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Geek Housecalls Pricing and Terms
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Below is the Geek Housecalls pricing and terms in full legalese:

Payment Terms and Release of Liability

I/We, ________________________________________, ("CLIENT") agree to the following terms for services rendered by Geek Housecalls, Inc., its agents and service representatives ("GEEK HOUSECALLS").

Payment Terms:
CLIENT agrees to pay a basic visit fee of $50.00 for GEEK HOUSECALLS to come to the CLIENT’s location to make the service call. In addition, for service performed on Home Computer equipment, CLIENT agrees to pay a service charge of $100.00 per hour with a minimum 1-hour service charge, and thereafter billed in quarter-hour increments of $25.00 each. For service performed on Business Computer equipment, CLIENT agrees to pay a service charge of $125.00 per hour with a minimum 1-hour service charge, and thereafter billed in half-hour increments of $63.00 each. The $50.00 basic visit fee is not credited towards your service charge and is due regardless of the outcome of service. The minimum charge for Home Computer Service is $150.00 (basic visit fee plus minimum one hour service charge). The minimum charge for Business Computer Service is $175.00 (basic visit fee plus minimum one-hour service charge). GEEK HOUSECALLS reserves the right to refuse service as well as to change fees and rates at any time without notice. GEEK HOUSECALLS does not provide billing services to clients. CLIENT agrees to pay GEEK HOUSECALLS for all charges at the time of service.

Release of Liability:
CLIENT agrees to release and hold harmless GEEK HOUSECALLS from any and all liability associated with the performance of service or the provision of parts, and acknowledges also that GEEK HOUSECALLS offers no explicit or implied warranty or guarantee on services performed or parts provided, other than the manufacturer’s warranty. Further:

1. CLIENT acknowledges that due to the nature of the services being performed, there is potential risk of damage or loss including, but not limited to, damage to CLIENT's home, office, computer hardware, cabling, hubs, routers, switches, peripherals, accessories, and furniture, as well as potential risk of damage, corruption, or loss of computer software, applications, data, and data storage media.

2.CLIENT agrees to release and hold harmless GEEK HOUSECALLS from all liability for damage or loss as well as any incidental or consequential material or financial damage or loss that may result from the actions of GEEK HOUSECALLS.

3.CLIENT grants GEEK HOUSECALLS access and permission to physically disassemble any and all computer systems, components, networks, cabling, hubs, routers, switches, peripherals, and accessories.

4.CLIENT grants GEEK HOUSECALLS access, security rights, and permission to open, view, modify, edit, delete, or otherwise manipulate CLIENT's computer software, applications, data, and data storage media including, but not limited to, the computer Operating System, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, workflow, graphics, audio, video, system drivers and libraries, and any other type of software or data that may be contained on CLIENT's computer system or network.

5.CLIENT grants GEEK HOUSECALLS permission to physically access CLIENT's home or office property where CLIENT's computer system and/or network resides.

6.CLIENT grants GEEK HOUSECALLS permission to perform modification to CLIENT's home or office property for the purpose of installing or troubleshooting computer and/or networking hardware, cabling, hubs, routers, switches or peripherals. Modification may include such practices as drilling through or disassembling furniture, walls, floors, carpet or trim, laying and removing cabling and devices including affixing cabling and devices to furniture, walls, floors, or trim, using nails, screws, staples, hangers, or plastic ties.

7.CLIENT grants GEEK HOUSECALLS permission to download and/or install software on CLIENT's computer and/or network, including but not limited to, virus scanners, diagnosis and repair utilities, drivers, libraries, and software requested to be installed by CLIENT.

8.CLIENT grants GEEK HOUSECALLS permission to install hardware in CLIENT's computer and/or network, including but not limited to, memory chips, processor chips, cooling fans, batteries, hard drives, tape drives, storage devices, modem and communication devices, audio and video cards, network interface cards, hubs, routers, switches, printers, scanners, cables, and any other hardware requested to be installed by CLIENT.

9.GEEK HOUSECALLS strongly recommends that CLIENT safeguard critical data by backing up said data prior to any services performed by GEEK HOUSECALLS. CLIENT is responsible for any backup, archiving, or protective storage as well as restoration if required, of CLIENT's data.

GEEK HOUSECALLS is a provider of billable on-site services and does not offer or provide telephone technical support for CLIENT. Neither the signing of this agreement nor the performance of services by GEEK HOUSECALLS implies availability of telephone technical support or of future technical services. This document constitutes the entire agreement between CLIENT and GEEK HOUSECALLS. No other agreement, verbal or otherwise shall be in effect except if agreed to in writing and signed by both parties.

By signing below, CLIENT indicates that he/she has read and understands, and agrees to the terms of this Payment Terms and Release of Liability form, which is kept on file at the offices of GEEK HOUSECALLS.

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Call now for a friendly computer geek at your door usually within 24 hours!
Windows and Mac geeks available!

MA 781-863-8111    RI 401-351-8111    Toll Free 1-877-4PC-GEEK  

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Geek Housecalls - Not to be confused with Geek Squad or Best Buy!
Copyright 2001-2007, Geek Housecalls, Inc.
Why paying by the hour is a better value than flat-rate pricing


"...Ask our competitors what the total cost of their average service call is, you might be shocked by the answer..."

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...

Typical Call Times

some useful call stats

  • 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.