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General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: German_EE on August 08, 2016, 07:52:46 pm

Title: Workshop Repair Costs
Post by: German_EE on August 08, 2016, 07:52:46 pm
Who wants to give these guys your business?  :-DD
Title: Re: Workshop Repair Costs
Post by: calexanian on August 08, 2016, 08:32:20 pm
That joke is so old its a true antique! So true though. When people look over my shoulder here when I do their repairs I want to charge them a spectators fee! hahaha.
Title: Re: Workshop Repair Costs
Post by: NottheDan on August 08, 2016, 08:43:13 pm
What if I bring coffee and donuts?
Title: Re: Workshop Repair Costs
Post by: ZeTeX on August 08, 2016, 08:46:44 pm
What if I bring coffee and donuts?
then its only 87.99$
Title: Re: Workshop Repair Costs
Post by: wraper on August 08, 2016, 09:02:33 pm
When people look over my shoulder here when I do their repairs I want to charge them a spectators fee! hahaha.
I just look back at them with my very special face expression and they just go away  :-DD. Sometimes even apologize LOL, no need to say any words.
Title: Re: Workshop Repair Costs
Post by: German_EE on August 09, 2016, 12:05:38 pm
It depends on what's being fixed. As a kid I watched the TV repair man do his thing and he was kind enough to give me a guided tour around the innards of the TV set. I've also sat and watched a plumber turn a collection of water and gas pipes in one combination to a collection of pipes in another using nothing more than elbow joints and experience, THAT was fun to watch. My father was a plasterer and even now I can stand there and watch someone who has the knack chase a bead of water around the wall until the surface is dead flat.

Now, what IS annoying are the people who constantly want to know 'what's that'? or 'what does that do'? as their fingertip gets close to the 1100V anode cap on a power amplifier. As for the 'why didn't you do that, it's much better' crowd, they get shown the door, the secret is to watch an expert at their trade and listen.
Title: Re: Workshop Repair Costs
Post by: Ian.M on August 09, 2016, 12:39:28 pm
It shouldn't be a linear scaling factor though.  Each additional level of customer participation should be a multiplier on the base rate.  The 'if you help' rate is discretionary - I've paid a good auto mechanic his hourly rate before now to work along side me rebuilding a type of marine engine he wasn't familiar with, as I didn't have the right tools for the job, and having a second pair of eyes checking it was worth the money.  OTOH, I'd previously done electrical/electronic work for said mechanic when he'd been in a tight spot.
Title: Re: Workshop Repair Costs
Post by: nowlan on August 09, 2016, 12:51:57 pm
Reminds me of this rant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjft84G-pYc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjft84G-pYc)