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icex
Premium Member
join:2004-05-22
USA

1 recommendation

icex

Premium Member

Re: What to charge customer for changing their mind?

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.

DrModem
Trust Your Doctor
Premium Member
join:2006-10-19
USA

DrModem to medbuyer

Premium Member

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.

icex
Premium Member
join:2004-05-22
USA

icex to medbuyer

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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.
icex

icex to DrModem

Premium Member

to DrModem
Your right, but this customer diden't want a new computer case, they wanted their old hp case to be used.
medbuyer
join:2003-11-20
Memphis, TN

medbuyer to icex

Member

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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medbuyer

medbuyer to icex

Member

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.

icex
Premium Member
join:2004-05-22
USA

icex

Premium Member

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.

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

1 edit

David to icex

Premium Member

to icex
well not to burst anyone's bubble or add to any more fire arguements. I do repair work on the side as well. most times if it's an easy $100 or less fix I will take it on. Other times I just flat out tell them "Buy a new one!" I figure they are not going to pay what you or I are worth and android pads are cheaper. I have a laptop at home I quoted repairs of parts alone of $120 and that wasn't for software reload costs I figured about $50 for a reload.

In the end... they bought a new one!

So that's what I do now more or less, cause the industry is driving them to it!

I got tired of getting "Dump offs".

A "dump off" is when people just leave the laptop/desktop and go buy a new one and I am left with the non-working unit and for some reason they don't want it back or I can't get a hold of them again. I decided at that point it goes on a 90 day clock. If you were really that interested in getting it back, you would have taken it back by now!

icex
Premium Member
join:2004-05-22
USA

icex

Premium Member

I understand about the dump offs. I actualy have built quiet a few new computers for customers (keep in mind when I build them, I let them know what the warranty on the parts are, like if its ram its limited lifetime warranty, if its the CPU its usualy 2-3 years, etc and just charge labor to install it) and they let me have their old machine.

I actualy have a laptop here somewere that I charged a girl $25 to look at and diagnose the problem with the battery, she never came and got it. Been here for 3-4 years now.

That's something I wrote into my contract to have people sign now (I done it last night) is that if they don't come and get it within 30 days I will offer it to them at invoice cost + a percentage, after that its mine to do whatever I want with it.
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AsherN
Premium Member
join:2010-08-23
Thornhill, ON

AsherN to icex

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to icex

Re: What to charge customer for changing their mind?

Building computers is a losing proposition. Unless the customer has very special needs, you can get warranted, off the shelf units cheaper.

UNless it's an unusual case, $50-75 covers virus removal. Clock actual keyboard time. It does not matter if the scan takes 6 hours. It's still 10 minutes to install the AV software and start it.

not
@comcast.net

not to icex

Anon

to icex
If the system is older than 4 years, what you should have done initially was inform the user that it might be worth their interest to save up their money (sounds like money is an issue anyway) and possibly invest in a new machine for X-Mas. Given your $465 just to rebuild the PC with aftermarket parts, it would have been better to save up a couple hundred more and buy something new with a warranty.

Either way, you shouldn't have continued to do work on it on your own without having your payment. So, you're now stuck with just getting paid $25 per your original statement to the customer.

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski to icex

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to icex
said by icex:

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.

So instead of being able to fix it, you basically wanted to replace everything. You then got mad when the customer said no to that. And of course they didn't want a new case, they wanted their computer fixed, not replaced.

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot to icex

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to icex
said by icex:

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

That's the difference between you and a repair outlet, as a repair outlet would remove the virus in a PE environment then scan multiple systems on their bench and charge an appropriate amount of money based on the hour of hands on work and not the time to 'sit there for hours'.

I'd say $65 for a thorough virus cleaning is a fair deal for both parties.

As for your diagnostic work, I think it may make sense to change the way you do things and appropriately charge for the hours it takes for your hands on work. If it takes you 45 minutes to diagnose a failed motherboard, you charge 0.75 x $rate and that's that. If they choose to upgrade with you as well, then perhaps you'll give them a deal.

Your procedures or rules may be affecting your ability to provide a fair deal for both parties.

Cheese
Premium Member
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL

Cheese to icex

Premium Member

to icex
So, it's to much, but she will ship to FL to get it fixed? Um...

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David to AsherN

Premium Member

to AsherN
I actually have a notepad document on my desktop so when I start working on it and stop working on it. I thought about getting an amano punch clock for this (sams sells them for like $60) as it would be quicker and easier.

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
·Metronet

CylonRed to Cheese

MVM

to Cheese
said by Cheese:

So, it's to much, but she will ship to FL to get it fixed? Um...

There is nothing he can do about what she told him. She was just providing an excuse.
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icex
Premium Member
join:2004-05-22
USA

icex to ptrowski

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Re: What to charge customer for changing their mind?

First, I dident get mad, I could care less what they want to do.

I told the customer we could put a new motherboard in it --- but the pegatron motherboard ships from China which would take 2-3 weeks to get in, if not longer.

I told the customer I could upgrade the machine and build a better, faster machine. Keep in mind the pegatron motherboard was $120 + shipping from China, wait time etc. THE CUSTOMER said they dident want the motherboard from china they would rather me UPGRADE it.
icex

icex to David

Premium Member

to David
Check amazon for a price on those. I thought about doing that for my excavation business, but most people prefer a daily flat rate around here anymore.

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski to icex

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to icex
Nice try. The wait wouldn't factor into it as they came for a repair. You couldn't fix it as is evident by your other thread, so my guess would be you told them that it would take all that to repair it, not upgrade. Why? Because either way they would have waited either for the board from China or to save up the cash.

icex
Premium Member
join:2004-05-22
USA

icex

Premium Member

Realy, you calling me a liar? The customer specificaly told me on the phone they dident want to wait on the motherboard to come from China. I told them we could upgrade it with newer parts and she said that was fine she would have the money ready the first of November. Call me a liar all you want, realy don't care.

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

Yes. Things just don't add up.

icex
Premium Member
join:2004-05-22
USA

icex

Premium Member

Ok.