Yeah you've got a few points there, but allow me to make a few comments of
my own.....
As Dan Sofie suggests, people are more inclined to expect free service if
you only look like a hobbyist, and not a professional. If you're serious
about doing electronics repair, and you have the skill and ambition, get
yourself a business name, advertising sign (s), company logo on your
vehicle, etc, etc. The more professional your business apears, the less
people will expect freebies. You'll still run into the odd Cheap Charlie,
asking "Is that your best price?", or "Is it worth that much", in which case
you should just explain that you're merely asking for compensation for the
time, effort, and perhaps money that you invested in the job.
Yes, we live in a throw-away society. Approximately half the people that
bring stuff in for estimates, to my shop, usually tell me to keep it and
they go buy something new. The industry is dying, and any tech that tells
you otherwise is either incredibly naive or has a few bats in his/her
belfry. If you live in a highly-populated area though, and you do decent
work, you'll probably get enough customers to keep you busy for at least a
few more years. If you're in a less-populated area, you may want to branch
out into other areas, such as antique radios (an industry all to itself).
The best source for spare parts are all the old sets people are throwing
away. Drive around on a day designated for pickup of large items, or
advertise that you take old TVs and VCRs, and I guarantee you'll soon have
more old sets than you'll know what to do with. Paying people a small price
for their old sets will bring even more stuff......
Best of luck, and try not to get discouraged in these difficult times.

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Reply to:
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"Doug Taylor" wrote in message
main...

Hi everyone...
I will start this post with a great Thank You to all who
have taken their time to post and share their knowledge
in this forum. It's been great reading your posts!

Now, I would like to share my opinion on doing repairs on
consumer electronics.
It's seems to me that as soon as someone finds out you are
into electronics, they have a light bulb goes on in their
head... POP.... Hey!... FREE electronic servicing.
Friends and so called acquaintances and co-workers dump
all kinds of broken electronic crap at your feet expecting
instant FREE service.
When you are not thrilled at the prospect, they may offer
to actually pay up to $10 for the parts.
What is it with people.
Are we all just a bunch of cheap skates,
tight-wads, and skin flints, trying to manipulate or leverage
our relationships and friendships to see how much we
can exploit others for our own benefit.
People are delusional, when it comes to servicing electronic
appliances etc.

I usually like to tell them that their article is made in the
3rd world like Indonesia, china, Taiwan or Mexico where people
work for as low as $1.20 a day. Maybe they could ship their
broken TV or VCR or stereo to China for servicing as people in
North America want at least $20-$60 a hour. (joke)

Ah! maybe I'm too cynical.....

All that aside, I still like tinkering in Electronics for fun.
But, to hell with servicing for profit, it's a non-starter.
Vendors are impossible to deal with, they hoard information,
charge ridiculous prices for their parts (if they have them),
Use non standard fittings and fasteners, anything just to foil
you up. The whole industry is set up to re-inforce the
"throw away when broken" mentality of our consumer society.

P.S. A note to Daniel Sofie....

Thanks for your great input here....
and you are right to suggest to unskilled hobbyist's to
take their gear in for professionel servicing.
People underestimate the complexity of electronic gear,
it's like they assume its about as simple as a light switch.
Ever heard this one before.."It's probably just the fuse"

Doug Taylor

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