Virus removal time and competitor comparison

[Chadhardy]

I have a few questions:

1.) How long does it take you to run your full spectrum of software to remove viruses and how quickly do you get the computer back to the customer?

2.) How much do you charge for virus removal?

3.) Do you offer a guarantee such as free clean up if the computer is re-infected within 30 days?

I have a competitor that charges $199 for virus removal and they say it takes from 7-10 business days!

I do removals for $125 and can normally have it done within 48 hours. I'm thinking of doing some Facebook marketing and basically comparing my service/cost to theirs. Has anyone here conducted marketing where you compared your company to a competitor? If so, did it benefit you? Did the competitor know you were doing it?

 

[citizensmith]

#3 No guarantee at all. Even if I sell them a AV solution - How do you know WTF client does with PC?

 

[Porthos]

1.) How long does it take you to run your full spectrum of software to remove viruses and how quickly do you get the computer back to the customer?

Depends on lots of variables. Computer speed, What type of infection, Which OS and the state of their OS updates.

2.) How much do you charge for virus removal?

I am like in price but I have close competitors that charge less.

3.) Do you offer a guarantee such as free clean up if the computer is re-infected within 30 days?

That one has been answered by citizensmith.

I have a competitor that charges $199 for virus removal and they say it takes from 7-10 business days!

Sounds like Best Buy.

 

[HawkinsPC]

1. I generally quote 2 full business days. However, customers will still call the same day... or if I pick it up at 5 pm, they'll call at 8 am wanting it. Who needs sleep, y'know?
2. I charge generally $70-$80 flat rate for residential and by the hour for businesses (depending on the contract). This is pretty average for the area. I've found out that whenever I offer a discount or temporarily lower my price, I have less business.
3. Absolutely not. I had one dolt re-infect her machine the every next day. I cleaned it again at no-charge, then pinpointed to her the exact website she went to. Then I once had a non-profit call saying they infected one PC by downloading an attachment, so they hopped on another and tried downloading it there, too.

 

[putz]

The residential side of our business charges 120$ for a 'tune up/virus removal'. This just includes the normal diagnostics, malware/av scans and general cleanup type stuff.

we normally say about 3 days although depending on the system and infection and our workload, it doesn't always take that long.

We don't have a guarantee, and i'll get to the reasoning in my next response to your competitor, but we have the tech working on the PC verify certain things and also a secondary tech verifies the same stuff before it goes out the door. Because we are a small business and word of mouth through our community is very helpful to our business, if someone brings their PC back in within a few days with similar issues we will normally give them a pass that time. If they want to throw a fit if its been longer then we will try and work something out that time but just remember to be cautious if they come back and want help in the future.

So, as far as a competitor that charges 199$... I don't agree with their 7-10 business days because that just seems extreme, but the price seems justifiable if they are wiping the machine and essentially reinstalling everything for the customer because that's similar to the price we charge for the same process. In the world of computer and network security..... I don't care how many scans you run, there is no 100% guarantee the system is no longer compromised from a virus or an attacker just because you have an application or two that says it cant find any more infected files. The only real way to guarantee that the system is not compromised is to flatten it and reinstall the OS and of course... change all your passwords.

 

[cypress]

1) Generally I tell the client 48 Hours unless I am swamped with other things. Most of the time that is what it is.

2) I charge $80 Flat rate for Residential and when I go on site it is always hourly. Why a lot of my clients want me going on site to do Virus Removals is beyond me, but they don't mind paying me hourly lol. Win, win!

3) In the past I never really put much into a warranty for virus removal, fixed the issue and never had an issue. Then a couple times came up where the client would call me weeks later stating the computer started running slow after I serviced, yet when I followed up with them days after they didn't say anything. Now I give a 7 day warranty that is included in the Invoice when they sign off. Got it in writing and no issues since.

 

[citizensmith]

they infected one PC by downloading an attachment, so they hopped on another and tried downloading it there, too.

LOL - but so sad to

 

[kwest]

100
Usually 24 hours (I have 4 techs in the shop)
30 day warranty if it reinfected itself. If we get it back we will look at browsing history and how it got infected. If they did reinfect we will let them know how they did it and be careful and it wasn't a mistake from us. That will usually prevent them from trying to warranty it again.

 

[Romaniac]

About $85 puts me in middle-high range with other techs like me.

A word about a guarantee. I do a 5 or 7 day guarantee, but I take the client into consideration and it's a verbal agreement. The majority of my clients don't seem to be high risk.

I'll continue this until it bites me, but I think there's a confidence projected when you do that. Also, keep in mind that most people hate this crap and will likely be careful. It may also really set you apart from the competition.

Adjust as necessary.

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

1.) How long does it take you to run your full spectrum of software to remove viruses and how quickly do you get the computer back to the customer?
Typically 24 hours

2.) How much do you charge for virus removal?
$129.95

3.) Do you offer a guarantee such as free clean up if the computer is re-infected within 30 days?
No guarantee unless you purchase our Complete Internet Security Package, then free virus removals as long as you have an active subscription.

 

[Larry Sabo]

24 hours, usually, but I don't state that as a commitment.
$135 CAD ($101 USD).
No guarantee, unless they promise to not use the computer.

 

[CheddarPCsKP]

1. Our normal turnaround time is 24-48 hours. We usually say 2-3 days though; having that extra time covers us when we're very busy, and gives us a time window to do the extras that can earn us more - we do a HDD test on every PC that comes in, and a burn in test result showing a high temperature will often generate a sale of a stripdown/clean service.

2. Pricewise we're middle of the road in comparisom with most of the local competition. There are one or two who are much cheaper than us, but we're busy every day. Having the shop where customers bring in jobs means we don't have to be out and about picking up work, and a decent workroom allows us to run up to 8 jobs at once.

3. Guarantee? Exactly what @Larry Sabo said. Like most of us who work with residential clients we've got a few customers who we know we'll see at least every other month for a virus removal. They won't invest in a decent AV (although they're happy to pay us for removal on a regular basis) or alter their browsing habits....

 

[Alan's Computer Repair]

1.) How long does it take you to run your full spectrum of software to remove viruses and how quickly do you get the computer back to the customer?
Usually 12-24 hours. I tell customers the average turn around time is 2 days, although it could be quicker or longer depending on how things go.

2.) How much do you charge for virus removal?
I have a flat fee of $80, which is comparable to other places in town. That is only if they bring the computer here and drop it off.

3.) Do you offer a guarantee such as free clean up if the computer is re-infected within 30 days?
Sort of. If I just do virus scans to remove the viruses I'll offer then a free save/wipe/reload at no charge if they call within a couple weeks. However there is no warranty with the save/wipe/reload since I know for certain I've removed all the viruses then. I haven't had very many that needed the save/wipe/reload.

 

[jft135]

1) We quote 2-3 days. We run thorough hardware diagnostics on everything that comes in, and really scrub the PC clean. That takes time to do right.

2) Right now it is $100. I'd like to go to $125, but the market here won't support it.

3) Officially, no guarantee. Unofficially, if they call back in under a week, and I can't specifically see how they reinfected, we'll fix it. Any second visit is an automatic N&P. No guarantees after that. If the customer wants to be a jerk, see the official policy.

 

[trevm999]

Sounds like Best Buy.

In Canada, for $170 a year you can get unlimited malware removal from Geeksquad, same day service. (online support)

 

[C&S Computer Services]

I run a small shop open on weekends. If it comes in Saturday I try to get out by end of day Sunday. If it comes in on Sunday it may be Tuesday/Wednesday as I have a full time job during the week. My normal rate is $50.00 as the other shops tend to charge $75-$100. With my customers I explain I have lower overhead but it may take me longer depending on how busy I am.

What I have also found is if the customer needs it sooner or during the week they will go to one my competitors with a referral from my shop. I have had my shop open 3 years now and have found by building partnerships and not bad mouthing anyone I get enough business to make it worth my time and lot of repeat business and referrals.

I also sell used systems and normally the 1st infection is a freebie and then I educate them the next time I have to bill for my time.

 

[jzukerman]

I usually charge 2 hours labor for virus/malware removal. If the virus/malware has really hosed the computer (usually you know within the first 30 minutes), then I'll bill for reinstalling Windows, drivers, basic applications, and restoring files in that same 2 hour time frame.

 

[medi777]

Depends how many files has in computer.no one offer guarantee

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

I do online computer repair only.

1.) How long does it take you to run your full spectrum of software to remove viruses and how quickly do you get the computer back to the customer? 2-7 hours depending on the machine. Could take longer in some situations.

2.) How much do you charge for virus removal? 75

3.) Do you offer a guarantee such as free clean up if the computer is re-infected within 30 days? Well I have a 30 day guarantee but only if the reinfection is not caused by the customer. All interaction with the system is recorded so unless I make a mistake I never have to do a free repair for the 30 day guarantee.