What to charge for computer help

[Wayward Clam]

Well I'm finally doing it, renting myself out as a geek for hire out of my basement. But I have no idea what to charge for my services.

As a technician working out of a shop, I was charging $80 Cdn an hour, broken down by the half hour.

I have been advised that people in Indian Head will probably pay about two thirds of what an equivalent service in Regina would charge, alternatively they will go to the effort of travelling to a storefront.

I also don't know what to charge for computer tutoring, and I have been considering running classes as well, and don't know what to charge for those. I plan to check out places in Regina and what they would charge, but do any of you do these things already, and how much do you think they are worth?

[DANIMAL]

I guess it depends on your town.

I charge less then any computer shop in my town and do the service calls in there houses only to get away from the what did you do to my computer suspicions.

I charge $40 to enter the house and the price goes up from there.

my town has a po of 18 000 and another pretty close with about the same so if the calls arewith in 15 min the charge is $40 + outside of town is $60 +

I usually dicide the price after the job.
rarely spending more than 2 hours and rarely chargeing more than $90.

most calls seem to be about an hour and $50.

I just tell the customer is starts at $40 and well go from there.

[geoscomp]

These prices are in US dollars, so you'll have to convert...When I was doing the same thing you are planning, I was charging $45 for the initial call..that would cover the first hour..extra hours were $60. per If it was more than a two hour job..it would go back to the shop with me. We do teach computer classes in virus protection and security, digital imaging, and other classes by request, and charge anywhere from $15.00 to $35.00 per person, depending on the anticipated class content..introductory classes cost less..more advanced classes cost more..and the amount of take home material we provide. We also teach professional level courses in medical billing software, etc. those are $125 per to $250 per, and usually last two days of 8 hours each..the basic level classes we limit to ten people and they last about 2 1/2 hours with a break in between.

[NooNoo]

Damn! I'm cheap!

[BurnFEST]

Start by charging money

[Wayward Clam]

Originally posted by NooNoo
Damn! I'm cheap!

I should mail you a cut, you're always bailing my a$$ out of situations I can't handle...

[NooNoo]

Originally posted by Wayward Clam
I should mail you a cut, you're always bailing my a$$ out of situations I can't handle...

[orange]

Originally posted by NooNoo
Damn! I'm cheap!

Yep, you and me both NooNoo...but then all the people i know are tight, so..........

[techguy13]

Hey Clammy ya made it to the prairies. Tech shops charge about $65/hour, give or take $10, and often have a bench fee of $40-$65 in Regina. Onsite networking fees are about $85/hour. If you buy parts in town these guys have the best selection and very good prices: www.techtronics.ca , behind Red Lobster on Albert. Unfortunately they are not the best at customer service. If a user wants a new PC built in town I send them to www.pcplace.ca.

What’s up with Indian Head? Are you teching on the side? What area of town are you in? How do you like Regina? What’s your favorite colour? Why is the sky blue? What’s the flight velocity of an African sparrow?

[Stalemate]

Out here in Quebec, I charge 35$/h (min. 1 hour) for tech support, 45$/h for teaching/tutoring (individuals only, requires a bit more work but more satisfying) and 50$/h. for network support. I don't sell parts. Ever.

I know I'm desperately cheap, but I don't advertise and only choose clients who are friends, family or referrals by such. I tend to increase this scale by 5-10$ each year of experience I add on, so there's a price hike coming in 2003.

[kato2274]

I'm in the US so you'll need to convert.

I charge $40/hour with a minimum of 1 hour of service (essentially the benching fee) and hours are always rounded up. if I spend 1 hour 25 minutes on a problem it's $80. If it's closer to a hour like 1 hour 10 minutes and the person is nice, I usually only charge an hour. But I have the option to charge $80 as customer is told of rate charges up front which is nice in two ways.
1.) if I have an real A$$HOLE I can charge $80 for any minute over the one hour.
2.) when it's someone nice I can say "Since this is over an hour I normally round up to the next hour, but since it really wasn't a lot of trouble I'll only charge an hour labor." Makes me look good and makes them feel special.

running a class is a super idea because you can maximize your per hour charge without charging too much to the individual. say you run a class for 5 people on basic computer skills. the class will be 5 weeks long and 2 hours long each week. you could charge $150 to each individual. That would pay $750 for the duration of the classes which is 10 hours. That would work out to $75 an hour. Of course you'd have to have a classroom setup which would require 5 pcs monitors etc. . . . . but you may have that spare, I know I have at least 5 pcs in the basement sans monitor.

[DANIMAL]

Originally posted by a d e p t
Out here in Quebec, I charge 35$/h (min. 1 hour) for tech support, 45$/h for teaching/tutoring (individuals only, requires a bit more work but more satisfying) and 50$/h. for network support. I don't sell parts. Ever.

I know I'm desperately cheap, but I don't advertise and only choose clients who are friends, family or referrals by such. I tend to increase this scale by 5-10$ each year of experience I add on, so there's a price hike coming in 2003.

Much the same theaory as me no advertising just word or mouth
and I need to listen to you and stop selling parts.

I have been sellingused pc from time to time and that is just becoming a headacheat times.

Some people always find a way to screw things up.

[Stalemate]

Originally posted by DANIMAL
Much the same theaory as me no advertising just word or mouth and I need to listen to you and stop selling parts.

I have been sellingused pc from time to time and that is just becoming a headacheat times.

Some people always find a way to screw things up.

I've never sold parts myself, but as a consultant I will recommend parts as required and even have a friend I can turn to who will sell the parts directly to my customers. That way I know the parts are quality, but I don't have the hassle of dealing with RMAs, warranties, etc. And the accounting is that much simpler. Plus, by supplyinog added business for him I get parts really cheap for myself.

Everyone I've spoken with, including your own comments Dan, seems to point out that there's just too little money to be made for too much responsability in selling systems or parts..

This is a part-time, word-of-mouth thing for me at this time and I just don't need the hassle.

The used PCs I sell are my own and I tell the buyer there's no warranty upfront. I can offer them some support for the coming weeks, but after that I charge. Works nicely for all involved.

[DANIMAL]

well in saying all that Adept

Thats exactly what I do. I tell them it has no warranty and cover them for a week or 2 then start charging them.

I have small parts in my tech bag to help for repairs and sometimes sell them bu tusually tell them there will be no warranty and tell them where to get a decent price if they'd rather new.

[Wayward Clam]

Thanks for all the great answers and advice, especially you, Techguy13.

To answer your questions:

Q: What’s up with Indian Head?

A: It's a bloody great big Indian head sitting beside the highway like it got lost on its way to Easter Island. I dunno if they built it to commemorate the town or vice versa, but I think it's cooler than a big nickel.

Q. Are you teching on the side?

A. That is exactly what I am doing.

Q. What area of town are you in?

A. Hehehe, saying there is more than one area of town here is a little like saying there is more than one OS on the market right now. But I'm on Boyle street, which is two blocks off of Grand.

Q. How do you like Regina?

A. It's too bloody far away. So far all I have seen of it is the inside of Computer Trends and the mall it is associated with. So I can't really say whether I like it or not yet.

Q. What’s your favorite colour?

A. Black, followed closely by silver.

Q. Why is the sky blue?

A. Because God uses Windows 98.

Q. What’s the flight velocity of an African sparrow?

A. About 90 mph, if you get a major league pitcher to throw it properly.