[itistoday]

So now that I'm in college I need a way to make money, so I've decided to put my vast knowledge of the Mac (and various other computer related ventures) to good use. I'd like to do troubleshooting, consulting, and training in various applications for the students and perhaps even faculty at my university. I was wondering what I should charge for my services. The campus is large, and I will most likely be visiting people's dorms on my bike, I could even be going a mile off campus to some apartment. So, should I charge people an up-front fee for just getting there (like $10, or depending on how far they live), and should I then charge hourly, give them some random quote, or what? And how much do you think university students would be willing to pay?

The rates of one particular competitor (that seems to do PC repair only) are $40/hour for picking up the computer (free pickup) and repairing it at their place, and $50/hour for on-site repair. Seeing as I don't have a car here currently, I'll most likely be doing on-site repair only.

Thanks for any advice regarding this!

Edit: Also, what do I do if they ask for some consulting and it takes only 30 minutes instead of an hour?

[Xeo]

It's common to have an hourly fee with a minimum of one hour's work per time. So if you charge $40/hr, you'd walk away with no less than $40. That would easily make each trip worth the time it took to get there at the least.

[GSixZero]

I'd charge $40-$75 per hour. Cut rate computer consultants are usually worth what you pay them. Trying to low ball your competitors will only make people think about why you're charging less. I have a friend who's a professional mac consultant, and she charges $95/hour, 1 hour minimum.

Think about pricing structures that you could use, such as...

If you think you're going to be making lots of short calls, consider a higher rate for the first hour, with a discount for following hours. This will help pay for your travel time, and will make people feel not so bad if they make you run over how much they thought they'd have you for. Say 1 hour minimum, $60 for the first hour, $40 after that. Consider having flat rates for common things. $75 OS reinstall, which may take a couple hours, but it's a lot of sitting around waiting for the install to finish.

Charge a per gigabyte fee for backup on flat rate orders. $1-$2/gigabyte seems reasonable. Sucks to start a clean OS install and realize you need to back up 50Gigs over firewire. You'll spend an hour just waiting for the barber pole to progress across the screen. Perhaps the first 10 gigs can be included in the cost of a reinstall.

For the years and years and years that I did Mac support, I grew fond of one mantra... "Under promise, over deliver." Too many times I got stuck over promising, and took it sans lube on my time or costs.

[Randman]

Make sure you can help them.

[itistoday]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I've one more question: what do I do if I stay there for an hour and 30 minutes, or an hour and 45 minutes? A friend of mine who tutored people would just round to the nearest hour.

[tooki]

To business clients, I charge $75/h with a whole hour minimum, plus $75 base charge, so $150 minimum. Beyond the first hour, I bill in 15 min increments, though I tend to round down to the next increment, not up (it makes people happier). Businesses don't take you seriously if you don't charge enough. (And of course, you DO need to do the job well, so the customer feels that their money was well spent.)

I charge individuals (like teachers from school) a LOT less, but I try not to make a huge business of low-rate clients -- it's not too profitable. But my mom's a professor, and I know they don't make much, so I charge just enough to motivate me to leave the house.


Anyway, depending on your area and your own level of expertise and experience, you'll need to adjust these numbers up or down, but it's a good ballpark.

Also remember that you'll spend non-billable time on the clients, such as occasionally helping them with small things on the phone, which can easily eat up 1/2 hour or more, or with doing research, which can also be time-consuming. This reduces your net hourly revenue as well. That makes you not feel so bad about charging a lot. (Also, you'll spend some time talking to potential clients who never end up calling you out.)

Hope this helps.

tooki

[Link]

Charge twice as much as you do for Windows users since they're not using the standard




*just kidding*

[alligator]

Just pick a rate. If you have too much business, double your rates. If you have too little, offer a 50% off sale.

[Mithras]

The wonders of a free market. Nice, alligator.
I wonder what Communist freelance computer techs charge? Are there any?