homehelp - Prices for Services

Competitive Prices
Our prices are competitive, yet our our service is amongst the best - this is because we specialise in providing expert technical services only and we are not retailers.  It all helps to make homehelp really good value for money.

Guaranteed Prices
Most of our prices are 'per task' i.e. fixed, because we believe most people prefer to know in advance exactly how much a service will cost before they commit themselves.  The prices below are guaranteed until 31.May.08.  All our homehelp prices include VAT at 17.5%

Technician's Time Only
All prices below are for technician’s time (i.e. labour) only.  For many jobs we use well-known free software (freeware) that is of high quality and professionally respected.  If you prefer us to install or configure products that you have already bought, that is normally not a problem.

For your convenience our technicians carry a small stock of parts for repairs/upgrades but feel free to supply your own; see Buying Computer Parts for our buying advice.

Minimum Charge
There is no callout charge but we have a minimum charge per visit of £20.  The minimum only applies if the total of all the work you require is less than £20.

Payment
We accept payment by cash and guaranteed cheque, and through our website we accept most credit and debit cards and PayPal.  Please ensure that you are able to pay our technician before he leaves, otherwise unfortunately we will have to charge you an administration fee, currently £20.

Exceptions
Our fixed prices may not apply if your computer is more than 8 years old or slower than 500MHz or is running Windows 95; however we are always willing to consider your requirements and offer free advice and a realistic quote if we can.

Sliding Scale of Hourly Rates
For certain services such as virus removal, data transfers, software installations not listed below and unusual one-offs we have a sliding scale of hourly rates to give you a progressive discount for using more of our services in a single visit.

Table of Hourly Rates

The sliding scale results in hourly-priced jobs being charged as follows:

The chargeable time is the sum of all the hourly-rated tasks in a single visit (to nearest ¼ hour).  Allowance is made for the value of fixed price jobs carried out in the same visit, to ensure that you are not paying over-the-odds for additional jobs.

Our average job length is around 1½ - 2 hours, but it varies greatly depending on client requirements.  Charging doesn’t start until your requirements are clearly confirmed and agreed with the technician.

Use Your Computer More Effectively
Do you feel you could get a lot more out of your computer, if only someone would explain it or show you?  We don't just fix computers - we also help many people to use their computers more effectively. 

Our Personal Tutorials are friendly, jargon-free and go at your pace and your level.  They are also very affordable, thanks to our cumulative pricing.

Spread The Load, No Penalty
We find clients often struggle to take in more than 1½ - 2 hours, so we now price Tutorial time cumulatively.  This means you are not penalised for having say, three 1 hour tutorials instead of one 3 hour tutorial.  Also, tutorials can be combined with other services in a single visit with no price penalty, although this can make for a fairly long visit.

Table of Tutorial Rates

So far we have a 100% record of successful troubleshooting!

If you have a problem that we don’t have a fixed price for, we charge our hourly rates up to 1½ hours to diagnose and fix it.  If we have not managed to fix the problem within 1½ hours, and you do not wish to proceed further, then no fee is payable.

If the technician can, he will agree a ‘no-fix, no-fee’ fixed price to complete the diagnosis and/or fix the problem.

Internet Protection Package
Our very popular 'Internet Protection Package' makes sure that your computer is protected by the three fundamental safety systems - a two-way Firewall, up-to-date Anti-Virus protection and an effective Anti-Spyware program. 

The package includes installation and configuration of current versions of:
Sygate Personal Firewall, AVG Free Edition and Spybot Search & Destroy.  It also includes initial system scans and automatic removal, where possible, of existing viruses and spyware detected.  AVG updates itself every day if you have broadband.  Broadband prices are lower due to much faster initial updating.

For added security we can also upgrade your version of Internet Explorer or, better still, install the hugely acclaimed and much safer Firefox browser.

Get Rid of Useless Clutter
"My PC used to be fast but now it takes ages to start and it’s really slow" is one of the most common problems we hear.  This service solves it!  A typical home PC has accumulated a lot of clutter and ‘junk’ that runs unnecessarily - we sort it out for you, making sure you only run what you want and need.

Malware means unwelcome software such as viruses, spyware and adware.  Please read the entry about our Malware Removal Service on the homehelp Services page for more information and advice on what to do if you suspect a malware infection.

Pricing Policy:  Recovering a seriously compromised PC can be difficult and time-consuming.  To avoid your spending an uneconomic amount, our policy is to charge initially for one hour, which includes an assessment of the prognosis.  If the removal is not completed within this hour, the technician will discuss the options with you and agree a sensible course of action.  We do not guarantee complete success, but if we cannot remove at least one detected malware as a result of further agreed action, there is no additional fee.

To connect two or more computers (or game consoles) to your broadband you need a suitable router or wireless router.  Wireless (Wi-Fi) is popular but you need to use security, either WEP or WPA.  Thick walls and interference can cause problems.

Broadband takes up to 2 weeks from ordering to become active.  We suggest you look at the good value, no frills, broadband ISPs such as ADSL4less and Tesco rather than AOL, BT/Yahoo or Tiscali.  If you already have Sky TV or Virgin cable, look at their broadband offerings.  Specialist comparison sites such as thinkbroadband can be very useful.

Remember to budget for Internet protection - firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware.

Note: 'Standard' means modem or router configuration only.  AOL, BT, Sky, TalkTalk prices include installation of the proprietary software supplied with the modem/router, excluding any VoIP (telephony) element.  VoIP setup, if required, is charged at our standard Hourly Rates.

Registering a domain name means you will never have to change your e-mail address.  We have helped many clients to register a personal domain, such as ‘carolann.me.uk’.  UK domains cost about £6 per year. 

Read our Domain Names page for more about domains and see our Help Sheet on ‘e-mail’.

We use a reliable registrar that provides excellent free e-mail facilities and does not fleece you for transfers.  Our prices include the registration fee for the first 2 years (the minimum period).  You cannot register a domain that somebody else has already registered, so don't wait!

Important: if you want us to register a domain for you and then configure your e-mail to use your new domain, please contact us at least a week in advance since it takes several days for domains to become active.

Try D.I.Y.
Most consumer software is easy to install and does not require a technician.  Success usually depends on the quality of the software and its compatibility with your computer rather than the skill of the operator.

How Long Does It Take?
If you prefer to leave it to us, we are happy to oblige, but unfortunately we cannot quote fixed prices because there are too many variables.  The biggest time factors are the size of the package to be installed, and the speed of your computer.  However, we find most applications install in under half an hour.  We rarely find applications take longer than an hour, even on slower machines.

NB: We will only install from genuine, licensed CDs - these are generally easy to distinguish from pirated copies.  Read our Buying Computer Parts page for advice on where to buy from.  A lot of excellent free software is available on the Internet - read our Recommendations with links to downloads, or feel free to ask us for suggestions or advice.

Choosing Hardware
Choosing compatible hardware for your computer is much more difficult than choosing software.  Unless you are absolutely sure what will work with your PC, it usually pays to get expert advice before spending your money.  Our telephone advice on hardware compatibility is free, regardless of whether you want us to do the installation.  Read our Buying Computer Parts page for advice on where to buy from.

Drivers
Many devices need a 'device driver', usually supplied by the manufacturer on a CD.  Our prices assume that you have a suitable driver.  If necessary, we can find a device driver for you on the Internet.

Unless you are confident that you know what you are doing, please ask for our advice before purchasing Windows, or attempting to upgrade or reinstall Windows yourself (apart from Service Packs), because there are many pitfalls.  For example a typical manufacturer's 'Recovery CD' may recover your PC but it will also wipe out all your data.

'Reinstall' and 'Clean Install' prices are for Windows itself and do not include reinstating settings such as e-mail accounts or application software such as Word, or data transfer.  Upgrading Windows usually retains applications, settings and data but it is not guaranteed.  We only recommend upgrading if the PC is running smoothly.

NB: We will only install or upgrade from genuine, licensed CDs - these are generally easy to distinguish from pirated copies.  Read our Buying Computer Parts page for advice on where to buy from.

If you prefer our technician not to work in your home for whatever reason, we can collect your computer and return it to you.  Our technician can also disconnect/reconnect your base unit.

Please note that we will require signatures both on collection, authorising the required work, and on return, acknowledging the safe return of the computer.

This list is comprehensive but you may have a requirement that is not listed - feel free to contact us for advice or a quote.