Is PC repair a dead business?

[joydivision]

Had my second or third best month ever, not actually checked all my previous years accounts but it is one of the best ever, so far this month (it is the second day!) I have made a quarter of my usual amount for November although work is starting to die off.

I think what is happening is the industry has matured, a lot of competitors have died and the market is now too small for a lot of new starts to bother. You can now get a £40 tablet with 1Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM BUT we that is now where the business is.

There are plenty of people out there and realise they need a PC.

 

[TechSolutions]

I don't think the Computer business is dying that's crazy. This business is like highway/freeways/roads it has its turns and twists curves and bumpy sections but if you think you can keep driving on straight when that curve/turn comes your going to crash! follow the road of the computer business its just no longer a straight road. Computers services, almost everything and anything electronic. This world if it isn't already is an electronic world people couldn't survive without it.

 

[Pants]

The original question is actually a VERY broad one an it can be answered in many ways. The question was about "PC" repair, not the "computer repair" business in a general sense. If you are an independent and you sit around all day waiting for customers to call because they need ONE computer fixed, or maybe two, then yes, I think it's fair to say the PC repair business is dead, or dying, because there's too much competition for that one service. If you are an independent doing PC repair, AND you have other skills like doing server work, and general networking, then NO, the business not dead or dying...Some of your income comes from PC repairs, and some comes from networking, and maybe service agreements. If you only do PC repair and nothing else, BUT you work with a firm that does other things, then yes, you CAN probably make a living by solely relying on that one job.

Are there any independent techs who make a living by solely relying on PC repair? If any independents did this, I would think it's a secondary job, aside from a primary job, to help make ends meet.

 

[realray]

Not really. People are not that techy, at least by now.

 

[gatestechsol]

I don't think so. I find more people need computer repair now more than ever but they don't know who to trust. They have been burned by the big-box repair stores or burned by small computer repair shops. They want someone that can not only fix their issues but explain to them what happened, how it was resolved and what to do to keep it from happening again in a calm, non-jargon matter.

And small businesses need techs that don't over-sell them with technology they don't need, or lock them into pricey maintenance contracts with lackluster service.

I don't see computer repair dying anytime soon but I do see that we techs will have to continue to change with what "hot" technology computer repair encompasses at that time.

 

[Scott Harrison]

If your focus is "computer repair," then yes, I think you're going to struggle in years to come. If your focus is "computer solutions," the world is your oyster and the future can be very prosperous for you.

OP is right in saying a new PC is cheaper now than the time it costs to repair computer issues. What I think computer technicians need to do, is add value that makes your service a better deal than just buying a new PC.

All of my clients are business clients, so a monthly service contract makes a lot of sense - this may be different for techs servicing residential clients. If you can offer a subscription service to your residential clients, similar to the guy that mows their lawns, you can earn X over 12 months, rather than trying to charge when something goes wrong.

 

[redmon]

OP is right in saying a new PC is cheaper now than the time it costs to repair computer issues. What I think computer technicians need to do, is add value that makes your service a better deal than just buying a new PC.

I Agee. We are mainly a break/fix residenial(80%) repair/service company. Our commodity is fixing computers, but we sell peace of mind. Even though we do a lot of hardware repairs, I feel our job is making the clients secure that we are keeping their data safe and their lives manageable. Buying a new computer does not usually solve their issue. Now they have a new computer with none of their stuff, they still need us.

 

[Simplify]

Yes, and that piece of hardware will soon be completely throw-away/disposable for about $200.

I'm a few years late to this thread but to touch on your particular point, and made by several others during this thread, about hardware dropping to the point of not ever needing to be repaired is correct but only sort of. This same argument has been made since as far back as the 90's and is as true now as it was then, the low end stuff has been throw away for quite a while.

There will always be a niche as technology evolves and you have to evolve your business with it. Back in the early days hardware repair was lucrative because all hardware was expensive but as time goes on there is always an area to fill. We have to be more service oriented today, not the transmission builder (who doesn't love a car analogy?) that just made a couple hundred off from me. Repairs and particularly virus removal are still in high enough demand to be worthwhile today however.

You would be surprised, or maybe not, how many people call about screen replacement on smartphones for instance. Phones are pretty much the definition of throw-away technology and yet I get calls all the time for it and don't even advertise such business.