Anybody know a good set of baselines to charge for tablet/smartphone repair?

[drapacioli]

As a college student I kind of need money (we all know this is universally true of students...), so I was thinking of taking on some repair/support roles for computers and tablets to make some extra money for books and tuition. It's relatively easy to estimate rates for computer repairs and diagnosis (in general, parts are easier to price and replace too), but I'm having a really hard time finding out what to charge for tablet and smartphone related services. Apparently google anything smartphone and cost/charge related and you get nothing but contract charges for data or screen replacement costs. Does anyone work with phone/tablets and care to share some generalized numbers for the following services? As a full time student, my time is valuable, so I want to make sure I'm not undercharging, but at the same time I have to keep in mind I'm not a professional (yet).

- Data transfer (Android-Android, Android-iOS, iOS-iOS, or tablet/phone to PC)
- Data backup (Cloud setup or to PC)
- Service Calls (per hour? per mile? flat rate? I'm assuming remote help isn't exactly an option here but phone help might be possible)
- Repair rate per hour/per job for: Screen, touch panel, control board (I won't be doing any soldering repairs, not dealing with the tiny parts here that could break too easily so it's replacement only for control board issues)
- General support/how-to advice, diagnosis

For comparison, these are rough numbers I was thinking of for computer repairs, just in case I have some of these wrong or if the same numbers can be used in the case of tablets/phones?

- Data transfer - $40 flat rate + $10/TB (first TB free)
- Set Up Data backup - $60 flat rate per machine + cost of backup drive/software
- Data recovery - $40 to look at the drive and then $200 for any successful data recovery, but chances are I'd be referring people to a professional service. New hard drive not included in price if needed and NO GUARANTEES.
- Service Calls - $40 for in-person house calls, $15 otherwise, then $35/hr for any subsequent diagnosis/support time spent on the call, 1st half hour included in flat rate.
- Part Replacement (all costs are for labor only, parts to be charged at cost + 10% markup to cover time spent pricing and researching parts):

(Part: desktop cost/laptop or AIO cost)
--CD/DVD/BD/Hard Drive/Wireless Card: $20/$35 ($10/$20 if purchased with data transfer or OS install service)
--GPU swap: $25/--
--CPU/fan: $35/$40
--Power Supply: $50/--
--Motherboard: $60/$90
--Screen: --/$100
--Keyboard: --/Cost varies by laptop

-Custom Desktop build: $35/hr plus parts, minimum 2 hours. Time charged for est. build time, OS install, driver install, and any additional software desired by customer.
-Clean/Dust removal: $20 desktop/$50 laptop or AIO
-Virus Removal: $60
-OS Reinstall: $60, Customer must provide a valid license key.

 

[Ralston18]

Drapacioli,

Pricing is one of the most complicated things to work out when starting a business. Especially a service business.

You obviously have a good skill set and have given it all some thought. Just asking for feedback is a good sign that you realize that it is all not so pat and easy.

Think about it all in two ways:

1) What do you need to make to breakeven when you consider expenses? In your case I doubt you will have very high expenses with respect to overhead and purchasing parts. The former being low unless you rent a shop and the latter being passed on to customers.

2) The value of your time - you make that very clear and your being aware that your time is valuable puts you a bit ahead. Now think of your time as an expense - what you have to pay someone to do the work. Or what hourly rate would you want/need to be paid to do the same work? Hourly IT rates/salaries can vary a great deal but I am sure that you can find some information relevant to your area.

If you have a full or part time job think about your hourly pay rate(s). Generally anyone going into business on a more formal basis needs to have rates that double or triple that income. Especially if giving up said job(s). Admittedly a bit arbitrary but does have some validity.

As stated your time is valuable and limited. Think about the impact of a "two-hour" job that goes astray, through no fault of yours, and takes 6 hours.. The domino effect thereafter can be dramatic. What could that cost - a failed exam perhaps? Missing another deadline..

Once you touch someone's device, you in a sense, "own it". And many people nowadays will hold you responsible for anything that goes wrong. And you may incur liablities - e.g., discovering inappropriate files on someone's device. That situation was even discussed in this forum.

Pretty easy to find out what competitor's offer if you are willing to do some foot work, look at public bulletin boards for flyers, make some calls, "spy around" a bit. Most places (big box stores) will provide basic pricing for the services you are considering but there will always be caveats included.

My suggestion is to scale back and focus on doing services and repairs with minimal risk - time and money. Keep a good cushion on the time estimates. That will allow for unexpected problems and manage your time.

Stay with what you really know and can confidently price with respect to you and your circumstances. Offer select services at prices that make sense for you. What is the cost of risking your time?