Hourly Charge?

[clascomp]

I really think this depends on the location of your business, competition, and what your cusomers are willing to pay. We get $50 per hr for most work, including networks, which seems unbearably cheap after 7 years in this business! We live in a rural area. Hardly anybody at a regular job here makes more than $9.00 per hour. And even most small businesses are making a marginal living.

Actually, for about a year we tried $75 per hour. Most of the customers went to the NOT SO experts undercutting us. Most of these customers never did get that the other guys take $35.00 per hour times 4 hours = $140.00, verses we take $75 per hour for 1 hour = $75.00 still makes us cheaper.

So we went back to $50.00 per hour, and seem to have re-acquired most of the customers. I'd rather work 6 hours a day for $300.00 than 2 hours for $150.00. Eventually we may try to bump it back up to $60.00 or $65.00 per hour. But I'm going to make sure the customers are solid with us first. It would be nice if all of us could get the same rates, but business and cost of living are different everywhere.

[macg]

We are $85 hr onsite. $75 hr inshop. $140 network. Normal rates. Emergency rates are much higher.

[Kenny P.]

I am out of the comercial business, but I get $20/hr in home service, including parts running time, etc.

When i was in commercial, $65 shop non-net, $95 net and $125 WAN. Trip charge was $35 depending on how far out you were from me.

Good luck! Never think you're overcharging the customers. Your time and effort are worth more than you will charge!

Kenny P.

[jeffbrown]

[quote]Originally posted by ProTech PC:
<strong>Personally, I charge $99 to walk in the door, and it goes up from there.

Figure it out - $35 and hour with a 6 hour day (if you are lucky enough to have the business)will result in a gross of about $52K. Why 6 hours? Cuz ya gotta travel here and there, pick up parts, and eat someplace. Now deduct all your expenses (see below) and you got diddly left. Heck, you might as well work for someone and not have all the headaches, call backs, and responsibility that comes with owning a business. Not to burst anyone's bubble, and not to rag on anyone. These are just some things to make ya think.

Anyone that charges less than $65 an hour with a one hour minimum is only kidding themselves. You are NOT in business, or at least you won't be for very long. I understand that "making" $35 an hour is a good wage - IF you are working for someone else. However, you have to remember that YOU - being self-employed, must pay for:

Vehicle Gas
Vehicle repairs
Vehicle Maintenance
Vehicle Payments
Health Insurance
Vehicle Insurance
Liability Insurance
Taxes
Your tools
Your software
Your own salary
Your computer
Maybe an office or shared space

And the list goes on ............

The point is, do not sell yourself short. A customer will ALWAYS find someone cheaper. Add up your expenses, add in a decent salary, use the 6 hour rule and you should be able to come up with a starting point. Most important, apply some business sense, or find someone to help you. It is not the tech end that kills the business, it the tech that think he/she understands the business end.

It is a tough world.</strong><hr></blockquote>


True statement, very well said.

I work for a gov't agency, but do side work. I concentrate mainly in network installations for small companies. How, if you even do, and how much, would you charge for a consultation and/or design fee? A lot of people are iffy if you say well I planned for x hours. What do you think that I should do?

[DANIMAL]

Personally I think some of you guys are over charging but I guess i'm not in your situatuon.

And I think you guys charge that high mainly because of the extra responsibility of selling parts to people

I stay way clear of selling parts. for these reason's:
1- no extra running around
2- no warranty to deal with
3- no explanations to make up why the part doesn't work
4- no extra money sitting around for the government
5- no worry about competing with prices.

the thing I do when people need parts is first I tell them where to go to get a good price and get them to get the part, or if they what I will pick it up for them for a extra charge(but no profit from the part).
Besides I'm the boss of my self and I will make the days as easy as possible satisfying one customer at a time. after all you do have to do certain things for certain people to keep them happy . the key there is to understand you customers feelings and thoughts and urgencies in mind.

[computron99]

We charge a flat $45.00 for in-store repairs and $80 /hr onsite.

[DonJ]

If they bring it into our shop, we charge $75/hour with a minimum of two hours labor...plus parts.

If we have to go out on site, then we charge $90/hour with a minimum of two hours labor plus one hour minimum of travel...again at $90/hour...plus parts.

If this is a new customer, our rates go up to $120/hour.

Emergency callout fee: flat rate of $300 plus labor and parts.

Don

[sdrawkcab]

$35 in-store. These are mostly poor urban people who bought the computer from us for $150-400. How can I charge them $100 to install a modem?

$65 on-site. Mostly businesses and since I do it on my own time it's 100% profit (and I'm rollin in it after putting in 39 hours over the holiday weekend.)

Networking is no harder than anything else, I can't see charging extra for it. All parts get automatic 10% markup from my cost.

[mongo69]

I charge $35.00 1/2 hr. one hour min. I dont care if I am there for an hour and one minute its still $105.00 but I am a mobile service and this is a second job that I do on the side. I do give a discount if they but there parts from me but still I mark up the parts about 30%. hope this helps.

[Skywalker93]

I have a friend who works for a financial planning company. They wanted someone to come in after-hours and do support for their server and 4 workstations. I did not have any idea of what to charge them. They OFFERED to pay me $50 per hour for the first 6 months, then pay me $80 per hour after that. How could I say no??

[csssteve]

We charge $40 an hour for single with .75 hr min.
$65 for any networks, one hr min.

I think its the area your in. A lot of cheaper "we can fix it services" have moved here.
But i don't think cheaper is better...

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Will it matter in 6 months...???

[Garak]

Well ive kinda been out of techie side work, but i used to chagre between £25 & £30 an hour (depending on the customers attitude) i dropped out of techie work due to customers asking if i was sure of wot i was doing, its kinda of a downer u know, i might only be 18, but i know wot im doing , well most of the time

[RH0RT]

We use a points system, where the more points you buy in a block, the cheaper they are. Prices start at £50 per point. Normal support, by an engineer (either by phone or in person) costs 1 point per hour, servers/etc are supported by a senior engineer, which costs 2 points per hour.