Starting My own PC repair shop

[ultimatebob]

I recommend two things that I don't think that anyone else has:

You need The Ultimate Computer Repair Toolbox. Make sure to have all of that stuff in that box onhand before opening up shop.

I'd also recommend getting A+ certification. It will look good in whatever advertising you do, and you can use it as an excuse to raise your rates by a few bucks.

 

[waggy]

Don?t do it! i had a store for a few years. The profit is not as good as you would think. the only way i made good money was outsourcing.

i was doing it for fun. Not to mention i stayed upgraded =) i always had a nice computer.

In all the years i was sued once. i sold a Pent 233 to a lady (wanted the fastest thing she can get). Well her son told her that it was NOT the fastest (it was at the time) since they had 286, 386 and 486's! She took me to small claims court. it took having a few magazines such as pc shopper. Before court she had written into the local paper and wrote a opinion piece complaining about my shop taking advantage of her. the bi** didnt even say sorry. Though enough people in town wrote into the paper backing me up. it actually helped business!

 

[gogeeta13]

Originally posted by: PipBoy

Originally posted by: gogeeta13

My customers sign my 3 page legal consent/release form. It releases me of all responsiblity if other things go wrong while I am in someones computer..if they lose data due to an unforseen circumstance, etc etc....

You can overdo that too. If someone gave me a 3 page doc to sign before working on my computer I would laugh in their face.

Hasn't been a problem for me, though, if I do mess something up, I will almost always cover for it for good PR.

 

[SOSTrooper]

Originally posted by: waggy
Don?t do it! i had a store for a few years. The profit is not as good as you would think. the only way i made good money was outsourcing.

i was doing it for fun. Not to mention i stayed upgraded =) i always had a nice computer.

In all the years i was sued once. i sold a Pent 233 to a lady (wanted the fastest thing she can get). Well her son told her that it was NOT the fastest (it was at the time) since they had 286, 386 and 486's! She took me to small claims court. it took having a few magazines such as pc shopper. Before court she had written into the local paper and wrote a opinion piece complaining about my shop taking advantage of her. the bi** didnt even say sorry. Though enough people in town wrote into the paper backing me up. it actually helped business!

So the lady sued you cuz she thought that her 486 is faster than your P233? LOL that could be the most hilarious computer related thing since my discovery of 2 horrible music CDs in the CDROM of which the customer claimed to be 'vibrating and very noisy.'

 

[Conflict]

I wouldn't do it if you did not know exactly you need, should have and if you don't have the cash to back it up. I work as a tech heres just some items we have..

Almost every kind of CPU, multiple types of each type of RAM, CD-ROMS/DVD-ROMS/Floppies/HDDs ranging from 3gb to 100GB (remember, old systems can't see big hdds) a bunch of PCI/AGP cards, Hardware/Software modems, lots of PSUs (use good ones, no cheap "300w" PSUs now), a CD wallet with 95/98/ME/2K/XP/NT/Office/Diskeeper/NAV/Ghost, MANY MANY 98Se startup bootdisks, every manufactuers hdd drive test util...the list goes on and on..

One tip that will save you time, ghost the orignal HHD then work on the new image of it so if anything happens you got the original. sometimes you will format and the problem still is there and it's some tiny setting, but you just formatted and lost all their data/programs..

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: SOSTrooper
How good are you with fixing computers? Do you help ppl on the support forum often? You need to print yourself some carbon copies of your invoices, put your liability on it, and have every customer sign it at the end. That way you can cover yourself quite thoroughly. Your hardware list is pretty set, you'll need some CPU fans too cuz they fail quite easily. Most important of all, you'll need copies of Windows. Not every customer put their own copies in a safe place, they'll loose it. And if they lost it, you have your own backup to reinstall Windows to fix problems or whatever. Don't discard this, it is important, I find myself needing it at work every single day to fix certain types of problems.

If you reinstall Windows using your cd-key, won't yopu have to buy another copy, since technically, that computer now has it?

 

[SOSTrooper]

How Windows work is, if you reinstall, it will not ask you for a CD Key, since its already in the registry. Hopefully, the correct versions of the Windows is used to reinstall (OEM Key will not work with Upgrade versions). Its a bit complicated how it works. Lets say a computer has Windows XP Upgrade in it, and the owner lost the CD. So you go over there but you accidentally used your copy of OEM XP to reinstall. In this case, it'll ask you for a new key since a different version of XP is used. However, if you correctly used the XP Upgrade CD, it will not ask you for the key, it'll automatically recognizes it and grabs it from the registry. This applies to all Windows.

*Edit* By Microsoft's reseller license agreement, the computer manufacturer has to stick the license key onto the case. If theres a sticker, it's and OEM version. If you dont see a sticker, or a sticker of an older OS, then you know the user might be using an upgrade, or an illegal copy of OS.

 

[Evadman]

You can just pull the number out of the registry if needed.

 

[SOSTrooper]

Its a lot more difficult with XP now. But in WinME and older, editing the numbers around is easy.

 

[alkemyst]

In regards to us whining...it's not really whining, but a warning.

Also the poorest customers always seem to have to most priceless information on their computers and will try anything to sue or get out of the repair.

My girlfriend and I were heading to Gateway, I was trying to pick up a power switch. There was a lady that pulled up to the door itself (not the parking spaces, but right in front of the door blocking it and pulled in right in front of us walking), has crappy bass playing in a beat up minivan, talking girlfriend this, girlfriend that on a cellphone, with 5" long nails. Her net worth $1.98 (her change purse was open and I counted )

She gets to the service window first and commands "Yo, let's get my harddrive out here". The guy asks what name, and it turns into a "What do you mean you don't remember me", etc....sigh. Five minutes later, she is given a new PC and all hell breaks loose. She asks about her old data and is told/shown "Well here you signed that you had a working backup of all data and that it is to be purged off the old machine"...."She freaks and starts explaining how she happens to own information worth millions of dollars in that harddrive and she 'knows' there is a way to get the data back, FBI and Police do it all the time" and "look mr harddrive man, you doesn't know just how important I am and am an influenticalable person" She is throwing crap and spinning in circles, she is quote "off the chain" and that signature was forged by "people out to get her".

After much talk of lawyers, how Gateway purges data in such a way that it is unrecoverable, they have to when the customer requests it (and she signed), we left, but not before a sales drone tried to make a hard sale on us explaining rather than repairing, a new computer is a more sensible upgrade...I made a secret vow to myself "Avoid Gateway Country "

 

[LostHiWay]

You need to keep in mind that not everyone has top of the line hardware running the latest software, which most of the people on the board talk about (and need help with). What happens when you get a call about fixing someones computer that won't boot and you go over and realize they have a 486dx with an AT PSU, 25 or so jumpers on the the motherboard (with no manual of course!), and running windows 3.11?

 

[alkemyst]

Don't forget the 20' Dust Bunnies of Deth that live inside most of those older computers ***shiver***, my chiapet tried mating with one once....it wasn't pretty.

 

[Spac3d]

I would say go for it, but always be sober when fixing computers.

I went over to a friends house to install a new hd and he wouldnt let me do it sober.... so after we were blazed, we tried to isntall it, but I think we ended up formatting ALL of his harddrives and never installing the new drive.

It ended up taking me 8 (sober) days to fix whatever mess we did in that hour or so we touched his computer.

Spac3d

 

[scorp00]

I worked for a while at a small PC repair place. It was just one guy there, and he hired me to do the simple stuff that he didn't have time for anymore. You will almost never need the ddr or the rambus, and you will not likely need the pc100/pc133 much at all either. Most people that have these machines have a warranty. People who upgrade at best buy, will go ahead and let them install it most of the time.

The business you'll get more of will be < 200 mhz machines. Because old computers fail a lot more than new one's do. It's also much easier to pick up/have them drop off a computer. That way you can work by yourself rather than them asking all kinds of questions and breathing down your neck. You should invest in a bunch of older motherboards/old hard drives/old ram/old processors. It'd be cheaper than all of the ram and hard drives your thinking about buying. Most people don't have an 80 gig hard drive, or need 80 gigs of space. Also i'd consider a parallel cd burner to back up older computers.

This summer I upgraded a bad motherboard to a 386 i had lying around, and the customer was amazed at how fast computers were nowdays.

I think you should go for it, just be prepared for more old stuff than new stuff.

Good luck.

 

[SOSTrooper]

Actually, he needs more of Pentium and newer related hardware. I work at a computer store and I cant remember the last time a customer brought in a 486. We do, however, get quite a bit branded computers that arent overly old. Many are Compaq/E-Machine/HP/Gateway/Dell computers with surprisingly newer parts, Pentium II and Celeron and such. Usually those are out of their respective warranty and customer would just bring to whatever computer store is most convenient to them. I found out that more often a service PC will be equiped with EDO/PC100/PC133 memories with anything between a Pentium to Pentium III CPU. However, once in a while a 486 will creep up into a customer's home. Also, people will want to do some upgrading while their computers are being fixed. So you wont just find yourself fixing the problem, but maybe requested to do a memory upgrade or HD upgrade as well. So, in short, he does need newer parts and bigger HDs more than older parts.

 

[teddymines]

Whay not start out servicing PC's at a local establishment like a library, Boys and Girls Club, homeless shelter, etc. That way you can get experience working for a client, fixing a diverse platform mix, and not worrying about too much more than apps and drivers. It's also a good way to establish connections.

 

[MikeMike]

I have put together a list of products, that i would be "stocking" for my repairs. along with these, i would have pliers, screwdrivers, and the other basic equipment necessary

feel free to ask me any questions on my choice of product


i would order 3 of most everything there, except for the softare, the hdd enclosure, the antistatic wristband, and the lcd monitr, which is for my use as a lightweight cheap portable monitor, if i think somehting is wrong with the monitor.

so i would be looking at about a 5,000.00 startup cost, figuring in phone line, and advertising. Also how much would a good lawyer cost to write up the liability papers?

also i would need a nice tool box like thg's

also i would need floppy disks, and cd-r's for downloading the drivers(which will suck on my dial-up 28.8k modem but i can do it all night as long as i dont get kicked off)

i would need voicemail, on my phone line. and also i would need a cell phone and an answering machine for messages when i am out of the "office"

now i just need to swing it past my parents

Accessories - Cable
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Accessories - Cable - Round
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Cases Accessories - Case Modification
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CD Recorder/Rewritable Drive
Lite On 40X12X48 CDRW Model: LTR40125S-Retail
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CD ROM
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Controller, Panels, Add-On Cards, etc.
HighPoint Controller Card Rocket133SB Retail The Rocket133SB Host Adapter is a single channel IDE controller card designed for use with ATA133 hard disk drives. (Controller is similar to the Rocket133S model, but has it's own EPROM (BIOS chip).
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CPU Thermal Paste / Grease
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DVD ROM
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External Enclosure
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Fan - Case
ANTEC 80mm 4 pin Sleeve Bearing Fan for all 80mm Computer Case cooling requirements. more info>
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Fan / Cooling Device - CPU
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Floppy Drives
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Hard Drives - IDE
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Keyboards - English
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Memory - PC (RAMBUS)
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Modems
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Monitors - LCD Flat Panel
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Mouse
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Network - Interface Cards
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Power Supplies / Inverters / Converters / Strips
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Software - Applications
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Software - OS
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Sound Card
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Tools - Network / PC Service / Acc.
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Video Card - PCI
ATI RADEON 7000 32MB PCI RETAIL
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Video Cards
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Subtotal » $3,671.75
shipping $ 112.60
total 3784.35

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Cart Total: $623.52

with those costs, and my pricing, it would take 22 days of 5 hour days to break about 5000$ or even. then it would be all profit, except for the fact that any of the items i purchase, and would be used, would be subject to the customer paying for them. so its a good deal!

thank you for your input, and i think this is the longest reply i have ever done if you dont feel like reading it, it basically puts what hardware i would keep on hand, and softwarex 3 for most everything and non reseller pricing.

 

[Evadman]

Don't forget button cell betteries for Bios's

Inexpensive good ones.

Also needed that I did not see:

Good DVOM ( Digital volt-ohm meter )
Power supply tester ( Antec meakes a good one for $15 )
Caned air or a Compressor ( for cleaning. Dont forget the inline dryer )

Those 80mm fans are too expensive. If you are buying sleeve, pay only $1. $2 for ball bearing. Also do not forget 40mm and 50mm fans, as they will be needed.

<edit>
Edit that post, it is a huge mess. It is hard to tell what you are doing. Copy and pasting a shoping cart = suck.

 

[MikeMike]

50 PCS 3V NEWSUN CR-1225 Lithium Button Cell Batteries
Price $17.99

these would work? so yeah i would charge 1$ for each=large profit on them no one would know

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
50 PCS 3V NEWSUN CR-1225 Lithium Button Cell Batteries
Price $17.99

these would work? so yeah i would charge 1$ for each=large profit on them no one would know

I just bought one of all 3 of the "Newsun" brand

These are ones i have used most.

<edit>
I would look into what motherboards are common in your area before deciding. It is only $20, and you can always toss them on a web site and sell them anyway.

 

[SOSTrooper]

Oh my lord...that is one comprehensive list... I need time to read 'em all. But you do not need 50pcs of batteries hehe. They have expiration dates so you should really buy them in smaller volume. To my experience, only about 1/100 computers need battery replacement that had been in my shop. Also, you need one helluva customer database and build up your reputation to see a marginal profit. You may even want to look into helping customer build their computers too, might be a good one to add into your already-large services.

 

[Evadman]

Those specific batteries have a shelf life of 3-4 years.

THey are usually $3-4 each if you go to say, radio shack. but you can get 50 for the price of 5

To each his own though

 

[StageLeft]

Just realize that this will be very difficult to make successful. It takes almost no time to teach somebody basic computer hardware, so if you think that you can have people flocking to your door paying $45/hour you'll be in for a rude awakening. Lots of big companies have started in this manner, but millions more have never become anything. If you really want to do it just go for it, but it will not be easy, trust me.

 

[SOSTrooper]

Before you go spend 4 grand on computer stuff, you should go get the flyers printed (better design the better respond you'll receive...I've been designing flyers for my shop for a period of a year, design helps). Look into Computer Shopper and you'll see what some basic layouts are. Make sure you emphasize on low prices and onsite services, but dont list all the prices out, list some of the basic ones. You want to make your customers call you and ask for details, then you can work your charm into them. People-people relationship is important in this industry. Casual users who dont know anything about computers will want to talk to ppl who knows a lot, in this case, you. Your professional manner is extremely important, since your goal is to have a good word of mouth from your small customer database to grow bigger. And you dont always have to tell the truth to the customer either...this may sound negative, but as you gain experience, you will find yourself simplifying answers or loose answers are all you need to please your customer. They do not need to know how the memory went bad, or how they sat on the CD Tray...etc. Your hardware list is only 10% of your preparation process, you got a really LONG way to go.

*Edit* Actually...getting 50 batteries not a great idea...even when the price is very good. It is true that for $18 you can only get like 6 of those at Sav-On, but that isnt really the point. The point to this practice is, you shouldn't overstock your components. Buying them in a bundle is always a good deal, but without knowing how many of those you'll actually use, can become a lingering problem later on. You're safe to buy those 50 batteries, but I can bet you that you will not use more than 5 batteries in a year. And this is just an example to the concept. I'll tell you, my boss stocked up a huge number of RAM some years ago right before the RAM prices rised. She stocked about 4,000 pieces... yes, 4,000 pieces of PC100 memory. It was a smart move, until the RAM prices fell sharply after 2 months... She was losing a few bucks on each memory, and those numbers add up. So the lesson is, know how many you need, before you overstock your items. That's my experience, take it for what its worth, but know that it'll benefit you.

 

[Bleep]

My customers sign my 3 page legal consent/release form. It releases me of all responsiblity if other things go wrong while I am in someones computer

I really got a laugh out of that one, then to say I have never had a problem with people not signing it, maybe they are smart enough to realise that a complete disclamer like this amounts to a liability waiver which will always fall in court.
In fact in the state that I live in these kind of waivers are not legal even for race tracks.

Bleep