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Thread: I miss...

  1. #1
    Registered User Guts3d's Avatar
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    Unhappy I miss...

    checking online for prices and compatibility for a new build for a customer. I miss ordering all the parts, going through the list in my head to ensure I didn't forget anything, making sure the ram was compatible, etc. I just don't get many builds anymore, what with the big companies selling units for cheaper than I can buy the parts alone.

    They make their cash back with bloatware, trialware, and just plain shoddy parts. Consider this an official request to bring back the good old days!
    " I don't like the idea of getting shot in the hand" -Blackie in "Rustlers Rhapsody"

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  2. #2
    Registered User HipHoper's Avatar
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    I TOTALLY understand you guts.
    Yes....a lot of people are shopping for cheap computers now days, But if these are most of your clients, Maybe a different service/selling strategy would serve you more.

    I work mostly with offices and business clients, And usually most of them can't afford themselves a downtime in computer-work time. So if they'll go and buy cheap computers for their offices they will lose those benefits I provide them :

    1. Instant response time to hardware/software problems.
    2. Onsite hardware replacement (For a visit fee)
    3. better components integration and compatibility to their software/needs

    This is one of the reasons I don't like to work with private clients :

    1. They have other people who use their computers (kids, mates, Friends, Family), Which barely happens on an office machine
    2. They call you at strange times (Late evenings, Early morning before going to work)
    3. Some of them buy really lousy computers and expect you to service them

    These are some points to be taken into account.
    I must add that sometimes I'm taking advantage of the cheap systems and resell them myself after tweaking them a bit - Like replacing their power supply, Or adding a Vga card, But even then - I buy only hardware I feel I can trust (Known brands components), And calculate the risks (Dead motherboard/Hard drives/DVDRW if the warranty is shorter than what I give).

    Once I had a good client that asked why he see systems in 350$ while I offered him a similiar system in about 600$ ? I explained him that I use better power supply, Thicker and nicer case, More known brand motherboard, AND install him software. I didn't explained him that the price difference between the component is like 25$, But I focused of what felt important to him and he ordered the system.

    Another thing is that I tent to have like 2-4 computers ready to be delivered in any time, Because sometime the speed is a hugh factor in deciding to buy a computer for an office or for someone with no patience...
    Last edited by HipHoper; May 13th, 2011 at 09:06 AM.

  3. #3
    Registered User CeeBee's Avatar
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    Good luck...
    Computers tend to become disposable appliances. There is however a market for custom builds - the performance PCs that get upgraded often, where parts are re-used.
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  4. #4
    Registered User HipHoper's Avatar
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    The thing is CeeBee, That usually the performance users know how to upgrade these computers by themselves, Which leave you only with the option to advise them or earn money just on selling them the parts, where the margins are quite low because of competition and online shops....

  5. #5
    Registered User slgrieb's Avatar
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    These days most of my builds are for business use. I can still get a premium price because the systems have extended warranty coverage, and include delivery, setup, and software installation plus data transfer.

    If you look at what Dell (for example) charges for this, you'll see that you can provide those services with a new computer as a total package for less money and still make a decent profit.

  6. #6
    Registered User HipHoper's Avatar
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    slg.....Hmmm.....I have 1 enterprise class client which use my services when they need some fast service, But they barely buy systems from me although they buy large amount of IBM/DELL/HP (it changes every few years based on the price they get for the systems).They have their own IT branch which deploy images of the OS they are using. I guess you can't fight the bigger brands but when we are talking about small-medium size businesses you can show some major advantages you have over the big brands.
    I think in the end your develop a niche that is most comfortable for you to work with

  7. #7
    Registered User slgrieb's Avatar
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    Well, large businesses are certainly going to be able to provide most IT services in-house, but there are lots of small and medium businesses that are just crying out for reliable service and support. Think service agreements.

    Even for larger companies, you should look for the holes in what their IT guys do. I used to do a bunch of printer service for Conoco Phillips/Conoco Shell because their IT guys had no printer expertise and were spread so thin with routine stuff they just couldn't do it. In fact, I kept a full time employee who did nothing but service their printers.

    For most of us small players, niche markets are where all the money is.

  8. #8
    Registered User HipHoper's Avatar
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    "I kept a full time employee who did nothing but service their printers"....Boy that's quite a "hole".
    I don't know if i can manage another person working with me, Since work is not enough at the moment and I don't like to take big projects on myself without having a backup plan, But from your experience it's sounds like a promising venue if you're up to it.

  9. #9
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    You guys are all using the same avatars I remember from like...8 years ago.

    Whose leg do I have to hump to get into my old account? I can't get into the old yahoo addy I signed up with.


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  10. #10
    Registered User slgrieb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HipHoper View Post
    "I kept a full time employee who did nothing but service their printers"....Boy that's quite a "hole".
    I don't know if i can manage another person working with me, Since work is not enough at the moment and I don't like to take big projects on myself without having a backup plan, But from your experience it's sounds like a promising venue if you're up to it.
    Well, I'm right down the road from America's largest inland refinery, and virtually every desk in every office and control station has it's own printer. Without getting into a discussion of just how stupid engineers and other staff can be in IT matters, I had no problem with available jobs. Started out doing them myself, but quickly had to get help.

    You need to keep a stable of prospective employees. If you can identify market opportunities, you might consider putting on a part-time employee that you can move to a full-time position if you land some service contracts. Printer service is good because anyone with basic mechanical skills and the ability to read a service manual can do it.

    I don't know how most business in Israel operate, but here in the U.S, even if it is cheaper to buy a printer instead of fixing one, replacement is generally treated as a capital expenditure. Fixing a POS inkjet gets written off as maintenance and the cost of the repair is completely ignored by the bean counters.

  11. #11
    Registered User HipHoper's Avatar
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    Thanks for sharing slg. It seems that you are flexible enough to take any project you find and adjust "working power" for it. That is a great ability in business.
    Although in Israel computers can be written off for tax in a 3 years period time, Clients are reluctant to replace them for some reason I just cant understand.
    I noticed that most of the computers I sell have an average life span of 5 years, And I earn basically from service, So computers are replaced usually when it come to a point when it's not worth to fix them (And even then the clients try to drag these computer-corps for as long as possible until the replacement....)

  12. #12
    Registered User MobilePCPhysician's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by infiniteblaze View Post
    You guys are all using the same avatars I remember from like...8 years ago.

    Whose leg do I have to hump to get into my old account? I can't get into the old yahoo addy I signed up with.


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  13. #13
    Registered User Ferrit's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Guts3d View Post
    checking online for prices and compatibility for a new build for a customer. I miss ordering all the parts, going through the list in my head to ensure I didn't forget anything, making sure the ram was compatible, etc. I just don't get many builds anymore, what with the big companies selling units for cheaper than I can buy the parts alone.

    They make their cash back with bloatware, trialware, and just plain shoddy parts. Consider this an official request to bring back the good old days!
    Honestly Guts3D something is wrong.
    I have no trouble competing with those "big companies'
    It's really easy to explain why there crap is so cheap.
    I rarely if ever have a problem competing with that trash.
    They dont transfer data, They dont customize.
    The people selling that crap rarely have a clue what they are doing and
    usually can be depended on to piss the customer off.
    Must be different down there or your not telling them what trash they are getting in terms they can understand.
    iI have customers coming to me from :those" companies
    after being sold demo laptops as new and New backup harddrives with 20 gigs of stolen movies still on them sold as new items.
    Just my 2 cents
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  14. #14
    Registered User Guts3d's Avatar
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    Here in the States, cash is king. The people that I used to build for are either still getting by with the quality machine I built for them 5 years ago and don't notice the speed as it is what they are used to, or see a bright flashy sign at Wally World and thought " Gee, that's cheap!" and bught a trialware machine. Most of the side work I get is reloads and virus removal. I have had maybe three or four mobo / chip / ram replacements, where I was re-using the customers' case and other parts in the past 5 months. But viruses and malware? Dozens!!
    " I don't like the idea of getting shot in the hand" -Blackie in "Rustlers Rhapsody"

    " It is a proud and lonely thing, to be a Stainless Steel Rat." - Slippery Jim DiGriz

  15. #15
    Registered User slgrieb's Avatar
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    Nothing wrong with that, except that malware removal is usually insanely boring. On the other hand, unlike a MOBO replacement, you can do several malware removals concurrently.

    Since the majority of my customers are no more than 15 minutes away, I like to bring the machines to the office for cleaning. I always explain that doing so lets me work on other projects (or watch Netflix) concurrently, whereas if I do the removal on site, I'll charge for every second I spend sitting on my rear watching progress bars creep across the screen. Letting me do the malware removal at the office is generally about half the cost of doing it on site, so I think it's a win-win situation.

    But, you're right when you say things have changed. When was the last time you had to troubleshoot an IRQ conflict? In spite of generally crappy quality control, most hardware today is more reliable than 10 years ago. Most of the time, it either works or is obviously, totally dead.

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