How much would you charge for this service?

Z

Zer0Cool

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
375
Hello to everyone ))) Its been a while since I been here, but its good to be back.

I am applying for an IT position, and one of the questions they asked me, how much I would charge for this service. Need some suggestions please )))

"I have 5 PentiumM Intel HP laptops, . Below is a list of work needed to be done on each Pc.

1 Format Hard Drive
2 Install Win Xp with Service Pack 3
3 Install Microsoft Office Package
4 AVG Virus Software
5 Adobe Acrobat Reader
6 Diagnose Hardware. Hard drive, video card, processor and what not.Get back to me with your total cost for the service"

What do you guys think would be a fair break down for each of the mentioned steps.

Thanks
 
eh its tough to say because differnet area's and incomes can effect how companies charge to get more business. What I would maybe do it look at repair shops in the area and maybe probe them for a general estimate, then align your prices to be competitve with them but not so low to not to profitable.

I wouldnt charge to format the hard drive cause that would be done when windows is installed.

Just off the top of my head maybe this,

1. Diagnostic: 60.00
2. Install Windows XP + all drivers: 80.00
3. Install Office 15.00
4. Install AVG 15.00
5, Adobe Acrobat (wouldnt charge for it honestly)

So that would be about 170.00 bucks I wouldnt charge to format the drive cause that honestly I think would be too nickle and diming a client especially when the installtion of windows gives you an option to format the drive.
 
I wouldn't ever charge 170 for that. Maybe 2 hours labor at most. Diagnosing the drive can be done while running updates and installing other apps, so shouldn't add much time. If you know what you are doing, it won't take long to diagnose the other hardware to begin with. Anything more and you are just another screw job to customers. However, there are fools out there that would pay it. Laptops are down to $300 these days and netbooks even cheaper. Charging half their value for only doing software and no hardware replacement is just way too much for a customer to invest unless it is a critical system.

Around my area, labor is from $55 to $65 per hour. Most jobs are considered one hour labor even if it takes much longer. Simply because they work on several at once instead of one at a time.

Edit: Never mind. I just saw you said for 5 laptops. Yeah, for that many I would raise the bar a bit. $200 for the lot wouldn't be too off the mark.
 
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If I'm working for myself, probably 150 bucks, 200 if they wanted data backed up and transferred.
 
i saw that ad on cl here in san diego... its a trap and a scam, of some sort

the wording you posted is exactly what i got in email.. i init replied asking for 250-300$ for all that incl labor. he replied back, forgot what he said.... but i got suspicious like any1 would cause the cl posting didnt seem right and asked some hard questions to see what he will say and never replied back..
at that point i flagged the add on cl and blocked any further communication from his/her email

he wouldnt give out any info about his company or anything
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/moneymatters/jobs-hunting-scams.shtml
 
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Zer0Cool said:
What do you guys think would be a fair break down for each of the mentioned steps.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I think your best bet is to run as far as possible in the opposite direction from that "job". As was stated above, it IS a scam. Who the hell would pay to refurbish Pentium M laptops man. Think about it....
 
stiltner said:
I think your best bet is to run as far as possible in the opposite direction from that "job". As was stated above, it IS a scam. Who the hell would pay to refurbish Pentium M laptops man. Think about it....
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When I worked in computer repair, you'd be suprised. People get irrationally attached to their hardware. Loss aversion.
 
Tawnos said:
When I worked in computer repair, you'd be suprised. People get irrationally attached to their hardware. Loss aversion.
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yes there are extreme cases of this type of thing. But the odds of having 5 of them, all needing the same thing, from the same person, just randomly posting on Craigslist, all over the US.

Quote them $500/ea and I guarantee you they'll take it because its a scam. if you wanna get burned, be my guest.
 
Gilthanis said:
I wouldn't ever charge 170 for that. Maybe 2 hours labor at most. Diagnosing the drive can be done while running updates and installing other apps, so shouldn't add much time. If you know what you are doing, it won't take long to diagnose the other hardware to begin with. Anything more and you are just another screw job to customers. However, there are fools out there that would pay it. Laptops are down to $300 these days and netbooks even cheaper. Charging half their value for only doing software and no hardware replacement is just way too much for a customer to invest unless it is a critical system.

Around my area, labor is from $55 to $65 per hour. Most jobs are considered one hour labor even if it takes much longer. Simply because they work on several at once instead of one at a time.

Edit: Never mind. I just saw you said for 5 laptops. Yeah, for that many I would raise the bar a bit. $200 for the lot wouldn't be too off the mark.
Click to expand...

Testing RAM and HDD are to be done OFFLINE. That right there takes 1.5-2 hours.
 
XLiveUSR said:
i saw that ad on cl here in san diego... its a trap and a scam, of some sort

the wording you posted is exactly what i got in email.. i init replied asking for 250-300$ for all that incl labor. he replied back, forgot what he said.... but i got suspicious like any1 would cause the cl posting didnt seem right and asked some hard questions to see what he will say and never replied back..
at that point i flagged the add on cl and blocked any further communication from his/her email

he wouldnt give out any info about his company or anything
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/moneymatters/jobs-hunting-scams.shtml
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I don't doubt that this is a scam of some sort. There are human vermin out there who seek to profit from the misery of people who are in bad shape.

My question is: What IS the scam element? I didn't seem like the OP had to pay any fees to get this job?

Somehow this reminds me of a Sherlock Holmes story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_of_the_Red-Headed_League. I wonder is the scammer is up to something similar. :D :D :D

x509
 
It's a scam, when I was in college it was posted here to. I received an email and was excited. then it turned into the whole I'll send a check, oops it's too much I sent, just send the difference back. Oops you just cashed a fake check and sent me a real one.

Stay away, seriously. It was like a copy paste from the same one I received.
 
Thank you guys for the heads up )))

This is why I love being part of a community like this!
 
FWIW, I'd charge 50 for the diagnostics and if it was all good, then 150 total for all that. I'd make sure it tested good first. Have a minimum charge of 50.
 
/usr/home said:
Testing RAM and HDD are to be done OFFLINE. That right there takes 1.5-2 hours.
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You mean you don't have those updates offline already? Not much of a repair man then. Always best to keep the majority of them offline so you are up to date before ever putting the system online. Memory doesn't take long to test and if you are a pro, you probably have professional equipment that can test the entire MB, CPU, Ram, etc.. all in one process that doesn't take long. HD takes couple hours, but you can test that while updating or by pulling and putting in an external docking unit. Even then, scan it while you sleep. Anything more then a couple hours and you are screwing your customer.
 
Ryan_Brantley said:
It's a scam, when I was in college it was posted here to. I received an email and was excited. then it turned into the whole I'll send a check, oops it's too much I sent, just send the difference back. Oops you just cashed a fake check and sent me a real one.

Stay away, seriously. It was like a copy paste from the same one I received.
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OK, so that is the "business model" of the scam. Supposedly it happens a lot with high-ticket items like cars being sold on eBay. The "buyer" sends this check for too much, and then asks the seller to refund the difference.

Is there any real work needed? If the scammer gives the mark an address, and the mark meets the scammer, that is useful information for the police.
 
Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image. Directions come with the software. Setup one system, then make an image onto USB HD or DVD and then write image to other 4 units. Licensing will be whack for office and XP, but it works like a charm if no MS audit.

Cheers!
 
willyspuddle said:
Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image. Directions come with the software. Setup one system, then make an image onto USB HD or DVD and then write image to other 4 units. Licensing will be whack for office and XP, but it works like a charm if no MS audit.

Cheers!
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It takes like 5 min to change both keys on each laptop.
 
I read the posters 1st post with the last line "get back to me with your total cost"
no reason to break each out...if you only have to do it on one.

figure ~15 min to rename the PC, delete the reg key for the office and reactivate it, and reactivate Windows.
Id figure abut 2 hrs to pully patch, install drivers, configure stuff on one since it seems like a fairly decent cpu and most likely has ~2gb memory?
(I just did this same thing to a customers office over the weekend...Dell E521 computers...XP/3gb ram, 8 computers took 4 hrs total, including coffee breaks)
 
Cmustang87 said:
He may not be a repair man, ever consider that? :rolleyes:
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Yes I did consider that. Regardless, gouging the customer because of your inability to do an efficient job doesn't justify his statement. The term repairman requires no accomplishments other then being the one fixing the problem by the way. (so if he were doing this, he would be the reapairman) Even without professional hardware, it is easy enough that you don't charge them to let a utility like WD Data Lifeguard scan the entire time. Nor would you charge them for letting anti-virus run. Those things are pretty well looked at as a simple hour labor and move on. It's not like someone who knows what they are doing are going to be sitting in front of it the whole time doing nothing else.
 
Are you applying for a position over craigslist? That would be the very last place I would look for work (or anything else for that matter)
 
Sigh, since there are some people that have not seen this scam before here's the full steps they generally take.

1.) The bait - Its many PC's, with the same needs, XP SP3 with drivers, updates, etc. They want you to think you're going to have to put a lot of time and and run up the price, so you get hooked into something big

2.) Once you commit. They say that they are going to ship the laptops to you, and the check will come previous to that. Or that they have a shipping company sending them to you.

3.) You cash the check, which is for $ XXX over the negotiated price

4.) They request the overage sent back to them, and you keep your agreed on fee.

5.) Weeks pass by, and magically your check comes back bad cause it was posted on a stolen, locked, dead, whatever account.

6.) You are therefore out the $, and no laptops ever show up.

Now, if you still want to go down that road. Go ahead. Just trust me when I say this. Craigslist is, and always will be a great source to get ripped off if you're stupid enough to let it happen. The fact you can post anonymously has good and bad. It only takes the right person with the criminal intent, and a sucker to part with his money, and then they move on thanks to the veil of anon.
 
I say bite on it.
When the "check" comes and they asked for the difference, tell them, you deposited the check but the bank will not let you access it for 30 days. My guess is that they will try to get you to send the difference a few times prior to you finding out it bounced and then just disappear.

On the the very remote chance that it is legit, you will not get an overage check, and you will receive the hardware to fix. I would still insure the check clears prior to shipping the hardware back to them.
I could not imagine anyone would actually want to spend $200 or more fixing up a Pentium M laptop when you can pick up refurbished, with 30 day warranty, core2duo laptops for $250 or so, or a new i3 laptop for $350-400.
 
Gilthanis said:
You mean you don't have those updates offline already? Not much of a repair man then. Always best to keep the majority of them offline so you are up to date before ever putting the system online. Memory doesn't take long to test and if you are a pro, you probably have professional equipment that can test the entire MB, CPU, Ram, etc.. all in one process that doesn't take long. HD takes couple hours, but you can test that while updating or by pulling and putting in an external docking unit. Even then, scan it while you sleep. Anything more then a couple hours and you are screwing your customer.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming this wasn't meant for me? Memtest86+ can take anywhere from 15min to 2.5 hours depending on amount and speed of RAM. I sure hope people don't test hardware while booted into windows. Boot UBCD, run manufacturer diagnostics LONG test, not just short. That takes usually 1 hour - 2. This is shit any serious tech should know.
 
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