Computer Repair Business

alabamatech · 12-22-2008, 05:50 PM

A friend and i our both enrolled in a ccna certification course. I am also A+ certified and prefer computer repair over networking. Recently we decided to start a computer repair business out of my house. but we are still trying to work out kinks in the business.

Like:
Do we pick up customers machines
or work on site
or customer drops off
combination?

What about insurance? is there a liability insurance you can buy in case of disaster (aka screw up)

what if there is s problem we cant fix?

should we incorporate?

jahudnall · 12-24-2008, 10:37 PM

Hi alabamatech,

Here is just a few comments/suggestions. I started a computer repair company a year ago and let you know some things that helped me.

First, yes do a combination of at clients location repairs and drop-off and pick-up repairs.(If you can convert the garage into an office/repair space that would be great and you can just open the overhead for them. I even got a banner printed that I hang above my garage when I expect a customer.

Do INCORPORATE. I would look in to an LLC. In Oregon its $50 dollars and can be done online at the states website.

If you can afford insurance then get it but I do not have it yet, although I should look into. It can cover you in case something happens but you should do fine your first year if you play the game right.

There really should not be a problem you can not fix if you are in this business. If there is a problem you can not fix it should be a problem that almost no one could fix or would cost a lot to fix (e.g. fried motherboard, in which case you offer to help find a replacement and charge accordingly.)

On the above note: If there is a problem that you just cant seem to fix then let the customer know you need to research the issue some more and you will get back to them when you find a solution. Most problems you can get answers to online with some time googling etc. Just make sure you DO get back with them in a timely manner and be fair and even give a discount or the fix for free. The knowledge you would learn from finding a solution to a problem that you can not fix is more valuable in your personal skill set to recall later then the charge you would charge them. We all run into problems we can not immediately fix, its know how to find the solution in a timely manner that set the good tech apart from the rest.

Here are a few other tips I suggest.

Get a work order, receipt etc designed and that will work efficiency with your process. I have a work order/receipt. One document that I fill in the customer details, problem etc. I bring it out, fill in the resolution, get signatures, keep a copy. On this I have a place for the price of services etc. and a small disclaimer for the customer to protect not only me but them too.

Get some sort of database to hold you customer accounts and info in. I recommend commitCRM. This software is designed for IT companies and is really cheap. It is such a great program.

Get some business cards and hand them out everywhere, leave 3, 4 , or 5 with each customer, offer some sort of referral bonus.

Be friendly with your customers, give new customers discounts and show it on the work order, let them know what it normally costs and the discount they are receiving. People love discounts.

Take it slow, stay organized and keep a planner. Use this planner everyday. Block out everything you need to do and stay on top of it.

Do not invest in yellowpages if you CAN NOT afford to lose all the money invested. I was burned here.......

Word of mouth is your bread winner in this business. Be friendly to everyone. I get calls all the time from referral and I have even stopped a lot of my advertising and still get calls.

KNOW that this will take time to establish a reasonable/profitable client base. I would look into another job and start this part time because it will take at least 6 months to a year before you get enough biz for full time work, unless of course you have thousands of dollars for a marketing and pr campaign.

Get a collection of repair tools and get familiar with them. Keep them on a usb,cd,dvd or hard drive and bring it with you. Keep these tools updated.

okay, I think I wrote enough for now. If you have any questions let me know and I will try and help out.

regards, Jeremy

kevgeez · 12-25-2008, 10:27 PM

nice
i'm looking into this too

DonaldG · 12-29-2008, 09:19 AM

Do get plenty of insurance - In the UK we have what is called 'Public Liability' insurance - Doesn't cost a leg & arm.

My company needed to use it when one of my engineers, installing two-way radio equipment in a bus. He managed to accidental weld his screwdriver to the chassis of the brand new bus and the positive cable in the main harness. That caused a fire which in turn destroyed the said bus!

The insurance covered the cost of the bus, the hire of another one for the duration and for another installation of 2-way radios!

Jethrol · 12-31-2008, 12:13 AM

Thanks jahudnall for the information! Although I didn't start this thread, I do have some questions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jahudnall

Get a work order, receipt etc designed and that will work efficiency with your process. I have a work order/receipt. One document that I fill in the customer details, problem etc. I bring it out, fill in the resolution, get signatures, keep a copy. On this I have a place for the price of services etc. and a small disclaimer for the customer to protect not only me but them too.

Any suggestions on where to find one or did you just make up your own?

Quote:

Get a collection of repair tools and get familiar with them. Keep them on a usb,cd,dvd or hard drive and bring it with you. Keep these tools updated.

Any suggestions on the tools one should look to acquire?

Also do you get a lot of requests to remove adware/spyware/viruses and such? If so, do you charge by the hour for these services or just a flat fee? What would you say makes up the highest percentage of your time?

jessicalore · 07-25-2009, 07:50 PM

Do both, if you have at least small shop, let the some customer to drop off their systems.

You can also go and get their systems at their houses.

Both are good because not everybody wants to drop off and not everybody wants you in her/his house.

Do create especial sticker that you can put on your clients computer and always give them a receive for the drop off or pick up computer. It looks more professional. Be always polite.

Insurance....

Just liability is good, but if you want to be driven with a car that has lot of publicity from your business talk with your insurance company and get something better. Otherwise this is not really need it at the beginning at least. Prevention is always good but not necessary.

If you cannot fix it. Well, we are not superman, and for sure you will find computers that you won't be able to fix. You have to max all the resources you have thought, and give the customer a detailed analysis to your client.
Again be honest and straight with them. Also don't try to charge them $100 dollar just because you expend time on the machine this is not a good for you and for them. In this cases we don't charge our customers but we do open options to get new systems with better warranties and teach them how prevent the problem later on.

Corporation it all depend what you want out of your business. That will be up to you trust your feeling.

I will recommend you to have a good website for your clients.

You can check our Houston Computer Repair Company's website.

Blade_Jones · 07-26-2009, 04:39 PM

I've been pushing my home computer repair biz for the last 7 months. People say that it takes 2 - 5 years to get a solid customer base. You might get 1 - 2 customers per month from your website. Postcard ads have been a break even for me, which is a good thing. Verizon screwed me with my yellow pages listing (inexplicably deleted!). Be sure and send them MULTIPLE reminders or you will be missing out on a year's worth of customers. Verizon has a sister company that puts out the yellow pages. Be sure and let them know too.

Do a combination. For my business I'd say it's about 50/50. I charge an extra $20 to pick up their computer if they don't want to drop it off. Some people want to save the money or don't want people visiting their house, while others (especially businesses) just can't stop what they're doing to get to your location. Check your local zoning laws to make sure you can run a repair business out of your home with customers showing up at your home.

I don't have insurance, and I plan on dissolving my S-Corp, because it's a waste of money ($800 a year in California + tons of formalities to follow, plus Turbo Tax, etc, etc). Incorporating is a whole can of worms and if you don't follow the legal formalities a litigant will "pierce your corporate veil" if they sue you. The purpose of either a Corp or insurance is to protect against a catastrophic lawsuit. But you can have just one good first line of defense by simply having a bullet proof contract that the customer signs. You can model your contract based on other business' contracts. They are all very similar. Essentially you are not liable for data loss, and disputes are settled in small claims court or by arbitration. A lawsuit over data loss could potentially be for a LOT of money. Once protected from a data loss lawsuit (via contract), what's the worst that could happen? You fry a motherboard? You get my point. Incorporating or liability insurance is overkill and expensive.

What if there is a problem you cant fix? I sometimes TURN DOWN jobs that appear to be too much of a wild goose chase, such as if someone wants to effectively get a new computer by getting a CPU upgrade, or if someone is troubleshooting a complex software program such as Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, etc.

12-22-2008, 05:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
alabamatech Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 3 OS: xp, xp-64,vista-64	Computer Repair Business A friend and i our both enrolled in a ccna certification course. I am also A+ certified and prefer computer repair over networking. Recently we decided to start a computer repair business out of my house. but we are still trying to work out kinks in the business. Like: Do we pick up customers machines or work on site or customer drops off combination? What about insurance? is there a liability insurance you can buy in case of disaster (aka screw up) what if there is s problem we cant fix? should we incorporate?

12-24-2008, 10:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
jahudnall Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 2 OS: vista64	Re: Computer Repair Business Hi alabamatech, Here is just a few comments/suggestions. I started a computer repair company a year ago and let you know some things that helped me. First, yes do a combination of at clients location repairs and drop-off and pick-up repairs.(If you can convert the garage into an office/repair space that would be great and you can just open the overhead for them. I even got a banner printed that I hang above my garage when I expect a customer. Do INCORPORATE. I would look in to an LLC. In Oregon its $50 dollars and can be done online at the states website. If you can afford insurance then get it but I do not have it yet, although I should look into. It can cover you in case something happens but you should do fine your first year if you play the game right. There really should not be a problem you can not fix if you are in this business. If there is a problem you can not fix it should be a problem that almost no one could fix or would cost a lot to fix (e.g. fried motherboard, in which case you offer to help find a replacement and charge accordingly.) On the above note: If there is a problem that you just cant seem to fix then let the customer know you need to research the issue some more and you will get back to them when you find a solution. Most problems you can get answers to online with some time googling etc. Just make sure you DO get back with them in a timely manner and be fair and even give a discount or the fix for free. The knowledge you would learn from finding a solution to a problem that you can not fix is more valuable in your personal skill set to recall later then the charge you would charge them. We all run into problems we can not immediately fix, its know how to find the solution in a timely manner that set the good tech apart from the rest. Here are a few other tips I suggest. Get a work order, receipt etc designed and that will work efficiency with your process. I have a work order/receipt. One document that I fill in the customer details, problem etc. I bring it out, fill in the resolution, get signatures, keep a copy. On this I have a place for the price of services etc. and a small disclaimer for the customer to protect not only me but them too. Get some sort of database to hold you customer accounts and info in. I recommend commitCRM. This software is designed for IT companies and is really cheap. It is such a great program. Get some business cards and hand them out everywhere, leave 3, 4 , or 5 with each customer, offer some sort of referral bonus. Be friendly with your customers, give new customers discounts and show it on the work order, let them know what it normally costs and the discount they are receiving. People love discounts. Take it slow, stay organized and keep a planner. Use this planner everyday. Block out everything you need to do and stay on top of it. Do not invest in yellowpages if you CAN NOT afford to lose all the money invested. I was burned here....... Word of mouth is your bread winner in this business. Be friendly to everyone. I get calls all the time from referral and I have even stopped a lot of my advertising and still get calls. KNOW that this will take time to establish a reasonable/profitable client base. I would look into another job and start this part time because it will take at least 6 months to a year before you get enough biz for full time work, unless of course you have thousands of dollars for a marketing and pr campaign. Get a collection of repair tools and get familiar with them. Keep them on a usb,cd,dvd or hard drive and bring it with you. Keep these tools updated. okay, I think I wrote enough for now. If you have any questions let me know and I will try and help out. regards, Jeremy Last edited by jahudnall; 12-24-2008 at 10:41 PM.

12-25-2008, 10:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
kevgeez Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 15 OS: windows vista	Re: Computer Repair Business nice i'm looking into this too

12-29-2008, 09:19 AM	#4 (permalink)
DonaldG Manager Home Support, Assistant Manager Articles Team Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 10,032 OS: XPsp2 Laptop & Vista Ultimate Desktop My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: Computer Repair Business Do get plenty of insurance - In the UK we have what is called 'Public Liability' insurance - Doesn't cost a leg & arm. My company needed to use it when one of my engineers, installing two-way radio equipment in a bus. He managed to accidental weld his screwdriver to the chassis of the brand new bus and the positive cable in the main harness. That caused a fire which in turn destroyed the said bus! The insurance covered the cost of the bus, the hire of another one for the duration and for another installation of 2-way radios! __________________ . Lest we forget... "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them." Submit New Articles Here TSF's Photographer's Corner .

07-25-2009, 07:50 PM	#6 (permalink)
jessicalore Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 4 OS: Windows XP	Some advice from us...hope this helps Do both, if you have at least small shop, let the some customer to drop off their systems. You can also go and get their systems at their houses. Both are good because not everybody wants to drop off and not everybody wants you in her/his house. Do create especial sticker that you can put on your clients computer and always give them a receive for the drop off or pick up computer. It looks more professional. Be always polite. Insurance.... Just liability is good, but if you want to be driven with a car that has lot of publicity from your business talk with your insurance company and get something better. Otherwise this is not really need it at the beginning at least. Prevention is always good but not necessary. If you cannot fix it. Well, we are not superman, and for sure you will find computers that you won't be able to fix. You have to max all the resources you have thought, and give the customer a detailed analysis to your client. Again be honest and straight with them. Also don't try to charge them $100 dollar just because you expend time on the machine this is not a good for you and for them. In this cases we don't charge our customers but we do open options to get new systems with better warranties and teach them how prevent the problem later on. Corporation it all depend what you want out of your business. That will be up to you trust your feeling. I will recommend you to have a good website for your clients. You can check our Houston Computer Repair Company's website.

07-26-2009, 04:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
Blade_Jones Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Pacific Palisades, CA Posts: 414 OS: 2000, XP, Vista, Ubuntu	Re: Computer Repair Business I've been pushing my home computer repair biz for the last 7 months. People say that it takes 2 - 5 years to get a solid customer base. You might get 1 - 2 customers per month from your website. Postcard ads have been a break even for me, which is a good thing. Verizon screwed me with my yellow pages listing (inexplicably deleted!). Be sure and send them MULTIPLE reminders or you will be missing out on a year's worth of customers. Verizon has a sister company that puts out the yellow pages. Be sure and let them know too. Do a combination. For my business I'd say it's about 50/50. I charge an extra $20 to pick up their computer if they don't want to drop it off. Some people want to save the money or don't want people visiting their house, while others (especially businesses) just can't stop what they're doing to get to your location. Check your local zoning laws to make sure you can run a repair business out of your home with customers showing up at your home. I don't have insurance, and I plan on dissolving my S-Corp, because it's a waste of money ($800 a year in California + tons of formalities to follow, plus Turbo Tax, etc, etc). Incorporating is a whole can of worms and if you don't follow the legal formalities a litigant will "pierce your corporate veil" if they sue you. The purpose of either a Corp or insurance is to protect against a catastrophic lawsuit. But you can have just one good first line of defense by simply having a bullet proof contract that the customer signs. You can model your contract based on other business' contracts. They are all very similar. Essentially you are not liable for data loss, and disputes are settled in small claims court or by arbitration. A lawsuit over data loss could potentially be for a LOT of money. Once protected from a data loss lawsuit (via contract), what's the worst that could happen? You fry a motherboard? You get my point. Incorporating or liability insurance is overkill and expensive. What if there is a problem you cant fix? I sometimes TURN DOWN jobs that appear to be too much of a wild goose chase, such as if someone wants to effectively get a new computer by getting a CPU upgrade, or if someone is troubleshooting a complex software program such as Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, etc.