P
Patrick Turner
Guest
Anyone have a Bang and Olufsen "Beogram 4000" TT schematic?
Patrick Turner.
Patrick Turner.
T
Trevor Wilson
Guest
"Patrick Turner" <info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote in message
news:427F4F29.5A58E17B@turneraudio.com.au...
Number, as well as model number. B&O regularly issue variants on their model
numbers.
--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
news:427F4F29.5A58E17B@turneraudio.com.au...
**I presume you've tried B&O themselves? You will need to supply the Type
Number, as well as model number. B&O regularly issue variants on their model
numbers.
--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
P
Patrick Turner
Guest
Trevor Wilson wrote:
but no reply yet.
Maybe I have to buy the service manual.
I had hoped someone migh have had experience with these
complicated POS TTs.
I eventually got an email off to someone at B&O in their service section,
but no reply yet.
Maybe I have to buy the service manual.
I had hoped someone migh have had experience with these
complicated POS TTs.
T
Trevor Wilson
Guest
"Patrick Turner" <info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote in message
news:4280230F.92B58A5E@turneraudio.com.au...
--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
news:4280230F.92B58A5E@turneraudio.com.au...
**I'll ask the question again: What is the Type Number?
--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
M
Mr.T
Guest
"Patrick Turner" <info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote in message
news:4280230F.92B58A5E@turneraudio.com.au...
IMO they were one of the best *fully automatic* turntables around. Not only
do they look good, but I could trust other people to use it, while keeping
the real turntable for my personal use
BTW, if you think the circuit is "complicated", that says more about your
electronics knowledge.
MrT.
news:4280230F.92B58A5E@turneraudio.com.au...
Calling it a POS is likely to elicit help, NOT.
IMO they were one of the best *fully automatic* turntables around. Not only
do they look good, but I could trust other people to use it, while keeping
the real turntable for my personal use
BTW, if you think the circuit is "complicated", that says more about your
electronics knowledge.
MrT.
P
Patrick Turner
Guest
"Mr.T" wrote:
developed more and more faults in the weeks after, the repair
which I am supposed to guranteee for 3 mths has turned into
an unprofitable disaster.
I know crap when I see it, and every bit of B&O design wizardry
is entirely wasted on folks like me..
My old Thorens TD160 with a Denon MC is simpler and better sounding.
The 4000 is like blonde who can't cook or root and costs
a lot to run.
Your accusation shows the world you are a poor judge of humans and their
capabilities.
Good design always includes the "easy to fix factor"
B&O don't. Their 8000 series receivers are nightmares to work on.
Its all just expensive garbage afaiac.
In this case I will do my best to fix the critter for the 3rd time,
but its problems are ruining the reputation of both B&O and myself, as far
as the customer is concerned.
Patrick Turner.
After several attempts to get this POS working, and after it merrily
developed more and more faults in the weeks after, the repair
which I am supposed to guranteee for 3 mths has turned into
an unprofitable disaster.
I know crap when I see it, and every bit of B&O design wizardry
is entirely wasted on folks like me..
The sound is nothing great.
My old Thorens TD160 with a Denon MC is simpler and better sounding.
Who gives a shit how marvellous it looks?Not only
do they look good, but I could trust other people to use it, while keeping
the real turntable for my personal use
The 4000 is like blonde who can't cook or root and costs
a lot to run.
Its VERY complicated compared to my better sounding Thorens!
Your accusation shows the world you are a poor judge of humans and their
capabilities.
Good design always includes the "easy to fix factor"
B&O don't. Their 8000 series receivers are nightmares to work on.
Its all just expensive garbage afaiac.
In this case I will do my best to fix the critter for the 3rd time,
but its problems are ruining the reputation of both B&O and myself, as far
as the customer is concerned.
Patrick Turner.
P
paul packer
Guest
On Wed, 11 May 2005 09:07:33 GMT, Patrick Turner
<info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote:
<info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote:
I see you're a man of the 21st Century.
M
Mr.T
Guest
"Patrick Turner" <info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote in message
news:4281CB28.C1030D93@turneraudio.com.au...
problem.
would probably have been fixed first time around.
Since you have no knowledge of, or experience with the model, then they must
expect you are simply playing around and learning as you go.
MrT.
news:4281CB28.C1030D93@turneraudio.com.au...
That's an admission of your ability only.
We can agree on that I guess.
And my Thorens TD125II is even better, but its not fully automatic.
Not you obviously, but some people don't live in dives.
Mine too, but irrelevant.
You did post the problems you have fixing something quite simple.
Never seen an 8000 series reciever. Can't see the relevance to you TT
problem.
Not true, if they had of taken it to an authorised B&O repair centre, it
would probably have been fixed first time around.
Since you have no knowledge of, or experience with the model, then they must
expect you are simply playing around and learning as you go.
MrT.
P
Patrick Turner
Guest
paul packer wrote:
I will not suffer fools gladly, or bludgers, or time wasters, or
whingers,
or poor audio designs that are difficult to service or diagnose.
Patrick Turner.
I am proud to be what a man could be for any century,On Wed, 11 May 2005 09:07:33 GMT, Patrick Turner
info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote:
The 4000 is like blonde who can't cook or root and costs
a lot to run.
I see you're a man of the 21st Century.
I will not suffer fools gladly, or bludgers, or time wasters, or
whingers,
or poor audio designs that are difficult to service or diagnose.
Patrick Turner.
P
Patrick Turner
Guest
"Mr.T" wrote:
to diagnose faults and effect a repair.
There is no admission of my abilities.
But there is a demonstration of your stupidity in being so rash.
But sure, TD125II may indeed be a nice TT; I have never owned one.
I quite like the TD124.....
assumption and conclusion.
When you remove the covers acres of electronics boards greet the eye.
There is a pile of opto electronics, sensitive and easily stuffable
electro-mechanics.
service
if anything goes wrong, and it does.
place where
they usually charge an arm and a leg for a repair.
Any TT should be repairable by the average tech without much bother.
There are piles of horror stories about gear dissapearing for months at
authorized places, coming back with the faults still present, not all fixed, and
then there was no repair guy in the ACT
and so the gear would have had to have been sent some place with great risk of
further damage
and more expense.
I could say the same about many other high end brands.
The B&O website fails to provide any info on who is there guy near me.
David Jones sells the stuff as well as others in Sydney, and I'd have to contact
them to find out
who the repair guy is. He may not be a specialist who only does B&O.
But we will get this mess of a thing working for longer than 3 record plays
and hopefully it will run ok for years.
Me and my guy have repaired maybe hundreds of items, and we get very very few
comebacks.
Posting about it here tested the waters to see if there was anyone with
experience
of servicing the model, but it appears I only drew nittpickers.
Patrick Turner.
My very highly trained and experienced employee found it difficult
to diagnose faults and effect a repair.
There is no admission of my abilities.
But there is a demonstration of your stupidity in being so rash.
Something's automaticness doesn't make it a superior audio product.
But sure, TD125II may indeed be a nice TT; I have never owned one.
I quite like the TD124.....
There you go again, being a pueurile idiot in making a stupid
assumption and conclusion.
But the 4000 isn't simple.
When you remove the covers acres of electronics boards greet the eye.
There is a pile of opto electronics, sensitive and easily stuffable
electro-mechanics.
I'm illustrating the general idea that B&O produces gear that is difficult to
service
if anything goes wrong, and it does.
I should NEVER have to take any bit of 30+ yr old junk to an authorized repair
place where
they usually charge an arm and a leg for a repair.
Any TT should be repairable by the average tech without much bother.
There are piles of horror stories about gear dissapearing for months at
authorized places, coming back with the faults still present, not all fixed, and
then there was no repair guy in the ACT
and so the gear would have had to have been sent some place with great risk of
further damage
and more expense.
I am becoming an expert about B&O, and not enjoying it.
I could say the same about many other high end brands.
The B&O website fails to provide any info on who is there guy near me.
David Jones sells the stuff as well as others in Sydney, and I'd have to contact
them to find out
who the repair guy is. He may not be a specialist who only does B&O.
But we will get this mess of a thing working for longer than 3 record plays
and hopefully it will run ok for years.
Me and my guy have repaired maybe hundreds of items, and we get very very few
comebacks.
Posting about it here tested the waters to see if there was anyone with
experience
of servicing the model, but it appears I only drew nittpickers.
Patrick Turner.
P
paul packer
Guest
On Wed, 11 May 2005 11:38:07 GMT, Patrick Turner
<info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote:
I.Q. and sperm test.
More seriously, though I'm not a tech I'm more inclined to your side
than Mr. Ts. B. & O. may have won many design awards but I'm sure it
doesn't extend under the surface, and whenever I've seen the gear
I've marvelled at its technical complexity. I can't imagine why anyone
not experienced with B & O would take a repair on, but since you've
done so I can understand you going into whinging mode.
Don't let Mr. T get to you. He has a Phd. in riling people.
(Hi, Mr. T!)
<info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote:
Mmmm, intriguing. Perhaps you could send a photo and the results of an
I.Q. and sperm test.
More seriously, though I'm not a tech I'm more inclined to your side
than Mr. Ts. B. & O. may have won many design awards but I'm sure it
doesn't extend under the surface, and whenever I've seen the gear
I've marvelled at its technical complexity. I can't imagine why anyone
not experienced with B & O would take a repair on, but since you've
done so I can understand you going into whinging mode.
Don't let Mr. T get to you. He has a Phd. in riling people.
(Hi, Mr. T!)
P
Patrick Turner
Guest
paul packer wrote:
on the news group, although it would have been good to explain
some electronic matters with a sketch.
was going to the moon for a walk, and that meant ppl
had tremendous faith and trust in the electronics of their era.
But it wasn't trustworthy forever, and who would volunteer
to go to the moon tomorrow on an unused surplus Saturn V?
The electronics of the 1970s wears out even without use.
Caps go leaky, things degrade, and so the B&O TT has hit a few snags
without
ever being used much or being worn out at all.
The complexity of much gear now is ferociously complex; a glance inside
any PC
tells you that, but I would rather rely on the standards employed on a
mother board
than on what was crammed tightly into cases of B&O gear.
HT receivers are truly horrid things.
Who will be able to repair an average sample in 20 years?
My eyesight will not allow it anyway.
That's their problem.
There are some things I don't wish to ever have to repair.
CD players, TVs, video tape recorders, washing machines, toasters,
and many others I could mention.
I have found a guy who enjoys fixing crap I don't like doing, and he's
faster and better than I am, and very agreeable, and I can happily give a
3 mth warranty on repairs without losing the tiny profit by administering
come back hassles.
Since I am so slow, I'm good doing jobs that take lots of time,
like rewiring tube radios, amps, repairing speakers etc, and building new
tube gear
that my very capable colleague would rather not do in his tiny workshop.
Horses for courses.
Business has increased to the point where it would be impossible for me to
do all the repair work that comes in and still have time for making
new tube gear, and the "take a long time " jobs.
The custom manufacturing pays no more than repair work which pays the main
raft of bills that keep rolling in, but custom work is very satisfying.
Custom work is like build the palace, not cleaning its toilet, which
is what repairing a 3 in 1 stereo is like.
But being in this business allows me to witness the quality of the gear
that lands here
and sadly some of it is a PITA to fix easily, even if you have all the
manuals.
I had yet another Grundig AM/FM valve radio from 1956 arrive last week,
and it took a day or two to sort out all its little problems, and its got
about 3 times the parts count of an AM Radiola made in Oz of the same era.
Its very hard to trace the Grundig circuit, and lots of switches are used,
but it
so far has run 3 days without stopping. German engineering isn't so bad.
Some of this old stuff is very fixable, and sounds well for what it is.
30 years after the Grundig, ARC made the SP11 preamp equipped with
j-fets that just go noisy, leaky, or die, and I guess they were not aware
that 20 years after manufacture they would have j-fet bothers.
Luckily the rest of the ARC amp is pretty well made.
I would however use 1/3 of the parts count to achieve the same fuctions
and would
try desperately to make it easy to trace the circuit on the board, and get
replacement parts in and out.
If its made to be easily seviceable, its easy to build.
Patrick Turner.
Perhaps it isn't such a bad thing that binary posts are not allowedOn Wed, 11 May 2005 11:38:07 GMT, Patrick Turner
info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote:
I am proud to be what a man could be for any century,
Mmmm, intriguing. Perhaps you could send a photo and the results of an
I.Q. and sperm test.
on the news group, although it would have been good to explain
some electronic matters with a sketch.
The B&O 4000 was an ultra chic thing for 1972, and in an ear when man
was going to the moon for a walk, and that meant ppl
had tremendous faith and trust in the electronics of their era.
But it wasn't trustworthy forever, and who would volunteer
to go to the moon tomorrow on an unused surplus Saturn V?
The electronics of the 1970s wears out even without use.
Caps go leaky, things degrade, and so the B&O TT has hit a few snags
without
ever being used much or being worn out at all.
The complexity of much gear now is ferociously complex; a glance inside
any PC
tells you that, but I would rather rely on the standards employed on a
mother board
than on what was crammed tightly into cases of B&O gear.
HT receivers are truly horrid things.
Who will be able to repair an average sample in 20 years?
My eyesight will not allow it anyway.
I sleep like a log after leaving enemies foaming at the mouth.
That's their problem.
There are some things I don't wish to ever have to repair.
CD players, TVs, video tape recorders, washing machines, toasters,
and many others I could mention.
I have found a guy who enjoys fixing crap I don't like doing, and he's
faster and better than I am, and very agreeable, and I can happily give a
3 mth warranty on repairs without losing the tiny profit by administering
come back hassles.
Since I am so slow, I'm good doing jobs that take lots of time,
like rewiring tube radios, amps, repairing speakers etc, and building new
tube gear
that my very capable colleague would rather not do in his tiny workshop.
Horses for courses.
Business has increased to the point where it would be impossible for me to
do all the repair work that comes in and still have time for making
new tube gear, and the "take a long time " jobs.
The custom manufacturing pays no more than repair work which pays the main
raft of bills that keep rolling in, but custom work is very satisfying.
Custom work is like build the palace, not cleaning its toilet, which
is what repairing a 3 in 1 stereo is like.
But being in this business allows me to witness the quality of the gear
that lands here
and sadly some of it is a PITA to fix easily, even if you have all the
manuals.
I had yet another Grundig AM/FM valve radio from 1956 arrive last week,
and it took a day or two to sort out all its little problems, and its got
about 3 times the parts count of an AM Radiola made in Oz of the same era.
Its very hard to trace the Grundig circuit, and lots of switches are used,
but it
so far has run 3 days without stopping. German engineering isn't so bad.
Some of this old stuff is very fixable, and sounds well for what it is.
30 years after the Grundig, ARC made the SP11 preamp equipped with
j-fets that just go noisy, leaky, or die, and I guess they were not aware
that 20 years after manufacture they would have j-fet bothers.
Luckily the rest of the ARC amp is pretty well made.
I would however use 1/3 of the parts count to achieve the same fuctions
and would
try desperately to make it easy to trace the circuit on the board, and get
replacement parts in and out.
If its made to be easily seviceable, its easy to build.
Patrick Turner.
G
Gordon
Guest
"Mr.T" <MrT@home> wrote in message
news:4281dec9$0$5176$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
authorised repairers.
I for one would rather take my out of warranty equipment to someone genuine
as Patric appears to be than to one of those 'authorised' places.
Gordon
news:4281dec9$0$5176$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
can sit back and let the horror stories roll and that includes so called
authorised repairers.
I for one would rather take my out of warranty equipment to someone genuine
as Patric appears to be than to one of those 'authorised' places.
Gordon
F
Franc Zabkar
Guest
On Wed, 11 May 2005 20:30:30 +1000, "Mr.T" <MrT@home> put finger to
keyboard and composed:
techs working in the industry today would be familiar with it, or with
turntables of any kind. I suspect most of the experienced techs would
either be retired, or running their own businesses. Furthermore, I
would expect that the only advantage in taking the TT to an authorised
service centre would be that they would have unfettered access to
schematics and spares, if they still exist.
- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 's' from my address when replying by email.
keyboard and composed:
If the unit is indeed 33 years old, I wonder how many of the service
techs working in the industry today would be familiar with it, or with
turntables of any kind. I suspect most of the experienced techs would
either be retired, or running their own businesses. Furthermore, I
would expect that the only advantage in taking the TT to an authorised
service centre would be that they would have unfettered access to
schematics and spares, if they still exist.
- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 's' from my address when replying by email.
A
Ayn Marx
Guest
Patrick Turner wrote:
that if they use complex (weird?) circuits the wankers (do excuse my
un-ladylike English but in the instance I think the term apposite) at
Stereophool and Absolute Sillyness Magazines will be almightily
impressed & therefore devote considerably more column inches on said
weirdness?
That, and the possibility the over decades, Audio Research has learnt
that if they use complex (weird?) circuits the wankers (do excuse my
un-ladylike English but in the instance I think the term apposite) at
Stereophool and Absolute Sillyness Magazines will be almightily
impressed & therefore devote considerably more column inches on said
weirdness?
P
paul packer
Guest
On Wed, 11 May 2005 23:13:13 +0800, "Gordon" <gor2005@aapt.net.au>
wrote:
obviously is, but we only know that through his postings here. How
does one gauge the ethical standards of one's local repairer without
first risking a horrid, expensive experience.
wrote:
Agreed. The trick is to find someone honest and reliable. Patrick
obviously is, but we only know that through his postings here. How
does one gauge the ethical standards of one's local repairer without
first risking a horrid, expensive experience.
P
Patrick Turner
Guest
Franc Zabkar wrote:
B&O list the sales people in Oz, not the name of the service ppl.
Their info was useless.
The unit has a parallel tracking arm.
A motor drives the arm across the record using a lighsource and opto sensors to
work a diff amp to work the motor which winds the arm carriage along
by turning a threaded rod througha nylon nut.
All the functions of arm movement are via press buttons on the front.
But the arm chatters angrily when it stops after some movement as a result
of pressing start or changing tracks.
A solenoid is used to raise and lower the arm which is fitted with a damper to
slow movement.
But my tech couldn't figure it out fully, although he did manage to repair the
PSU
which failed after I tested it when the client retunred the unit when the
functions
made the arm buzz around.
I spent 3 hours, and found a tiny peice of broken plastic and where it had come
from
and sure the plastic part was not secure so I made a metal reinforcing bracket
to bring the mechanism back to stiff as it had once left the factory.
The ability of the carriage mechanism to be a buzzer rather than TT carriage got
worse,
and any amount of RC damping a fiddling with switch stops didn't improve it.
So now I have to tell my fed up and impatient client I will be forced to purchase
a
complete manual & schematic, and thus be able to check out what could be wrong.
I fully expect to see no explanation why an arm would buzz violently
when the carriage stops to allow the arm to lower onto a record.
I won't mind if he doesn't want to proceed since the cost of
spending days on one bit of gear would be expensive, even at my low hourly rates.
I repaired a Sanyo 4 in 1 stereo with a tracker arm, and it was SO much
simpler, and worked just as well, same functions....
Patrick Turner.
I emailed B&O at the contact for service.
B&O list the sales people in Oz, not the name of the service ppl.
Their info was useless.
The unit has a parallel tracking arm.
A motor drives the arm across the record using a lighsource and opto sensors to
work a diff amp to work the motor which winds the arm carriage along
by turning a threaded rod througha nylon nut.
All the functions of arm movement are via press buttons on the front.
But the arm chatters angrily when it stops after some movement as a result
of pressing start or changing tracks.
A solenoid is used to raise and lower the arm which is fitted with a damper to
slow movement.
But my tech couldn't figure it out fully, although he did manage to repair the
PSU
which failed after I tested it when the client retunred the unit when the
functions
made the arm buzz around.
I spent 3 hours, and found a tiny peice of broken plastic and where it had come
from
and sure the plastic part was not secure so I made a metal reinforcing bracket
to bring the mechanism back to stiff as it had once left the factory.
The ability of the carriage mechanism to be a buzzer rather than TT carriage got
worse,
and any amount of RC damping a fiddling with switch stops didn't improve it.
So now I have to tell my fed up and impatient client I will be forced to purchase
a
complete manual & schematic, and thus be able to check out what could be wrong.
I fully expect to see no explanation why an arm would buzz violently
when the carriage stops to allow the arm to lower onto a record.
I won't mind if he doesn't want to proceed since the cost of
spending days on one bit of gear would be expensive, even at my low hourly rates.
I repaired a Sanyo 4 in 1 stereo with a tracker arm, and it was SO much
simpler, and worked just as well, same functions....
Patrick Turner.
P
Patrick Turner
Guest
Ayn Marx wrote:
terminal
in an SP11 is quite mind boogerlating.
The fets in the one I have in for repair are failing, and guess what,
no numbers are on the devices.
There is simply no reason for anyone wanting to copy
an ARC anything.
Patrick Turner.
The number of j-fets tubes and mosfets between a stylus and output
terminal
in an SP11 is quite mind boogerlating.
The fets in the one I have in for repair are failing, and guess what,
no numbers are on the devices.
There is simply no reason for anyone wanting to copy
an ARC anything.
Patrick Turner.
P
Patrick Turner
Guest
paul packer wrote:
ask for a quote within 7 days prior to proceding.
Be willing to pay for a quote.
Insist that if the repair is not carried out within 4 weeks, ie, 28 days, that
you have the right
to collect the item to give to someone else to fix and that no payment for any
work
claimed to be done will be paid for.
Never ever pay in advance for a repair.
Quite a few repair ppl would then say they have 3 months work already booked in,
and thus get you out the door. You would be imposing too many
conditions on what will be a petty expense.
I always explain that a quick job might take a fortnight, but a radio repair
might take 6 mths.
I don't have too many angry clients.
You see one has to play the game according to willingness to pay.
I get the occasional peice of gear i fix and the fix comes to $100
after 3 hrs work and $20 worth of parts, and they don't turn up after I tell
them its repaired.
So business has all these hassles with clients all the time.
Ppl get the idea that repair ppl are rip off merchants, and sure some are,
but many are not, and there is only so much a repair is worth, so if I fix a 3
in 1
peice of crap many ppl don't want to pay much, they'd rather buy a newie.
I had a beautiful girl bring me two 3 in 1s for repair, and i got one fixed in 2
weeks but the other
had problems with its CD shuffler, and after a month and buying manuals
with no info on how to re-assemble the mechanical parts and a day's fiddling I
decided to
give the item back to the girl free of charge, since I hadn't fixed it.
She turns up with boyfriend and they accuse me of wrecking the unit, and that
they would take it elsewhere
and have it fixed and charge me for the repair cost.
I was ever so polite when politeness was surely needed, and I waivered the $50
cost of fixing one of the two units.
I smiled and said I'd welcome any further claim they may like to make in future
and farewelled them.
It couldn't play CDs when she brought it, and had CDs stuck within.
It had a few faults, some of which we did fix, but not the CD shuffling section
of mechanics.
These are the sort of cunts one has to deal with when dealing with the public.
They didn't have a single clue about the non-fixability of some items of gear.
And fighting such twerps isn't worth $50.
But had they taken further action against me, they'd have been up against
my laywer, myself, and my tech, and the 3 of us would have made mince meat of
their claims
and claimed costs.
But after 25 years of trading with Mr and Ms Public, I have never had a
court battle, and I have a ratio of happy to sad customers of around
100:1, which will have to do, since i am not perfect.
Old radios take much longer to fix after 50 years of electronic neglect
and a stuffed varnish finish.
Labour may total 40 hours, but I dare not charge a plumber's fee of
$70 per hr, it'd be $2,800 to fix the radio.
So I tell my clients I have to wait for a quiet time to do a radio,
so its $280 instead of $2,800.
They mostly understand. They know artisans like myself
in home based businesses rarely realise the 35 grand a year they are making
in a "real job".
It costs me about $60 per day live in the ACT.
I must find at least that much to make ends meet.
Not all of this comes from the audio business.
Its very easy to have a few days go by and not earn anything, so I have to do
the work most likely to pay reasonably before anything else.
It is quite difficult to make ends meet this way.
I do have a queue, and there is still lots of work from last year on it.
I attempt repairs of many things for whom there is no authorized repair person.
And the maker has gone out of business. Nakamichi, Akai, etc.
I know about the "skill shortage" the government of ours keeps rabbiting on
about.
I also know about the "money shortage" ppl have. That's their "won't fucking
pay" syndrome.
Where there is no money shortage, there is no skill shortage!!!!
In the last few months, a house extension was done on a neighbours house,
and a new house shot up a few doors away. I simply
couldn't see any skill shortage, even though the ACT has the lowest unemployment
figure.
But I would have real trouble convincing a prospective apprentice that he could
make a good living
repairing old junk.
Patrick Turner.
If you are worried, and most of my customers are not, then
ask for a quote within 7 days prior to proceding.
Be willing to pay for a quote.
Insist that if the repair is not carried out within 4 weeks, ie, 28 days, that
you have the right
to collect the item to give to someone else to fix and that no payment for any
work
claimed to be done will be paid for.
Never ever pay in advance for a repair.
Quite a few repair ppl would then say they have 3 months work already booked in,
and thus get you out the door. You would be imposing too many
conditions on what will be a petty expense.
I always explain that a quick job might take a fortnight, but a radio repair
might take 6 mths.
I don't have too many angry clients.
You see one has to play the game according to willingness to pay.
I get the occasional peice of gear i fix and the fix comes to $100
after 3 hrs work and $20 worth of parts, and they don't turn up after I tell
them its repaired.
So business has all these hassles with clients all the time.
Ppl get the idea that repair ppl are rip off merchants, and sure some are,
but many are not, and there is only so much a repair is worth, so if I fix a 3
in 1
peice of crap many ppl don't want to pay much, they'd rather buy a newie.
I had a beautiful girl bring me two 3 in 1s for repair, and i got one fixed in 2
weeks but the other
had problems with its CD shuffler, and after a month and buying manuals
with no info on how to re-assemble the mechanical parts and a day's fiddling I
decided to
give the item back to the girl free of charge, since I hadn't fixed it.
She turns up with boyfriend and they accuse me of wrecking the unit, and that
they would take it elsewhere
and have it fixed and charge me for the repair cost.
I was ever so polite when politeness was surely needed, and I waivered the $50
cost of fixing one of the two units.
I smiled and said I'd welcome any further claim they may like to make in future
and farewelled them.
It couldn't play CDs when she brought it, and had CDs stuck within.
It had a few faults, some of which we did fix, but not the CD shuffling section
of mechanics.
These are the sort of cunts one has to deal with when dealing with the public.
They didn't have a single clue about the non-fixability of some items of gear.
And fighting such twerps isn't worth $50.
But had they taken further action against me, they'd have been up against
my laywer, myself, and my tech, and the 3 of us would have made mince meat of
their claims
and claimed costs.
But after 25 years of trading with Mr and Ms Public, I have never had a
court battle, and I have a ratio of happy to sad customers of around
100:1, which will have to do, since i am not perfect.
Old radios take much longer to fix after 50 years of electronic neglect
and a stuffed varnish finish.
Labour may total 40 hours, but I dare not charge a plumber's fee of
$70 per hr, it'd be $2,800 to fix the radio.
So I tell my clients I have to wait for a quiet time to do a radio,
so its $280 instead of $2,800.
They mostly understand. They know artisans like myself
in home based businesses rarely realise the 35 grand a year they are making
in a "real job".
It costs me about $60 per day live in the ACT.
I must find at least that much to make ends meet.
Not all of this comes from the audio business.
Its very easy to have a few days go by and not earn anything, so I have to do
the work most likely to pay reasonably before anything else.
It is quite difficult to make ends meet this way.
I do have a queue, and there is still lots of work from last year on it.
I attempt repairs of many things for whom there is no authorized repair person.
And the maker has gone out of business. Nakamichi, Akai, etc.
I know about the "skill shortage" the government of ours keeps rabbiting on
about.
I also know about the "money shortage" ppl have. That's their "won't fucking
pay" syndrome.
Where there is no money shortage, there is no skill shortage!!!!
In the last few months, a house extension was done on a neighbours house,
and a new house shot up a few doors away. I simply
couldn't see any skill shortage, even though the ACT has the lowest unemployment
figure.
But I would have real trouble convincing a prospective apprentice that he could
make a good living
repairing old junk.
Patrick Turner.
M
Mr.T
Guest
"Patrick Turner" <info@turneraudio.com.au> wrote in message
news:4281F3CE.48196157@turneraudio.com.au...
However it DOES make it more fool proof for women and children.
The B&O was the only turntable I could trust them with, that I could also
trust my records with.
The B&O MMC20CL I used was quite a good cartridge IMO, and did minimal
damage to records.
(Unlike the Decca you mention!)
No wonder you stick to valves.
indicates it's not junk.
Not sure if you can still get belts for them though? Does that count as
bother?
too.
Your not likely to get too much help by abusing people IMO.
MrT.
news:4281F3CE.48196157@turneraudio.com.au...
Of course, with no experience and not even a circuit diagram.
Nothing rash about my assesment of YOUR statements.
Which I already stated!!!!
However it DOES make it more fool proof for women and children.
The B&O was the only turntable I could trust them with, that I could also
trust my records with.
The B&O MMC20CL I used was quite a good cartridge IMO, and did minimal
damage to records.
(Unlike the Decca you mention!)
No assumption, YOU stated you don't give a shit, and I'm sure I don't care.
Gee, you must have *real* problems with modern gear!
No wonder you stick to valves.
No, most 30 year old junk is thrown away. The fact that it's worth fixing
indicates it's not junk.
I'll sell you an old JH then if you like
Not sure if you can still get belts for them though? Does that count as
bother?
Possibly, but that sounds exactly like what is happening with your repair
too.
Since you haven't even told us what is wrong, just what help did you expect?
Your not likely to get too much help by abusing people IMO.
MrT.