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Thread ID: 87374 2008-02-18 23:42:00 IT charges. . . . . nofam (9009) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
641826 2008-02-18 23:42:00 Just out of interest, what do you guys consider to be an acceptable hourly rate for fixing all things IT?

I was in Hardly Normal the other day with SWMBO looking at appliances (as you do on a rainy Saturday :o ), and I noticed they've got rid of their variable rates for installing, transferring files etc . . . . they now charge $150 per hour, and $100 per hour after that! :eek:

I'm not dissing them - I quite like them as a store, but that just seems plain-excessive . Both the vendors I use locally only charge $120 + GST per hour for their top-tier server guys .

I'm sure we all fix PC's for friends n family for very little or nothing, and that's the way it should be . I just feel sorry for people that don't have a friendly IT guy or gal to rely on!! :(
nofam (9009)
641827 2008-02-18 23:44:00 Normally $98 an hour...callout works out at $115 an hour and $98 an hour after that. Usuaully end up charging less than that too. :lol:

Those prices you quoted are very expencive!
wratterus (105)
641828 2008-02-18 23:45:00 Sounds like you are under charging then. vitalstatistix (9182)
641829 2008-02-18 23:49:00 Sounds like you are under charging then.

Hell, customers get their knickers in a knot with what we charge now. :rolleyes:

Point taken though, I think if the hourly rate needs to be raised, it will.
wratterus (105)
641830 2008-02-19 00:01:00 Hell, customers get their knickers in a knot with what we charge now.

People's reaction to what we charge is funny huh? They don't mind forking out for a mechanic, or a plumber, but somehow we're not considered in the same league as them!!
nofam (9009)
641831 2008-02-19 00:11:00 Hell, customers get their knickers in a knot with what we charge now. :rolleyes:

Point taken though, I think if the hourly rate needs to be raised, it will.

I always understood that the rule in business was that you charge what the market is willing to pay - just ask the likes of Mobil.
vitalstatistix (9182)
641832 2008-02-19 00:12:00 People's reaction to what we charge is funny huh? They don't mind forking out for a mechanic, or a plumber, but somehow we're not considered in the same league as them!!

So true. Had a chap a while back, called up all in a panic, he needed to print something and his PC wouldn't turn on.

I was busy as, but agreed to come out that afternoon, I advised him of all the charges, he said that was OK.

Went out, onsite I thought his motherboard had failed, but needed to go back to the office to tell for sure.
Turns out his motherboard had failed. He had an old PC company machine with an ECS motherboard, so I wasn't surprised. Think we had a bit of a lightning storm the day before too.

Anyway, I spent half an hour onsite, plus 10 min to get there, and 10 min to get back to the office. Then another 20 mins in the office, testing parts etc, he wanted to know exactly what was wrong, so I tested each individual part. I also fixed his printer, which I had brought back with me.

All up it was well over an hour I had spent on it, but in 'good will', seeing as his PC had died, and we would probably sell him a new one, I charged him one hours labour, ($98), and said we could keep his PC here until his wife got back from the UK in about 3 weeks, then he said he would buy a new one.

So I mailed him out the bill, as you do, and the following day I got a phone call from him, and he was absolutely off his rails. Swore black and blue we had ripped him off, said $98 an hour was "far too ****ing much to charge, and it was daylight robbery".
I said if you'd hired out a plumber or electrcian, it would have cost you more than that, and we hadn't even charged you for the whole amount of time we spent working on your PC. We have a business to run, bills to pay as well. Nothing I would say would make him calm down at all, in the end he paid the bill, and he was adamant that for the rest of his life he would tell everyone he came into contact with never ever to shop at [our shop], as we were rip off artists.

You just can't please some people. :rolleyes: :waughh:
wratterus (105)
641833 2008-02-19 00:17:00 I always understood that the rule in business was that you charge what the market is willing to pay - just ask the likes of Mobil.

You charge enough to keep your business running.

Most of the time there is no issue.
wratterus (105)
641834 2008-02-19 00:19:00 I wonder if he bitches that much to his lawyer and his accountant about their charge out rates....

I thought you were supposed to charge enough to show a decent profit at the end of the year unless of course you just do stuff for the enjoyment of it (which isn't always a bad idea)
vitalstatistix (9182)
641835 2008-02-19 00:21:00 I wonder if he bitches that much to his lawyer and his accountant about their charge out rates....
I thought you were supposed to charge enough to show a decent profit at the end of the year unless of course you just do stuff for the enjoyment of it (which isn't always a bad idea)

I think it was the main reason he was born actually, he should have perused a career in politics.

Well, that too. :p

Can't be too greedy.
wratterus (105)
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