Going Into Business As A PC Repairman

Sorry to raise this from last month, but i had a question as i am thinking of going down this route to make extra cash. What if a client has a PC that has a corrupt Windows install and the only sensible option is a rebuild, and they dont have a Windows/recovery CD or have lost it? Do you not need their Windows CD to install using their product key?

Also smr or Sin_Chase if you could reply back i would be most grateful, it would be great to pick either of your brains, i wont be any competition as i am miles away!

Cheers!

(p.s, how can i see someones trust info now? I seem to have forgotten!)
 
So long as you have a product key "legal" you can install with any disc, afik.

I lost my XP pro disc and ive always used my custom sp3 install disc since when I did a reinstall.
 
Good luck with this.

I was thinking of doing this myself as people often ask me to do it etc and the local "pc repair" shops are really awful and clueless folk.
 
smr said:
To the people who say it's "dead work" and such... well I made £2,500 after tax in July... there are plenty of small businesses ran by people who are clueless about PCs and for that matter older people.

Granted many of my customers are 40+ but how many 40+ people are there out there? And the thing is, more and more people older people are joining in with the Internet Crowd these days, purchasing a computer and asking you to set it up as they know naff all about it... you've then, of course, got a customer for life as well, if you treat 'em right ;)
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Well congrats on the 2,500.

I just want to tell you that I am over 40 years old and have been using the internet before you were wiping your own nose, so please stop with the generalisations about us "old" people, oh and get off my lawn.
 
haha ^ same here.. 41.

I would just say that building and maintaining your own PCs is very different to providing PC support as a business to clients.

Think about how you'll conduct your business which is cost efficient to you. Define your rules and make sure you stick to them at all times.

Think about your pricing and where you are going to work..

Don't under sell yourself.. You owe no one nothing. Don't over charge but don't under charge either. I charge by the hour but half hour charging is at my discretion.

And lastly, as I said before here in this thread... insurance - get public and industrial insurance before you even touch a screw driver.



Good luck.
 
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masterk said:
Sorry to raise this from last month, but i had a question as i am thinking of going down this route to make extra cash. What if a client has a PC that has a corrupt Windows install and the only sensible option is a rebuild, and they dont have a Windows/recovery CD or have lost it? Do you not need their Windows CD to install using their product key?

Also smr or Sin_Chase if you could reply back i would be most grateful, it would be great to pick either of your brains, i wont be any competition as i am miles away!

Cheers!

(p.s, how can i see someones trust info now? I seem to have forgotten!)
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If they have a corrupt windows or a failed hard disk.. I tell them straight how it is then give them the choice of what they want to do and how much it will cost. 9/10 they just say "yep go ahead".

I don't need disks as I have a collection of my own. All i need is their key.

If they don't have that, I'll use a linux disk to try and recover it from the registry..

If i still can't get it then it back to the customer to tell them that they need a new license.. Back in their court.

You just need to be direct, clear and honest.
 
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There are still thousands of people who don't have a clue about pcs. It only seems saturated to us because we're surrounded by technically accute people, the forums is the only place I can talk to people about hardware etc. etc. to be honest.

The everyday people I know don't have a clue about hardware/software let alone fixing it and I believe there is still a good market for it. And I disagree that "everyone" is getting tech savvy. There is more competition but as far as repair shops there are very few in my opinion.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
haha ^ same here.. 41.

I would just say that building and maintaining your own PCs is very different to providing PC support as a business to clients.

Think about how you'll conduct your business which is cost efficient to you. Define your rules and make sure you stick to them at all times.

Think about your pricing and where you are going to work..

Don't under sell yourself.. You owe no one nothing. Don't over charge but don't under charge either. I charge by the hour but half hour charging is at my discretion.

And lastly, as I said before here in this thread... insurance - get public and industrial insurance before you even touch a screw driver.



Good luck.
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With regards to the insurance, how much per year is a reasonable amount, I have one quote of £70 so far.

Just setting my self up in my local area as I'm fed up with temping whilst looking for a permanent role.

I already have most of the equipment needed and have drawn up receipts with conditions of service etc on them as well as some advertising, but want this sorted before I do anything.
 
smr said:
To the people who say it's "dead work" and such... well I made £2,500 after tax in July... there are plenty of small businesses ran by people who are clueless about PCs and for that matter older people.
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£2,500 per month is reasonable for a self employed sole trader. However it's not a massive amount. What is staggering though is that you made it doing PC repairs. I know someone who started a small company that eventually failed. She didn't make a great deal of money to start off with, but over time it just didn't take off. I know of several businesses where it hasn't worked either. The problem seems to be getting the service to "feel" like calling a plumber out.

In any case though, clearly you have talent to actually make a real go of it. And if you want to go onwards from there you might want to consider taking on an "apprentice" and expanding the area you cover, simply taking a cut from what they earn. Maybe you'll end up as a national company with franchise holders all over the place :)

As for being self employed people do need to realise you need to earn significantly more to be on a level pegging with someone else on a salary.

No sick pay, holiday pay, benefits, pension contributions, plus additional costs mean you need to earn more than you would think.

I'm always impressed when someone is successful, but I've professionally seen many people who are working 70+ hours a week, for effectively minimum wage and running themselves into an early grave.
 
BluZiff said:
With regards to the insurance, how much per year is a reasonable amount, I have one quote of £70 so far.

Just setting my self up in my local area as I'm fed up with temping whilst looking for a permanent role.

I already have most of the equipment needed and have drawn up receipts with conditions of service etc on them as well as some advertising, but want this sorted before I do anything.
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£70 sounds about right. Is that with Hensure? Make sure that it covers you in case you drop the PC during transport, or gets damaged in an accident.

Check also if the insurance covers you for loss of data. I have a condition that I am not responsible for the loss or corruption of any data or programs. However, terms and conditions aren't worth a penny unless the customers sees them and agrees to them by signature. Therefore, you need this cover. This is a must if your going into corporate. If you bring their systems down during a working day and they loose business as a result of your actions, you need to be covered. Don't leave this to chance. Basically make sure your backside is covered in every ciriteria possible.

It's good that you have put some thought into it. You have to be prepared for good jobs that go well and jobs that always seem easy, aren't so. There will be times where work has to be done FOC but as i said, just be honest with your customers. No one likes to feel that they are being screwed.

I'll give you a tip for free. When dealing with Internet problems, tell the customer that this is chargeable regardless of the outcome. It maybe that you turn up and the ISP or lines are down. In other words, your are not responsible for services beyond your control.
 
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Yer the loss of data or work hours is the big worry however Id rather keep it to just home users for the time being just so I can get a hold. The quote was from direct line, I haven't taken it yet, I need to do a bit more research first.
 
I have a question: what do you guys do when you attend a call and find a problem you know nothing about?? or can't work out what the problem is??
 
prince said:
I have a question: what do you guys do when you attend a call and find a problem you know nothing about?? or can't work out what the problem is??
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Why would you know nothing? You're a trained techician. The key to resolve any problem is the method of your diagnosis and your ability to ask the customer the right questions etc etc. It's always best to have a laptop with you though with internet access.
 
Sorry I worded it wrong, something you can't figure out.

Admiral Huddy said:
Why would you know nothing? You're a trained techician. The key to resolve any problem is the method of your diagnosis and your ability to ask the customer the right questions etc etc. It's always best to have a laptop with you though with internet access.
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Cheers:)
 
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if there isn't an easy answer theres always a reinstall ;)

Thats a good question actually, how far do you guys go to disinfect when you have the bulk standard virus ridden junk machine that I seem to see from relatives all the time. How long does it take before you cut your losses and do a reinstall? (obviously post data backup and key finding)

Once that decision has been made how much of the re installing of the users software etc will you perform (I'd guess it was dependant on what they asked for?)
 
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