$65 an hour? WTF?

[IrregularPulse]

We are $2730 flat rate for up to 8 hours on site for the cheapest region. If we fix it in an hour, tough ****.

 

[jakecpunut]

$@%^ I feel like a cheap ho for what I charge to fix puters and build websites.. I need to raise my rates haha

 

[IrregularPulse]

wtf?

Yes, what is wrong with .rar? It's just another compression utility like winzip. I love winrar other than the fact that when sending them to people,l they never know how to handle it.

 

[BBKing]

When I do side computer/tech work, I charge $100-$125/hour... When I first started doing the side work, many years ago, I would charge $50/hour, then it went to $75/hour and finally either $100 or $125/hour. The difference was determined by if the person was a customer/client from before I went to that point or not.

If you want someone that actually KNOWS what they're doing, then you pay a premium. If you don't care if the work is sub-standard, then look for the cheapest place you can find. Just don't biotch about your system running like ass in a short amount of time.

BTW, then you have work done by a company, they charge you one rate. The person that did the work gets paid something very different. Typically either 1/2 that, less than 1/2 that, or get a flat hourly rate from where they work.

If you don't want to pay for the technician's time, then do the stuff yourself. What did you take the computer to them for in the first place?

I took my computer in because it was crazy infected with viruses. A little history here: This used to be a shared computer when I still lived with my step-mother. My step-sisters bonehead boyfriend seemingly downloaded whatever his little heart desired despite my wishes. After awhile it just seemed like my security (Norton amongst others) just couldnt keep up and the damn thing got slower and slower and slower.

So I decided that it was probably something that I should have a pro look at. I know a little about computers but obviously not enough and figured fixing this problem was probably a little over my head. I took it to a shop opened up a year ago by a guy thats a year older than I, who I also partied with in our younger days. Computer whiz kid for sure. Got a call later in the day telling me that the whole thing was so corrupted that it needed to be completely wiped clean.

Had I have known that, I could have done it myself with some frustration and maybe a couple F-bombs.

After looking at the responses to this, it seems like I got a great deal. My computer runs like new and from what my old friend said the security system seems to be top of the line. At least I'm impressed so far (that doesnt mean a whole lot). Know anything about "Sophos"?

I dont know if I got a "I partied with that guy" deal or if his prices are low as he starts out, but I sure wont bitch next time knowing that some people are getting charged 2 or 3 times what I was. I retract my original post Thanks for the perspective!

 

[BBKing]

I just dropped my Jeep off at a mechanic to diagnosis an electrical problem I could not solve. $75/hr and I called almost every mechanic in town and that was going rate.

A friend of mine just quit a job as a mechanic and thats what his place was charging also.

 

[weirdboy]

I took my computer in because it was crazy infected with viruses. A little history here: This used to be a shared computer when I still lived with my step-mother. My step-sisters bonehead boyfriend seemingly downloaded whatever his little heart desired despite my wishes. After awhile it just seemed like my security (Norton amongst others) just couldnt keep up and the damn thing got slower and slower and slower.

So I decided that it was probably something that I should have a pro look at. I know a little about computers but obviously not enough and figured fixing this problem was probably a little over my head. I took it to a shop opened up a year ago by a guy thats a year older than I, who I also partied with in our younger days. Computer whiz kid for sure. Got a call later in the day telling me that the whole thing was so corrupted that it needed to be completely wiped clean.

I used to run a computer shop and did this kind of stuff professionally before I changed careers. Some of the most time-consuming PITA computer work is trying to restore systems that are riddled with viruses, assuming you want to save your existing data (which most people with this problem do). You can end up with so much infected crap strewn about that it is nearly impossible to recover all the data. It is much faster and easier to just wipe your HD and reinstall everything, but nobody ever wants to do that so they bring their computer in to an expert to pull their hair out instead.

Most of the time if you are considering taking your computer to a guy to do virus repair, they are going to tell you to wipe everything because it's just the safest way to ensure you don't have viruses on your system anymore (until you download them again).

If you want to keep your data and not worry about viruses, what you CAN do is just buy a replacement hard drive and do a clean install yourself from the install disc that came with your computer. You can even keep your old HD and put it in an external enclosure, that you can then connect to your computer and copy data from it. Be sure to virus scan the bejeezus out of anything you copy before you do so.

For about the same price as what you paid (more or less, depending upon the age of your system and size of the HD), you would end up with a brand new HD and all your old infected data sitting on an external drive, that you can copy, erase, or do whatever with at your discretion.


Frankly, for that kind of stuff I think $65/hr is a bargain. At this point in my life you couldn't pay me less than a couple hundred an hour to get that kind of headache.

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

BBKing: I don't know Sophos, but I have 2 suggestions for you:

1. If you NEED Windows (or somehow love it) there are 2 great antivirus you can download for free: Spybot S&D, and Lavasoft's "Ad Aware". I personally use Spybot for all my customers (I'm also one of the computer techs here), as I find it easier to live with than Ad Aware, but both are great. In any case, I'd strongly suggest you don't share a Windows computer. People seem to think that somehow an apology is enough to fix a computer they messed up.

2. If you don't need Windows, switch to Ubuntu, and forget about viruses! I did the switch little more than 2 years ago, and had loved every minute since. Only have Windows 7 on my desktop computer, because I need it to run Solidworks.

 

[wedge421]

Yeah $65 sounds crazy but its pretty much the going rate

 

[amc22]

BBKing: I don't know Sophos, but I have 2 suggestions for you:

1. If you NEED Windows (or somehow love it) there are 2 great antivirus you can download for free: Spybot S&D, and Lavasoft's "Ad Aware". I personally use Spybot for all my customers (I'm also one of the computer techs here), as I find it easier to live with than Ad Aware, but both are great. In any case, I'd strongly suggest you don't share a Windows computer. People seem to think that somehow an apology is enough to fix a computer they messed up.

2. If you don't need Windows, switch to Ubuntu, and forget about viruses! I did the switch little more than 2 years ago, and had loved every minute since. Only have Windows 7 on my desktop computer, because I need it to run Solidworks.

1. Spybot and ad aware are not AV's, they are spyware removal

2. I would not suggest any linux distro to someone that doesn't know much about computers.

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

1. Spybot and ad aware are not AV's, they are spyware removal

2. I would not suggest any linux distro to someone that doesn't know much about computers.

1. Nope. I used Spybot for more than 3 years before switching to Ubuntu, and ever since in customers' computers. It gets rid of malware, worms, trojans, and any other kind of virus you throw at it. Ad aware is actually more focused on adware, but, just as Spybot, will deal with anything else, and both are very aggressive.

2. I didn't know the first thing about Ubuntu when I switched. In general terms, Ubuntu is much easier to use than Windows, and, for the few things that may be more challenging, there's a great forum at http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php.

 

[weirdboy]

Ubuntu is most certainly NOT easier to use than windows.

I am a huge linux advocate and have been using it and doing development on/for it since Slackware was first released, but there is no way I would recommend it over Windows or Mac OSX for ease-of-use.

They have made lots of progress but it's still not as good IMO.

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

What is it, exactly, that you find more difficult in Ubuntu than in Windows?

 

[weirdboy]

Configuring settings, for one.

At least they have GUIs for most of that stuff now, but it still sucks compared to e.g. Control Panel settings.

Also a lot of it is in the vocabulary used to describe things in documentation. In general linux documentation is really nerdy and technical and a bit inscrutable. In general Windows documentation is speaking to the lowest common denominator. Of course sometimes it's flat-out wrong (ESPECIALLY API docs), but so is some linux documentation, too.

 

[amc22]

1. Nope. I used Spybot for more than 3 years before switching to Ubuntu, and ever since in customers' computers. It gets rid of malware, worms, trojans, and any other kind of virus you throw at it. Ad aware is actually more focused on adware, but, just as Spybot, will deal with anything else, and both are very aggressive.

2. I didn't know the first thing about Ubuntu when I switched. In general terms, Ubuntu is much easier to use than Windows, and, for the few things that may be more challenging, there's a great forum at http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php.

1. Not really debatable. They are both designed to remove spyware, nothing can replace a good AV program.

2. For someone who doesn't know much about computers? The OP stated in a previous post he would have a hard time reformatting, so I think that sums that up. Linux will always be useless for the mainstream user, especially since support is non existent, with the exception of some very unhelpful forums.

 

[amc22]

What is it, exactly, that you find more difficult in Ubuntu than in Windows?

Let your average person try to run their favorite program on linux, let me know how it works out.

 

[iaefebs]

What is it, exactly, that you find more difficult in Ubuntu than in Windows?

My computer is in the family room and anyone that wants to use it can just use it. When I installed Ubuntu it freaked everyone out and i spent too much time showing them how easy it was to use. I switched back to the more familiar Windows.

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

I'm not gonna turn this into another stupid endless debate. I stand behind my suggestions. I'm sure the OP is smart enough to decide by himself if he follows them or not.

I will say this:

amc:

1. I CHALLENGE YOU to find a single virus that can not be disinfected by either Spybot or Ad Aware, that one of your "good AV programs" can take care of.

2. What kind of experience in those "very unhelpful forums" you have? Are you a member of the forum I linked? I have posted questions on that forum, and have NEVER been let down. And, most of the times, I don't even need to ask the question. A quick search is enough to find the answer to just about everything.

 

[kaiser423]

For ~2 years now when people call me asking for help, I tell them to go download combofix, run it and if the problem persists, to bring the cmoputer in.

About 20 attempts, and I've only had one or two computers brought to me. I love that program.

Adaware versus Virus programs - The two functions are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but that doesn't mean that they're the same. Virus protection is typically much more active and agressive and about actual viruses, but doesn't care about things like browser toolbars and "helpers", whereas anti-spyware stuff typically goes the other route.

 

[LonoMT]

Know anything about "Sophos"?

Sophos is an Anti-Virus and IT Security product that is geared more toward the corporate environment than the home user. However, if you have it installed, you might as well keep it.
Just about anything is better than the bloated pig that is Nortons and McAfee (AVG and Avast! are good freebie A/V programs).

Spybot and Ad-Aware are good FREE tools for cleaning your computer.
I would add Malwarebytes to the list.
All 3 are good at cleaning up leftover crap on your computer, and they will each find things the others missed.

And yeah, $65/hour is a bargain.
"Continuing Education" is an understatement when it comes to a career in the computer world.
If you are not constantly learning everything you can, you will quickly be unemployed.

 

[Ringmaster]

the rar thing is because people like to put trojans/viruses all kinds of nasty business in them. But if you want to download rar's do it. I really don't care, it was just a warning.

It's not really a big deal if you know what your downloading or trust the source but if your not sure, i'd just as soon not do it.

I'd second the linux thing though. Ubuntu is one of the simpler ones. It's a gui, you just double click on something and it runs. It's even got a bunch of applications under right click. And installing things is a million times easier. Plus the no viruses thing ever is kinda nice.

Oh iaefebs, you could always try a dual boot.

Anyway it's just my 2 cents.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Rar is really not much different than WinZip.

M_C

the rar thing is because people like to put trojans/viruses all kinds of nasty business in them. But if you want to download rar's do it. I really don't care, it was just a warning.

 

[knotquiteawake]

Sophos is pretty kick ass. If I could get it for a personal computer at a reasonable rate I would do it. We were evaluating Sophos vs. Symantec for our university when i worked for IT and by far Sophos was coming out ahead in all the tests except for the cost.

Sophos has some amazing heuristic abilities (being able to identify a virus based on known actions, only small fragments of code, ect instead of looking for an exact match) and was able to do it without impacting system speed.

If they gave you Sophos then you got a great deal.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I used to own a Custom A/V outfit. Charged $75 an hour, with a 1 hour min.

To wire DVD players and program remotes.

People were calling me left and right. It's been nearly 5 years since I closed shop and I still have people calling wanting me to install this and that. Point is, when you do the job right the first time, people are eager to give you their money so they don;t have to do the work.

 

[amc22]

1. I CHALLENGE YOU to find a single virus that can not be disinfected by either Spybot or Ad Aware, that one of your "good AV programs" can take care of.

2. What kind of experience in those "very unhelpful forums" you have? Are you a member of the forum I linked? I have posted questions on that forum, and have NEVER been let down. And, most of the times, I don't even need to ask the question. A quick search is enough to find the answer to just about everything.

1. Already explained.

2. Seems they are all like you, blindly suggesting linux to noobies. Stop being a fanboy and open your eyes, the average pc user will be much better of sticking with windows and you know exactly why.

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

1. Already explained.

2. Seems they are all like you, blindly suggesting linux to noobies. Stop being a fanboy and open your eyes, the average pc user will be much better of sticking with windows and you know exactly why.

1. So you're avoiding the subject.

2. Yep. More than a million members, a lot of them, like me, noobs, "blindly suggesting". But we're all wrong, and you're the only one that's right. Sure.

 

[knotquiteawake]

I've used Linux for years and I would never suggest it to anyone unless I was confident they were pretty computer savvy. Otherwise as the suggester you are on the hook for getting all their windows programs to emulate in WINE or to find alternatives or to track down their missing dependencies.

I'm a PC user but I would definitely suggest Apples to all my non-tech savvy friends. The year before last I worked for an IT Helpdesk for a university. We got a lot of staff and student computers infected with those "fake anti-virus" infections. Spybot/adaware did jack crap to fix those. The only effective program at the time was Malware Bytes Anti malware program.

IMO there is no perfect AV out there right now. They are either too protective and junk up the computer/slow it down/overprotect, or they do next to nothing.

That being said, the best balance I've found right now is Nod32 because I can't afford Sophos.

 

[knotquiteawake]

Noobs can use Linux if they are clever noobs. People with common sense, good problem solving skills, ect... like people who can usually pick up something new and get familiar pretty quickly. This is why some people say "I'm not computer savvy but I learned how to use Linux and it was really easy". This is not because Linux is really particularlly easy (although it is a lot simpler now) its mostly because they are smart people who are able to learn.
This can't be said for the majority of the computer using population who dumber than rocks and have to have somebody hold their hand if somebody moves their icon from one side of the screen to the other. Or who freek out because the login screen is a different color, or who think the world is ending when ANY message pops up on their screen.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I am in the PC field and am quite familiar with them. I still take my PC's to by buddy when my wife hoses it up on FB or myspace, but I installed Ubuntu last year. Granted, I didn't spend a lot of time messing with it, but yes, to a general PC user, it's not something they want to deal with. They want to turn the machine on and go. Windows is what they know and what they should stick with. The fact that you have to read up and learn how to install programs instead of just clicking an executable and clicking NEXT NEXT NEXT, (which can be a feat in itself for some) means the average PC user isn;t going to want to deal with it.

 

[RDWHAHB]

I am pretty computer savvy. Ran Linux a few years ago. It was workable, but just kind of a pain in the butt. Went back to windows. Maybe someday I'll try agian. I run a lot fewer programs, so it might be less trouble.

I think the diffrence is that I hate f'ing around and researching that stuff. I have better things to do with my time. Other people enjoy it.

 

[Homercidal]

I keep trying various flavors of Linux and they still don't have it ready for most people. It's gotten MUCH better for installing and running. However, there is still the problem with people wanting to run software. A LOT of software is made only for windows, and getting it to run on Linux is not something the average user (I'm talking about the people who call with computer problems) is going to be able to do.

If they were that good, they'd already know not to click on that link that just caused them to call me to fix it for them.

If they only want to do the basics, like read emails, surf the web, etc. then Linux is a very nice option. If they want to buy accessories and install the software that their friends are using, then Linux is probably not for them.

If everyone who wrote software for Linux would document properly, and write installation guides for the average person, it could be much more popular.