URGENT!! How much can I charge?

[Kukkor]

I am in the process of building a system for a neighbour.
The cost of the parts from NewEgg is $540.00 incluiding shipping.

Here is the actual shopping cart. Any suggestions are welcome:

http://www.graphicscomp.com/MyCart.htm

If everything goes well and all the components are good I calculate to spend 3 or 4 days in putting it all together: hardware/software.

My problem is that I have done this many times for family members at no charge.... but in this case is for a neighbour and there are also other people to come in the near future.

How much can I charge for my services?

 

[Pepsi90919]

you ripped that right off a vBulletin forum post, didn't you.

 

[FrustratedUser]

20% of parts cost.

 

[minendo]

Give him a flat cost of $700.00.

However, enjoy being 24x7 tech support for the rest of your neighbors life.

 

[bmacd]

tell him he owes you one and don't charge him. Just remember him when you need a cosigner for that Ferrari you've always wanted

-=bmacd=-

 

[parsley007]

just decide on an hourly rate you'd be happy with and charge that..

 

[Ogg]

Act like a dept. store and go for a 100% markup. Hell sometimes they do 200%
So charge $1620.00 :evil:

 

[badmouse]

Another vote for Just charge him for parts and make it clear you're doing him a favor. Unless you want to get into the PC-building biz and compete with people who do this for ten cents a week, don't think of this as a business deal.

 

[virtuamike]

Eh, I'd charge $50 if it's just parts and another $50 for OS/software install/lockdown. No reason it'd take 3-4 days to get it up and running unless you're slow.

 

[royaldank]

However, enjoy being 24x7 tech support for the rest of your neighbors life.

This is why I very rarely help others with computer problems. And I quit building cheaper systems for friends years ago. My response now is, "Get Dell or something with free tech support."

 

[EngenZerO]

heh...lifetime tech support here we come...

 

[PanzerIV]

I charge $100.00 over cost of the parts and shipping.

 

[dxkj]

If he wants warranty and support, charge $5,000

Otherwise charge $50 for the assembly fee

 

[SoyBoy004]

Originally posted by: minendo
Give him a flat cost of $700.00.

However, enjoy being 24x7 tech support for the rest of your neighbors life.

exactly, this will get you in trouble.

 

[dquan97]

Offer to build it for $50...tech support after delivery is extra

 

[0roo0roo]

NEVER build for a stranger, or useless person. if your neighbor is neighborly and helpful at times, or has potential reliability if need of any kind arises, then build for free. otherwise, point him to dell or whatever and their excellent indian customer serivce.

 

[Homerboy]

If everything goes well and all the components are good I calculate to spend 3 or 4 days in putting it all together: hardware/software.

3-4 days? What are you doing to it that would take even REMOTELY that long?

I have to agree with the rest of the people here when they say enjoy being 24x7 tech support forever.
If you are really doing this, and you plan on doing for others, you have to come up with a some sort of standard rate... you cant charge one perosn $50/hr and the other $100.

Lets see.... 3-4 days... at even 5 hrs/day... damn you got some $ coming.

 

[bsmithy]

i do this all the time with my friends, for free

but i make sure to say, i will not help if this stop working and if it does i tell them to fvck themselves

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: minendo
Give him a flat cost of $700.00.

However, enjoy being 24x7 tech support for the rest of your neighbors life.

That's what I'd to $700-$750....especially if you're transferring any data off an old computer.

 

[Night201]

Should take like 4 hours, not 4 days! Really, what are you doing? Also, I only charge about $50 to put a system together, but then I charge $40-50/hour for support thereafter - if they need it.

 

[vi edit]

Do yourself a favor and steer him to Dell or Gateway...anything to absolve yourself of responsibility.

 

[brxndxn]

I usually build computers for buddies for $100.. but I make it clear that they're paying me $20 minimum every time they need help - unless it is an error on my part.

3 or 4 days is WAY too much time to put together a computer. Putting together a computer and getting all the latest drivers on it and installing Windows XP and maybe Office should take 1hr of labor total and maybe another 2-3 hours of waiting for the computer to do stuff while you browse Anandtech.

Make sure you have a complete agreement before you accept his money or give him the computer. I've had friends be really nice about paying me for my work. Good friends understand it's not the time they're paying for but the expert knowledge to do things right the first time. I've had other friends that don't want to pay the smallest amount of money - I usually tell them to go to hell until they're ready to pay me. I make it clear to everyone now that they owe me if I'm going to help... Doing a 'favor' for one person will mean that you do favors for 10,000,000 people for the rest of your life every waking hour!!!!!

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Do yourself a favor and steer him to Dell or Gateway...anything to absolve yourself of responsibility.

i completely agree

i made about 35 computers for random people my senior year in high school and OH do i regret it sometimes. you get these random idiots who broke their computer in countless ways and it is your fault. but the worst part is when something actually DOES go wrong...then it really goes downhill! you will not listen to any of us this time, but you will definitely learn your lesson in a few months.

have fun and enjoy :beer:

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: minendo
Give him a flat cost of $700.00.

However, enjoy being 24x7 tech support for the rest of your neighbors life.

^^^

don't post here complaining " my neighbor keeps getting viruses/spyware from porno sites and since i built the pc for him, he wants me to fix it everytime he breaks it"

 

[Abhi]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: minendo
Give him a flat cost of $700.00.

However, enjoy being 24x7 tech support for the rest of your neighbors life.

^^^

don't post here complaining " my neighbor keeps getting viruses/spyware from porno sites and since i built the pc for him, he wants me to fix it everytime he breaks it"

LOL