 CylonRedPremium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County | reply to medbuyer
Re: What to charge customer for changing their mind? Then it really does not help... |
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 ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4 | reply to icex
The initial repair was for a motherboard and then you uphold her on everything else, correct? Why not offer the motherboard repair for the lesser price? |
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 AVDRespice, Adspice, ProspicePremium
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ
kudos:1 | that moght be your best shot, negotiate a lower price to cut your losses.
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* seek help if having trouble coping
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 burner50Proud Union THUGPremium,VIP
join:2002-06-05
Texas
kudos:1 | reply to medbuyer
said by medbuyer:said by CylonRed:If the CC is paid off every time it is used the score rises. CCs are but one way to raise/lower FICO scores.
I know that..but what if you dont use it at all? to the OP: not trying to highjack your thread... My Amex gets used and paid off every month.
My Chase card is for emergencies only or for one of the places that doesn't take amex (emergencies like car repairs, washer / dryer / fridge goes out), a computer repair hardly qualifies as an emergency in my book. Its charges are paid off every month.
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I'm tired of killing stupid people just trying to do my job and go home! |
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 Oh_NoTrogglus normalus
join:2011-05-21
Chicago, IL
1 edit | reply to icex
said by icex:..Now before you say "What?" let me explain.
Had a call about a computer that would stay on for 15-20 minutes then freeze. I travel 10 minutes to meet the customer and pickup the computer. I take it apart and determine the motherboard is bad and a replacement would cost $120 from china (HP pegatron board).
I then proceed to explain to them I can upgrade the computer with a new motherboard, ram, processor and power supply. The parts are $280 and the labor is $185. She agrees and says first of the month (November first) she will have the money.
So I have the computer apart (motherboard still in the case) and it sits on my desk since last month. Yesterday she calls and says she'll have my money today, $240. I said thats just parts, and I will have to make sure thats the price because I wasent at my computer during the day. Today she comes here and asks me if its $240 or more, I go look and its $280 for the parts. I proceed to tell her and she says thats too much she'll send it to Florida and get it fixed alot cheaper and it'll last alot longer. I offer to knock $30 off the labor and she refused. I said I'll have it assembled tommorow.
I already did a virus & spyware removal on the hard drive, obviously their not going to pay that. I plan to do a system restore to restore the virus's (if possible) and take my anti virus off the machine.
My question is, what should I charge for a diagnostic? I say "free estimate if I repair the machine, $25 if I don't." but obviously I done alot more and the customer screwed me over by changing their mind at the last second when I have everything took apart and ready to order new parts.
Comments?
1. You charge a lot for labor. It should not take more than 1.5hrs to install and load the software and you can do multiple computers at the same time. $185 would be like $124 an hour.
2. It should have taken you 5 minutes to put it back together, so who cares about that.
3. your anti-virus?? are you using free anti-virus software for commercial use?
4. Did the free estimate include travel?? if not you can charge for travel if you stated that up front.
5. you can only charge for what the terms were up front
$75 for virus removal??? Wow.
Your customers have to be 100% computer illiterate to pay those prices. |
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 Cthen
join:2004-08-01
Detroit, MI
 ·Verizon Wireless..
 ·Comcast
| reply to icex
If you don't have some capital backing you, even getting things in writing still can cost ya. One person can break you if they decide to fight you on everything despite having it all writing and you being the one in the right.
In these cases it's not matter of who is in the right but rather how long a customer can cost you $$$ in the process to prove you are in the right. (And a good amount of customers are aware of this)
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"I like to refer to myself as an Adult Film Efficienato." - Stuart Bondek |
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 icexPremium
join:2004-05-22
USA
 ·Frontier Communi..
| reply to Oh_No
I charge alot for labor?
You should realy look at staples/best buy/office depot/office max's price and then tell me my prices are high.
$150 for virus/spyware removal.
$150-300 for a motherboard installation
Yet my prices are to high? What are you smoking? |
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ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4 Reviews:
 ·VOIPo
| said by icex:I charge alot for labor?
You should realy look at staples/best buy/office depot/office max's price and then tell me my prices are high.
$150 for virus/spyware removal.
$150-300 for a motherboard installation
Yet my prices are to high? What are you smoking?
They are nationally known brands with written estimates and contracts. You? Not so much or we would not have this thread.
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"So, Lone Starr, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage? »www.venganza.org |
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| reply to icex
wait a minute...I seem to recall you saying you manage a law firm...
»Bad phone wiring
»[OS X] Problems with microsoft office 2011
so this computer repair biz is a side job? since you worked or work in a law firm, one would think that contracts are necessary to do repairs and such...
and funny you said that you're prices are high compared to big box stores...
specially when you run to dslreports or on the internet for tech support...and a coincidence that you asked for some help on possibly the same pc with that HP Pegatron board that your customer changed their minds...
»Computer runs fine, then turns solid color and unresponsive..
anti virus removal for $75? using Kaspersky or any off the shelf, commercially available stuff you see on big box stores or recommendations here or toms hardware? |
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icexPremium
join:2004-05-22
USA Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| Wow, your a researcher eh? I do computer repair on the side, and do the IT work for the law firm when they need it. Might be weekly work, might be 2-3 months before they need work.
Oh and abour your comment about the pegatron board, your right, same computer. Congratulations. |
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icexPremium
join:2004-05-22
USA Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| reply to icex
To all that have provided helpful and thoughtful responses, thank you. To those that just want to be a smart ass, piss off, we don't want your opinion.
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The Gun News Blog, the latest information on the firearm industry. |
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 DrModemPremium
join:2006-10-19
USA
kudos:1 | reply to medbuyer
For $465 she could buy a pretty decent new machine, I don't see why anyone would go for computer repair like this. |
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icexPremium
join:2004-05-22
USA Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| reply to medbuyer
said by medbuyer:anti virus removal for $75? using Kaspersky or any off the shelf, commercially available stuff you see on big box stores or recommendations here or toms hardware?
FYI, I'm not going to sit here for hours upon hours removing virus's using multiple programs to do it just to charge them $35 and I don't think anyone else is unless their just looking for something to do. I have a family to provide for and I'll be damned if I'm going to sit on a computer all day for $20-35 or even less.
I don't just scan it, see that its clean and then send it back. I run multiple anti virus programs, hijackthis, root kit detectors, etc to manualy search for harder to find virus's and thats why 99% of my customers have told me their computers are running fine and their perfectly happy with the service I provide.
Oh, another thing. I said my prices are lower than computer repair chains. Learn to read please!
..One last thing. I've known the lawyer (which with your research you should have read that in one of my threads) for many years and we don't do contract work, I reach her the invoice and she pays the bill. |
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icexPremium
join:2004-05-22
USA | reply to DrModem
Your right, but this customer diden't want a new computer case, they wanted their old hp case to be used. |
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| reply to icex
said by icex:said by medbuyer:anti virus removal for $75? using Kaspersky or any off the shelf, commercially available stuff you see on big box stores or recommendations here or toms hardware?
FYI, I'm not going to sit here for hours upon hours removing virus's using multiple programs to do it just to charge them $35 and I don't think anyone else is unless their just looking for something to do. I have a family to provide for and I'll be damned if I'm going to sit on a computer all day for $20-35 or even less. I don't just scan it, see that its clean and then send it back. I run multiple anti virus programs, hijackthis, root kit detectors, etc to manualy search for harder to find virus's and thats why 99% of my customers have told me their computers are running fine and their perfectly happy with the service I provide. you do IT work for a law firm already or at least get more IT projects even if it's seasonal so that should be your bread and butter
and not try to struggle or live off a computer repair business...
a decent charge for virus removal maybe in the $50 range specially when you're not gonna sit there every minute watching it... |
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| reply to icex
Re: What to charge customer for changing their mind? cut your loss for now...charge that to experience...
and before letting that computer go, have her sign something saying that the pc wasnt repaired as per customer, showing a detailed breakdown of parts, prices and labor...
might not be a bad idea to include 2-3 lines below for her to explain why she declined the work. |
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icexPremium
join:2004-05-22
USA Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| Yeah, whats weird is she took it to radioshack before me. When I got it on the bench, the graphics card fan was broke completely, and the heatsink on the CPU wasent hooked on and was loose, so it probaly burnt the cpu up as well. Just a theory.
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The Gun News Blog, the latest information on the firearm industry. |
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