Electronics > Repair
Charging by the hour is unfair!
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fzabkar:

--- Quote from: bookaboo on July 07, 2024, 05:35:07 am ---Pretty sure the OP is a troll, but the thread reminds me of something I heard quipped during a supplier-customer debate about costs.
The supplier who was being pressed to write off large swathe of labour retorted:

"All these other people you know who work for free, bring them to me for I have work aplenty for them"

--- End quote ---

Who is asking you to work for free? Is this just more troll bait?

Unless you are lucky enough to be involved in a niche market with little competition, as I was, then you face obvious constraints. The first is that you can't just set your terms in a vacuum, and the second is that your ultimate price has to be much less than the replacement cost of the device. The second condition alone should be enough to kill off any open-ended hourly rate business model.
coromonadalix:
6 pages already ...   :palm:
SteveThackery:

--- Quote from: MK14 on July 07, 2024, 04:23:06 am ---
It's been tricky for me to reply to your post, but I will try.

"Don't be boring by banging on about trolling.  It's very tedious.  If you've got nothing constructive to say, then please don't say anything.  The grown-ups are having a conversation, so don't interrupt."

Seems to be accusing me of going or being off-topic.

Yet, the rest of your post, seems to be a long political or similar post, with little to do, with the thread topic.  If my quick glances at it, indicate correctly.

Given that you seem to have the UK flag set, and be talking and trying to sound like someone from the UK.

How come, all your prices are in dollars ($), e.g. see the post I just quoted.

Is that a Freudian slip-up, or is there another explanation?

--- End quote ---

I'm sorry for being rude, but it really pisses me off to be accused of being a "troll" when I am no such thing.  I am arguing for something I believe in passionately, and every statement I make - including the critical ones - is heartfelt and genuine.

So for those who continue to label me as a troll, kindly piss off. 

The "political" stuff you refer to is completely on-topic. It became clear that the practices most people on the thread find completely normal and acceptable, I find the opposite, and I was wondering if there could be a cultural basis to our different attitudes.

You asked about dollars.  I got the impression that most people in this debate are American, so I used dollars as a small courtesy.

I'm also pissed off by people misrepresenting my position.  I am not advocating open-ended working for free.  I am putting forward an argument that - just as you sometimes expect the customer to pay for nothing*, sometimes it might be morally appropriate for you to work for nothing. This would be rare, but sometimes fair.

(*) And no: the argument that the customer is paying for your labour, not the fruits of your labour, is self-serving and so full of holes it's laughable.  I don't feel the need to spell all that out again for you - we've done it to death.

I hope that has clarified the matters you raised. And again, I'm sorry for being rude, but I am NOT a fucking troll, and if anyone reading this is tempted to accuse me of such, either piss off or try to read and understand what I am actually advocating.
PlainName:

--- Quote from: coromonadalix on July 07, 2024, 07:20:10 am ---6 pages already ...   :palm:

--- End quote ---

Has Dave implemented some test, based on the contents of this thread, which you have to complete before you can read a different thread? Or can you still just shrug and ignore the entire thing if it's not to your liking?
all_repair:
So much academic discussion, in practice, the first thing practising electronics repairer does is to reject requests as politely as fast as they can. No, no one wants to take advantage of the client, their reputation is worth much more than that.  Most of the time, it is the client that has not rationalised the cost and benefits, and kept wanting to hold to their wishful thinking and wanting to transfer all risk to the repairer and they get the benefits, and don't want to feel the pain of discarding their item.  Repairer must not try to get into rationalising for the client, what is the value of their down time?  What is the value of their sentimental attachment?  What is the value of their item (that mostly can check) ?    What repairer just do is reject the work if it is not worthy at all, client can change their mind easily and deposit cannot cover their time.  If risk is low and cost ifls low, offer no fix no fee, or hourly rate.  If risk is high and cost is high, either reject the work or offer only hourly rate.
At the end of the day, what repairer aim to achieve is not just fixing the item, but giving happiness to the client.  That shall bring more businesses.  So of course aim for maximum profit , and serve the client that can pay.  Worst is if you charge low, or below cost, on site with your petrol and car, and then ending making the client unhappy.  You can charge high, and yet giving happiness.  You can also charge low, or free, and yet not giving happiness.  If you think the deal cannot make a happy outcome, don't close the deal.  At the end, clean up the exterior and give free good quality batteries if you can. 
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