As some of you know, i do some tech-support/IT/Network jobs on the side.

Got an email from a new client and he wants me to do a good bit of work for him.

Normally i charge on an hourly basis for networking/printer work but this guy wants a bunch of little things done as well. some will require me to come back for a second visit.

Im leaning towards charging him a flat rate for all the services so that i dont feel like i ripped myself off. (i can do most of it today in a few hours)

List of what he wants

Create a secured network for all of his computers
Make all printers available on his network
wireless access from laptops to printers (im sure the printers arent even network enabled)
fix connectivity issues with Wi-Fi
Backup his wifes computer (make it automatic)
Share itunes playlists on his network
Media sharing from laptops to living room television.

what would be a fair price for these services?

 

What would it amount to if you charged him hourly?

Be honest about this (don't shortchange yourself), build in an extra hour, and then tell him you will do it all for a flat rate (estimated time +1 hour x hourly rate) which benefits him because if you charge hourly and run into trouble, you could be there for a while and it will cost more. Sell it like insurance against problems...

 

I would be looking around $300 for all that.

 

ditto

 

Bang his wife.

 

this is what i was thinking of. he is only alloting me 2 hours today because of his busy schedule. I normally charge 25hr and i just dont feel right doing all that work for 50 bucks.

 

Those services shouldn't be too difficult if you know what you're doing. Thus, 2 hours should get the job done. $300 total sounds about right.

 

$25hr is way too cheap. I don't think geek squad will go out to a house for less than $75hr.

 

$75/hour for people I like & know, $100/hour for anyone else. This is me though.
I do not do flat rates any longer. Not after I spent hours on some stuff that refused to work right & was a nightmare.

 

$5000.00

 

 

There's too much involved to be charging $25/hr. If he doesn't agree to the term, then he can try to find someone else that'll be cheaper.

 

 

ok

$4500.00

 

All of this is easy, but freaking time consuming. I used to do the same thing you do now but I stopped because it was not worth my time any longer (and I charged a lot more). For that list...? $500.00. You know what you're doing, but don't underestimate the time it will take to do that. Somehing always goes wrong, either during config or shortly after, and sometimes long after. And he will be calling you if things are not working as expected and after the check is cut he'll own some of your time.

I'm still amazed that most people don't know how to do this stuff on their own (and/or don't care to learn). I know a lot of people are not technical, but most of that can be done by a layperson if they would just

Good luck and don't shortchange yourself.

 

I don't know why some of you think that this all is going to be a problem... Assuming we are talking like < 10 computers and < 5 printer this should be a breeze?!?! Lol

1. Umm, easy right? Assuming its not 100 machines and or a need for different subnets, groups, etc.
2. Printer server and done? Network printers and done?
3. Ad hoc? Why when you have #2?
4. ?!?!?! Throw up a WAP? Hi gain antennas?
5. Reallllly easy.
6. Reallllly easy.
7. Reallllly easy.

But if you want to be sure of your prices. Just look up comparable services from like the GeekSquad and cut it in half?

Seems to me that should be 3 hours max.

 

Damn, I'm cheap as fuck!! Of course I usually fix poor people's PC, for people I know I charge $20/hr or a flat rate depending on how I feel (usually $50 or $75) and how broke they are. For businesses I charge $50/hr. If I charged $100/hr no way those people would pay me.

 

Pretty close: $60/hr for repeat/referrals, $100/hr for new. I've been doing a lot of flat rates recently, though, just for sake of convenience.

That's a good guide, too, and I've gone around 1/3 or even less.

~Cheers~

 

Phee, have your client type of a SOW (Statement of Work) that they want done. That way it's in writing in case everything goes wrong. Also, you will have a better idea of what they want done because they should explain it in detail.

At least that's the way it works in the Government.

 

$50/hr business rate is way too cheap. If you were to make that your fulltime gig you would not be able to survive charging only $50/hr. Call anyone to come to your home/business such as plumber, electrician, hvac. None of them will show up for $50.

You may be able to get away with it if you do all remote support. But driving around town all day will kill you.

 

Yeah it's a side job kinda thing and I have zero overhead. Plus I'm still noobish in the business IT field so it's still a learning experience so I charge a lesser rate. They save some money and gain a little experience and make some decent cash on the side occasionally.

 

How many nodes (pcs)? Define security? As this will define your sharing options.

setting non-ethernet printers, require a server, does he have a pc dedicated just for that? (or at least a good pc that will handle regular load plus printer load)

media sharing / itunes / etc.. as mentioned above.. depends on your security, I dont allow free roaming on the network without proper handshake

and is he willing to purchase an automatic backup software? would he know how to restore from it? will this guy call you every day with annoying questions?

I'd charge minimum of $500 for that list, for basics. Lowest rate I'd agree to is $100 an hour.


PS
OK, just reread this is for someone's home..so it's a breeze, no need for complications, basic router settings...but expect this guy to call you A LOT, especially with media sharing to TV.

 

yea i have done a-lot of work for family friends who have businesses and i usually give them that 25 and hr rate. my video work is 125 an hr but even that is on the low end.

this guy is my first "outsider" customer so i think i am going to go with the 200-300 range for these jobs.

-phee from the lady's computer

 

he also asked me to set up his home theatre system i think this guy just wants everything to work without him having to do the work

 

^^ I don't do retail/homes only because they think I owe them 24/7 tech support ..... Businesses on the other hand know that if they call me, they pay.

To me the 200 bux are not worth the headache, but it's a start for good recommendations for you, so do a good job and make sure you explain everything, and most importantly have fun!

And regarding home theater is simple, just time consuming... I once had a mansion, the guy wanted one universal tv remote for all of his TVs while all his equipment were in the basement. I hated that job because the guy had absolutely no clue of what it involved, but I got paid, it's all good.

 

Home theatre is super easy for me since I am constantly tinkering with my studio equipment. I appreciate all the advice fellas.

 

One good way to avoid the call backs for additional "free cause i deserve it" service is to actually offer one single hour of free follow up service. This reassures the customer that you are around if they need you, but indicates that there is a finite limit to your free support.

 

Excellent idea. Keeps people from taking advantage of you.

 

definitely genius.

 

Ma'am, I have been called many things in my lifetime, but never that!

 

If you charge $300 and it winds up being easier than expected, then next time he calls you out, do it for free or for a lesser rate. He WILL come back to you for more work on his system. Most people are willing to pay as long as the work is done correctly.

 

I appreciate all this advice. At this rate he may put me on a payroll

 

so i am up here and i need some help. the guy has DSL hooked to a 16 port switch. that 16 port switch then connects to this...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
can i bypass this thing? it looks archaic and it is the only thing i do not know how to test...

problem is his connection dropped intermittently and pages fail to load.

 

Looks like the switch is going to his punch panel which takes it to ports in the house. Have him go wireless and get rid of that shit.

 

I'd leave the punch panel alone, it's probably not the issue. I would focus my time on the modem/switch.

 

Couldn't I just bypass the punch panel ad route his house directly through the switch? I don't see why a punch panel is needed here...

 

Which wires are coming from the switch to the panel? As The Dougler said, I won't not touch the patch panel.

What a rat's nest, but at least it appears that there is a lable sheet there.

 

Doesnt quite work like that. Go wireless

 

My rate for my business is $85/hr for one man, $120/hr for two men. Most of my jobs are billed at the $120/hr rate. Of course I focus on A/V work, and only limited IT. However there are similarities in terms of billing.

The biggest reason to not just throw out a flat rate is that when using other peoples equipment, you may have to troubleshoot existing issues in order to fix and setup properly. I have had countless jobs go far beyond the estimated time because of faulty or quirky customer owned equipment. If you sell yourself and your industry short, it only hurts you and/or any future techs they go to. It's a common downward spiral going on in these hard times. I have had customers try to pit my quote against a guy "doing it on the side" (probably a cable guy or something). I have to let them know the difference in quality, the support after, as well as offer references in order to keep some of these customers. If I was busier, I wouldn't even bother as a cheap customer can be a nightmare down the road. Anyway, I'm getting a bit off topic. The point was to not sell yourself short and overcharge. Don't feel badly, like you are ripping them off. If your competition can do it for X amount of dollars, you do it for X amount of dollars and sell yourself.

 

This is the wrong kind of punch panel to use on a network. This is designed for phone. I believe they are standard 66 blocks. It doesn't mean it will not work, but can be far more confusing. The proper type of panel would be something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/CAT5e-Wall-mou...6987309&sr=8-3

Or This

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-me...e=UTF8&index=0

If you had a rack, you would buy a rack mounted patch panel instead

You punch the cat5 on the back, it will be marked by color (port 1 blue, blue/white, orange, orange/white, green, green/white, brown, brown/white). You just then plug a patch cord from your switch to the panel to activate a port.