As a person whose fixed family computers and home/shop electrical issues and knowing how my family is, I had to nip it in the bud immediately or I would get walked on like the floor. My family also knows I work full-time so their jobs come in my schedule and if I want more work. Family and close friends get one cheap shot, but after that time is money and I'm going to make it worth my while.
Electrical Work (for friends or family):
• You will get a quote based on what I can SEE. Any further issues once walls are open may require additional work and/or contractors. I'm an electrician, not a plumber, hvac, gas fitter, structural engineer, etc. I tell them to add 30% on top of their original budget for their planned work. I will not cut corners with my work, you wanting me to cut corners will make me immediately reject the job and leave.
• First quick repairs are labor free, but material costs w/ 5% markup. I will use my own stock.
• First large jobs (remodel, panel replacement, etc) are half my normal hourly rate.
• Additions after the "agreed work" will be billed at my full hourly rate. This is made immediately clear. 10% material markup. If required you can pull your own permit, or I'll do it for a 10% markup. For any jobs over $500, 50% is due at time of work, the other 50% at conclusion (within a week unless longer was discussed BEFORE work started). Failure to pay full bill results in the rest of the family knowing what you did and I will call you out to family as a crooked cheapskate scammer. Family knows how I am.
• On complex problems, a repair may expose unseen further electrical issues that should be addressed. Because I quote and bill by the hour ill use up the remaining time to dig into the issue. Additional time and material needed will be seen as "Additional Work" and billed according customer willing. Unsafe conditions will be made safe regardless even if it means disconnecting the offending circuit in the panel.
• For friends of family. Full rate regardless of work with 10% markup. Its a normal job to me. No exceptions.
• Any job after the first is full rate.
Computer Work (for friends or family):
• 1 hour free assessment and work. If I cant troubleshoot and fix it within an hour, I'll recommend additional action.
• I'll recommend I take the machine home to dive into it and I can swap hardware if needed to diagnose.
• Though I image every boot disk before starting work, customers are told to backup stuff they want to keep. This gives me insurance in case I totally screw it up and have to revert to a known state. Images are digitally shredded once machines are deemed fixed.
• In the case of malware being installed (intentionally or not) whether I wipe the machine (preferred) or can recover from the malware. A brief education session is required.
• Next repair, especially if its because of the same issue (malware), its my normal rate plus travel time because you cant listen the first time. If I'm too expensive, take it to a repair shop and cry because they're more expensive than me before they even look at it.
• I offer no warranty. If you want that, go to Best Buy. I will only take a 2nd look at something if it is directly related to the original problem. See below.
• Any additional work is subject to my normal rate.
• Friends of family. Its a normal job so my normal rate plus travel applies.
• For any hourly work, my time is billed by the time I'm physically interacting with the machine. The time I have the machine does not equal the billed time, so don't panic if i need to keep it another
day.
• Any job after the first is full rate.
Electrical or Computer Close friends and family only
• If I offer to look at it myself unprompted. I'll do it for "free", but I'll want lunch or dinner. Some people in my family make epic food :3 . It is bound specifically to my schedule which may change if a friend wants to hang out instead, or other work related service call, etc.