a yearly service contract sounds like a pretty good idea also for alot of the people in my area. I can see where you're going with it getting out of control, but the people who do know me in town will vouch for me. A great rep in a small town is worth gold. I wouldn't jeopardize my name here over this. At any rate it is definitely something to consider.

 

[techs]

Let me say this about "service contracts".
DON'T. At least not the type that they pay a set amount for what really amounts to computer help. People will call constantly. Once they have paid for it they will call you to ask the most basic questions. And if their antivirus can't update they will call immediately and not wait 5 minutes to try again.

I got swamped with calls when I tried it.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Call your local electrician or Plumber ask what the per hour rate/minimum is and charge that.

 

[lxskllr]

Let me say this about "service contracts".
DON'T. At least not the type that they pay a set amount for what really amounts to computer help. People will call constantly. Once they have paid for it they will call you to ask the most basic questions. And if their antivirus can't update they will call immediately and not wait 5 minutes to try again.

I got swamped with calls when I tried it.

How about a nominal service fee for out of(extra) contract support? That might cut down on frivolous calls

 

[slightlyhuman]

I agree with you that I'm pretty late in the game, however, in my area there's 3 shops listed when I google PC repair, and I know at least 2 of them have closed down since. And that's in a town that's 15 miles away from me. It's going to basically be a hobby/business, something I don't plan on making significant income from (I have a normal 9-5) and I've already got a few people who want me to look at their machines. I figure I might as well make some $ on the side.

i still make a few hundred extra per month doing formats($100 flat rate). wish it was more but ever since best buy moved into town, all the idiots take their stuff their

 

[thestrangebrew1]

i still make a few hundred extra per month doing formats($100 flat rate). wish it was more but ever since best buy moved into town, all the idiots take their stuff their

I'd be happy with a few hundred a month. About service contract, I'll have to look into it a bit more. I wont' be officially starting this for another week or two at the soonest. Just trying to get everything down and seeking advice/experience on the process etc.

 

[slightlyhuman]

keep it simple, or it's not worth it for something part-time. i don't touch someones computer unless they pay me a flat rate of $75 to clean it(to the best of my ability, ie combofix/mbam/etc) or $100 to backup their shit, reinstall windows. i offer a 3 month "warranty" on the software side of things. if they get a bug/virus and need another format/cleaning in 3 months, i fix it for me. to this day no one has called me out on the warranty

 

[MustISO]

I've been doing it part time for about 3 years now and I can say that there is tons and tons of business out there. With no advertising, just word of mouth, I have plenty of business. I keep my service area really small, offer remote support and don't charge very much but I get a ton of repeat business and plenty of referrals. When they do buy a new PC they hire me to transfer the data and set everything up.

As far as pricing, I do flat rate and hourly. If it's something that is going to take a while like virus removal and scans I just do flat rate. If I'm at their home or business I charge a little extra for being onsite and I charge less for completely remote service.

The customer signs a disclaimer before I touch anything for liability reasons and they sign when the job is complete that indicates everything is working to their satisfaction and that I've returned all parts to them.

 

[chin311]

Here's my take:

I've been doing PC repair/service on my own since I was 20, opened up a small office when I still lived at home with the parents and within a year I closed it, and went strictly mobile. I'm on my 8th year doing it as my only source of income. I do the usual virus removal, new system setup, transfer files, setup wifi network, help people get their new iPad going, troubleshoot various issues etc etc, you think of it I'll probably do it. I only work within about a 25 mile radius. Some days I will only drive 30 miles and knock out 6-7 calls @ $50 a pop. Some I'm there 15 minutes, some an hour. Typically if it goes over an hour I'll knock it down to $35 for every additional hour after the first $50 (1st hour). If I have to really do some deep cleaning/formatting/backing up/hardware replacement etc I will take the machine with me and usually charge a flat rate ($75-$175) Am I "cheap"? To some absolutely, to some no. But I can tell you I have been consistently busy for the last 5 years with an "average" monthly income.

There are months where I don't have time to think I'm either on a call or calling someone back to schedule etc.

Word of mouth is your best advertising. Do someone right and there's no telling how many people they might know who don't have a grandchild, son, relative, friend that knows what they are doing. Most of the time people do know SOMEONE who knows computers kinda well but are they close by? are they willingly to sacrifice their free time to help them? Likely not.

Also, half the time these people who they know who "know what they are doing" are basically power users who can sometimes get it working, or sometimes screw it up worse then when they arrived. That and people can't go a day without "NEEDING" their computer, whether it be they are too lazy to pay a bill the old fashioned way or whether they need Java working properly so they can jump onto their POGO games.

It's not a dead business I can tell you that. Sure there will always be the suckers who go to the big box stores, but eventually I will come across them because they charge way too much and people can't even plug in a mouse half the time let alone disconnect and lug their PC to drop off at some store, it just isn't convenient. Get your name out there and you will be surprised how busy you can be.

I've seen dozens of small shops pop up and fade away in my time in the biz. I don't think much of them anymore, I've got quite a client base built and grows every week.

I say give it your best shot and if you know what you are doing and treat people right you should have some success.

The worst part is by far the customer interaction at times, you really have to put things in basic terms and PATIENCE can run scarce after a long day lol, It can be hard to try and relate to someone who has a hard time operating an iPad.

edit: like MustISO stated, I have work invoices with my business information on it, what service I provided, and have them sign it when the work is complete.

 

[Red Squirrel]

When I used to do it I would usually do it for free, but it was rare that it even got to that point, it was pretty much "just go ahead and fix it and I'll pay you after" I'd charge around $60 flat rate given more of the time was spent waiting than actually doing something.

Though if they insisted I go to their house then I'd charge hourly. Usually like 10 bucks an hour, which would translate to a couple hundred bucks. This was back in the P3/P4 era and most of the computers I worked on were P3 and older, so something as simple as a virus scan could take 5 hours.

 

[techs]

Here's a tip you might not have heard. The old fashioned Yellow Pages is a good place to advertise. You will get older people who have used it for years. They tend to have more money and less computer savvy. Good customers.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Wow there's some great advice. I'm think I'm going to do the flat rate to keep things simple. If I need to go on site, I'll charge hourly for my time spent. I've decided to focus on repair/virus removal, setup/backup, and put some emphasis on htpc/streaming. I might offer remote services as well. I'll see how busy I get first then take it from there.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Just curious, but do you guys think I should stock up on anything? I have a few PSU's, but I'm thinking since I'm only doing this on the side, and parts will usually arrive within 3 days, I'd be ok with not stocking much. I was thinking maybe picking up some different kinds of RAM, but other than that, probably not worth it to keep stock. In my research I've seen some people recommend keeping stock of certain parts, and some recommend not to. I think those who keep stock are more B&M though.

 

[lxskllr]

Just curious, but do you guys think I should stock up on anything? I have a few PSU's, but I'm thinking since I'm only doing this on the side, and parts will usually arrive within 3 days, I'd be ok with not stocking much. I was thinking maybe picking up some different kinds of RAM, but other than that, probably not worth it to keep stock. In my research I've seen some people recommend keeping stock of certain parts, and some recommend not to. I think those who keep stock are more B&M though.

I wouldn't. Technology changes too fast, and users have different needs. I'd get stuff on an as-needed basis, and just keep parts from abandoned machines, or whatever. A one week turnaround isn't bad for a failed component repair imo.

 

[Mixolydian]

does anyone actually think this way?

This is what the major tech companies tell us to think.

 

[techs]

Just curious, but do you guys think I should stock up on anything? I have a few PSU's, but I'm thinking since I'm only doing this on the side, and parts will usually arrive within 3 days, I'd be ok with not stocking much. I was thinking maybe picking up some different kinds of RAM, but other than that, probably not worth it to keep stock. In my research I've seen some people recommend keeping stock of certain parts, and some recommend not to. I think those who keep stock are more B&M though.

I stock some memory, which is also necessary to have to test out machines. I keep one basic PCIe video card and an AGP video card. I also make sure I have a pata and sata hard drive, used is ok, for testing. Power supply definitely. I also have a usb wireless card and router in stock. The router lets me set up a persons wireless and then they just take the router home and plug it in and they are online.
Where I live anything from Newegg that comes out of Edison New Jersey gets here the next day, with FedEx 3 day shipping, so in effect Newegg is stocking my parts.