Quote:
Originally Posted by meatwad
$250.00 ???????? I must really be undercharging!!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meatwad
$250.00 ???????? I must really be undercharging!!
I guess so.Quote:
Originally Posted by 3fingersalute
To a point I agree with you. But lets take a simple home user who has a problem that is taking a while to find a solution or is loaded with tons of spyware. How long does it really take to wipe and load a system, load drivers, updates and copy data back down? I'd say 1-2 hours usually at most. If you can do this, have them up and running with all of there data in under 2 hours, why not? Because I am not learning anything?? Maybe I do not find the solution to the problem this time, but I do get the customer up and running in a minimal amount of time, he's happy, I'm happy and I didn't waste his time or money.Quote:
Originally Posted by TripleRLtd
Don't get me wrong , I do prefer to find the solution to the problem rather than wipe & reload, but I just think there is a time when you need to realize that it is more practical (and in some cases even better) to cut your losses and hose a system and load it up from scratch.
I also do not agree that by wiping and loading, we "are not offering the customer tech services."
How many end users do you know who are really capable of backing up all data from programs, program settings, emails, address books, favorites, network settings, etc. and then wiping a sytem, reloading it, loading all drivers and updates and then re-importing all data to the correct locations, and getting all of the settings set so that the end user can hardly tell the pc has been wiped and loaded???
What is your hourly rate?Quote:
Originally Posted by meatwad
80 bucks. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by 3fingersalute
The place I left in March charged $85, then raised it to $95 about 2 months ago. I've been doing personal customers for $35-$40/hr. and business for $50, so needless to say, I've taken a huge hunk of thier customers away.Quote:
Originally Posted by meatwad
Quote:
Originally Posted by meatwad
OMG, you need another helper? :p
Yep.Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovetheusers
I still can't imagine that people actually pay $80 an hour for PC repair. Are you in NYC or Cali. or somewhere that the cost of living is high?
The same for me. I know that I can r/r and move data for about 2 hours. Plus set them up with their Antivirus, windows updates, spywareblaster and zonealarm. Versus getting into a repair and spending an hour or 2 and finding it won't work right.
I used to be able to give an educated estimation as to whether the system is repairable. But recently everyone has tried to run something like Ad-aware on their own, without updating it. And they have used their antivirus to take out many viruses after infection so now that the AV won't run I can't see what they had.
How am I going to keep my reputation as a Miracle Worker?
Ah, but you failed to read the rest of my post 3finger!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by 3fingersalute
And, you fail to think about the copied data!! Has it been infected? Are you re-loading a time bomb???Quote:
Some pc's are easier than others, and the ones that are really bad can take hours and hours. I do not believe in formatting, as I believe ANYONE can do that, and as a tech, we don't learn anything and are not offering the customer tech services. But, this attitude is beginning to change with all this malware crap. Some jobs are just no longer cost effective. Damn, it is indeed worse that I have ever seen it. Worse than any virus outbreak I have ever seen, or remember.
We are indeed in a new age. Everywhere WE turn there is malware or viruses! I used to charge by the hour!! I honestly don't feel that is right any longer! Not when a new PC from Eeek Machines can be had for a couple hundred dollars. BUT: that is just me!! And, I live on a small island where everyone knows me. But still, even if I still lived in the NYC area, I couldn't charge outragious rates any longer, unless it was for a business: where their data is their livelihood, and a simple format and reinstall would NOT suffice. YES, it is a Brave New World, and it is not so good for All the PC users out there! Does that mean we should take advantage of them? I don't think so...but, that is just ME!
Good stuff in this thread, and it goes right into the heart of where we, as technicians, live. Or at least I think so. Certainly true in my case.
I too, have been cutting my losses of late, and though I feel a little guilty, I am saving the customer and myself money in the long run. And I agree with the fact that if we get the machine back to the customer with their data migrated properly, the updates in place, and educate them a bit on how to help themselves prevent reinfection, then we are indeed selling tech services.
I did read your post, I was simply saying there are times that finding the cause of a problem is neither cost or time effective, and that is not a new concept; as you seemed to imply:Quote:
Originally Posted by TripleRLtd
Quote:
Originally Posted by TripleRLtd
And btw,
Please do not insult my intelligence. I know damn well to check any and all data before migrating it onto a clean machine.Quote:
Originally Posted by TripleRLtd
This discussion does not need to get personal, but if that is the road you wish to go down, I will not stand idly by and be insulted.
Posted by TripleRLtd
I can't begin to tell you the number of times people bring in their 2 year old machine and when I tell them it might take 2 hours to restore, plus they need to buy a 40 dollar antivirus they tell me they will just get a new machine.Quote:
Not when a new PC from Eeek Machines can be had for a couple hundred dollars
Of course they never updated the antivirus on their old machine. Plus never updated Windows or Internet Explorer. Plus downloaded and installed every piece of adware on the net.
And they just assume they get an antivirus with the new machine(updates? I don't need no stinking updates!)
The number of people who believe that WindowsXP will fix their problems is incredible.
I remember one guy who ran right out and bought an HP at Wal-Mart. He was back in the shop with his new computer in ONE week. Seems he couldn't get on the internet anymore.
He had something like 11 different viruse and Spybot found something like 243 problems.
Pay me now, or pay me later.
so meatwad, you have me wondering here. and I guess any other shop owner.
You say you charge $80 per hour and people nearly **** themselves when you tell them it's going to cost $250 to fix their PC.
Does this mean someone's doing 3 hours of dedicated work at a single PC?
can't you just line them all up and work on them all at the same time? then if you spend 3 hours fixing 10 PCs make it cheaper for the customer, and more efficient for you. Sort of a spyware (dis)assembly line?
I'm just wondering, because I'm not in a shop environment.