Everybody Wants Something For Nothing

[Desdinova]

I've become tired of people trying to get me to spend my talents and skills on their 5hit, only to receive a "thank you". I've started charging them money. Some aren't too happy with that, but my rates are cheap compared to the big businesses that charge big bucks for the same services. And no, I don't accept beer and food. A service in return is cool though

Here's a conversation I had with one such person. It might be different if she was my GF, but she is not.

Her: Hey Des. I am trying to find someone who can fix an all in one computer. The display isn't working. Would you happen to know someone?
Me: Hard to say. It's either a software or a hardware issue. If it's software, it shouldn't be that difficult to fix. If it's hardware it would probably be expensive

Her: Can you have a look at it then?
Me: If it's running Windows, I won't touch it. I'm no longer familiar with Windows since I quit using it 10 years ago.

Her: Can you help me get the files from it? Really I want my pics and music.
Me: That I can do, but I charge by the hour

Her: Oh my! What is your rate?
Me: $20 per hour.

Her: Do you accept food in place of money?
Me: You gonna take me out to dinner?
Me: If I'm just transferring a hard drive, it'll take 1-2 hours. It's quicker and easier if you give me a computer or laptop to transfer everything to. Once it starts transferring, I just leave it to do it's thing. It's the work of ripping out the old hard drive and setting it up to transfer that actually takes time.

Her: OK. When would you have time?
Me: Sundays are usually good

Her: Next Sunday then?
Me: Sure
Me: Just let me know what you don't want transferred, and I'll need your laptop password (if you have one). You can just leave them with me and I can do the rest. I'll let you know when it's all done.

Her: Aw. I can't hang out with you?
Me: I have no problem with you hanging out, but I'll probably be doing stuff around the house. It's my laundry day too

Her: Good times.
Me: I could always make you work off your payment

Her: Doing laundry?
Me: No, that's my job. There's always dishes, dusting, vacuuming, etc etc

Her: Tempting but I think I will have to pass on the chores.
Me: no problem


Seriously, these people piss me off. A big business would likely charge somewhere around $80 per hour to do this 5hit. I just did a job transferring a pile of old videos for someone and they weren't happy with the final cost. One of the local places charges $1 per minute, and I'm charging $10 for a 1.5 hour tape.

 

[Billtx49]

Only one sentence needed regardless of others offers.
If you do not want to pay me what I usually make, I would rather do it for free.
Then the ball is in your court and on your terms.

 

[ChrisFloyd]

Only one sentence needed regardless of others offers.
If you do not want to pay me what I usually make, I would rather do it for free.
Then the ball is in your court and on your terms.

What the fvck you are talking about?

 

[HeadLightsOn]

What the fvck you are talking about?

Lol.

 

[mrgoodstuff]

I've become tired of people trying to get me to spend my talents and skills on their 5hit, only to receive a "thank you". I've started charging them money. Some aren't too happy with that, but my rates are cheap compared to the big businesses that charge big bucks for the same services. And no, I don't accept beer and food. A service in return is cool though

Here's a conversation I had with one such person. It might be different if she was my GF, but she is not.

Her: Hey Des. I am trying to find someone who can fix an all in one computer. The display isn't working. Would you happen to know someone?
Me: Hard to say. It's either a software or a hardware issue. If it's software, it shouldn't be that difficult to fix. If it's hardware it would probably be expensive

Her: Can you have a look at it then?
Me: If it's running Windows, I won't touch it. I'm no longer familiar with Windows since I quit using it 10 years ago.

Her: Can you help me get the files from it? Really I want my pics and music.
Me: That I can do, but I charge by the hour

Her: Oh my! What is your rate?
Me: $20 per hour.

Her: Do you accept food in place of money?
Me: You gonna take me out to dinner?
Me: If I'm just transferring a hard drive, it'll take 1-2 hours. It's quicker and easier if you give me a computer or laptop to transfer everything to. Once it starts transferring, I just leave it to do it's thing. It's the work of ripping out the old hard drive and setting it up to transfer that actually takes time.

Her: OK. When would you have time?
Me: Sundays are usually good

Her: Next Sunday then?
Me: Sure
Me: Just let me know what you don't want transferred, and I'll need your laptop password (if you have one). You can just leave them with me and I can do the rest. I'll let you know when it's all done.

Her: Aw. I can't hang out with you?
Me: I have no problem with you hanging out, but I'll probably be doing stuff around the house. It's my laundry day too

Her: Good times.
Me: I could always make you work off your payment

Her: Doing laundry?
Me: No, that's my job. There's always dishes, dusting, vacuuming, etc etc

Her: Tempting but I think I will have to pass on the chores.
Me: no problem


Seriously, these people piss me off. A big business would likely charge somewhere around $80 per hour to do this 5hit. I just did a job transferring a pile of old videos for someone and they weren't happy with the final cost. One of the local places charges $1 per minute, and I'm charging $10 for a 1.5 hour tape.

You have to charge them. They respect you less if you don't and your rates are low. Figure out the market rate and charge that. Not even sure you should save them a few bucks.

 

[ERB]

Perceived value. You are charging too little for your service. Up your price and the better quality customers will come.

I charge dearly for my side work, I never get complaints from my customers. They beg me for my service.

 

[Scaramouche]

Dear Des,
Crazy but people are contemptuous of cheap rates....That Bird who wanted a free service but wouldn't do a few domestics is just typical of these stupid entitled wenches!

 

[Desdinova]

You are charging too little for your service. Up your price and the better quality customers will come.

I'm not even aiming for customers. This is 5hit that people approach me with. I also need to remain competitive with what the local places charge. I may eventually raise my hourly fee if word of mouth gets out there. I don't even wanna run my own business, but if it's easy money, I'm not opposed to taking it and doing something in return that I find easy.

The place I live in is made up of cheapskates. If I were to live in a different province, the story would likely be different. I was talking to my boss about this stuff, and he said that out in BC, people want to know how much service they can get for their money. This place? They're more likely to ask how many corners I can cut to give them the cheapest rate.

 

[Atom Smasher]

I own a computer business, and I don't do work for friends/acquaintances at all. I do work gratis for my immediate family, because it's family.

I charge $125 per hour, and businesses gladly pay that here (suburbs of NYC). Back in my wuss days I would hem and haw out of "guilt" and do work for friends and acquaintances at a super-discounted rate and even then they would make snide remarks like "Wow... you must be doing very well." This was back when I was charging $90 per hour and was only charging them $40, with no travel time charged.

I don't even do residential anymore. Commercial only.

It's a no-win situation. Computer work is seen as a commodity by non-business people. You get the call after Uncle George, Cousin Billy, Aunt Betty and several other people have had a crack at the problem. You're seen as just another one of those amateurs, and therefore the notion of your charging for their time is heresy! Then you're tasked with reverse-engineering the "fixes" they've all tried, just to get to the original problem they had in the first place.

I just tell them I'm extremely busy... I simply don't have the time. Sometimes at that point they offer to pay up. In those cases I consider doing the work but it's not a given.

 

[King of Action]

Dude! Gold digger can me women and men. Especially if they can get it for free!