Another rant

Allegory, I work with companies, not residents. I always offer 'training' a resident technically competent individual to accomplish whatever they're trying to do. Win-win, because they get it done, have a resident expert, and I still make some coins. Plus, satisfaction of a bit of tutorial.

So that would mean you'd offer to walk someone technically competent that they have there through the series of diagnostic steps you'd take if you were there. Might be able to determine whether fixable, or not. Take about the same amount of time as talking them to death on the telephone. If fixable, go ahead and quote, if not let them know the total cost and let them realize it is 'unfixable' and they'd better go buy another.. All without deciding for them, keeps them feeling in control and happy. You might even run across some youthful prodigy that wants to learn [like an apprentice], so you can then send HIM/HER out on these treks.

Most electrical / electronic stores do not employ any kind of service technician these days, because there's simply not enough work to justify it. Enter me. I hire myself out to multiple stores as a self-employed tech. I have fixed charges per equipment type, which allows the store to quote to their customer with a high degree of certainty. For sure, it's a 'some you win, some you lose' situation when you are working on fixed prices, but overall, I win, and so does the store. Also, I don't get involved with holding accounts with manufacturers for parts. I let the store do that. I just tell them what part is needed when it's not a simple resistor or transistor or whatever, and it's then up to them to liaise with their customer about any extra costs. If it's all agreed, they get the part, and I fit it. That allows them to mark up the part cost as well, if that's what they want to do. If the customer decides not to go ahead, then I still get my fixed exam and admin charge, which comes out of the deposit that all of the stores charge.

It's win all round for me really, as I have a steady supply of work (most of the time anyway) from multiple sources. I don't have to get involved with the public and their shenanigans, and I don't have to do field calls. The stores are happy because they don't have to employ anyone that might be idle half the time, and they still make a good wedge for themselves, for merely 'fronting' me.

Arfa

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Hi Arfa I spoke to another guy on a different group who also does a "flat rate" sort of thing. I guess if you really feel confident in the long run that you will prevail on most jobs then I suppose I could see it.

I charge 50.00 for a TV diagnostic fee. It's 25.00 for receiver,s VCR's, (don't see too many of those anymore), and small stuff like DVD players etc. (I don't know what that would equate to in British pounds). In the case of TV sets, 50.00 covers my looking at the set and giving an estimate. However when a TV set is dropped off at my shop, (house), I collect 100.00 up front. I explain before they bring it in that the additional 50.00 will cover the disposal fee if the set is abandoned. (Because in this country it's getting to the point where you almost can't throw anything away anymore without paying someone to do it). However if the set is repaired the entire 100.00, (or if the job is less then what ever portion is necessary) will be applied to the repair. If the set is not repairable or if the customer declines the estimate and picks up their set then 50.00 will be returned. Although I do get some calls from outraged freeloaders who expect you to work for nothing, most people find this policy agreeable.

But lets say you get a set in and diagnose a bad power supply. So do you have the store obtain the part for you? And if so then what happens if you ultimately determine that in fact it wasn't the power supply but a secondary circuit that was putting the supply into shut down? If something like this were to happen, who winds up eating the power supply? Lenny

50 USD is around 35 UKP. That's a pretty similar rate to what a customer would be charged here.

However when a TV set is dropped off at my

It's been that way here for a while now. My local tip will no longer take polystyrene in any form, or black bin bags because they can't see what's in them - even though it's likely to be just domestic general waste like food packaging, that sort of thing. They have a bin for absolutely everything now, and as soon as you open the back of your wagon, you are descended upon by the tip stasi (or 'recycling advisors' as they like to be called) to check on what exactly you are trying to get rid of, and to make sure that you walk it all from one end of the facility to the other, to put it in what they consider to be the right skip. They do, however, take defunct electronic goods for free, as long as it doesn't look like you are a commercial operation.

However if the set is repaired the entire 100.00, (or if the

It's a pretty similar arrangement to how the stores that I do work for go about it, and generally, their customers understand why the charges are being made, and are accepting of them.

Yes

And if so then what

I would hope that in general, I can bring enough experience and diagnostic skill to the table to avoid such situations ...

If something like this were to happen, who winds up eating the

In reality, none of us is perfect, and of course, it does occasionally happen that way. I am in the somewhat fortunate position of having worked with almost all of these stores for 15 years or more, so am good friends with the owners and their staff. So when such a situation arises, they fully understand and appreciate the difficulties that may have led up to it, and we normally come to an 'arrangement' that suits us both. Usually, this will involve them putting the wrongly diagnosed item 'into stock' for either use at some future point, or disposal on eBay, and me waiving part or all of my charges, depending on whether the item ultimately does get a correct diagnosis, and does earn some money. Even if it finally doesn't get fixed, the store still has the non-returnable deposit that they took from the customer up front, and this will go some way to mitigating any losses from a wrongly ordered part. Sometimes, we agree to just 'split the difference', so we both lose out a bit - "some ya win, some ya lose ..."

I have to say though, that it is pretty rare to get into this situation, but I could see how it might not suit everyone to work on this sort of basis, and how it relies to a great degree on mutual trust between me and the stores - in that I am not going to put them in the situation often, and on the odd occasion that I do, they will be objective about it, and not crucify me for getting it wrong.

Arfa

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It's nice that you have that kind of relationship with the people you work for. I do warranty work for Sanyo but no local stores. Essentially the local stores are Best Buy or Sears. Best buy has their own service team called "The Geek Squad". I don;t know What Sears does. Mom and pop stores find it hard to compete with them so it kind of leaves the little guy out in the cold/. Lenny