What do you think?

[weatherman]

I am interested in fixing computers. I would like to start off by running a little business from my home. I would like to know what you think. My services would start off with Antivirus and Spyware scans on computers and maybe adding on other services when I get more money. I would plan to charge $20 an hour for labor to begin with. I don't know what I would charge for virus/spyware scans and need help there. If someone wanted drives replaced, they would have to purchase drives and I would replace them. What do you think?

[zipulrich]

Go for it. Depending on your market area, that seems awfully cheap - which may be just the ticket to build a little business.
Have fun and let us know how it goes!

[Miz]

That's the way I started but I based my fee on the one other person in town doing the same work (it's a tiny town).

He didn't want to do end-user tech support anymore so he was happy to refer people to me. He charged $60 an hour. I told him I figured I was a little more than half as good as he was so I was going to charge $40 an hour.

Even in this small town where a two-bedroom, one-bath house can be purchased for $15,000, nobody's balked at paying the $40 an hour.

[weatherman]

You do/did this from your home? How about doing paid computer support online?

[Miz]

I go to people's houses to fix their computers. It's a small town, I know everybody so that's a somewhat safer method than it might be in a larger city.

I got customers solely by word of mouth, also easier in a small town.

Yes, I do phone support when people call and if I can help them fix it over the phone. If I can't, I ask them if they want me to come look at it.

I don't have any testing equipment and once I concluded computers only run correctly after being anointed by geek blood and I got tired of all the bandaids on my hands, I started referring hardware work to a computer shop in the next town over.

I don't charge the full rate if I couldn't fix the problem. In those cases, I send them to the computer shop and charge $10 or $20 for my time, depending on how far I had to drive. Towns out here are 30 miles apart so driving time is always a consideration.

[zipulrich]

Fifteen grand for a whole house???

I'll take 2, please. Do they ship UPS?

[weatherman]

Thanks for your help. I think I will try building a support website and possibly doing phone support as well. Customers would be charged both ways.

[Decay]

Hehe wish i could find a place for 15k... considering when i get out of college i will make 100k to 200k a year :)

[jililan]

Why not buy the parts yourself? That is another way to make a few dollars instead of depending on only labor.