As with any kind of technology, there’s a lot that can go wrong with your PC. And unless you’re particularly tech-savvy, you probably don’t know how to fix it. To make matters worse, it can be difficult to find a reputable person who can, considering that many computer experts have transitioned to repairing laptops exclusively as PC’s have declined in popularity. Here’s what to expect when looking for a PC repair technician and how much it might cost, depending on the type and severity of the issue.
Finding a Trustworthy Repair Service
With PC repair services becoming more rare and less profitable, it is important to determine if those that still exist are worth the time and money. There are a few factors to consider. First and foremost, you should ask a service about their billing policy. Do they charge for diagnostics? Do they have a minimum charge? As most services charge by the hour, you can expect them to charge at least one hour’s worth of work as their base rate. If they add on a surcharge just for looking at your PC, regardless of if they can do anything to fix it, that may be a red flag. In addition, it is critical to ask if they can tell you how long the issue might take to fix, and how much they expect parts to cost. As we will discuss in a moment, the price of PC repair can vary wildly. The work can take anywhere from just a few minutes to several hours, and parts can either be negligible in price or cost several hundred pounds. If the service refuses to provide these estimates, you may want to consider someone else.
Expected Cost of PC Repair
There are many things that can go wrong with a PC, and each requires different treatment. As such, the price of repair can vary. You can expect PC Repair to cost between £20 and £300. On the low end, a simple virus or malware removal can cost between £30 and £50 depending on the severity of the problem. For a general check-up to increase the speed of a slow computer, you can expect to pay £40 to £60. Installing a new operating system will typically cost around £50 plus the cost of the operating system, which may increase the cost dramatically. For a hard drive replacement and data transfer, you can expect a price tag of £100 to £150.
