"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Keith G wrote:
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Keith G wrote:
Think you're a bit out of date as regards earning a living,
Keith.
;-)
Don't talk so stupid, Plowie - I had 50 employees in two firms and
probably know a little bit more about paying staff than you do.
'Had' being the operative word.
'Operative' how? I'm retired Plowie - have been for 9 years now, I
don't
need staff. (If you'd worked a little harder in your youth maybe you
could be retired also...)
Why would I want to retire? I work in a job which involves that which
you
seem to spend all your time with - ie audio. So get paid for my hobby.
;-)
Sure....
Add to that I get charged for stuff like 'bike servicing and that
Swim
is in full time employ, so I'm not quite so out of touch as you'd
like
to think....
So pray tell what you feel a reasonable charge would be for this
repair -
Anything over 20 quid *absolute max* would be a waste of money - I
pointed to a number of eBay auctions where VCRs were sitting at 99p +
a
bit of postage...
I'm not disagreeing with that - just the principle. A repair shop is
in
business to make a living. Not dish out free advice on economics. The
person in question may well have wanted his VCR repaired for any
number of
reasons rather than buy new or secondhand. He might like the way it
operates, the facilities or just even the looks.
Why did he bother to mention it to me then?
FYI, I have lost count of the times I have bailed him out on all sorts
of problems. I know he doesn't have any spare money and in the last few
days he's had to fix his own cooker door, put tyres on his car to get it
through its MOT, had his VCR blow up and been strimmed 46 quid on his
lawnmower.
Sometimes it doesn't just come in threes...
and it might help if you said what it actually consisted of.
How TF should I know?
So HTF can you know what is a reasonable quote for the repair?
Plowie, sometime the *my time is worth XXX* horse**** doesn't stand;
sometimes it's a case of what the job will bear. I was given an SME arm
in bits in a paper bag a while back. I took a photo of them and emailed
a link to to to SME for an estimate to repair and rebuild; they emailed
back 'not worth the cost of repair'!
Plenty of
VCRs when they break are simply not economic to repair.
You got there in the end....
Err, you spend all your time doing uneconomic things. Why want
everyone
else to be different?
I told you already - I'm retired. I started earlier than most and worked
a damn sight harder than most and I don't expect to last as long as
most, so I **** my time away doing what pleases me (as well as the
chores around here). In the last week I have avoided agreeing to make
speakers for two different people - big difference making them for
myself or taking on a bloody *contract*!!
The 'Service Engineer' of that shop is one of the two brothers who
have
recently been *given it* by their father who is supposed to have
retired
(but is always hanging about in there). It is a goldmine - they
have
been strimming the local Chavs for decades; my neighbour has known
them
and dealt with them for 30 years. There comes a time you tell a
person
like that when an item is beyond economic repair, not just take
them
to
the cleaners. (Note the drastic 50 to 29 quid reduction...)
Doesn't your neighbour ever visit stores like Tesco etc and note
the
price
of a new VCR?
No idea.
And therefore is capable of deciding himself if he wants it
repaired
or not?
You're not really picking up on the dynamic here - the guy is 'old
school'; his instinct is to take a broken VCR to the local shop
(where
he bought it) for repair and where he has been a customer for 30
years.
He doesn't know about the current 'throway ethos' and had probably
paid
a ton for the machine when it was new. Where it falls on its arse is
the
shysters (you need to see them in action) in the shop are/were more
keen
to strim the old boy (a long-standing customer) for swift 50 quid
than
point him in a better direction.
There's an awful lot of 'probables' there.
No, only one and that's a banker - that shop only knows Top Dollar! I
have posted here more than once that I watched when the current owner
took 8 quid of a pensioner who lived opposite and knew them very well
for one of those ****ty bundles scart leads that come with the player.
They had a bucket full of them - all taken out of boxes and virtually
'thrown away' from installs, when a 50 quid Scart was no doubt used....
If you can see no wrong in that, then it tells a lot about you...
No - I just get fed up of those who can't do something telling someone
who
can what the job should be worth. And the assumption that someone 'old
school' doesn't know the value of things.
You are making a fair amount of assumptions yourself there. What my
neighbour isn't the tiniest bit aware of is the 'online world' and what
the *real prices* are these days. Don't keep trying to make yourself
look smart on this one Plowie - you know damn well 50 quid to repair a
VCR of some vintage is a crock...
Asitappens, Shiny Nigel who works at the shop is due round
tonight,
if he makes it (he's in a state with ME or summat, so there's a
chance he won't show) I'll ask him how it's going in the 'repair
department' (loft, actually). My guess is that if it's gone quiet
they'll have got got rid of the *girl* who did most of the
work....
Yes, she has left (some time ago) but it was her own idea,
apparently...
Answering your own points now? ;-)
Seems you have forgotten the fixed costs of running any business.
WTF would you know?
By your attitude. I gave you a rough idea of the sort of costs a
repair
shop might have which sets their rate for repairs. You seem to think
they
can do it for 1960 prices.
WTF are you talking about? I have stood in that shop and heard the owner
tell a number of people 'it costs 35 quid just to take the lid off' when
they have stood there with shrapnel that needs fixed...
Let's give you some *information* - I get this impression you think you
are talking to the butcher's boy at times....
I ran two companies with (as I have said before to give you an idea)
over 10,000 quid's worth of tyres on the road; I don't remember how
early in the game the *monthly* wages bill hit the £80,000 mark and
(surprisingly) have no idea what it was by close of play - all I know is
for '500' years nobody got ****ed around for their pay and I know the
pay was well in excess of industry norm *across the board*. Thus I have
signed many thousands of cheques, the biggest one (no problem
remembering it) was £280,000 for *one month's* supplies from *one
supplier* and I have paid more 'repair bills' than you could possibly
imagine.
Only today (never mind the date) the details came in for the repairs to
the *low speed* (under 10 mph) motorcycle drop I've just had:
http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/show/Oops01.JPG
http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/show/Oops02.JPG
http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/show/Oops03.JPG
Now, Plowie - just how 'out of touch' do you think I *really* am...???
Robber Baron craps out...
Linear Mode
