Why Techs are Cranky

[WholeToneMusic]

You have the right to refuse service.
Hindsight is always 20/20.

[WholeToneMusic]

I like when they don't say any thing when they drop it off and they call after a few days and say by the way I have a major gig coming up in 2 days.

[WholeToneMusic]

If the company has the replacement board. It's funny how old tv repair techs gripe about the newer tv repair techs being board swappers & not real technicians. Ususally in the music industry you have to troubleshoot component level because the manufacturer doesn't want to shell out the money on replacing an entire board for a warranty repair.

[bob p]

Customer expectations can be really bad if you're dealing with "audiophiles" instead of musicians. The problem is especially acute with "vintage" equipment, which often means "obsolete" equipment in the home audio realm. I think that the problem can be worse with HiFi types because they're emotionally attached to expensive gear. Most of them expect their precious audio gear to last forever. Then you have to explain the concept of extinct parts and the prohibitive cost associated with engineering a new solution to an old problem. Musicians may not be easy to work with but they seem to have a better handle on the fact that sometimes you have to cut your losses on a piece of malfunctioning gear and move on to a replacement.

[Enzo]

But I just CAN'T replace this amp, Stevie Ray's roadie actually carried this amp across the stage once. You can't BUY mojo like that, dude.

I do occasional hifi work mare or less as a courtesy to the community, where else can they find someone to work on the stuff?

Had a guy bring me some ancient Bogen tube amp, complete with screw terminal speaker connections and 70v taps. It seriously needed rebuilding- every cap in it was leaky. I rebuilt it, it sounded pretty nice for an old PA head. Guy got it back and said, "much better," but then he found the phono inputs were hummier than he'd like. Added a ground wire. FOund he could drive it to clipping. What do you want me to do about it? Turn it down? He was expecting this thing to be audiiophile hifi gear instead of the schoolroom PA set that it was.

Then he brought around the matching radio tuner. I told him I was not set up to do radio work. But he whined enough I told him I could try to make it work. Again, all the leaky caps in the world replaced, and it picked up radio stations again. Not good enough. I got rid of the hum, but it needed more like alignment and other stuff. Sorry bud, all I said was I'd try to make it function despite not claiming any radio capability. Once again he expected this ancient Bogen AM/FM tuner to be audiiophile stuff.

[WholeToneMusic]

With Vintage gear the musician can get use to the way the amp sounds with the drifting carbon comps and leaky caps. When they get replaced, most of the time the customer loves the way it sounds simply because it is more efficient. Other times they may not think it sounds exactly like it did brand new back in 1960 probably because of the new higher plate voltages after installing the new caps. Most of the filter supplies were under-designed back then anyway. I usually don't beef up under-designed filter supplies because I don't want the customer complaining about the tone being different even though I may think it sounds better.

[bob p]

Yes, you can fix a vintage amp but it may never sound the way it did before it broke. It may sound better, it may sound worse, depending on subjective opinion. But when it's fixed it will end up sounding the way it was designed to sound, not the way an high mileage antique was sounding just before it finally broke.

I would have guessed that you did radio, Enzo. I guess we don't have many radio people here.

[Enzo]

I learned my electronics in radio, I was into shortwave in the 1950s as a kid. But it doesn't come up much in pro audio.

[Ronsonic]

I am generally far more generous than my posted policies, but I do have a sign posted stating items left over 90 days after notice will be sold or discarded. You can add a disclaimer to your repair form or claim check stating items left more than 90 days after notification of completed repair will be sold or discarded. And you can remind the customer he DID sign that.

I once considered mailing post cards announcing a "Sidewalk Sale; all uncollected repairs must go!" Send them out to everybody with junk in the shop.

[Enzo]

SOunds good to me.

[jrfrond]

I once considered mailing post cards announcing a "Sidewalk Sale; all uncollected repairs must go!" Send them out to everybody with junk in the shop.

I don't know how it works in FL, but here in NYC, we need to send out registered letters for uncollected gear, ready for sale. for us, the limit is 30 days, and once they're past this limit, storage fees at the rate of $4.00/day are accrued. THAT little ditty is printed right on our claim check that each customer gets, and is also posted in our lobby and on our website. The reality is, we really do NOT want to store ANY gear. We just do not have the space!!!