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Repair shop policy: abandoned gear and unpaid repairs

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  • Repair shop policy: abandoned gear and unpaid repairs

    Regarding abandoned gear and unpaid repairs, how long to you keep stuff around before selling it off to try to recoup? Is there any California law to quote on this issue?
    --
    I build and repair guitar amps
    http://amps.monkeymatic.com

  • #2
    Originally posted by xtian View Post
    Regarding abandoned gear and unpaid repairs, how long to you keep stuff around before selling it off to try to recoup? Is there any California law to quote on this issue?
    Send a certified letter to the owner stating how much time before equip will be liquidated an if they still want it they have that much time to make good on the arrangement or ce la vie. After that you shouldn't feel bad about selling it. You HAVE to get PAID.

    nosaj
    soldering stuff that's broken, breaking stuff that works, Yeah!

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    • #3
      Yeah, we're always joking about stuff that hasn't been picked up for a few weeks going on E-bay.

      A phone call warning of this usually does the trick!

      Comment


      • #4
        Well, in this case, a gentleman in his 60s dropped the amp off with me, and I collected only his name and phone number. Inspected, put in new power tubes, biased. Communication was good, but then he flew out of town to visit his mother, and she died. Even during the next couple of weeks, communication was good. Then, nothing. Voicemail only for the past two weeks, no replies at all.

        I'm not in a rush, and am certainly willing to offer this guy every consideration. But I have no other way to contact him.
        --
        I build and repair guitar amps
        http://amps.monkeymatic.com

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by xtian View Post
          Well, in this case, a gentleman in his 60s dropped the amp off with me, and I collected only his name and phone number. Inspected, put in new power tubes, biased. Communication was good, but then he flew out of town to visit his mother, and she died. Even during the next couple of weeks, communication was good. Then, nothing. Voicemail only for the past two weeks, no replies at all.

          I'm not in a rush, and am certainly willing to offer this guy every consideration. But I have no other way to contact him.
          In this instance I think the right thing is to wait . He could be still dealing with the death of his mother. I'd put it aside and look into in 6months time.
          Since you know his situation, put yourself in his shoes and dealing with the death of your mother.

          nosaj
          soldering stuff that's broken, breaking stuff that works, Yeah!

          Comment


          • #6
            I think that particular situation calls for a lot of patience.
            My shop is auto repair, and in the fine print of the estimate, that there is a lien on the vehicle, and after repairs are completed, there is a $5 per day storage charge. I usually have no problem with folks picking up the repaired vehicle, but many don't want to pay for tear down/diagnosis, (which is quoted in the estimate they signed). I let them sit for a few months, and if they are still here, I file a lien. (I usually make a little money whether I repair them or not).

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            • #7
              Originally posted by drewl View Post
              Yeah, we're always joking about stuff that hasn't been picked up for a few weeks going on E-bay.

              A phone call warning of this usually does the trick!
              I'm sure it's different from state to state, but that doesn't work (legally) here. When I had my own place, I had a long chat about this very thing with my attorney. In SD, you need to send a registered letter (signature required) so that you can prove to the courts, should you have to, that the customer was notified in writing. Maybe your state is different.
              "I took a photo of my ohm meter... It didn't help." Enzo 8/20/22

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              • #8
                I agree with nosaj.

                A parent or close family death requires more time, for sure. People lose there way and it takes time to get back into the swing of things. If you are in depressed state, you forget about the unimportant trivial things in life, until you get back on your feet. Ask me how I know...
                " Things change, not always for the better. " - Leo_Gnardo

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                • #9
                  Well in the uk its slightly different we have to keep it for 3 months from ready date then i can legally dispose of. We can charge storage, but have inform when they dropped off.

                  I don't really get any issues like this a few jobs ive been left with. sorry to say they are always worth less than the repair bill.
                  The biggest problem i have is if a amp repair is refused for BER and the customer says they want it back. I find i have to chase them for weeks to collect it and normally in the end they say you keep it. even though i asked them do want me to dump it ??
                  I don't have a lot of space to store stuff. I have the cellar / Basement but that is damp..

                  have a nice weekend people

                  BBB

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                  • #10
                    I think it comes down to a matter of storage space, if you've got it or if you don't. I agree with the majority of posters who said that the death of a family member of a client calls for extra patience and understanding. Remember, we are there to help people, while making a fair profit. I would feel uncomfortable taking someone else's misfortune and manipulating it into more profit beyond what the repair called for just because you can. It's a good time to tap into our humanity here. I have several amps (stored) that fit into the what-happened-to-this-guy scenario. I'm not very litigious by nature so that's why I say it's about storage space.

                    I do have some shop rules, as I repair out of my house: Rule #1 - No anvil cases - take the amp out, and stick the road case back in your car/van/truck. #2 - I usually do only one amp at a time per customer, unless it's a good, repeat customer that I have a good and long relationship with. There are some exceptions though - someone with a problem with their stereo rig, etc.

                    And of course the old tried and true shop slogan that I first saw on a sign above the desk of Valley Sound in Los Angeles (some of you west coast oldsters will remember this):

                    Shop per hour charge for amp repair - $$
                    If you watch - $$$
                    If you help - $$$$

                    Bob M.

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                    • #11
                      That sign came from the auto repair business decades ago. My grandfather had one in his shop 50+ years ago.
                      It's weird, because it WAS working fine.....

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                      • #12
                        "Shop per hour charge for amp repair - $$
                        If you watch - $$$
                        If you help - $$$$"

                        If you take it apart: $$$$$

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                        • #13
                          Also from the car repair biz:

                          You can choose two out of these three: fast, right, cheap. Please select TWO.

                          Jusrin
                          "Wow it's red! That doesn't look like the standard Marshall red. It's more like hooker lipstick/clown nose/poodle pecker red." - Chuck H. -
                          "Of course that means playing **LOUD** , best but useless solution to modern sissy snowflake players." - J.M. Fahey -
                          "All I ever managed to do with that amp was... kill small rodents within a 50 yard radius of my practice building." - Tone Meister -

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by The Dude View Post
                            I'm sure it's different from state to state, but that doesn't work (legally) here. When I had my own place, I had a long chat about this very thing with my attorney. In SD, you need to send a registered letter (signature required) so that you can prove to the courts, should you have to, that the customer was notified in writing. Maybe your state is different.
                            Are you saying that to make the empty threat is illegal? I was reading the "I'm gonna list it on eBay if you don't get it soon" as an empty threat (but the customer may not know it's empty). I can see where there would be a requirement of a certified letter, but couldn't the empty threat be a sort of "can I try this free option BEFORE I have to shell out to go the official legal way"?

                            Just curious.

                            Justin
                            "Wow it's red! That doesn't look like the standard Marshall red. It's more like hooker lipstick/clown nose/poodle pecker red." - Chuck H. -
                            "Of course that means playing **LOUD** , best but useless solution to modern sissy snowflake players." - J.M. Fahey -
                            "All I ever managed to do with that amp was... kill small rodents within a 50 yard radius of my practice building." - Tone Meister -

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Justin Thomas View Post
                              Also from the car repair biz:

                              You can choose two out of these three: fast, right, cheap. Please select TWO.

                              Jusrin
                              You might want to modify that because right and cheap is what I would choose but I don't think that's reality.
                              nosaj
                              soldering stuff that's broken, breaking stuff that works, Yeah!

                              Comment

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