Advice on starting a local PC repair/upgrade service?

[Jawadali]

Hello,

I know there are many PC technitians here, and I was wondering if anyone does freelance/local PC repairs.

I was considering getting a job at the local BestBuy or Staples, but they don't seem intersted in hiring.


I can do the basics things like: upgrading/troubleshooting hardware, installing software, etc. (basically all the stuff involved with building your own PC).

How would you go about starting/doing this?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

 

[hompsar]

make sure you really want to do this...I am able to do the exact same stuff but when I do it, it is boring and eventually I get quite sick of it. also, you always end up running into things that should not go wrong that you have to work extra-hard on >_<

as far as pursuing this, I would not know any other way except letting people know that you fix computers and going from there.

 

[wyvrn]

This has been answered a bajillion times. Do a search on the OT forum for a recent very good thread in which myself and several others posted our recommendations.

 

[moonsite]

I looked in the newspaper. I was hired the next day, pretty quick. I guess because the guy was in dire need of a helping hand. I also did some freelance. Freelancing is by word of mouth though. This person know this and then that other person knows another person, and they just pass the word along. That was how I got my client. If you hang around a computer shop a lot and get to know the owner, then you might have a chance of getting a job there. Remember to show a lot of confidence in what you are doing.

 

[SickBeast]

Well, I recently started my own business because people I didn't even know started calling/emailng me and they were willing to PAY me to fix their computers. They turned out to be friends of friends who just found out about me by word of mouth. Then I produced business cards, and it's slowly taking off from there. Once people are aware of what you can do, things will start to fall into place for you.

The best place to start is to make a business card, then produce a flyer and deliver it to the houses in your immediate area. If you want to get more serious. take out a Yellow Pages AD. I haven't done this yet, but I'm sure it will produce results.

 

[Jawadali]

Thanks guys. Before I posted, the main/only idea I had was about making flyers and distributing them in my neighborhood.

I also hope that it would spread by word of mouth, and you guys seem to confirm that it is a good way to get more customers.

hompstar, I know what you mean by getting sick of doing too much of PC-related stuff. This job is mainly for the summer, cause I have nothing to do and cause I'd like to have some extra cash to some new hardware.

wyvrn, sorry about making another thread. I did a quick search in General Hardware, cause that is where I thought it would be. If you have a link to the other thread you mentioned, I'd appreciate it.

moonsite, good idea about the classifieds. I'll check them out, but in my area, stuff like this is usually pretty slim (but it's worth a shot anyway).

SickBeast, thanks for the idea of business cards. Isn't there a site that gives you like 100-250 free (and you just pay shipping?)

Thnaks for all of your input, and keep the ideas rolling.

 

[RussianSoldier]

buy business cards? Make your own.

That's a side hobby of mine; designing and selling business cards...

 

[Jawadali]

That's a little difficult if you don't have the materials.

There was this one site that I saw a few years ago that gives you free business cards (like 250 of them), and you can even choose a template for it. then, you pay like $10-15 S/H for the whole lot.

EDIT: here it is:

http://www.vistaprint.com/

Also, shipping is $5 for 21 days, $9 for 14 days, $14 for 7 days, etc.

 

[neutralizer]

old ladies pay a lot.

 

[Jawadali]

Bump. Any other ideas?

 

[wyvrn]

Ok I am sorry Jawadall, I cannot find the thread I mentioned earlier. I know it is here, but apparently search doesn't always work. I believe it was posted in OT about a week or so ago, but looks like it has disappeared.

The basic ideas I mentioned were as follows:

1- Don't underprice your services. Customers will take advantage of you and you waste your time.

2- Write up a formal, SPECIFIC warranty and either have it print on your receipt, or staple a copy to the receipt and give it to every customer. Don't deviate from the warranty, but make it reasonable. You might have to play with it a little to find what fits you and your customer base.

3- Make up a work order form that has spaces for your name, the date, and the customers' name at the top. List out common fixes, like virus-removal, hard drive replacement, etc... Print a bunch of copies. Then, for each customer, mark which items you did and have them initial each item. Then have them sign and date at the bottom a clause which states they were a- happy with the work and b-understand what you did.

4- Don't advertise in the yellow pages, because in my experience, it's too expensive and you don't get a lot of business for it. In the beginning, use cheap methods such as bulletin boards at stores and schools, flyers, business cards at local businesses, and possibly a small targeted direct mail campaign from a reliable direct mail company. Eventually your referral business will be your most profitable.

5- You could sponsor an ad on local radio or tv during cheaper hours, which might help you some business.

6- Make other businesses the backbone of your operation. They have more money and more needs, which means more revenue per visit versus home customers.

7- Build long-term relationships through high quality service and parts.

8- The most important is, before you do anything, research your maket. Check prices of local competitors by calling them and asking for service rates. Generally you want to do business in richer areas of your local township, but make sure the market isn't saturated with local computer stores. These stores get a lot of prestige because of their storefront, and it's hard for you to compete with them. Don't spend any money until you have a good idea whether it will work.

 

[Jawadali]

No problem. If you do end up finding it, please post it.

 

[BillClo]

Also you need to decide if you plan to make a formal business of it, or do it under the table as it were. If you plan to say under the table (ie, cash, no "business licenses") try to stick with word of mouth, or ads on bulletin boards. Advertising on radio/tv, or even the local newspapers could bring you to the attention of the local govt, who will surely want to license and regulate you, not to mention want permits, etc (ie, legal bribes) from you. Big bucks and potential hassle.

Expect to have to deal with alot of stupid people, who will want to pick your brain for free, and expect you to do the work for little or nothing. Be firm on your rates, and explain them upfront. Definitely give them an estimate in writing, and charge for a diagnosis. Let them decide how they want to proceed, but make sure you get some money from them for your time in diagnosing the problem.

Good luck.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: BillClo
Also you need to decide if you plan to make a formal business of it, or do it under the table as it were. If you plan to say under the table (ie, cash, no "business licenses") try to stick with word of mouth, or ads on bulletin boards. Advertising on radio/tv, or even the local newspapers could bring you to the attention of the local govt, who will surely want to license and regulate you, not to mention want permits, etc (ie, legal bribes) from you. Big bucks and potential hassle.

Expect to have to deal with alot of stupid people, who will want to pick your brain for free, and expect you to do the work for little or nothing. Be firm on your rates, and explain them upfront. Definitely give them an estimate in writing, and charge for a diagnosis. Let them decide how they want to proceed, but make sure you get some money from them for your time in diagnosing the problem.

Good luck.

I agree with all the advice that's been offered so far. A little common sense and some networking skills can take you pretty far, I would think.

You might also consider offering a 'consulting' service where you help people purchase new computers (in addition to upgrading old ones). I've helped several friends and relatives purchase new computers (all laptops so far) in the last year; they all *really* appreciated the help. Most people in the market for a new computer will want a 'name-brand' system with a name-brand warranty behind it -- but they can also use a lot of help in selecting the right one.

I would shy away from actually *building* new systems for people yourself, as providing a long-term warranty becomes more trouble than it's worth.

 

[RussianSoldier]

Originally posted by: Jawadali
That's a little difficult if you don't have the materials.

All you need is a printer, some business card templates, and microsoft word or other designing utility.

I can print up about 1000 medium quality professionally looking business cards for under $30.

 

[Jawadali]

BillClo, thanks for bringin up some great points. I'll be keeping this small (mainly by word-of-mouth and neighborhood flyers). Ther would be no way I could support a full-fleged business. You seem to have some good points about fees, etc. I was having similar ideas, especially about the diagnositc fee.

Matthias99, That idea about consulting is excellent. I have done extensive consulting (for free) for a few friends of mine, and I think it's one of my strong areas. Do you have any more ideas on how that will work (I'm guessing a flat fee). Also, as you mentioned, I'll be staying away from custom builds. It's usually easier (and sometimes cheaper) for most people to just buy a system, and then upgrade if needed.

RussianSoldier, Thanks for giving me a price range for home printing business cards. I have a Canon i560 that I haven't opened yet, but it seems fit for the job. I'll probably be starting with 50-150 for starters, though.

Anyone have ideas on rates/fees to charge? I'm aiming to beat Best Buy's prices (I have their flyer with the repair/upgrade costs), but I don't really know where to go from there.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far. Keep them coming (PM if you don't want to post).

 

[RussianSoldier]

could I get a digital copy of that list?

 

[Jawadali]

I don't have my scanner hooked up, but it should be available at your local Best Buy in the upgrades/repairs section. They have the lists laying on the counter for people to take (at least my Best Buy does).

I did a quick search, and this is what I could find on CompUSA:

http://www.compusa.com/tech_services/repairs_onsite.asp

There's no CompUSA in my area, however (the closest one is about an hour away).

Also would anyone know where there books/online tutorials that go through some common repairs?
I know some stuff, but I want to see waht type of "odd" or difficult things that people could bring in. Thanks once again.

 

[BillClo]

Anyone have ideas on rates/fees to charge? I'm aiming to beat Best Buy's prices (I have their flyer with the repair/upgrade costs), but I don't really know where to go from there.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far. Keep them coming (PM if you don't want to post).

I think what you charge depends on where you live. Here in PA, most shops charge $30-45 an hour, with a diagnostic fee of at least $20. I personally charge $10 an hour, for work, but modify it somewhat. If I've got to go to their house, and work on it, or sit there while the antivirus/spyware/malware/trojan scans run, it's the full $10/hr. If I can work on the system at home, and don't have to sit there, I discount that time to $5 an hour.

So the billing might look like my last customer's: 12 hours running scans to clean up the system enough to retrieve her data (had 28 viruses, 23 trojans, 300+ spyware related entries). Even after all that, the system was damaged such that Windows wasn't working well. So she had me reinstall Windows (she had to go and get a copy of a corporate version, because the idiot who built the system put a pirate copy from Kazaa on her system and I couldn't update it). Reinstalling Windows, getting everything back in order, and showing her how to use the antivirus program as well as anti-spyware/malware programs took another 4 hours. So, 12 hours scanning at home = $60, and 4 hours full rate doing the reinstall, etc, @10/hr = $100.

I don't know if you'd prefer to do things that way, or just charge the full rate. If I had had to sit there at her house working on the thing, I would have charged the full rate. But since she is one of my wife's co-workers, I gave her a break. I also learned that when a system is as badly hosed as her's, to just reinstall Windows and not fool with trying to get every little bit of trojans/viruses out. I spent another 4 hours fooling with that, but I didn't charge her for it, because it was in the nature of an experiment/learning experience...

Now others might say that $10 an hour is too cheap, and they may be right, and as I get more experienced, I may charge more. But it's all word of mouth right now, and hasn't involved any hairy hardware problems so far.

 

[Jawadali]

You're in PA too? Cool.

I agree with what you are saying. On-site vs. At home service will probably have different fees, and depending on the nature of the problem, fees will probably have to be adjusted.

I was also thinking about flat-rates for various upgrades, such as installing RAM and video cards (most of those type of installations take around/under an hour anyway).

 

[RussianSoldier]

Originally posted by: Jawadali
I don't have my scanner hooked up, but it should be available at your local Best Buy in the upgrades/repairs section.

I don't get to BestBuy's too often. The closest one is about 70 miles away

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Jawadali
Matthias99, That idea about consulting is excellent. I have done extensive consulting (for free) for a few friends of mine, and I think it's one of my strong areas. Do you have any more ideas on how that will work (I'm guessing a flat fee). Also, as you mentioned, I'll be staying away from custom builds. It's usually easier (and sometimes cheaper) for most people to just buy a system, and then upgrade if needed.

I'd think a flat fee would be easiest. For basically walking someone through the whole process of getting a new computer (from deciding what to order to getting it set up once they buy it), I'd think $50-100 would be reasonable. The last person I helped buy a computer (although I did some extra work, such as setting up a wireless home network and her new printer, and getting Office set up and Outlook configured for her ISP) sent me a thank-you note with a $100 gift card, even though I had done the work pro bono (she was a family friend). I mean, Dell charges $100+ just to have someone come out and "set up your home network" (ie, plug the router into the cable/DSL modem, and maybe turn on WEP encryption), so just about any fee you charge is going to be a bargain by comparison.

Anyone have ideas on rates/fees to charge? I'm aiming to beat Best Buy's prices (I have their flyer with the repair/upgrade costs), but I don't really know where to go from there.

For simple upgrades (installing RAM/video or sound cards/hard disks, or replacing CPUs, etc.), a flat fee is probably best ($25-50?). For repair work (including things like spyware/virus removal, which can be quite time-consuming), I'd suggest charging $10-20 per hour, with a diagnostic fee up front (if you want to be nice, apply the diagnostic fee to the cost of the repairs if they have you fix it). For a "fresh start" (just formatting and reinstalling Windows), you could either do a flat fee or charge by the hour.