25 May 2020

New mobile laptop repair business.

| papadoc
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Hi guys,

I’m just about to go live with a mobile laptop repair business in the A.C.T. Basically, the set up is as follows.

Monday, Wed, Thursday are pick up days, $199 $99 flat fee (parts not included).

I’m not looking to drum up any business (yet), but am looking more to what pitfalls you guys can see in operating like this in Canberra.

Regards,

Papadoc

If you’re looking for a computer repairer, check out our recently updated article on the best computer repair shops in Canberra.

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I am starting a small computer repair business based out of my home. I will be doing on site tech work as well as bringing machines to my workspace when necessary. Mainly for Small Businesses and Home Users. With Small Businesses being the MAIN focus. My question is mostly about payment for services rendered and I figured with all these seasoned techs on here I would get some first hand answers.
Computer Repair

papadoc, how is the business idea going? have you started the business as yet?

Full marks to Papadoc for throwing a concept out into the idea-market and seeing if it’ll float. I’d throw him leads from my ISP’s customers if there’s potential.

astrojax said :

and what guarantee ya gonna give? what if you pick up a lemon, will you still charge the poor sod two big bills?

will you do macs?

(as for frog’s comment, while 600 is perhaps feasible, still a lot more than 200 – not everyone is so flush… is one answer)

speak to rennie at http://www.macservicesact.com.au or pat kelly, the mac guy – don’t know pat’s web address.

tylersmayhem11:37 am 03 Sep 08

$99 sounds more reasonable as a consumer, but I agree with the other posts on here about overheads, and the lack of potential value to customers having their portable PC’s picked up rather than dropped off. I second and third a feasibility study, which it appears you are doing already.

Good luck with your venture, I hope it goes really well.

papadoc said :

Whoops, looks like I made a little typo! It was meant to be $99 dollar flat fee. Even I wouldn’t pay 200 clams to get my lappy fixed!!!

Sorry for the confusion.

papadoc,

can you please give me a shout when you can, I think we will need to discuss some opps.

(I can’t help you with lappy parts, but i do have an idea that could complement your business)

Whoops, looks like I made a little typo! It was meant to be $99 dollar flat fee. Even I wouldn’t pay 200 clams to get my lappy fixed!!!

Sorry for the confusion.

Woody Mann-Caruso10:52 am 03 Sep 08

I’d just get mine fixed under warranty (statutory, retailer or manufacturer) or collect on my insurance if it was damaged. If it was old enough to be out of any of those warranties, I’d chuck it and buy a new one before I’d pay somebody $199 just to look at it. You can grab a new Acer for under $500 these days – in a few years, they’ll be as disposable as thumb drives are now and portable hard drives will be next year.

Loquaciousness9:22 am 03 Sep 08

It’s a good idea, but I fear that you would have quite a lot of competition, and it does seem pricey. Have you done a business plan that includes a feasibility study (I might be able to point you in the right direction if you need help with that)?

L

Nice idea Papadoc. Good luck with it buddy.

If you know a way to restore over-written files on MYOB,then you could charge the bucks! AGGGHHH!
Seriously, why would the majoity of people need a laptop picked up? Desktops I can see the advantage. Do you have skills beyond the average PC repair guy that enables you to fix laptops where they may not? If so, given the hastles of changing computer (not to mention having to suffer vista)you could be on a winner! Best of luck with it if you go ahead. BTW Do not under estimate the overheads of running a small business, advertising is one example, but there are SOOOOO many others.

Good on ya, PapaDoc, for having a go – I’d still take note of the above comments, though. Any new business has its risks. Best of luck.

How do you repair a laptop? I’ve only ever had Toshibas, and all their problems were terminal. Which is why I now have a dell (much better machine, solid). Laptops aren’t made to be repaired, as far as I can tell. Especially Toshibas.

Vic Bitterman10:45 pm 02 Sep 08

What exactly will the punters get for $199? Please elaborate!

$199 flat fee for pickup? are you picking them up in your chartered Boeing 737 or something?

Seeing you can buy laptops for about double that price these days, people are unlikely to be willing to pay that amount.

Might be worth checking out the competition first – eg http://www.gizmo.com.au

astrojax said :

and what guarantee ya gonna give? what if you pick up a lemon, will you still charge the poor sod two big bills?

will you do macs?

(as for frog’s comment, while 600 is perhaps feasible, still a lot more than 200 – not everyone is so flush… is one answer)

Yeah but the point was its $200 before parts. Add some parts to $300 and up and its almost worth getting it updated to something brand new.

I believe $200 is a bit steep. My PC repairer near work charges $55 labour for a repair you can’t say the additional $144 is domestic transport costs.

I belive you should do a business plan and some feasibility studies before thinking about it.

I cold ship it down to a place in melb, they/’ll fixc it for 55/hr and ship it back for 33.00

and what guarantee ya gonna give? what if you pick up a lemon, will you still charge the poor sod two big bills?

will you do macs?

(as for frog’s comment, while 600 is perhaps feasible, still a lot more than 200 – not everyone is so flush… is one answer)

$199 to fix a laptop? Dell, HP and Acer all offer 3 year warranties for free or far less than that that offer pickup. It’s also far more than any repair bill I’ve seen for a computer, and this flat free is before parts I assume.
Sorry mate but I would do a business plan, check out some market research from Ibis and see just how viable such a service for such a price is.

disposable laptops, such as dells, unless its a mac I wouldn’t bother getting it fixed. I have seen laptops for $600 why repair when you can just buy new.

It has always been my belief that you should weigh up all the possibilities, positive and negative, very carefully before taking the plunge. Sometimes things work out brilliantly, sometimes it’s a disaster from day one. The most important thing is to be sure you know what you’re letting yourself in for, ask other peoples opinions, and then go with your gut.
I’ve never lived with a mobile laptop business personally, but I’ve shared with a quite reasonable desktop computer and that’s worked out fine, except when it gets the shits and refuses to talk to the printer from time to time.
He He 🙂
English is a most amusing language.

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