CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[Curt Palme]

I don't know how to post this without coming across as a whiny a$$hole, so I'll just come across as a whiny a$$hole...

I've gotten 3 emails in a row that more or less state: I can't pay what you want to repair a module, so please tell me how to fix it. Another one wanted me to type out an article on how to fully set up his projector step by step.

99% of you understand this, but there's a few people that don't. Myself, Mike Parker, Tim, Doug, Terry and select others MAKE THEIR LIVING working on CRT projectors. This isn't just a hobby for us, if we don't get some kind of income, we either get out of the industry completely, or go live in a box on skid row.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to answer emails at length, send out boards if I can't narrow things down to a specific one, but when I get an email like this:

I received a couple of 8500 and both had the H-fail led on. Thanks to your site, I was able to get one working. The other appears to have something wrong with the board itself. A switched boards between projectors and only one of the H boards seems to funtion properly. May I send it in for you to test and, if need be, fix? Since the projectors have very low hours I think I would rather have the board fixed than replaced.

Followed by:

Holy Shhhmokes!! I understand the need to make a living but $250 to find and fix a bad cap or transistor? I'll have to pass on that one. I'll figure it out.

and finally by:

I speculate that your also bitter due to the decline in the CRT projection market

I get pissed. (all above quotes were from the same guy)

And you wonder why I won't post the s/manuals for EVERY projector out there.

Rant off, as you were. BTW, I do appreciate the other 99% of you...

[Curt Palme]

I don't know how to post this without coming across as a whiny a$$hole, so I'll just come across as a whiny a$$hole...

I've gotten 3 emails in a row that more or less state: I can't pay what you want to repair a module, so please tell me how to fix it. Another one wanted me to type out an article on how to fully set up his projector step by step.

99% of you understand this, but there's a few people that don't. Myself, Mike Parker, Tim, Doug, Terry and select others MAKE THEIR LIVING working on CRT projectors. This isn't just a hobby for us, if we don't get some kind of income, we either get out of the industry completely, or go live in a box on skid row.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to answer emails at length, send out boards if I can't narrow things down to a specific one, but when I get an email like this:

I received a couple of 8500 and both had the H-fail led on. Thanks to your site, I was able to get one working. The other appears to have something wrong with the board itself. A switched boards between projectors and only one of the H boards seems to funtion properly. May I send it in for you to test and, if need be, fix? Since the projectors have very low hours I think I would rather have the board fixed than replaced.

Followed by:

Holy Shhhmokes!! I understand the need to make a living but $250 to find and fix a bad cap or transistor? I'll have to pass on that one. I'll figure it out.

and finally by:

I speculate that your also bitter due to the decline in the CRT projection market

I get pissed. (all above quotes were from the same guy)

And you wonder why I won't post the s/manuals for EVERY projector out there.

Rant off, as you were. BTW, I do appreciate the other 99% of you...

[drice1234]

We get that type of response in our business also about our service rates. I usually ask them what they pay their copy repair guy and how often is he at their site. That usually shuts them up.

[Curt Palme]

I want to know how many people bitch at their lawyers and doctors as:

$400 for a letter? It's only words written on a piece of paper!

$2000 for surgery? Your only tools are a knife and some string to stitch me back up.

(which is the analogy that I emailed him back with)

[Curt Palme]

I want to know how many people bitch at their lawyers and doctors as:

$400 for a letter? It's only words written on a piece of paper!

$2000 for surgery? Your only tools are a knife and some string to stitch me back up.

(which is the analogy that I emailed him back with)

[incova]

Not sure why he is complaining my girlfriend had a haircut in london that cost her 250 usd, its in line with everything else. Just because you get the pj cheap does not mean the other expenses wont add up. Anyway we all appreciate you Curt so just chalk it up to experience, I fixed a pc for a guy once who refused to pay me as he said it looked easy when I did it!! er duh.
So I went back into system restore and left him with it.

[mr_ro_co]

Curt,

Tell that guy his attitude is not welcome, but he is welcome to look elsewhere for cheap repairs on high performance electronics, and if his time is worth so little as to warrant him spending many hours trying to fix those boards himself, then he should by all means go for it. He should also consider the alternative: Digital, where there are often no board level repair options. He thinks paying a couple hundred to fix an 8500 (which will then likely run faultless for years) is pricey? How about thousands to replace a digital that can't be repaired at all that was latest greatest 18 months ago?

For my part, I am very grateful guys like you exist and I gladly pay for your services. You are one of the few remaining resources out there and your prices are totally reasonable. In fact, they are a bargain considering the extensive experience and resources you are in command of.

Best regards,

Steve
SLC, Utah

[emdawgz1]

Here in Phila an Electrician gets 75.00 an hour for repairs. A plumber about 62.00.

Carpenters range from 40 to 55 dependng on the skill.

I hate people who want everything for nothing. Am i cheap? In some areas yes, but i'd never critisize someone for what they charge for their time. If they can get it, great! Personally my time is worth 500.00 per hour. If only i could get people to pay me that....

[scoobydoo]

What I've learned and see more and more regular is that people what something for nothing.
Sad

[Curt Palme]

Thus one of the reasons I got out of the sound stuff. I keep poking my head into the industry thanks to others that I know locally that are in it, and they echo why I got out of it.

Funny, you can insult my g/f, my family, my car, my looks and weight, I've got no issue with 'yo mama' comments. Insult my work knowledge or ethics, and the gloves are off!

[Curt Palme]

Thus one of the reasons I got out of the sound stuff. I keep poking my head into the industry thanks to others that I know locally that are in it, and they echo why I got out of it.

Funny, you can insult my g/f, my family, my car, my looks and weight, I've got no issue with 'yo mama' comments. Insult my work knowledge or ethics, and the gloves are off!

[JustGreg]

Wow...talk about schizophrenic eh? The dude STARTED out OK...and quickly went all shallow end of the gene pool on you.

In my cell phone service center I get that alllll the time. THEY destroy their phone and it somehow become MY problem. EDIT: Should have used the word fault not problem.
My favorite customer questions after telling them their phone is damaged beyond repair due to liquid damage (as evidenced by heavy corrosion) is "How did liquid get in my phone?"
I usually answer with what I think is a humorous reply; something like, "I'm sorry I can't answer that for you any more Mr. Customer. Two years ago I would have been able to as I was a psychotic stalker but my therapy and meds are working really well so I don't do that any more."

You can please some of the people some of the time....the rest can just f*ck off and die.

Greg

[BRIANJOHNSON]

Oh,this thread is right up my alley, i work at a high end car dealer i could talk for hours on this matter,but the bottom line is a nice car a 100 " movie screen is a luxury. so i don't want to here what is costs.
another analogy is have you ever owned a boat

[betel]

[ecrabb]

Some people have some really bizarre perceptions of value.

My folks own a car rental franchise and you should hear the bitching that goes on sometimes. SIXTY BUCKS?!?!? FOR A STUPID CAR FOR ONE DAY!?!?!? That's $1800 a month! Geez, I guess I should just BUY a car. That's highway robbery! Never mind the employees to rent, wash, clean and maintain the car, the insurance, depreciation, rent, heat/light, employee benefits, cost of borrowed money, etc. Practically any decent car anybody would want to rent anymore is well over $20,000... and up. My favorite question for the bitchers used to be, "Hey, I'd like to borrow your car and drive it for a day or two... I'll probably just put a few hundred miles on it, but I don't want any grief if it's a lot more than that... and I wont make too much of a mess, I hope... If you're lucky, I might remove the McDonald's sack from the passenger seat. What do you think? $20 sound fair?" The look on their faces was priceless. The same clueless dumbass probably has no issue paying $5 to rent a DVD for a day... that they could buy for 4x that price.

To an ignoramus, everything is a ridiculously expensive rip-off when he's paying for it, but no amount is ever enough when he's the one getting paid.

SC

[ecrabb]

Oh, and another thing that shows the naivety of the average Joe. The vast majority of the time, when a customer would damage the car, he or she was just amazed to find out that they had to pay for the damage to the car. What? You mean *I* have to pay for that missing fender? It's not MY car! It's YOUR car!

Oh, some of the excuses were priceless.

Bottom line is that some customers just aren't worth having... because they're LOSERS.

SC

[ronholm]

Give em hell CURT!!!!

I get the same silly comments every day in my construction business..

I even amazes me sometimes what I have to charge to come out ahead...

You have done plenty for me and my HT with the knowledge I have picked up off this forum I didn't have to pay for....... Information is power...

Lose the bad customers... They drag you down which is bad for your good customers.. and you will enjoy your business more... That is my motto..

There is just to damn much money floating around these days to fight with an idiot over a couple bucks... I am a tightwad though and with good reason... I limit my entertainment budget because I have bigger plans for my money..... But I sure don't get rude when someone won't give me something for nothing.....

[Tinman]

Welcome to the club, Curt.

I take $85 an hour for my time. Some people complain. I just tell them that I don't need their business, there is a line waiting. Try somewhere else and call me on what you find.

Often they come back.

I also tell them that sure, they can go elsewhere. But I'll charge double to fix what their "cheap" tech messed up. Be warned, you get what you pay for.

On that note: I got rid of all my bad customers. They only hurt business. They are the ones that expect the world for $20.

My favorite quote is: " Just because a VCR costs $39 today, doesn't mean I'll charge $3 to fix it." "I still need to eat."

They usually get that.

Marc

[incova]

don't give them hell Curt, just don't repair it let him stew, after about a month he will come back when he realises no one else can do the job, then charge him twice the amount and say prices went up due to you being in demand.



Dont get mad curt, get even.

aS they say in Bad Boys,

wooo sahhhh.

[Joust]

[ronholm]

Yeah ... Yeah... thats what I meant to....

be nice to em.... just don't take any crapp either... They will respect you more in the long run

[Person99]

[ronholm]