wrote:
========================

if you do repairs for a living, you will sometimes have issues with particular customers. One scenario is when you are NOT dealing with the owner - but some middle man instead. Bad enough.

A worse one is when you do not know who the real owner is, cos someone who borrowed (and broke) the item brings it to you *pretending* to be the owner.

If they do not return to pick up and pay, anyone can then claim to be the owner and try to obtain the item for the repair cost.
So the first question you need to ask any new customer is:
" How long have you owned it ? "
And if their answer is non very convincing :
" Where did you you get it ? "
One does not what tot be stuck with items that never get picked up or are maybe stolen or where a dispute about ownership arises.
Happens.


I've been doing this over 45 years,

** Me slightly longer. Nearly all for musicians and the like.

Probably 15 years ago a guy brings in a 20" CRT TV for me to look at. Flats were what I was mostly repairing and a lot of these small CRT TVs never got picked up, repaired or otherwise. It had a smeary video but the OSC graphics were crisp and bright, so I knew it wouldn't be something easy like a CRT cathode bypass cap. But the TV was otherwise clean so I took it in and I told the guy I'd check it in a few days, and Sharpied (it's a verb) his name on the face of the tube. He wanted a receipt. I told him I don't provide them for items with a high probability of being abandoned since I had to hang on to them for at least six months. He said he wasn't going to leave it without one so I removed his name from the TV screen and headed out to his car with the TV. He was stunned, then furious and said he was going to call the dept. of consumer protection. Of course, never heard again from either.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
** LOL

I still have a Phase Linear 400-2 power amp that was abandoned in 1992.
When the owner removed it from his rack, he stole my ratchet screwdriver.
Never saw him again. The original repair bill was for $160.
Unfortunately, the front dress panel was missing, making it hard to sell.

I did mange to sell a Yamaha P2200 a few years back for slightly more than the repair bill.
It had belonged to a famous musician here in Sydney.


..... Phil