I know a friend of a friend who just bought a MBP and needs help learning OS X. I've been a mac user for about 15 years and can definitely help him get on his feet but have no idea what to charge him. Any advise? I was thinking of just meeting him at Starbucks once/twice a week and charging him about $15-20/hour.
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How much would you charge for "Mac help"?
- Thread starter sjjordan
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Same as PC help.
I showed some neighbours how to use their computers. I didn't expect a penny but they gave me £10 for an hours worth of lessons.
If it was a friend or family member I wouldn't charge at all. And if some random neighbour asked and didn't mention a fee I wouldn't ask.
I showed some neighbours how to use their computers. I didn't expect a penny but they gave me £10 for an hours worth of lessons.
If it was a friend or family member I wouldn't charge at all. And if some random neighbour asked and didn't mention a fee I wouldn't ask.
I'll be the token Capitalist and say that you should charge. $30-$40 an hour for on-site service if you are good/know what you're doing. You can charge less, but you should consider what your time is worth. $20 for service at Starbucks I guess is okay.
I've found people are more comfortable calling you again if you treat it as a business relationship instead of a favor.
Think of it as the geek's equivalent of babysitting.
Since this person is not YOUR friend, and you will be spending valuable time with him/her, I think what you are asking for is not bad.
You could also have him/her buy you the coffee and not charge if you enjoy it and the commitment is not a big deal to you.
You could also have him/her buy you the coffee and not charge if you enjoy it and the commitment is not a big deal to you.
Exactly. This is a friend of a friend. Even if he's not your friend, I'd expect no more than a coffee out of this. Make it a double-mocha vanilla creme brulee monstrosity, and it's like you're getting paid more.
If he didn't offer to buy me a coffee, then I'd be surprised. If I'm doing this for a friend (and his friend), then being bought a free drink is just plain manners. I certainly wouldn't expect to buy my own while I'm sitting there helping him. It may sound like my help really isn't a "selfless" act, since I'd expect a coffee. But it's just a matter of manners in this case, not business.I would honestly be surprised if a friend asked his Mac using friend to help me, and that friend of his/hers charged me. I would probably take it as a joke at first. If he didn't laugh, I'd pull out my wallet. It would be awkward though, I can tell you...
OP, did they approach you to spend a couple of sessions? or to actually make regular "classes".
If the later, then charge $$, if the first, go for the coffee. I would probably do that.
If the later, then charge $$, if the first, go for the coffee. I would probably do that.
Apple has free workshops at apple store.
Also, bunch of info for newbies:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7012495#2
Also, bunch of info for newbies:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7012495#2
If it's a friend, the most I'd ask for is that his fridge is stocked with beer when I came over.
$25 or $30 an hour.
I help people with Macs for $30 an hour, and all my clients have felt it was a very reasonable price. Granted, I know almost every piece of macintosh hardware and software inside out, but if you are really good, you should charge at least $30 an hour.
I help people with Macs for $30 an hour, and all my clients have felt it was a very reasonable price. Granted, I know almost every piece of macintosh hardware and software inside out, but if you are really good, you should charge at least $30 an hour.
I say "See, there's this place called the Apple Store, you buy this card and they teach you there. Don't ask me again."
Yeah.
And charge $10 for providing him with the information.
But seriously, he should just buy you a coffee. However, if you're don't really like him, you should charge some money. Probably around $20 an hour.
I fix a lot of computers/ setups for my friends and most of the time I do is just so I can go to their house for a couple of hours. I don't ask for money but they always pay me like $20 anyway. If you have a lot of free time don't ask for money, but if your time is really tight I guess it would be ok to charge. They should at least cover the coffee.
I help train quite a few people on PC (clients, not friends), and its 40 dollars an hour. For a mac I would probably only charge 20-30, I need mac to go main stream (more market share) so we start getting more programs like zbrush and mudbox (autodesk recently ported if I heard right).