Opening your own Computer Repair business?

[volatile]

I'm thinking more and more that I could make a nice supplementary income if I go out on my own...maybe steal a few choice customers I've worked with so far. The only thing I'd be worried about is liability issues. I'm hoping that if I can just come up with a document that customers can sign to make sure they know I can't be responsible for data loss, it would help. The other thing I am worried about is having customers constantly try to contact me and become enough of an annoyance to interrupt my primary job. Have any of you struck out on your own with any success?

[Shabo]

I've done contract work here and there on my own, but I haven't opened up my own shop. I just make sure I let the people know that there is a chance that I might not be able to recover anything. You could probably come up with a piece of paper asking people if there is any data to save, and have them check off an option saying that if they do not tell you to save anything, you are not responsible for losing their data, then have them sign off on it. Other than that, you might want to consult a lawyer about what legal stuffs you may need. Of course, you will also need to document any supplemental income for tax purposes. But that's a whole nother story.

[k386trl]

I do computer repair on the side and what I have noticed is if you fix something and 6 months down the road something completely different on the computer breaks, the customer will come back yelling and screaming that it's your fault and try to force you to fix it for free or give them a new one. There are a lot of liability issues, it got to the point where I make people test the pc completely and they are forced to sign off on ALL liability before they get their computer back, so if something goes wrong down the road I don't have to pay for it.

[digilight]

A few things. If you are considering doing this as a business whether just a side gig or not you should have business insurance as well as incorporate as an LLC. This will shield you form any issues that may arrise computer explodes due to your negligance from leaving TNT next to the power fan and blows up customers home....insurance covers it (and the incorporationg shields you from liability on the personal side, meaning they can't sue you for your shit).

I would definantly lawyer up for this, it may take a few hundred bucks, but it will save your but in the long run.

[sld72382]

I'd love to freelance in FL like I was doing in NY, but the only issue is that the retail-based tech services have such a stranglehold down here. Plus with the fact you have to get insured and bonded, if you're dead you may end up losing money. Then again, if you're good and people like you, you may end up getting referrals and THAT is a big money-maker right there. Be sure to have a "terms and conditions" paper handy and have them sign it before you do any work.

Speaking of that "terms and conditions" stuff, here are some major points it needs:

Customer abandoning service is not grounds for a refund/discount. What it means: Abandoning service can be anything from faulty hardware preventing you from reaching the solution and the client deciding to take it in somewhere to have it fixed, to the client not liking the solution to fix the problem (almost always a format) and thus wanting to discontinue service and decides to "take it in somewhere" or "have someone else look at it." Whatever the reason, THEY decided to abandon service after YOU made the diagnosis on what would get it up and running. You don't work for free, after all. See next point....

Troubleshooting and/or resolution to fix the issue may not be completed due to something (whether it be hardware or software) that existed prior to you looking at the unit, or because client declined the final resolution to fix the problem.

Data backup is the responsibility of the end user, not the tech unless he/she pays for it. What it means: It may not sound like a big deal to save all the client's junk to a couple of DVDs before formatting, etc - until client finds things missing on the DVD that should have been there (often because they failed to mention it while you're saving stuff to DVD) and decides to blame you for it. Just don't do it. Now if they paid for it it's a different story, which bring us to the next point...

Tech is NOT responsible for any loss/damage/corruption to hardware and software of any kind. What it means: Let's say you move some files from one user account to another and for some reason they get damaged and can't be opened. This waives you of any liability. Same with hardware, if you're working on the unit and the power supply dies, they can't come after you to fix it.

In some cases the system may need to be erased and put back to factory settings. What it means: It needs to be formatted, basically. Client doesn't like it? Tough.

Warranty exclusions. What it means: Say you give a 15 day guarantee on your work. You come out to a woman's house to find that her idiot son went to a porn site and got a virus. You clean the virus off, install Firefox so her son has a safer way to browse, and 10 days later said idiot son uses IE, goes to same porn site and gets the same virus. Tough luck, that's her problem not yours. Same with networks, if they reset the router and put it back to factory settings forcing you to come back out and basically do a new network setup, it's once again their problem not yours. NOTE: Be sure to tell them up front otherwise they would have a leg to stand on (ie "he never told me that!").

[Seshat]

NOTE: Be sure to tell them up front otherwise they would have a leg to stand on (ie "he never told me that!").

And before you do any work at all, get them to sign off on the disclaimer.

If you decide to do any programming, web design, or anything other than repair, you MUST come up with measurable acceptance criteria and get both them and you to sign off on it. Even with a repair, you need a written record of exactly what you're repairing.

Once the work is done, both parties should look at the finished product/repair, and sign that yes, it meets the criteria for acceptance.

This is the ONLY thing that I know of, that will make a judge look at a stupid complaint and laugh the complainer out of court. It's your paycheck, and you need it.

You have to make the acceptance criteria measurable, as well. If the client decides they 'don't like the colours' or 'don't like how it looks' and gets incredibly, impossibly picky, you can still insist on being paid for the work you did if you can prove that the acceptance criteria are met anyway.

Suitable criteria:
* entire page downloads in (time) on (bandwidth)
* usability test with (statistically significant number of people) proves that (percentage of people) can achieve (specific task) in (specified time)
* database holds (blah) records of (specified size and type)
* search of full database of test data finds a record specified (this way) within (this time) with (this background load on machine)
* the horrible grindy fan noise the machine makes is fixed
* the machine which has been running slow now runs within the standard benchmark times for a machine of its specifications running (specified program)
* the page layout fits a particular specified, signed-off-on design

Unsuitable criteria:
* make it go faster
* 'the webpage meets client expectations'
* 'it doesn't work'
* any 'it must be fast' or 'it must be usable' or 'it must hold lots of stuff' that doesn't have actual measurable numbers

[volatile]

**SNIP**

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. If where I worked was like this, it would be the ideal technical service place to work at. Unfortunately, even if this is enforced the customers would pitch a fit and be a headache. But, I pretty much share your ideas.

[earl colby pottinger]

It is a Business

Make sure they know this is a business, with business hours. Not a friend who fixes problem and gets slipped a couple of bucks as a reward.

I got out of doing repairs on the side when people started banging on my door on Sunday morning at 8 AM demanding I fix their machine!

[technical.angel]

And make sure it's cool with the boss.

That kept me from starting up something on the side.