COMPUTER & CONSOLE Repair Cost

EXPLAIN WHAT MAKES UP REPAIR COSTS?

8-Bit COMPUTERS

To keep costs low and to make it Worth it for you , I charge a FIXED labour amount of $20. Regardless of whether the Repair takes 1 hour or 4 hours, the labour is FIXED because this is not only a Business but also a Hobby so I enjoy Repairing, and keeping these Vintage devices alive.

Another reason why I try to always keep costs low is because I know that you can buy a Fully Working Computer or console 2nd hand, at a reasonable price, so if the Repair cost is too high, then no one would Repair anything.

The Parts used for Repair, (Which is usually an IC & IC Socket), cost $10-$20.

So when you add Parts & labour, the total cost is usually $40 for 90% of the Repairs I do.

16-Bit COMPUTERS

16 Bit Computers are a lot more complex and contain a lot more parts than 8 Bit machines. So Faults are harder to diagnose & Parts are more complex and therfore cost more to purchase.

Labour varies greatly as a result, but the Repair cost has to reasonable or else you would not go ahead with the repair, so a fixed quote is given prior to repair if the fault is obvious. And when the Fault or its cause, is not obvious, a quote will be given after I have bench tested the device & know exatly whats causing it.

In all cases, a Quote is always given before any work starts.

For Parts & labour, the total cost is usually $40-$60.

32-Bit COMPUTERS

32 Bit Computers are very similar in complexity to 16 Bit Computers, so the Above section applies in most cases. Also Note: Some 32 Bit Computers have a Hard Drive, CDROM Drive, Expanded RAM and Multiple I/O Cards installed, so the Repair time can take 7-10 Days to properly Diagnose & thoroughly Test.

In all cases, a Quote is always given before any work starts.

CONSOLES

Most Console are made of several Internal modules, so Fault finding is similar in complexity to 8-Bit Computers.

So for Parts & labour, the total cost is usually $30-40.

WHAT DO I GET FOR MY MONEY ?

1. A Very accurate quote is given by email - based on info provided by you.

2. The Computer/Console is Opened and connected to a TV / Monitor.

3. The Device is Tested & the Fault is Diagnosed.

4. If the Faulty Part or Parts cost, including labour, is equal to or less than the Quote, then I Repair the device.

(All Quotes are Very accurate, 99% of the time, the price is Fixed. So there are no surprises.)

5. After Repair, the device is placed on Test using a DIAGNOSTICS Device or a Test Program, for 48 Hours continuously. So the Device and all its Ports are thoroughly Tested. The Device is then re-assembled.

6. An Invoice is Created - (Listing exactly what part/parts were changed and what work was done.) And this Invoice is emailed to you advising you that the Repair is completed. The device is now ready for collection.

(or to be return shipped back to you, using REGISTERED POST.)

 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE ?

The Repair Process takes between 1-3 Hours. Then the Device is Tested. So the total process takes 2-3 Days.

REGISTERED POST

Australia Post - REGISTERED POST Requires the Sender to SIGN a shipping Certificate, which must be done at a Post office, so it gives 100% Proof that the item was shipped by the SENDER (ME), and Insures the item for $100.

The cost of REGISTERED POST is only $3 more than Standard Mail, so I will not send Anything without this.

I HAVE NEVER LOST AN ITEM IN THE POST & I HAVE NEVER HAD AN ITEM DAMAGED IN THE POST.

WHAT IS TESTED ?

Below is a List of what is Tested , Every time a Repair is completed.
There is no charge for testing, as it is built into the Overall Repair cost.

WHAT IF MY COMPUTER IS WORKING & I JUST WANT IT TESTED ?

I can Fully Test a Computer using Diagnostic Equipment, and Give you a Printed Test Report for only $10. This is only needed if you are about to sell your computer and you want to be 100% sure everything works.

(Keep in mind that , Just because a Computer Game runs with sound & Joystick working, it does not guarantee that the Serial, Parallel, Mouse, Expansion Port, RAM Expansion, Cartridge & User Port are working at all ! )