You are absolutely right!!!
Stupid me allowed a "good friend" to pile up $20K worth of unpaid repair work spanning many years. That is a lot of work! Many complete detailed rebuilds and redesign work. I just lowered the boom on him after finally realising the situation. Now he feels I am being unfair!
So, I do not want to see him ever again for any reason. He has a couple pieces with me still, and he is not getting them back unless he pays me. One is a Marantz 500 he really wants that I was part way through rebuilding completely. Maybe the heavens will part and he might pay me. I doubt it.
Once I am done with him, however it plays out, I'll never deal with him again - even for cash up front. I had been asking him to pay me for years, and knew it was getting up there. I figured near $10K, so imagine my surprise once I added it up! He always had a story or "disaster" and I was too busy to pay attention. I never figured anyone could be so dishonest.
Stupid me allowed a "good friend" to pile up $20K worth of unpaid repair work spanning many years. That is a lot of work! Many complete detailed rebuilds and redesign work. I just lowered the boom on him after finally realising the situation. Now he feels I am being unfair!
So, I do not want to see him ever again for any reason. He has a couple pieces with me still, and he is not getting them back unless he pays me. One is a Marantz 500 he really wants that I was part way through rebuilding completely. Maybe the heavens will part and he might pay me. I doubt it.
Once I am done with him, however it plays out, I'll never deal with him again - even for cash up front. I had been asking him to pay me for years, and knew it was getting up there. I figured near $10K, so imagine my surprise once I added it up! He always had a story or "disaster" and I was too busy to pay attention. I never figured anyone could be so dishonest.
I can sympathize with Chris.... I've been there too.
But my way of handling things like that is...... if you go into something that I have repaired/restored, and mess with things, it's now your problem.
It left my service bench in proper operating condition, and doesn't need additional work.
And if you want me to re-repair it, the labor/costs are from your pocket.
But my way of handling things like that is...... if you go into something that I have repaired/restored, and mess with things, it's now your problem.
It left my service bench in proper operating condition, and doesn't need additional work.
And if you want me to re-repair it, the labor/costs are from your pocket.
I agree completely.
Generally speaking, you can tell easily when someone has played inside. I also do distortion sweeps when I am done, and that proves proper operation.
Generally speaking, you can tell easily when someone has played inside. I also do distortion sweeps when I am done, and that proves proper operation.
I ran a busy shop for years.
A guy came in with a 1962 console stereo tube amp needing restoration.
He just happened to be an old classmate when I was in elementary school.
Indeed, the amp needed a full restoration, certainly not an inexpensive job to perform.
I'm very well versed on those old Magnavox tube amps.
I cut the guy a bit of a break, since he was an old classmate - around $275 including new tubes.
But I told him it needs to be properly reinstalled for safety, and even gave him several warnings about it.
He was insistent to take it back home and do the install.
A week later, he brings it back.
He had carelessly connected the console's 6.3vac spade connectors used for cabinet pilot lamps and they shorted out, causing a flash fire under the chassis, blackening most of it.
This now costed him an additional $400 for a new PT (hard to find) and massive rewiring of all the fried 6.3v filament lines.
Total cost for this idiot's mistake?.... $675.
And I added in travel fees - because I insisted to re-install it myself.
There are a lot of people who abuse other people's time. I'm pretty up-front with people that I am an engineer, not a service technician, and I do repair work for other people purely because it's fun. As soon as it isn't fun, they can find someone else to do it. I won't take in miserable projects.
The time to rebuild a cheap piece of equipment is often similar to that of a really nice piece of equipment. That's why an MC2 MC1250 or a Crest 8001 will make it to my bench, while some Zenith/Magnavox/whatever tube amp with tiny output transformers and single-ended 6V6s doesn't.
And lastly... some of these "repair" projects migrate outside the "repair" realm and into the "re-engineering" realm, and they will be billed as such. If your "repair" requires me to spend a bunch of time sifting through parametric search engines, simulating a circuit with substituted parts and laying out a new board, that's gone beyond the "repair" category. That's fine, but don't expect me to do it for $150.
If repairing audio electronics was my day job, I probably wouldn't be so quick to turn down projects, but trying to make a living repairing audio electronics probably isn't the wisest career decision.
The time to rebuild a cheap piece of equipment is often similar to that of a really nice piece of equipment. That's why an MC2 MC1250 or a Crest 8001 will make it to my bench, while some Zenith/Magnavox/whatever tube amp with tiny output transformers and single-ended 6V6s doesn't.
And lastly... some of these "repair" projects migrate outside the "repair" realm and into the "re-engineering" realm, and they will be billed as such. If your "repair" requires me to spend a bunch of time sifting through parametric search engines, simulating a circuit with substituted parts and laying out a new board, that's gone beyond the "repair" category. That's fine, but don't expect me to do it for $150.
If repairing audio electronics was my day job, I probably wouldn't be so quick to turn down projects, but trying to make a living repairing audio electronics probably isn't the wisest career decision.
I went through a 3 year long vocational electronics program in high school (1967-1970) where the emphasis was on consumer electronics repair. The school system got me a part time job at age 16 in a TV repair shop while still in school.
When I turned 18 I took over the service shop as a private contractor in the largest Olson Electronics store in the US which was located near the University of Miami, a high priced private school. A lot of the students there are taking a 4 (or more) year vacation on daddy's money. In this case the worst abuser was the store manager who was always asking me to fix something for free.
The worst repair jobs were usually solid state Heathkits, or Dynakits that had been assembled incorrectly. U of M also had a fledgling electrical engineering program, sometimes their students would "re-engineer" their stereos, and need to have me undo it. Often the student was a big spender, and the boss want me to fix it for free. After a few of these, I told him where to stuff it.
That big coil of wire wrapped around the can of the output electrolytic cap does really need to be there in a Dynaco ST120.
The RCA 40409-40410-40411 transistors used in dozens of solid state HiFi and guitar amps need to be replaced with the exact part. "Upgrading" the amp with bigger parts only leads to "rearranging the molecular structure" of many parts. The Heathkit store about 10 miles away had the correct parts in stock since they were used in their guitar amp, and blew up a lot.
When a music major and an engineering major team up to decide to modify a brand new Fender guitar amp to make it "louder," a lot of time is required to put it back to original condition from a shoe box full of parts. Remember, this was long before the PC or internet was even a dream. There were no schematics. I got a wad of cash from the EE major's "daddy" for that one.
After two years of this stuff, I left with zero notice for a 41 year career at Motorola which started on the assembly line and ended with me retiring as a principal staff research engineer having obtained two engineering degrees at Motorola's expense. The Olson store owed me over $1K in 1972 dollars that I never saw. I believe that the manager cashed the check and embezzled the money. The Craig Pioneer corporation did pay me directly for about 6 months of warranty service work when I produced the Craig log book. I had to get a salesman to snatch it for me.
Leaving the "repair as a career choice" world did turn out to be the right move for me, and about 5 of my co workers at Motorola.
I fixed stuff for friends off and on for years since degreed "textbook engineers" often have no clue how to fix anything. I tend to avoid fixing todays consumer electronics since they weren't really meant to be fixed and finding parts isn't easy. I do fix or upgrade computers occasionally, usually for friends or relatives, for free.
Many people just don't appreciate skilled efforts unless they pay for them.
And they should pay for the last job before the next one is accepted.
Making an exception isn't fair to other customers, or to yourself.
Exactly.
My own well-versed qualifications and experience is scarce in the service industry these days.
Knowing modern, as well as vintage equipment repair, and including custom designed work/modifications, takes a substantial amount of dedication.
I like to be fair, and treat everyone equally.
I'd even charge my own mother if she was alive, if I had to provide servicing for her.
Because the bottom line is - respecting what my job entails, and compensating me for said skills, the result is a good and proper job every time, for everybody's complete satisfaction.
Wow. I have my Mother as my star boarder, since she can not care for herself anymore and I will be hard pressed to put her in a LTC home, if I am able to care for her. She pays for some food and some of the heating oil bill. I think that is fair. I do not need to prosper from my Mother. Dad, when he was alive was the only one to get free IT on call support, everyone else can, well fend for themselves.
Chris I have a few old, (written off) so called friends that burnt me for $. Hard lessons learnt on lending anyone $. Amazing how people think and operate, on the take scammers I call them. The older you get the better you get at picking them out of the crowd.
Enjoy your day
Rick
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I can understand your point of view, but my point is justified by treating people equally, not including health conditions.
In simple terms - People usually expect to have something serviced, and done properly for their money.
They want the peace of mind and satisfaction that they get from such services.
Just like getting a great haircut, they walk out of the salon pleased for what they've spent.
I've charged costs to my friends - they don't complain about it, because they know I'm "the man" who knows how to correct their equipment problem(s) and does it right.
They know I spend the time and utilize my decades of experience for their benefit, and appreciate my skills, and to them they know it's a tough world out there to locate a good service technican who lives up to, and has a quality reputation.
I certainly don't need to pat myself on the back, my customers have all done that for me.
Various things like letters of appreciation, word-of-mouth referrals, emails, Christmas cards, and review websites praising my work, all attest to that fact.
Those responses to me are the "icing on the cake" that naturally make my work worthwhile, and helped build my reputation.
When I fix things for friends, I charge them for the parts not my time.
I cut my own hair because I refuse to pay 15$ for a fade.
I got "customer praise" on the first tech call I took for Toshiba. I usually go above and beyond. I also charge fair rates for my time. Usually 25$/hour or so if it's simple or free if it's REALLY simply like a fuse... I'll charge 1000$/hour for any job I don't want to do (my "eff off" price).
Yesterday, I talked my 75 year old dad through installing acrobat on his Android phone so he could sign a document and send it. I don't know of a PDF viewer for Linux that will let you "sign" the stupid thing, and Adobe stopped bothering to make Acrobat for Linux.
His original problem exists - his multifunction scanner won't _scan_ because it's out of black ink (Also, eff Canon). He was going to scan the paper copy he printed and send that but Canon had other ideas.
I cut my own hair because I refuse to pay 15$ for a fade.
I got "customer praise" on the first tech call I took for Toshiba. I usually go above and beyond. I also charge fair rates for my time. Usually 25$/hour or so if it's simple or free if it's REALLY simply like a fuse... I'll charge 1000$/hour for any job I don't want to do (my "eff off" price).
Yesterday, I talked my 75 year old dad through installing acrobat on his Android phone so he could sign a document and send it. I don't know of a PDF viewer for Linux that will let you "sign" the stupid thing, and Adobe stopped bothering to make Acrobat for Linux.
His original problem exists - his multifunction scanner won't _scan_ because it's out of black ink (Also, eff Canon). He was going to scan the paper copy he printed and send that but Canon had other ideas.
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Don't you get ink there?
Here we do get regular and pigment ink in bottles, you fill up yourself for a pittance, and the guys who do it charge about $1 for black, and 1.50 for color ink jet ink.
HP cartridges take only about 5 ml ink...
The new printers have ink tanks, just pour ink to top up.
Here we do get regular and pigment ink in bottles, you fill up yourself for a pittance, and the guys who do it charge about $1 for black, and 1.50 for color ink jet ink.
HP cartridges take only about 5 ml ink...
The new printers have ink tanks, just pour ink to top up.
He doesn't use the printing function - he has a laser for that. Inkjet cartridge refill services run 10 - 50$ here. New cartridge costs more than the damned printer.
There's even a class action against Canon in the USA. No ink, no scan: Canon USA printers hit with class-action suit | ZDNet
There's even a class action against Canon in the USA. No ink, no scan: Canon USA printers hit with class-action suit | ZDNet
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Friend gave me a Pixma, same issue.
Repair guy did something, no charge, said it will scan, don't bother with cartridge...Scrap value of scanning ink jet is 100 Rupees, cartridge is 3000, and you must use once a week, or it dries up.
He shorted something out, or whatever.
Gathering dust in my factory, have to give it back, or scrap it.
Never tried, got a combination laser / scanner, HP, Rs. 6500 second hand.
1 Rupee = 1/75 US Dollars, or about.
Repair guy did something, no charge, said it will scan, don't bother with cartridge...Scrap value of scanning ink jet is 100 Rupees, cartridge is 3000, and you must use once a week, or it dries up.
He shorted something out, or whatever.
Gathering dust in my factory, have to give it back, or scrap it.
Never tried, got a combination laser / scanner, HP, Rs. 6500 second hand.
1 Rupee = 1/75 US Dollars, or about.
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Ink here was about Rs. 1000 a liter...5 ml is 5 Rupees.
About 8 cents of US money!
Do it yourself people use syringes with fine needles, or insulin syringes.
About 8 cents of US money!
Do it yourself people use syringes with fine needles, or insulin syringes.
So last night the bias supply on my 6P45S MA-1 failed but because I designed it with a safety interlock relay (bias supply turns on B+), the amp didn't HCF*. Instead, the B+ went away and the tubes didn't melt 🙂
* Halt and Catch Fire (computing - Wikipedia)
* Halt and Catch Fire (computing - Wikipedia)