I had a telephone call today from a potenial customer who owned a PC with the dreaded blue screen of death (BSOD). They had spent the last 2 days uninstalling programs and files, as well as searching the internet for a fix to the problem, with little success. Finally they called me for a quote to repair the PC, and possibly upgrade the memory.

After discussing what may have caused the problem, and whether they would prefer me to collect the PC or work on it at their home, I supplied them a quote for two hours work which also included the memory upgrade and collection/return at £78. At this point they decided that my computer repair costs were too expensive!

Having seemingly missed the memo about free computer repairs, I had another look around at the prices charged by a few other local businesses. Most of my competitors actually charge more than MAD Computer Solutions, and a fair few do not even support home customers. One large computer chain only repaired computers on their premises, their flat rate fix price higher, and could arrange for a collection via courier (at the customers expense of course). Oh, and a 7 day turnaround!

It seems that people forget many of the overheads that are required to run a business. Apart from 15% VAT there are costs for insurance, transport, accountants, equipment and training, not forgetting that the engineer needs to be paid for his time.

Many plumbers and heating engineers charge substantial callout fees on top of the cost for completing the work. Car mechanics expect a reasonable rate of pay for their labour, why not the same for the engineers who fix your computer?

Rant over. Have a nice day