Doing 'other' work for client

**SimonMac** · 7 February 2012, 13:13

Originally posted by psychocandy View Post

I'm contracted to client as apps support/consultant sort of thing.

Hardware upgrade needed on customer site for which they've been quoted £1500 labour costs which is a pisstake. It is literally a 20 min job (remove lid, remove old memory sims, insert new ones, reboot) so this is well expensive.

Even though I'm not a hardware person, I've done this before on lab machines, and, to be honest, it ain't hard at all.

I probably dont have time to does this in my normal working week (customer site is 90 mins drive away) but could find weekend time to do.

Would I be wise to offer this as an extra service to client (outside normal contract)? Or offer to do at normal day rate? To be honest, I was going to say I'd do it for £750 total. Even with an hour per machine, we're looking at 5 hours round trip...

Just wondering if anyone else has ever done anything similar and what the pitfalls are?

These are live customer machines so wouldnt be cool if they didnt restart or something went badly wrong. Not sure how it could though to be honest.

How good is your PI insurance? Does the hardware have a support contract? Would the work invalidate any warranties? etc etc

Step away

**pmeswani** · 7 February 2012, 13:20

Originally posted by SimonMac View Post

How good is your PI insurance? Does the hardware have a support contract? Would the work invalidate any warranties? etc etc

Step away

WHS. There is a reason for the high cost. I am guessing that the high cost is not just for labour, but also for Warranty and Support, and cover their backside if something goes wrong.

**kingcook** · 7 February 2012, 13:25

Originally posted by psychocandy View Post

Hardware upgrade needed on customer site for which they've been quoted £1500 labour costs which is a pisstake. It is literally a 20 min job (remove lid, remove old memory sims, insert new ones, reboot) so this is well expensive.

It's literally a 20 min job if nothing goes wrong

The reason why they've been quoted so much is i guess that they are factoring in things that can go wrong.

If you think you can provide a better service for a cheaper price, then go ahead and quote, but WSMS, check your insurances etc.

Be careful if you let on to the client you can do it and they go down the route of "you can do it for us for free then!". i.e. Direction and control.

**Support Monkey** · 7 February 2012, 13:35

If you have done it before go for it just make sure you have a backout plan/procedure for roll back

The only issue i can see would be if their under warranty you could talk to the company coming in and ask the question just tell em "its a bit pricey is it something we can do ourselves"

Approach it like any other contract and make sure all your bases are covered

**northernladuk** · 7 February 2012, 13:35

Originally posted by psychocandy View Post

I'm contracted to client as apps support/consultant sort of thing.

Hardware upgrade needed on customer site for which they've been quoted £1500 labour costs which is a pisstake. It is literally a 20 min job (remove lid, remove old memory sims, insert new ones, reboot) so this is well expensive.

Even though I'm not a hardware person, I've done this before on lab machines, and, to be honest, it ain't hard at all.

This is hardly a professional attitude towards your clients business.

These are live customer machines so wouldnt be cool if they didnt restart or something went badly wrong. Not sure how it could though to be honest.

I am sure there are a shed load of hardward guys banging their heads on tables right now.

**Harmonic** · 7 February 2012, 13:40

Assuming this is an x86 box then as long as ClientCo are using parts from the original manufacturer then the server warranty will cover the upgraded parts.
If it's a SPARC or Power box then walk away now.

One word of warning, back when I worked for a big blue server vendor I went in to do a quick RAM upgrade on the mail server for a national paper. The new Dimms blew the memory board and we had to pull a lot of strings to get a new one on the same day. It's worth checking what response time ClientCo have on their warranty and if they have weekend cover.

**Support Monkey** · 7 February 2012, 13:45

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

This is hardly a professional attitude towards your clients business.

I am sure there are a shed load of hardward guys banging their heads on tables right now.

Don't really see what the issue is, if he has done this before and is confident of success, and approaches this professionally, and surely its good business to try and generate extra work

**northernladuk** · 7 February 2012, 13:47

Originally posted by Support Monkey View Post

Don't really see what the issue is, if he has done this before and is confident of success, and approaches this professionally, and surely its good business to try and generate extra work

Did you miss this comment??

Even though I'm not a hardware person, I've done this before on lab machines, and, to be honest, it ain't hard at all.

Just the whole attitude to risk here is also an issue let alone being skilled enough to do it properly.

**SimonMac** · 7 February 2012, 13:49

Originally posted by Support Monkey View Post

Don't really see what the issue is, if he has done this before and is confident of success, and approaches this professionally, and surely its good business to try and generate extra work

But he hasn't, he hasn't done it on a live environment, with live customers, with live downtime.

I agree that this will be the same as 99.9% of non live scenarios, but the question is how much grief can that 0.1% cause? For the sake of £750 I would imagine what ever grief will not really be worth the reward.

Doing 'other' work for client