Local computer repair company

[UpTheDons]

I've been thinking/researching about this for a long time now, and wanted to hear if anyone's got any advice on this:

 

So I love to fix computers and build them, even just tinkering about with them gives me a great deal of satisfaction that I don't get from many other things in my life, I'm sure others on this forum can relate to this (whether your a professional or hobbyist like me!) I'm also in need of some extra money at the moment, so I've begun to think about combining the two. As I said I have been thinking about something along the lines of a local computer repair/service business to gain my experience as a student and help others in the area, as most of the repair shops around me are fairly good but also very expensive and when I have been into them they tend to upsell people and "fix" stuff that doesn't really need replacing or looking at, and costs people with little knowledge extra. In fairness everyone's got to make a living and I don't think I would want to be competing with the established shops around me, instead offering a neighbourly and trusty option that gets round by word of mouth. I thought a good starting service would be a "slow" computer repair. For example loads of people have very slow laptops or desktops that just need one look at task manager to see that there are too many start-up apps that are not being closed and are slowing down the computer (and if it is more complicated there are other steps to go through of course). iirc I think this could also be done by remotely connecting to the clients computer?-  I guess this would make people feel that much more safe and secure, as they don't have to give over the password and they can monitor what I'm doing on their screen (and it is covid-19 safe). I also am pretty certain there is fairly good demand for this sort of thing by speaking with a few people on the street. Anyway my main questions are:

 

What would be good prices for these sorts of services? (£)

Apart from spreading it by local contacts, does anyone know a good way of advertising this?

If anyone has done a similar thing, were there other, fairly simple services that you offered? (I did think of cleaning out dust and part replacement as potential ones) Did you enjoy it?

In general is it a good thing to pursue/ is it worth it?

 

I would also like to add that the UK is in a national Lockdown so time isn't a massive issue for me at the moment and it would be something that I could devote my time toward.

 

 

[Dutch_Master]

There's a reason why these local repair shops disappeared. Modern electronics is made NOT to be repaired, but replaced. In the occasion a modern PC fails it's either a case of PEBKAC* or a warranty case. Apple now explicitly states that consumers do NOT need to open an Apple product as it's not meant to be user-repairable. Other manufacturers do their utmost to make repairs as uneconomic as possible, preferably by not supplying parts (something Apple is doing for years now). Having said that, the EU is now moving to enshrine the "right to repair" into Law, but alas, not for the UK anymore....

 

*Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair

[UpTheDons]

7 minutes ago, Dutch_Master said:

There's a reason why these local repair shops disappeared. Modern electronics is made NOT to be repaired, but replaced. In the occasion a modern PC fails it's either a case of PEBKAC* or a warranty case. Apple now explicitly states that consumers do NOT need to open an Apple product as it's not meant to be user-repairable. Other manufacturers do their utmost to make repairs as uneconomic as possible, preferably by not supplying parts (something Apple is doing for years now). Having said that, the EU is now moving to enshrine the "right to repair" into Law, but alas, not for the UK anymore....

 

*Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair

I think you are right, most laptops and especially macs are not made to be repaired, I'm more talking about simple tasks, that can be done from the desktop, but not things that your everyday user would think of doing. not opening up laptops because as you said this can void the clients warranty. I think my case would be beneficial to those who may actually know that the job is simple but don't have the time to take out of their day or who are just happy to pay a little for a quick remote fix. Or opening up tower pcs (as this is something that I am much more familiar and combatable with) to add a HDD or something else that is extremely easy to do. Of course I would still check about warranty etc..

[Roswell]

There's no money in it.

 

When I was younger (mid 2000s to 2010~) and working in the ONLY retail location in a 5 mile radius in a densely populated area that offered hardware/software repair services, the store still only pulled in maybe $500 a week. That was with national level brand advertising.

 

These days everyone either understands how to reset their OS or knows someone who does. If something breaks, most people don't care to get it repaired because most people own sub $500 machines and it's probably time for an upgrade anyway.

[Akolyte]

9 hours ago, UpTheDons said:

I think you are right, most laptops and especially macs are not made to be repaired, I'm more talking about simple tasks, that can be done from the desktop, but not things that your everyday user would think of doing. not opening up laptops because as you said this can void the clients warranty. I think my case would be beneficial to those who may actually know that the job is simple but don't have the time to take out of their day or who are just happy to pay a little for a quick remote fix. Or opening up tower pcs (as this is something that I am much more familiar and combatable with) to add a HDD or something else that is extremely easy to do. Of course I would still check about warranty etc..

The truth the industry has just evolved and will continue to evolve.  

 

The era of the datacenter tech is coming to an end soon as well, I don't see a need for people who repair user computers and perform computer services.  I don't think this is because the service itself isn't valuable, it's because there are too many people doing the same thing. 

 

My personal recommendation would be to focus on learning at the moment, take one or two IT certifications in some areas you are interested in and get clued up on what skills are trending today. 

 

If you google entry level IT certifications, you can get idea of what kind of skills are out there and choose some that certify skills and technologies you're interested it.  Some notable ones are Microsoft, Google, The Linux Foundation, etc.   They provide quite a wide range of certifications. 

 

I would avoid companies like CompTIA even though they do offer certs like A+, the reason is because they have fairly low value certs that rarely get updated and I see them as just targeting newbies for a quick buck. 

 

A lot of companies need people to go on-site to assist with businesses IT operations, this normally includes stuff like repairing computers and troubleshooting issues with Windows, basic networking, etc.  A lot of companies are now outsourcing their IT solutions to MSPs (managed service providers) and so working for one I think might put you closest to where you want to be without the burden of running your own business. 

 

Just my opinion. 

[UpTheDons]

8 hours ago, Akolyte said:

The truth the industry has just evolved and will continue to evolve.  

 

The era of the datacenter tech is coming to an end soon as well, I don't see a need for people who repair user computers and perform computer services.  I don't think this is because the service itself isn't valuable, it's because there are too many people doing the same thing. 

 

My personal recommendation would be to focus on learning at the moment, take one or two IT certifications in some areas you are interested in and get clued up on what skills are trending today. 

 

If you google entry level IT certifications, you can get idea of what kind of skills are out there and choose some that certify skills and technologies you're interested it.  Some notable ones are Microsoft, Google, The Linux Foundation, etc.   They provide quite a wide range of certifications. 

 

I would avoid companies like CompTIA even though they do offer certs like A+, the reason is because they have fairly low value certs that rarely get updated and I see them as just targeting newbies for a quick buck. 

 

A lot of companies need people to go on-site to assist with businesses IT operations, this normally includes stuff like repairing computers and troubleshooting issues with Windows, basic networking, etc.  A lot of companies are now outsourcing their IT solutions to MSPs (managed service providers) and so working for one I think might put you closest to where you want to be without the burden of running your own business. 

 

Just my opinion. 

 

Thanks for the advice, I think this may well be the direction that I will take myself in as I do want to end up with a job in or around IT. I am still a student so lots of options to consider atm. I do know a bit about MSPs as a family member uses one for his fairly large business, it seems like a good option to consider. I will have a look at those certs that you mentioned too, so thanks for the tip!

[Heliian]

It really doesn't matter what kind of repair field you work in, the realities are the same. 

 

To be profitable, you need to turn around repairs in less time than you are billing for, while keeping the bills reasonable.  

 

Your time is the value and if you put 8hrs into a repair with 2 billable hrs then you're already losing.  

 

Then, you need to take into account your operating costs.  Tools, insurance, permits, storefront and breakage.  That's why they all try the upsell, they need to make as many sales as they can to just break even.

 

Starting and maintaining a successful business is not cheap and requires full devotion.  That's why you see a lot of people throw their hat into the field and quickly disappear.

 

 

 

[UpTheDons]

2 hours ago, Heliian said:

It really doesn't matter what kind of repair field you work in, the realities are the same. 

 

To be profitable, you need to turn around repairs in less time than you are billing for, while keeping the bills reasonable.  

 

Your time is the value and if you put 8hrs into a repair with 2 billable hrs then you're already losing.  

 

Then, you need to take into account your operating costs.  Tools, insurance, permits, storefront and breakage.  That's why they all try the upsell, they need to make as many sales as they can to just break even.

 

Starting and maintaining a successful business is not cheap and requires full devotion.  That's why you see a lot of people throw their hat into the field and quickly disappear.

 

 

 

 

I think I mentioned in the original post that this would be much more of a side hustle (to make a bit of cash alongside developing IT skills) and would have no outgoing costs as everything would be done from home and within free dedicated hours. I understand why shops try the upsell, its not economically viable without it and as someone else mentioned its becoming increasingly harder to stay in the game. I also mentioned this would a very simple repair service and after conducting some light "market research" among others in the area would require little time. (of course I could take on harder tasks if costs were covered by a client).

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

46 minutes ago, UpTheDons said:

 

I think I mentioned in the original post that this would be much more of a side hustle (to make a bit of cash alongside developing IT skills) and would have no outgoing costs as everything would be done from home and within free dedicated hours. I understand why shops try the upsell, its not economically viable without it and as someone else mentioned its becoming increasingly harder to stay in the game. I also mentioned this would a very simple repair service and after conducting some light "market research" among others in the area would require little time. (of course I could take on harder tasks if costs were covered by a client).

Just being the friendly neighborhood tech for my friends and family, I can assure you the ticket doesn't end when the person leaves the door with their machine. Be prepared to be called for every minute thing that happens. You're almost expected to provide support in some way for the rest of that machine's usable life. 

[Letgomyleghoe]

6 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Just being the friendly neighborhood tech for my friends and family, I can assure you the ticket doesn't end when the person leaves the door with their machine. Be prepared to be called for every minute thing that happens. You're almost expected to provide support in some way for the rest of that machine's usable life. 

this is why I don't do anything for family/ friends, everything from that point forward is your fault, or they need immediate help with it.

[Dr_Whom]

1 hour ago, Letgomyleghoe said:

this is why I don't do anything for family/ friends, everything from that point forward is your fault, or they need immediate help with it.

God this especially. As someone who works in repair, this is THE worst. True story, replaced a cracked screen one time (literally pop the bezel off that's held on with clips, 4 screws, screen out, new screen in, screws, bezel back on, done). Customer comes back a MONTH later, problem description "It no longer powers on after being serviced here!". Do my usual diagnostics to rule some things out, finally pop the bottom off - completely corroded, liquid damage everywhere. But it's somehow my fault cause I replaced the screen a month ago LOL.

[UpTheDons]

19 hours ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Just being the friendly neighborhood tech for my friends and family, I can assure you the ticket doesn't end when the person leaves the door with their machine. Be prepared to be called for every minute thing that happens. You're almost expected to provide support in some way for the rest of that machine's usable life. 

This would be my big worry, I guess I would have to try and figure out a period of time where I could take it back in after the repair if everything's still not working properly, although as someone else said above, this could get pinned easily on you for something completely unrelated. Thanks for the advice!