If things keep going the way they are, [ said before - worth repeating ] people with the skills and materials to keep ( any and all ) things working, are going to be in high demand.

Keep your powder dry, your solderin' iron at the ready, and your inventory current .

The times they are a changin' !

 

My Sony TV stopped working when it was only 8 years old. I downloaded the service manual, found shorted transistors and ordered them from my local Sony repair place. They sent the wrong parts because they never ship parts anymore. They corrected the error, sent me new parts and they worked. But only for 1 week then the same problem happened again.

I went to a local TV repair guy and told him my TV is free if he comes and takes it away. He didn't want it. I advertized it on the web and a guy came, gave me $25.00 and took it away.
My kids bought a newer and better working 32" Sony TV for me for only $60.00.

 

So having kids is starting to pay off?

 

So having kids is starting to pay off?

I paid for the huge down payments for my son's and daughter's homes.
I might not live long enough for them to pay it off. But I enjoy it when we are all happy.

 

When is the last time you had a TV or other electronics break? I remember the TV man always being over the hose to repair the set. As a teenager, I always had someone's set in my basement for repair. I can't count the times I repaired my Aunt's set and had the tuner rebuilt (they must have been really hard on tuners .

I bought my last set well over 10 years ago and it is still going strong.

Electronics are becoming very reliable. When they do break, it is far cheaper to just buy a unit.

 

When is the last time you had a TV or other electronics break?

You're talking about breaking from normal wear and tear from everyday use right? Not if say, a rail gun accidentally goes off and puts a hole through your 52" projection TV in your living room through a floor from your basement right ? It's not that it ever happened to me or anything .....But if it does happen, don't put the TV in you firepit out back and set it on fire... the varnish on those cabinets really take off as if gas was poured on it !! Of course, salvage whatever electronic parts you can before you do this....

B. Morse

 

Now I do Computer and LCD Monitor Repairs......

..... My base billing is cheap at $165.00 hour billable.....

Wow, those must be some really expensive LCD monitor's if someone is paying you $165.00/hr (+ cost of parts!!) to repair them ..... most of us would just go and spend a little over $100.00 and get a brand new one .....


That is where the trades business has gone.... these outrageous pricing people tend to charge others for doing simple repairs, has driven the consumer to dispose of items and purchase new instead of finding someone to repair them.... it seems most people try to get the most out of one customer to cover their monthly overhead all at once!! ...

My .02

 

Gene Roddenberry is dead. I think you should call your friends more often!

I think the through hole idea was more about automated systems putting boards together in a matter of seconds in a plant opposed to a more labor intensive build. That has brought down prices enough where consumer based electronics have not been cost effective to repair.

I also believe the influx of knock-offs and cheap imports have brought prices down, and have gotten most people into a disposable mind-set.

I would prefer those places (corner electronics / repair shops) to still be around. They were a good source of inspiration and education for me. And would be so for our children. Radio Shack, the big deal, has even folowed the Sell a protection plan for a huge sum, and replace instead of repair.

datamans $165hr rate says alot. I bought a $300 TV. If it breaks, It may take him 3 hours or more to fix it.

When the consumer repair industry dried up, it was time so specialize further. (TV repair used to be enough of a specialty) And specialists charge more.

 

Gene Roddenberry is dead. I think you should call your friends more often!

datamans $165hr rate says alot. I bought a $300 TV. If it breaks, It may take him 3 hours or more to fix it.

I can build this sytem:

Intel Q8200 Core2 Quad 1333mhz 4m
MB_Gigabyte (G41M-ES2H) DDR2/VGA/Sata2/PCIx/Lan
2.0Gb DDR2 667MHz STT lifetime
320 Gig (Seagate) SATAII 7200/300 5yr
DVD_RW LiteOn 22x Dual Layer IDE OEM
Chicony (PS/2) Beige/Black
Mini Tower (FX629) MATX 350watt Black/Beige
Hi Speed Graphics on Board
USB 2.0 6ports / CPU Cooling Fan
Network Card 10/100 / 3d Sound on Mainboard
Warranty: 1 Year Parts & 1 Year Labor
**Monitor or OS not Included

for about the same cost of 3 hours of his rate.... that is why people buy new, it is not because of how they are produced, or what process was used....

 

I think the process has helped bring the price down significantly.

 

There are a few savoy T.V. repair guys that solved the parts
supply problem.People would bring set in for estimates.The estimates
being high they leave the T.V. behind ,thus parts supply on led and
plasma increases and business is doing good.You have use pathways
to navigate the store. By seeing all the t.v.s around attract new business.
One business that do service for t.v. box store would be surprised
that there was out of the location,they do service calls only. So this is a
good time after the super bowl to get working t.v. for parts,no t.v. police any more
unregulated thanks to importers in the 80's.No more state liscense for t.v. repair
only county consumer affairs. Any hungry fla guys where are you,I may have a
license.

 

So I am aware that this thread is over eight years old. But I think it is still a valid point that needs a different POV. I have a electronics repair shop that does really well. First of all, let me list the things that I feel makes my shop successful. (1). I live in an area where live music and theater is plentiful. (2). Because the theater scene is on the decline, as compared to 15-20 years ago, the two main companies that offered sales and service for Audio, Video and Lighting are gone. (3). My company is authorized for warranty repair with many companies like Yamaha, Roland, Casio and many others, which advertise for me via that company’s online service locator. (4). We will work on almost any electronic device. (We usually decline phone, tablet and computer repair because there are soooo many in my area) although we do micro soldering which are usually ports on phones, tablets and game decks, because the phone/tablet places don’t always do that kind of repair. (5). Our overhead is low, because we work out of my home. (6). With certain repairs, because it is cheap to buy new, we have to be creative when it comes to repair costs. (7) People have old electronic equipment that they love and will pay to have it repaired. (8). Offer free pick up and re-delivery of their repair in the local area. (9). Be friendly and sociable. (People love to do business with fun, friendly people. If your work is quality work, you will have customers for life and they will tell every they know about you). (10). Have reasonable shop prices. In my area, $55 an hour goes over really well. We have a $45 bench fee that will go toward the first hour of repair if they have us to fix it. (11). The internet and social media is a great source for advertising and putting what you do in front of people. Things break...the second law of thermodynamics never goes away. (12). Be a go getter....find ways to make your shop available and relevant to the community that you work in.

With that being said, I believe that the traditional T.V. repair shop has to change with the times, it is not an obsolete concept, it did not want to/did not have the ability to move out of the box and accommodate today’s repair needs. There are many assets out there to help a technician that previous shops and techs did not have. The availability of schematics online, forums and of course.....YouTube.