I pay around £150-£200 per 12months but I am also insured for wall mounting Plasma TV’s, installing projectors etc. as my business also undertake AV installations.

The cover is for £2mil which you will find when working for larger clients, perhaps schools they stipulate as a minimum.

Drop me a PM or email via the forums for any more info.

I’m in australia and the quotes I have been getting have been around the $1000 mark. Pretty expensive when you are starting out. Does anyone have suggestions for a reasonable insurer?

In this activity, many tasks require a lot of time. Do you try to make as much as possible at the client location or do you take back the computer as soon as you are facing a non trivial problem or a long task ?

One typical situation is the complete antivirus scanning of a computer. It can take more than one hour especially with portable computers. I have one running now : 25 min. 8%.
I can’t imagine sitting for two hours or more doing nothing. It’s also not good value for the customer.

There is also the problem of planning. Someone phones you, says his PC won’t boot, needs it yesterday, when can you come ? If the PSU has died, it takes 1/2 hour. If his windows is so populated with trojans that even though you cleaned up everything, the system is so screwed that you need to install from scratch, plus backups of course, then it can take a workday or more. How do you do when you have other clients waiting ?

So i have decided to make those long tasks at my place as a first rule but it has some disadvantages :

1. The client asked for someone to come at his home or office to have it solved there. If he wanted to bring his computer in a shop he could have done it by himself. Of course he has the diagnostic in his place so if the problem is trivial, it is solved without needing a transport.

2. Maybe the customer needs his computer tomorrow morning. In that case there is no choice, solve the problem there.

3. Bringing back the computers is accumulating work for later but you still have to do it ! If you come home late in the evening, it will be hard to start a complex task. And if your next day is busy, another delay and then the client is upset. That never happens when you work on-site, although sometimes you have to come multiple times.

4. Something might break when the computer is under your responsability, or worse, some client might accuse you even if there is no damage. (happened once, client refuse to pay new hdd, ram and, of course, work because there is a hole in the back of the computer : a missing cache where PCI cards fit. Of course the metal piece was missing before. I could have solved that easily but the guy just keep saying that as i work bad he doesn’t want to see me again …)

5. You win less for the same number of hours because you won’t ask the same price on-site than off-site (after all maybe i should get paid for watching that antivirus working while I drink a glass of wine with the client …)

Any advice ?

TBO

I wanted to ask how would you get into a contract with a small business thats just opened up? A real estate agency recently opened in the Area and I wanted to help them with IT Maintenance etc…(If they arnt taken)

What would you do?
a) Send an email
b) walk in there
c) post a letter
d) Pretend I’m a customer and drop my documents on the floor with my Business Services Listed.

With Regards,
Adora

I recommend a simple rule: don’t buy something until you know that you need it for sure.
This includes insurance, repair tools, and all other types of toys that you’re suddenly excited about “investing” in for your new business…

Try “One Business Insurance” for your public liability.

Chris