I am thinking of going into helping local users with the pc problems but don't know what to charge yet. I want to be fair. I know too many computer people who are cocky as hell and charge outragous prices. I want to be able to service our community and try to make a couple of extra bucks but not be so expensive that people won't call me. Especially during a recession. On request I can send you my resume. I have been in the computer field for over 18 years
The going rate The going rate the last time I heard was something between $80-$100/hr. Heck Circuit City charges $100 just to look at the thing. When I take up some free lance work I usually will charge around $50/hr plus parts. However I don't charge just for taking a look at it usually. To me that has always seemed like it is milking the customer. The structure I have allows me to still make some extra scratch but also gives the customer a pretty big discount over taking it somewhere.
You'll find that if you don't charge to look at it, a few will abuse the kindness of your time spent. CC & BB don't really want to fix your PC, they want you to buy a new one. That's why the high price. If you do have it fixed they make the same profit, if not more profit, than a new PC. A complete professional hardware and software diagnostic tool kit will cost over $900 to do the job effectively and quickly. The software needs to be upgraded about every 6 months, which is another cost added to the diagnostic side. These tools give the customer less manhours to pay if it's not economical to repair. I specialize in laptops. My assembly manuals cost over $850 per year and upgrades to my hardware diagnostic boards is another cost. You need the right tools to do the job correctly. I charge for the diagnostic to offset that cost, but I credit that charge if I repair the PC.
