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| Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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#1
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Bloody customers
The N. Cook thread got me to thinking about some of the worst customers
I've had in this business. The one that sticks in my mind turned up back in around 1982-ish. I had been operating my business for about 2 years, after serving as service manager for Marantz Australia. Anyway, this guy (let's call him Mr Jones) turns up with his Marantz turntable for repair. At that time, it was close to 7 years old and in pretty decent condition. Naturally, there were the usual fine scratches on the lid, which inevitably occur with acrylic covers. No deep scratches and the timber was in good nick. He did not supply the turntable in it's original packing box as clearly recommended in the Marantz manual. A few weeks later, job done and I called the customer to collect his turntable. Cost was around AUS$100.00. As was/is my practice with turntables, after the job was completed, it was stored on a carpeted rack, with 200mm spacing, so nothing can ever be placed on top of any turntables stored within. Subsequent to my 'phone call a man I did not recognise turned up to collect the turntable for Mr Jones several weeks later. I asked to see the job ticket, which was duly presented. Satisfied, I retrieved the turntable. Mr Smith looked at the turntable and pointed out the (very) fine scratches and claimed that they were new (they clearly were not). I explained as much and Mr Smith said that he would not pay for the repair and I told him that he would not be able to collect the turntable. 2 weeks later, I received a letter from Mr Jones demanding that I supply a new cover, which was available from Marantz for AUS$375.00. I sent a letter back to Mr Jones explaining the following: * I did not damage the cover. * Although I did not damage the cover, if he wanted his turntable to be kept in perfect condition, that he should carry it around in it's original packing box. * Mr Jones had not yet sighted his own turntable and was relying on the claim of one of his employees! Additionally, I cited the NSW Uncollected Goods Act, which allows a repair agent the right to sell uncollected jobs, after 90 days, provided all possible efforts are made to contact the owner/s. Mr Jones turned up a week later with the cash to collect his turntable, whereupon I explained that I did not wish to conduct any further business with him. Ever. FWIW: I have retained repairs for as long as 2 years, waiting for customers to collect their jobs. -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au |
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#2
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Bloody customers
On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 6:44:07 PM UTC-4, Trevor Wilson wrote:
FWIW: I have retained repairs for as long as 2 years, waiting for customers to collect their jobs. -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au I've done the same. If I call a customer and they either answer or return my call promptly, and tell me they want the item but don't have the money, I'll hold it for them. I'm not a pawn shop. I've been in business for over 40 years and I can come up with some stories, but I'm going to switch gears from scamming customers and relay one of my favorites: Back in the early 1980s, I did a house call for a Zenith System 3 console (for you old timers, this had the old 9-160 power/sweep/HV module in it). This module usually had a blown LOT/Flyback, horizontal/line output transistor, and other associate stuff. You knew this when you saw how the fuse vaporized it's wire and deposited it on the glass. A quick resistance check from hot ground to the TO-3 metal case collector showed zero ohms. Anyway, the guy was over my shoulder and under my armpit insisting the TV must only need a new fuse. I knew it was no use explaining that there was no sense in even trying it if it was blown because he was sure that's all it needed. So I installed a 7 amp fuse to replace the 4 amp and told the customer to get down real close and tell me if the fuse opened when I went around the front of the TV and pushed the power button. I heard a soft pop like a flash bulb going off and I could see the customer's silhouette against the wall for a split second. He stood up from behind the TV blinking his eyes while I asked him if the fuse blew. He gave me trouble when I went out to the truck to get a new module. |
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#4
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Bloody customers
I too have held onto items for way too long. In one case, I had the unit for almost 2 years. While moving others around, I realized this and ended up selling a few weeks later. Customer showed up the week after the sale looking for it... Threatened legal action. I told him, go ahead and see where that gets you. Never heard from him after that.
Dam |
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#6
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Bloody customers
On 5/16/2017 6:43 PM, Trevor Wilson wrote:
The N. Cook thread got me to thinking about some of the worst customers I've had in this business. The one that sticks in my mind turned up back in around 1982-ish. I had been operating my business for about 2 years, after serving as service manager for Marantz Australia. Anyway, this guy (let's call him Mr Jones) turns up with his Marantz turntable for repair. At that time, it was close to 7 years old and in pretty decent condition. Naturally, there were the usual fine scratches on the lid, which inevitably occur with acrylic covers. No deep scratches and the timber was in good nick. He did not supply the turntable in it's original packing box as clearly recommended in the Marantz manual. A few weeks later, job done and I called the customer to collect his turntable. Cost was around AUS$100.00. As was/is my practice with turntables, after the job was completed, it was stored on a carpeted rack, with 200mm spacing, so nothing can ever be placed on top of any turntables stored within. Subsequent to my 'phone call a man I did not recognise turned up to collect the turntable for Mr Jones several weeks later. I asked to see the job ticket, which was duly presented. Satisfied, I retrieved the turntable. Mr Smith looked at the turntable and pointed out the (very) fine scratches and claimed that they were new (they clearly were not). I explained as much and Mr Smith said that he would not pay for the repair and I told him that he would not be able to collect the turntable. 2 weeks later, I received a letter from Mr Jones demanding that I supply a new cover, which was available from Marantz for AUS$375.00. I sent a letter back to Mr Jones explaining the following: * I did not damage the cover. * Although I did not damage the cover, if he wanted his turntable to be kept in perfect condition, that he should carry it around in it's original packing box. * Mr Jones had not yet sighted his own turntable and was relying on the claim of one of his employees! Additionally, I cited the NSW Uncollected Goods Act, which allows a repair agent the right to sell uncollected jobs, after 90 days, provided all possible efforts are made to contact the owner/s. Mr Jones turned up a week later with the cash to collect his turntable, whereupon I explained that I did not wish to conduct any further business with him. Ever. FWIW: I have retained repairs for as long as 2 years, waiting for customers to collect their jobs. That is the worst customer you've ever had? That doesn't sound so bad... Are you saying it bugged you that he was stupid enough to not examine the scratches himself? Otherwise this seems like a tame one. -- Rick C |
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#7
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Bloody customers
On 18/05/2017 9:59 AM, rickman wrote:
On 5/16/2017 6:43 PM, Trevor Wilson wrote: The N. Cook thread got me to thinking about some of the worst customers I've had in this business. The one that sticks in my mind turned up back in around 1982-ish. I had been operating my business for about 2 years, after serving as service manager for Marantz Australia. Anyway, this guy (let's call him Mr Jones) turns up with his Marantz turntable for repair. At that time, it was close to 7 years old and in pretty decent condition. Naturally, there were the usual fine scratches on the lid, which inevitably occur with acrylic covers. No deep scratches and the timber was in good nick. He did not supply the turntable in it's original packing box as clearly recommended in the Marantz manual. A few weeks later, job done and I called the customer to collect his turntable. Cost was around AUS$100.00. As was/is my practice with turntables, after the job was completed, it was stored on a carpeted rack, with 200mm spacing, so nothing can ever be placed on top of any turntables stored within. Subsequent to my 'phone call a man I did not recognise turned up to collect the turntable for Mr Jones several weeks later. I asked to see the job ticket, which was duly presented. Satisfied, I retrieved the turntable. Mr Smith looked at the turntable and pointed out the (very) fine scratches and claimed that they were new (they clearly were not). I explained as much and Mr Smith said that he would not pay for the repair and I told him that he would not be able to collect the turntable. 2 weeks later, I received a letter from Mr Jones demanding that I supply a new cover, which was available from Marantz for AUS$375.00. I sent a letter back to Mr Jones explaining the following: * I did not damage the cover. * Although I did not damage the cover, if he wanted his turntable to be kept in perfect condition, that he should carry it around in it's original packing box. * Mr Jones had not yet sighted his own turntable and was relying on the claim of one of his employees! Additionally, I cited the NSW Uncollected Goods Act, which allows a repair agent the right to sell uncollected jobs, after 90 days, provided all possible efforts are made to contact the owner/s. Mr Jones turned up a week later with the cash to collect his turntable, whereupon I explained that I did not wish to conduct any further business with him. Ever. FWIW: I have retained repairs for as long as 2 years, waiting for customers to collect their jobs. That is the worst customer you've ever had? **No, not the worst. It's the one that sticks in my mind, because it was in the early days of my own business and, because I did not capitulate to his threats, I did not lose any money. That doesn't sound so bad... Are you saying it bugged you that he was stupid enough to not examine the scratches himself? Otherwise this seems like a tame one. **Nope. It was just one that sticks in my mind. After all these years, I kept the correspondence on file too. -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au |
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#8
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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Bloody customers
On Wed, 17 May 2017 08:43:17 +1000, Trevor Wilson
wrote: The N. Cook thread got me to thinking about some of the worst customers I've had in this business. The one that sticks in my mind turned up back in around 1982-ish. I had been operating my business for about 2 years, after serving as service manager for Marantz Australia. Anyway, this guy (let's call him Mr Jones) turns up with his Marantz turntable for repair. At that time, it was close to 7 years old and in pretty decent condition. Naturally, there were the usual fine scratches on the lid, which inevitably occur with acrylic covers. No deep scratches and the timber was in good nick. He did not supply the turntable in it's original packing box as clearly recommended in the Marantz manual. A few weeks later, job done and I called the customer to collect his turntable. Cost was around AUS$100.00. As was/is my practice with turntables, after the job was completed, it was stored on a carpeted rack, with 200mm spacing, so nothing can ever be placed on top of any turntables stored within. Subsequent to my 'phone call a man I did not recognise turned up to collect the turntable for Mr Jones several weeks later. I asked to see the job ticket, which was duly presented. Satisfied, I retrieved the turntable. Mr Smith looked at the turntable and pointed out the (very) fine scratches and claimed that they were new (they clearly were not). I explained as much and Mr Smith said that he would not pay for the repair and I told him that he would not be able to collect the turntable. 2 weeks later, I received a letter from Mr Jones demanding that I supply a new cover, which was available from Marantz for AUS$375.00. I sent a letter back to Mr Jones explaining the following: * I did not damage the cover. * Although I did not damage the cover, if he wanted his turntable to be kept in perfect condition, that he should carry it around in it's original packing box. * Mr Jones had not yet sighted his own turntable and was relying on the claim of one of his employees! Additionally, I cited the NSW Uncollected Goods Act, which allows a repair agent the right to sell uncollected jobs, after 90 days, provided all possible efforts are made to contact the owner/s. Mr Jones turned up a week later with the cash to collect his turntable, whereupon I explained that I did not wish to conduct any further business with him. Ever. FWIW: I have retained repairs for as long as 2 years, waiting for customers to collect their jobs. I've been pretty lucky with customers. I only had to sue once. My business is machining but jerk customers come in all stripes. I live on an island that is mostly rural so it has that small town feel. You see folks when shopping and recognize them even if you don't know them personally. Anyway, I had a guy come into the shop with a welding job. He said his funds were limited and wondered if I could do the job for what he said he could afford. I said I couldn't but my son could and I would contact him. This is just good neighbor relations and it usually pays off. So I arranged for my son to do the job. Then for some reason my son couldn't do the job when it was promised so I went ahead and did the job. The customer came to pick up the job and I explained that I did the welding but would only charge him the lower price my son quoted. He then asks me if I'll take 40 dollars less. He had obviously planned to do this from the beginning. By this time I was so fed up with the whole thing I took his money and told him not to tell anyone how I had let him stiff me. For years after the incident every time I would see him in a grocery store or hardware store or wherever he would turn around and scuttle away. I hope the 40 bucks was worth avoiding me for several years. Eric |
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#9
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Bloody customers
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#10
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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Bloody customers
On 05/17/2017 08:02 PM, Trevor Wilson wrote:
That is the worst customer you've ever had? **No, not the worst. It's the one that sticks in my mind, because it was in the early days of my own business and, because I did not capitulate to his threats, I did not lose any money. You remember some dopey customer from when he was probably still playing the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on that turntable and I was still being bottle-fed, and it wasn't even the worst?! |
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#11
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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Bloody customers
On 16/05/2017 23:43, Trevor Wilson wrote:
The N. Cook thread got me to thinking about some of the worst customers I've had in this business. The one that sticks in my mind turned up back in around 1982-ish. I had been operating my business for about 2 years, after serving as service manager for Marantz Australia. Anyway, this guy (let's call him Mr Jones) turns up with his Marantz turntable for repair. At that time, it was close to 7 years old and in pretty decent condition. Naturally, there were the usual fine scratches on the lid, which inevitably occur with acrylic covers. No deep scratches and the timber was in good nick. He did not supply the turntable in it's original packing box as clearly recommended in the Marantz manual. A few weeks later, job done and I called the customer to collect his turntable. Cost was around AUS$100.00. As was/is my practice with turntables, after the job was completed, it was stored on a carpeted rack, with 200mm spacing, so nothing can ever be placed on top of any turntables stored within. Subsequent to my 'phone call a man I did not recognise turned up to collect the turntable for Mr Jones several weeks later. I asked to see the job ticket, which was duly presented. Satisfied, I retrieved the turntable. Mr Smith looked at the turntable and pointed out the (very) fine scratches and claimed that they were new (they clearly were not). I explained as much and Mr Smith said that he would not pay for the repair and I told him that he would not be able to collect the turntable. 2 weeks later, I received a letter from Mr Jones demanding that I supply a new cover, which was available from Marantz for AUS$375.00. I sent a letter back to Mr Jones explaining the following: * I did not damage the cover. * Although I did not damage the cover, if he wanted his turntable to be kept in perfect condition, that he should carry it around in it's original packing box. * Mr Jones had not yet sighted his own turntable and was relying on the claim of one of his employees! Additionally, I cited the NSW Uncollected Goods Act, which allows a repair agent the right to sell uncollected jobs, after 90 days, provided all possible efforts are made to contact the owner/s. Mr Jones turned up a week later with the cash to collect his turntable, whereupon I explained that I did not wish to conduct any further business with him. Ever. FWIW: I have retained repairs for as long as 2 years, waiting for customers to collect their jobs. A large Roland Cube that bounced back about 6 times. Always the same reported problem of severe distortion on the lowest notes. The most difficult of repair jobs, finding a non-existent fault. Owner used this amp for his acoustic bass, as very light but could accomadate the double-bass notes. A serious case of RTFM. He was not interested in chorus,flange, amp types , just a basic amplifier , so except for volume and gain and tone he turned all the controls fully anticlockwise. That position on the mode? switch was octave bass. |
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#12
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Bloody customers
Trevor Wilson wrote:
------------------------- The N. Cook thread got me to thinking about some of the worst customers I've had in this business. ** IME, the very worst customers are DJs. First one I ever dealt with was a pommy called Dave. He asked me to build him a "Musicolour" - a four channel music to light intensity device using triacs. These were available as kits from various suppliers after publication of the design in a hobby electronics magazine. I assembled a kit and made a very professional job of it too, if I may say so. After Dave had been using it for a couple of weeks he suddenly turned up in my workshop, the unit under his arm and **fuming with anger**. He claimed I had tried to kill him, as the Musicolour had delivered him a terrifying electric shock from the case. I took his claim very seriously as he was hovering over me and looked ready to biff me at any moment. I first checked continuity from the ground pin of the 3 pin plug to the all metal case, it was good. I commented that he could not possibly have received a shock from the case - but Dave did not take this well, it made him madder. Then I carefully quizzed him on the exact sequence of events: Seems the unit was not operating so he decided to check the 10 amp supply fuse fitted in a cartridge holder on the back. It was then that he got the nasty shock. The final revelation was the unit was plugged in at the time and Dave had one hand on the metal case while extracting the fuse with the other. He removed the screw off cap and then went for the fuse with his fingertips. When I tried to explain that fuses should only be removed with the unit un-plugged he exploded at me saying he knew what he was doing and turned off the power with the front panel switch. Oh dear........ ..... Phil |
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#13
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Bloody customers
On 18/05/2017 6:59 PM, Phil Allison wrote:
Trevor Wilson wrote: ------------------------- The N. Cook thread got me to thinking about some of the worst customers I've had in this business. ** IME, the very worst customers are DJs. First one I ever dealt with was a pommy called Dave. He asked me to build him a "Musicolour" - a four channel music to light intensity device using triacs. These were available as kits from various suppliers after publication of the design in a hobby electronics magazine. I assembled a kit and made a very professional job of it too, if I may say so. After Dave had been using it for a couple of weeks he suddenly turned up in my workshop, the unit under his arm and **fuming with anger**. He claimed I had tried to kill him, as the Musicolour had delivered him a terrifying electric shock from the case. I took his claim very seriously as he was hovering over me and looked ready to biff me at any moment. I first checked continuity from the ground pin of the 3 pin plug to the all metal case, it was good. I commented that he could not possibly have received a shock from the case - but Dave did not take this well, it made him madder. Then I carefully quizzed him on the exact sequence of events: Seems the unit was not operating so he decided to check the 10 amp supply fuse fitted in a cartridge holder on the back. It was then that he got the nasty shock. The final revelation was the unit was plugged in at the time and Dave had one hand on the metal case while extracting the fuse with the other. He removed the screw off cap and then went for the fuse with his fingertips. When I tried to explain that fuses should only be removed with the unit un-plugged he exploded at me saying he knew what he was doing and turned off the power with the front panel switch. Oh dear........ **Those old SATO fuse holders were death traps. But yeah, I get your point. People in the music industry can be, uh, unpredictable. -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au |
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#14
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Bloody customers
Trevor Wilson wrote:
-------------------- ** IME, the very worst customers are DJs. First one I ever dealt with was a pommy called Dave. He asked me to build him a "Musicolour" - a four channel music to light intensity device using triacs. These were available as kits from various suppliers after publication of the design in a hobby electronics magazine. I assembled a kit and made a very professional job of it too, if I may say so. After Dave had been using it for a couple of weeks he suddenly turned up in my workshop, the unit under his arm and **fuming with anger**. He claimed I had tried to kill him, as the Musicolour had delivered him a terrifying electric shock from the case. I took his claim very seriously as he was hovering over me and looked ready to biff me at any moment. I first checked continuity from the ground pin of the 3 pin plug to the all metal case, it was good. I commented that he could not possibly have received a shock from the case - but Dave did not take this well, it made him madder. Then I carefully quizzed him on the exact sequence of events: Seems the unit was not operating so he decided to check the 10 amp supply fuse fitted in a cartridge holder on the back. It was then that he got the nasty shock. The final revelation was the unit was plugged in at the time and Dave had one hand on the metal case while extracting the fuse with the other. He removed the screw off cap and then went for the fuse with his fingertips. When I tried to explain that fuses should only be removed with the unit un-plugged he exploded at me saying he knew what he was doing and turned off the power with the front panel switch. Oh dear........ **Those old SATO fuse holders were death traps. ** The events I described occurred in the mid 70s - finger safe fuse holders did not appear until much later. Nanny state stuff - right ? But yeah, I get your point. People in the music industry can be, uh, unpredictable. ** DJs are *not* in the music industry. DJs are just monkeys with turntables. In fact, they have done a great deal to destroy the music industry. Along with MP3s and TV shows like Rockwiz. ..... Phil |
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#15
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Bloody customers
On Wed, 17 May 2017 14:44:45 -0700 (PDT),
wrote: I too have held onto items for way too long. In one case, I had the unit for almost 2 years. While moving others around, I realized this and ended up selling a few weeks later. Customer showed up the week after the sale looking for it... Threatened legal action. I told him, go ahead and see where that gets you. Never heard from him after that. Dam In the late 70s a guy bought in a very nice reel to reel to be repaired. It was completed within two weeks. None of our calls or letters were answered. Three years later we were moving the business so we sold it. Two weeks later he showed up to pick up the unit. He had moved to Alaska and expected us to hold on to it in perpetuity and was very upset. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
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#16
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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Bloody customers
On Thu, 18 May 2017, Chuck wrote:
On Wed, 17 May 2017 14:44:45 -0700 (PDT), wrote: I too have held onto items for way too long. In one case, I had the unit for almost 2 years. While moving others around, I realized this and ended up selling a few weeks later. Customer showed up the week after the sale looking for it... Threatened legal action. I told him, go ahead and see where that gets you. Never heard from him after that. Dam In the late 70s a guy bought in a very nice reel to reel to be repaired. It was completed within two weeks. None of our calls or letters were answered. Three years later we were moving the business so we sold it. Two weeks later he showed up to pick up the unit. He had moved to Alaska and expected us to hold on to it in perpetuity and was very upset. I thought you were going to tell us he'd gone to prison. I guess serve in the army would work too. "I knew I wouldn't need it for a while, so I thought I'd store it with you for two years". Michael |
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#17
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Bloody customers
"I knew I wouldn't need it for a while, so I
thought I'd store it with you for two years". Reminds me of a joke. Guy in NYC is going on vacation and steps into the bank for a loan of like $20,000. Uses his Mazerati for collateral. Drops of the car and picks up the money. A couple months later he comes and pays the loan back with interest and they ask him "We checked your credit and found out you are a millionaire, whyu would you want to borrow a measely $20,000 from us ? He said "Where else could I park my par that cheap ? One of my halfway nice receivers came from a shop, a Marantz 4230. I was looking for a job but they weren't paying to my liking so I never worked there, but I did notice the receiver and inquired if it was for sale. They said it was "Gypsy bait". He said they knew exactly where it came from and was FUBAR bad in the amp. But every once in a while someone would come in and try to claim it. Well amps were my specialty and this thing had three channels blown. It origianlly used those TO-220 modificsations when the heat sinks were drilled for TO-66. I found some suitable TO-66 transistors, fixed the three channels and refittted the one with the TO-66 transistors. In bridged mode the power was almost respectable. I sold it off to a buddy who used it as an integrated preamp. Later I ran across a 4270, in ridged mode it clipped at 154 a channel in stereo, and I used the pre-outs to drive a rear amp. Now that was system. There were more cable behind it than you could shake a stick at. It had both beta and VHS and the ability to dub either way, on top of cassette and all that other stuff, plust two equalizers. In the middle (corner actually) was a five foot Advent, the kind with the silver screen and mine was one of the few that worked right. The convergence was damnear perfect and someone had obviously changed the tubes. All this stuff came from shops except the beta. But I like that term "gypsy bait". Especially when you have been in the same location for over 20 years. Especially when you know where it came from and why you have it, three channels blown, imagine the repair bill on that. Once I gathered all the parts I stayed up all night to fix it so that gave me about six hours into it, after the diagnosis and parts procurement. But we've had people who wanted to come and look around the shop for "their" TV. Scam artists are plentiful in this country, or at least this area. In the N Cook thread someone said "I am glad I am not where you're at". Well I should have moved out a long time ago. |
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#18
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Bloody customers
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