To understand the value of paying by the hour compared to flat-rate pricing, you have to look at how each service model works. Many of our competitors, including the big box-store retailers, charge flat-rate pricing for their services. That is, they take the work and break it up into many small tasks and then advertise a low price for each task. However, most customers don't realize just how many of those small tasks need to be performed to get them whole and in good shape. The result is usually a much higher-than-expected cost as all of those seemingly small prices quickly add up to one whopping bill!

Charging by the hour, as Geek Housecalls does, allows you to get a substantial number of those "small" tasks all performed in a very short period of time. And because our geeks are multitasking, that is, simultaneously performing multiple small tasks for you, you often end up with a much more reasonable bill than you may have had if we broke up the service call into all of its little component tasks and charged a separate price for each task as our competitors do.

In fact, in our customer satisfaction surveys, customers often express surprise and delight that their geek was able to resolve all issues in a short period of time, frequently addressing issues that the customer may have skipped over had the pricing been structured on a per-item basis. This gets to the root of a philosophical difference between how we work with customers, and how our flat-rate competitors work with customers. Our first goal is to make our customers' computers, networks, and gadgets whole, and to do so in a manner that provides good value to our customers. We could certainly charge less to come in and fix only one thing, but working with our customers to understand and resolve all of their issues and frustrations is more important to us, and according to your feedback, is more important to you too! so we charge in a manner that let's us help with all the issues, big or small, without nickle and diming you to death in the process!

Here's the bottom line: Thanks to smart tools and a superior level of experience and know-how offered by our geeks, the majority of our service calls are less than two hours long which means most of our customers get full service, addressing all of their needs, for $250 or less! Ask our competitors what the total cost of their average service call is, you might be shocked by the answer...

• Shortest calls Simple single-computer, problem-free installation, configuration, and upgrade calls, General cleanups, spyware/malware removal, small wireless network installs and peripheral installs such as printers, scanners, etc... are our shortest calls usually averaging between 1 to 2 hours.
• Mid-length calls Problematic installation or troubleshooting calls of PCs or networks, calls that include work performed on more than 2 computers, or calls that include tutoring of one or more users on specific aspects of using the PC or application programs average about 2-4 hours and can go longer or shorter depending on the complexity of the problem and the number of computers involved.
• Longest calls Severe virus recovery, data recovery from failed hard drives or corrupted operating systems, system transfers, operating system reinstallation that includes recovery of data and reinstall of application programs, and network wiring work tend to run the longest at 4-6 hours on average
• What if the call turns out to be really really short? Yes, it happens to the best of us, the power cord jiggles loose, a piece of equipment just needs to be reset, or a device is plugged into the wrong port. These situations can make you feel a little embarassed, but don't be. It really does happen all the time and to a lot of people! But more importantly, you're about to pay a full-hour service charge for that 2-minute fix, and we understand, for some people that doesn't matter, but if it does matter to you, prepare yourself before the call by collecting up a list of additional questions or issues for your geek. Your geek isn't just a troubleshooter and fixer, he or she knows an awful lot about how things work and loves the opportunity to help you learn some of the tricks and shortcuts that can make using the computer more productive, less frustrating, and more fun!
• Reality Check Although we would like to tell you in advance exactly how long your call will take, the reality of the PC environment is that this timing is very unpredictable. If you're not comfortable with an open-ended appointment, let us know and we can set an initial time limit after which time your geek will stop working and review progress with you. This allows you to limit initial costs and then make an informed decision whether to proceed further or not.