Before Dropping your computer off, at a Computer repair shop. There are few important questions you should ask the tech or business working on your computer to help alleviate confusion and also so you don’t get any surprises on the bill.
How Much Do You Charge Per Hour or Do you have any flat rate services?
Asking How much service cost seems like a basic question but we have seen that about 30 percent of people who come into Ram don’t even ask the cost of the repair. It is shocking how many people ask the price when they come in to pick up their computer after the work has already been done. At Ram Computer Services we do a mix of flat rate billing and hourly. Depending on the work that needs to get done. We charge 80 dollars an hour. The industry average is $75-$100.
Is it Cost effective to repair this computer?
One of the things we find so surprising as a computer repair shop in Bozeman Montana is how many old computers come into our shop that are 5-10 years old and customers want them repaired. We do appreciate the business and well, it maybe Cheaper upfront to repair the computer it can be more expensive down the line to keep that computer running than buying a new Computer. This is an important question to ask if your computer is a bit on the older side. Just to make sure that you are not wasting time and money on something that will need to be replaced in the next 6 months to a year.
What Is the Minimum Charge for being in the shop?
Not all computer repair and I.T work take hours to complete. Some repairs might only take 10-15 minutes and are just “Quick Fixes”. It is important to know what the minimum charge is for taking your computer into the shop. At Ram, we do a $45 flat rate diagnostic charge. Other shops might do a 1-hour base charge.
Do you have any recommendations on the computer I should buy or stay away from?