Technical > PC Hardware Discussion/Reviews > How much do you charge

How much do you charge

I don't do it in any professional capacity, so whenever I do work for friends, I tell them to tip whatever they feel is appropriate. I've gotten $100 for rebuilding a system, $50 for replacing an HDD. I typically just do it because I enjoy working with computers.
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If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

The same here. I am a freelancer as well, and enjoy working with computers.

reply to Oleg
Nothing. I would typically charge nothing. If I had the time to do it then it would be on me. If I didn't have the time I simply wouldn't do it. One of the reasons I wouldn't charge anything is because I couldn't be sure that I would be able to help them again in the near future and as such couldn't necessarily support my own work on what I would consider a reasonable schedule.

If you rebuild a system or build a new one (or most any other work really) you are essentially a key part of their support for the system.

If I could support it better then yeah I'd probably charge something. For a complete build perhaps some percentage of the total cost of the parts.

reply to Oleg
Gas, lunch, sometimes booze, or nothing if we are real friends who exchange favors within limitations if I want to help this person. Some people I refuse to help for one reason, or another.

Some people are generous with giving me money when I'm not their friend, and it's a referral to help a friend of a friend. I've refused to take large amounts of money more than once, only taking like $10 to cover gas, and buy some lunch for the day when it's something simple. I'm not looking to make this my day job.
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I distrust those people who know so well what god wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires- Susan B. Anthony
Yesterday we obeyed kings, and bent out necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to the truth- Kahlil G.

reply to Oleg
I don't "charge" folks, but if they ask to do something, I'll tell them I need black DVDs or something. I did a bunch of work for a friend's friend years back and the guy got me some earbuds that are really great (iMetal).

I don't think I am qualified to charge people because I'm not even certified and things can go wrong, and most of these people are friends or friends of friends. I let them do a favor in return, but mostly I just do it to help people, and the same thing with my volunteer work, I don't want anything, just a smile and to make someone's day better. I get a real boost fixing a problem for someone and them being really happy, even in the work I do, I love helping people.

If I were rich, I probably wouldn't be rich for too long, because I like to share, and my modest knowledge is one thing I CAN share...

Oleg, careful when charging people. Ask yourself "am I really a qualified computer tech?" And treat people accordingly. Of course, a 6 back of Mr. Pibb is always nice (if you like Pibb).
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Join Teams Helix and Discovery. Rest in Peace, Leonard David Smith, my best friend, you are missed badly! Rest in peace, Pop, glad our last years were good. Please pray for Colin, he has ependymoma, a brain cancer, donate to a children's Hospital.

Yea. I do the same thing for friends, and family, but for referrals i only charge $5. Now there are computer shops that rip people of by charging arm, and leg. Today i have helped out my friend's mother converting a document to PDF format without charging anything, and it has made my day and her day.

personally, IMHO, many computer shops aren't really a ripoff. They have to guarantee their work with no added fee if it doesn't work, they pay for rent and advertising, they pay for trained workers, they have to stock parts that might sit on shelves for a year before use, they have to tolerate the attitude and behavior of customers (OK, so I worked for one briefly)...
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Join Teams Helix and Discovery. Rest in Peace, Leonard David Smith, my best friend, you are missed badly! Rest in peace, Pop, glad our last years were good. Please pray for Colin, he has ependymoma, a brain cancer, donate to a children's Hospital.

True. But i know a store owner who guarantees his work, and chargers only $25 in store, and $35 onsite for a simple computer repair or upgrade with parts in hand. Even when i do not have a part on hand he would charge Newegg's price or even lower. My other local computer shop charges $110 to install or swap out the HD or CPU even when i have the parts.

Sometimes you can take an hourly wage viewpoint. I had to work on as much as 12 computers simultaneously (delousing mostly), and working on laptops is very labor intensive. I feel that 25 is selling himself way too low. Even as an electrician's assistant decades ago we charged at least 45 an hour. It isn't a question of ripping off, but reasonable fees. Remember, business owners have to take out special insurance and pay state and city fees too.

What is a woman's/man's worth after going to college? Surely more than 25 dollars to fix a laptop part. Heck, it takes 15 to 30 minutes to disassemble a laptop, and how have to keep track of where each part goes, and often refer to the manufacturer's instructions, so even more time.

110 to swap a hard drive, even in a laptop is expensive, sure, but how are you going to convince a customer that, say, replacing a power connector is worth that much if you don't charge something similar for a HD. Remember, most people that come to computer shops are pretty clueless about what various jobs involve, and they usually choose to NOT know, because their time is more valuable doing other things.

Just the liability insurance, business license, and rent alone make 25 too little.
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Join Teams Helix and Discovery. Rest in Peace, Leonard David Smith, my best friend, you are missed badly! Rest in peace, Pop, glad our last years were good. Please pray for Colin, he has ependymoma, a brain cancer, donate to a children's Hospital.

reply to Oleg
I don't touch installing software unless it is setting up a new build(OS, drivers, Microsoft VirtualPC(if asked), MS Office/OpenOffice, Quicken and an Antivirus).

3rd party software is a headache, if the developer is known for buggy releases(release now, fix later) or the company is known for using a shoddy CD/DVD distro company it'll be "your fault" instead of the software company. Also some people expect program xyz from pre-XP/Vista will work on a 64-bit OS... Win9x/ME software were 32-bit but some programs used 16-bit or pre-DirectX(ex: WinG) underlying technologies that aren't supported.

reply to Oleg
I'd say $50 minimum, unless you know it is something that you can do remotely very quickly then you can do it for nothing, dinner, or whatever. For more complex things, new system set up, at least $100, which includes removing all of the bloatware.

Most of it depends on how long it is going to take, including travel time. Then determine how much your time is worth and charge appropriately. People might say you only make $10 an hour at work, why are you charging me $15, tell them that is your over time rate. Truth be told, side jobs are all overtime jobs.
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reply to Oleg
I remeber one time on vacation my Wife's relatives we're unable to use their computer for weeks maybe months. My Wife offered my services gratis (without asking me naturally). I opened it and removed one of the two DIMMs. It started right up and worked no problem.

It only took a min or two and was nothing to me but was a big deal to them.

reply to HappyFrappy
Yea. Software may take some time like the OS. As for cleaning up infections it may take a long time. Also some people will infect their PC again, and will blame you. It's make me laugh at people like that.

So you laugh at people who pay you for help?

reply to Oleg

reply to Oleg
Charge? I recently heard about YouTube.com

People tell me they get help from there. The remaining idiots call me and I help them. Pardon my modesty.

reply to Oleg
I have an income. I may upgrade/repair/install updates to computers belonging to friends and family...happy to be of assistance. Maybe they'll remember me when I can use a hand at something that they are talented at!

Nothing wrong with charging folks if that works for you, but to me, if they are "clients", then to be professional, one should have established rates.

Soon or later a couple of your "clients" may just happen to speak with one another and inevitably someone is going to be an unhappy camper...
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Deeds, not words

Wiser words rarely said. Seller beware. Especially if you don't respect them or take advantage of them. If you're not really fully qualified, and you're not doing what amounts to a favor, watch out, it may bite you in the back.