A friend of of a friend contacts me, he has a gig tomorrow night and his ZVex SHO is busted could I look at it. Sure bring it on over, we'll look at it and see what can be done. What's it gonna cost - it's a $200 pedal... I told him I have almost every part in the pedal and it shouldn't be more than $15-$20. He gets here and the insides smelled of beer and had some dried crud on the PCB.. It needed cleaned up with some electronics cleaner, a new diode, two caps, and a tranny. I asked for $20 to repair it and suddenly I'm an jerk that's "trying to f*(< him over". He said he could just send it off to ZVEX who would fix it for free. I naturally sent him on his way with a $200 brick and don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out. Friend wants to know why I wouldn't just fix it for (this is the idiot) the cost of the parts.
I've repaired the occasional pedal for folks before. Price has always kinda depended on relationship. Now even if ZVEX would fix it for free (doubtful) the shipping and insurance there and back are likely to be at least $15 and you have a gig tomorrow. I don't think asking $20 for my time, knowledge, and parts is unreasonable is it?
<edited for for clarity, edits in italics>
Not unreasonable at all, especially since you told him how much it would be from the outset. Plus, given the state of the pedal and the emergency situation, he should have been happy to have it fixed this way.
You should have put the old parts and dirt back in, given back the pedal and told him "okay, send it to Zvex, good luck for your gig tomorrow" 8)
The dude is a complete a$$hole. Standard bench charge is a half hour at $75/hr for a lot of shops. ZVex isn't going to fix it for free, and certainly not in 24 hrs. The guy should have not only been VERY grateful that you fixed it, but should have gladly paid you $20 and brought over a six pack.
Yeah. I fix pedals for a local shop occaisionally. I told them my bench rate is $20 an hour plus parts. I was told to raise my rates by double...
Seriously. The guys nuts. I have friends I've fixed pedals for that I said I'd do it for free, and they still paid me $25 for a half hour of work. If he isn't trying to pay you, he's another one of the entitled masses that are walking around.
Jacob
I would've told your friend that his friend is a dick and perhaps not send anyone your way for repairs. agreed 20 is way cheap for a pedal repair.
Heard an old story, once.
A company's old machine that they can't do business without dies. They try and fix it, no joy, expensive consultants can't get the wanker going... eventually, someone decides to call in the original designer.
He comes in, spends a few minutes looking at it carefully, and makes a chalk mark on the side. After he leaves, the company finds the problem there. They get a bill for $10,000 two days later, and promptly demand an itemized bill.
"Chalk, $1. Knowing where to put it, $9,999."
Or, tldr, tell him to fix it himself if the fix itself is not even worth that much.
Wow, $20 is a steal. How could this guy expect anything less than that? It's not like you sold the pedal for $200, why would you price match his word on a free repair..
I had a similar thing happen with a little combo amp I fixed a couple years ago. I charged I think 45 bucks to figure out and replace two caps that were going bad. "it only cost you $2 in parts" is what i heard. some people...
Quote from: alanp on October 28, 2013, 02:37:55 AM"Chalk, $1. Knowing where to put it, $9,999."
That designer quote is perfect in this case - because that's exactly what the issue is. The fix is quick, the parts are cheap, but knowledge isn't
Quote from: jimilee on October 28, 2013, 02:26:26 AM
I would've told your friend that his friend is a dick and perhaps not send anyone your way for repairs. agreed 20 is way cheap for a pedal repair.
I received a text from my buddy that hooked the sh!tbag up with me. Apologies were made. Apparently said idiot is not his friend but a friend of a friend. Things happen.
The two fixes I've done for friends I said parts only and they brought beer and cash as well. I didn't complain. I worked on a couple of personal pedals for an employee at my local guitar shop - wah mod and fixing a Rat - nothing fancy, a few resistors, transistors, LED's, and a switch - I left with a dozen of my preferred strings and was also given a used Phaser that I liked the sound of when I brought them back.
Quote from: croquet hoop on October 28, 2013, 01:53:58 AM
You should have put the old parts and dirt back in, given back the pedal and told him "okay, send it to Zvex, good luck for your gig tomorrow" 8)
Like I said - he left with a $200 brick
Generally people are happy and even grateful to have their broken favorites restored to working order. Others are idiots.
Yeah, I think that some folks look at cost of parts but ignore the value of one's time.
The funny thing is that all of my friends understand that. I've only ever run into an issue with friends of friends. I've found that it's better just to quote a price ahead of time. That sorts things out.
When I fix or modify things for friends, it's not uncommon for me to do it for free, but I want that to be offered by me and not expected of me; there's a big difference.
What a d*ck.
This kind of thing infuriates me.
Some people just want everything for free.
I see it all the time at work, and also when I build pedals for people. It really, really, gets on my t*ts!
I find that this thought process carries over to pedal purchases as well.... the entitlement and "something for nothing" attitude.
You can build a Tubescreamer and A/B it with the real deal and they sound identical. Try to sell it for $75 and people look at you like you are a con artist. "C'mon... it didnt cost you that much to build it. Why are you charging that much?" ::)
Ok then.... go pick one up on eBay for $400 then moron!
I tend to chalk this phenomenon up to pure hype! Do you plan on USING it or are you going to keep it in your safe deposit box?!
Sorry... did I wonder off topic? :P
I think the sense of self entitlement and 'everything-must-be-free' attitude is becoming a lot more common.
Look at music; a lot of kids these days don't see the point in actually paying for it. 'why should I pay for an artist I love when I can torrent it/listen to it on Youtube?'
Another common thing I have found at work is policies regarding payments. A lot of companies will only pay on receipt of a statement that in no uncertain terms states their account will be closed, and legal action will be taken, if they don't. This is pretty much company policy at some places!
This kind of sh*t really makes my blood boil. It's one thing being tight/frugal (I am a Yorkshireman afterall ;) ), it's another being a d*ck who refuses to pay for anything!
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on October 28, 2013, 12:17:45 PM
I find that this thought process carries over to pedal purchases as well.... the entitlement and "something for nothing" attitude.
You can build a Tubescreamer and A/B it with the real deal and they sound identical. Try to sell it for $75 and people look at you like you are a con artist. "C'mon... it didnt cost you that much to build it. Why are you charging that much?" ::)
Ok then.... go pick one up on eBay for $400 then moron!
I tend to chalk this phenomenon up to pure hype! Do you plan on USING it or are you going to keep it in your safe deposit box?!
Sorry... did I wonder off topic? :P
I've hit this on occasion. Most times, it's folks on TGP PMing me out of nowhere and trying to get me to build them a one-off for significantly less than they could buy the real thing.
I think from their perspective, they are getting a pedal built by a DIYer that won't have the resale value of the real thing (both true statements).
From my perspective, they are effectively asking for a one-off custom pedal. The resale value doesn't really factor into the value of my own time. If you ask somebody to build you a custom motorcycle, it isn't going to have the resale value of a Harley, and you aren't got to get it for less than half the price of a Harley either. The economy of scale that mass production affords is completely lost on a single person building a single pedal.
That said, I've met some cool folks that were very realistic. I've turned more of them down than accepted (for my own reasons), but there are folks out there that understand the value of time and craftsmanship.
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on October 28, 2013, 12:17:45 PM
I find that this thought process carries over to pedal purchases as well.... the entitlement and "something for nothing" attitude.
You can build a Tubescreamer and A/B it with the real deal and they sound identical. Try to sell it for $75 and people look at you like you are a con artist. "C'mon... it didnt cost you that much to build it. Why are you charging that much?" ::)
Ok then.... go pick one up on eBay for $400 then moron!
I tend to chalk this phenomenon up to pure hype! Do you plan on USING it or are you going to keep it in your safe deposit box?!
Sorry... did I wonder off topic? :P
I don't think you did, but I've only had good experiences from friends wanting something built. Fuzz, TS, boost are the usual requests and I'm ok with building those. I did get a request for a Timmy which earned a sideways look from me along with a quote of $150... But that's what they normally are! I know! Go buy one and support Paul dang it! There we go with those strange ethics again.
I think the following should be my payment policy going forward for repairs etc:
"Terms are payment in advance, in full, and all sales are final, with no letters of credit, lay-aways, or IOU's. We do have a buy-back policy: If you buy it, don't bring it back."
I had a text message from said idiot. He's sorry he flipped his sh!t, can I please fix his pedal and he'll pay me the $20. There's a part of me that wants to help him and another part of me that wants to tell him to fold that $20 till it's all sharp corners and stick it.
Quote from: Clayford on October 28, 2013, 01:16:45 PM
I had a text message from said idiot. He's sorry he flipped his sh!t, can I please fix his pedal and he'll pay me the $20. There's a part of me that wants to help him and another part of me that wants to tell him to fold that $20 till it's all sharp corners and stick it.
Or, you could tell him that "Due to unforseen circumstances and fluctuations in the marketplace, the cost of the repair will now be $40!"
Should cover the cost of a six pack ;)
Yes what a dick he was as already said.
I operate a small repair outfit as well (guitars, amps, pedals) and have seen it all as well. I always charge a bench fee of front and that money will go toward the total repair cost if they choose to proceed after troubleshooting.
I have built and repaired plenty of pedals and have has several people ask "well what does it cost you to build/repair it?" I typically respond: "oh double the cost of what I am selling it for. I take a 100% loss on everything I do". I get some strange looks but they get the point in that stupid questions get stupid answers ;)
Reading this thread, I think everyone is probably charging too little for repairs, whether you do it full time or part time. Point in case, what's that average wage? Here in Canada, I think it's somewhere in the range of $40k a year. On a 2000 hr per year basis, that's $20 an hour. So there's your absolute lowest base start. Then add overhead (lots of money sunk into good quality tools, you have a work station setup in your place of residence that is costing you money, utilities, etc), and you're probably running another $10 an hour. Put in a premium for expertise, and you should probably be at $50 an hour + parts (with a minimum 30% mark up, as you have stock that you have to maintain, and there's a time value cost with that) with a minimum one hour charge. And that doesn't account for the time before/after the fix that you're going to spend dealing with the client.
I once ran a small company that did about $3M a year in sales. In my second year, I instituted a minimum order of $125 regardless of what it was (i.e. if it was a $5 part, you could buy one or 25, same price), because the cost of placing any type of order ran my about $85 by the time the order was taken, processed, work done, parts pulled, accounting, etc, etc. Pissed off the lower end of my client scale, a lot of them went away. My net profit also rose by 32% year over year because of that policy. Same thing with my suggestion above - people with good gear will pay for quality repairs, people with disposible gear won't.
Quote from: Clayford on October 28, 2013, 01:16:45 PM
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on October 28, 2013, 12:17:45 PM
I find that this thought process carries over to pedal purchases as well.... the entitlement and "something for nothing" attitude.
You can build a Tubescreamer and A/B it with the real deal and they sound identical. Try to sell it for $75 and people look at you like you are a con artist. "C'mon... it didnt cost you that much to build it. Why are you charging that much?" ::)
Ok then.... go pick one up on eBay for $400 then moron!
I tend to chalk this phenomenon up to pure hype! Do you plan on USING it or are you going to keep it in your safe deposit box?!
Sorry... did I wonder off topic? :P
I don't think you did, but I've only had good experiences from friends wanting something built. Fuzz, TS, boost are the usual requests and I'm ok with building those. I did get a request for a Timmy which earned a sideways look from me along with a quote of $150... But that's what they normally are! I know! Go buy one and support Paul dang it! There we go with those strange ethics again.
I think the following should be my payment policy going forward for repairs etc:
"Terms are payment in advance, in full, and all sales are final, with no letters of credit, lay-aways, or IOU's. We do have a buy-back policy: If you buy it, don't bring it back."
I had a text message from said idiot. He's sorry he flipped his sh!t, can I please fix his pedal and he'll pay me the $20. There's a part of me that wants to help him and another part of me that wants to tell him to fold that $20 till it's all sharp corners and stick it.
Personally I'd tell him to shove it, and that you don't want anything to do with him.
You were in effect doing him a favour at $20.00.
Quote from: raulduke on October 28, 2013, 02:56:38 PM
Quote from: Clayford on October 28, 2013, 01:16:45 PM
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on October 28, 2013, 12:17:45 PM
I find that this thought process carries over to pedal purchases as well.... the entitlement and "something for nothing" attitude.
You can build a Tubescreamer and A/B it with the real deal and they sound identical. Try to sell it for $75 and people look at you like you are a con artist. "C'mon... it didnt cost you that much to build it. Why are you charging that much?" ::)
Ok then.... go pick one up on eBay for $400 then moron!
I tend to chalk this phenomenon up to pure hype! Do you plan on USING it or are you going to keep it in your safe deposit box?!
Sorry... did I wonder off topic? :P
I don't think you did, but I've only had good experiences from friends wanting something built. Fuzz, TS, boost are the usual requests and I'm ok with building those. I did get a request for a Timmy which earned a sideways look from me along with a quote of $150... But that's what they normally are! I know! Go buy one and support Paul dang it! There we go with those strange ethics again.
I think the following should be my payment policy going forward for repairs etc:
"Terms are payment in advance, in full, and all sales are final, with no letters of credit, lay-aways, or IOU's. We do have a buy-back policy: If you buy it, don't bring it back."
I had a text message from said idiot. He's sorry he flipped his sh!t, can I please fix his pedal and he'll pay me the $20. There's a part of me that wants to help him and another part of me that wants to tell him to fold that $20 till it's all sharp corners and stick it.
Personally I'd tell him to shove it, and that you don't want anything to do with him.
You were in effect doing him a favour at $20.00.
I probably wouldn't tell him to shove it, but I would probably politely decline.
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on October 28, 2013, 01:28:09 PM
Or, you could tell him that "Due to unforseen circumstances and fluctuations in the marketplace, the cost of the repair will now be $40!"
Should cover the cost of a six pack ;)
Prices do fluxuate! I got 10pc of LM308N's from a trusted seller on the bay for $7.50 shipped to convert some used RAT's for the local shop. I used 4 of them and my wife accidentally pitched the rest (my dumb butt left them in the padded mailer). Exact same item is now $17.20 for 10pc 30 days later. :o
edited for clarity
Quote from: GermanCdn on October 28, 2013, 02:53:58 PM
Reading this thread, I think everyone is probably charging too little for repairs, whether you do it full time or part time. Point in case, what's that average wage? Here in Canada, I think it's somewhere in the range of $40k a year. On a 2000 hr per year basis, that's $20 an hour. So there's your absolute lowest base start. Then add overhead (lots of money sunk into good quality tools, you have a work station setup in your place of residence that is costing you money, utilities, etc), and you're probably running another $10 an hour. Put in a premium for expertise, and you should probably be at $50 an hour + parts (with a minimum 30% mark up, as you have stock that you have to maintain, and there's a time value cost with that) with a minimum one hour charge. And that doesn't account for the time before/after the fix that you're going to spend dealing with the client.
I think we don't charge enough, however there is also the consideration of what the market will bear. I effectively was charging $40/hr for 20 min of work, parts, and shop supplies.
Quote from: pickdropper on October 28, 2013, 03:04:55 PM
I probably wouldn't tell him to shove it, but I would probably politely decline.
Sorry man, between work and school I won't have time today! Maybe next week?
Quote from: raulduke on October 28, 2013, 12:47:21 PM
I think the sense of self entitlement and 'everything-must-be-free' attitude is becoming a lot more common.
This kind of sh*t really makes my blood boil. It's one thing being tight/frugal (I am a Yorkshireman afterall ;) ), it's another being a d*ck who refuses to pay for anything!
I'm getting good at spotting them now. I get a lot of requests to build pedals, I reckon I never hear from 80% of them after I give them a quote for how much it will be. It's a good pikey filter. They expect to pay sub-Chinese mass produced prices for handmade pedals. Quite simply my time is not that cheap and I have no issues whatsoever sending them away.
I've had one recently that I know for a fact I'll never hear from again. I think there's been 10-15 posts backwards and forwards and then the realisation from the fella that £1 doesn't equal $1. I wrote him off long before that to be fair, but I'm English so have been being polite about it...
Quote from: juansolo on October 28, 2013, 07:09:52 PM
Quote from: raulduke on October 28, 2013, 12:47:21 PM
I think the sense of self entitlement and 'everything-must-be-free' attitude is becoming a lot more common.
This kind of sh*t really makes my blood boil. It's one thing being tight/frugal (I am a Yorkshireman afterall ;) ), it's another being a d*ck who refuses to pay for anything!
I'm getting good at spotting them now. I get a lot of requests to build pedals, I reckon I never hear from 80% of them after I give them a quote for how much it will be. It's a good pikey filter. They expect to pay sub-Chinese mass produced prices for handmade pedals. Quite simply my time is not that cheap and I have no issues whatsoever sending them away.
I've had one recently that I know for a fact I'll never hear from again. I think there's been 10-15 posts backwards and forwards and then the realisation from the fella that £1 doesn't equal $1. I wrote him off long before that to be fair, but I'm English so have been being polite about it...
I get at least one request about a pedal a week. My favourite are the 'it's free if I do a demo video for you, right?'
Jacob
Quote from: pickdropper on October 28, 2013, 03:04:55 PM
Quote from: raulduke on October 28, 2013, 02:56:38 PM
Quote from: Clayford on October 28, 2013, 01:16:45 PM
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on October 28, 2013, 12:17:45 PM
I find that this thought process carries over to pedal purchases as well.... the entitlement and "something for nothing" attitude.
You can build a Tubescreamer and A/B it with the real deal and they sound identical. Try to sell it for $75 and people look at you like you are a con artist. "C'mon... it didnt cost you that much to build it. Why are you charging that much?" ::)
Ok then.... go pick one up on eBay for $400 then moron!
I tend to chalk this phenomenon up to pure hype! Do you plan on USING it or are you going to keep it in your safe deposit box?!
Sorry... did I wonder off topic? :P
I don't think you did, but I've only had good experiences from friends wanting something built. Fuzz, TS, boost are the usual requests and I'm ok with building those. I did get a request for a Timmy which earned a sideways look from me along with a quote of $150... But that's what they normally are! I know! Go buy one and support Paul dang it! There we go with those strange ethics again.
I think the following should be my payment policy going forward for repairs etc:
"Terms are payment in advance, in full, and all sales are final, with no letters of credit, lay-aways, or IOU's. We do have a buy-back policy: If you buy it, don't bring it back."
I had a text message from said idiot. He's sorry he flipped his sh!t, can I please fix his pedal and he'll pay me the $20. There's a part of me that wants to help him and another part of me that wants to tell him to fold that $20 till it's all sharp corners and stick it.
Personally I'd tell him to shove it, and that you don't want anything to do with him.
You were in effect doing him a favour at $20.00.
I probably wouldn't tell him to shove it, but I would probably politely decline.
^ This.
I absolutely wouldn't repair it. There are too many arseholes in this world, I try my best to avoid them and I CERTAINLY don't do them any favours.
Quote from: juansolo on October 28, 2013, 07:09:52 PMI'm English so have been being polite about it...
And yet every Englishman I know can tell you to bugger yourself with a smile and make you feel good about it as well. It must be all the queuing.
Quote from: jkokura on October 28, 2013, 07:13:51 PM
Quote from: juansolo on October 28, 2013, 07:09:52 PM
Quote from: raulduke on October 28, 2013, 12:47:21 PM
I think the sense of self entitlement and 'everything-must-be-free' attitude is becoming a lot more common.
This kind of sh*t really makes my blood boil. It's one thing being tight/frugal (I am a Yorkshireman afterall ;) ), it's another being a d*ck who refuses to pay for anything!
I'm getting good at spotting them now. I get a lot of requests to build pedals, I reckon I never hear from 80% of them after I give them a quote for how much it will be. It's a good pikey filter. They expect to pay sub-Chinese mass produced prices for handmade pedals. Quite simply my time is not that cheap and I have no issues whatsoever sending them away.
I've had one recently that I know for a fact I'll never hear from again. I think there's been 10-15 posts backwards and forwards and then the realisation from the fella that £1 doesn't equal $1. I wrote him off long before that to be fair, but I'm English so have been being polite about it...
I get at least one request about a pedal a week. My favourite are the 'it's free if I do a demo video for you, right?'
Jacob
LOL. I think the disclaimer on my site sends most of them away to be fair. I might just have to add to that... ;)
Quote from: Clayford on October 28, 2013, 07:14:45 PM
Quote from: juansolo on October 28, 2013, 07:09:52 PMI'm English so have been being polite about it...
And yet every Englishman I know can tell you to bugger yourself with a smile and make you feel good about it as well. It must be all the queuing.
To understand the English (well British) sense of humour, you really need to live here and experience our weather for one (which isn't extreme. No, it'd better be described as miserable), the isolation from being a tiny little island, and roundabouts. Plus like the Aussies and Kiwis, we're *really* good at swearing.
Hey Clayford I can imagine your anger about that situation...
I've done one repair 2 days ago and the pedal is still with me, it is Ibanez/Maxon AD100 .
And I really don't know how much would I ask for repair..
What do you guys think? :-\
Quote from: juansolo on October 28, 2013, 07:19:23 PM
Plus like the Aussies and Kiwis, we're *really* good at swearing.
Like none other! I had a UK "English" instructor for 4 years in high school (secondary). I also had her in college. That transition was night and day. Sharp tounge, sharp wit, and zero tolerance for idiocy. God help you if you pissed her off. And as previously noted, almost always did it all smiles.
Quote from: brejna on October 28, 2013, 07:47:29 PM
Hey Clayford I can imagine your anger about that situation...
I've done one repair 2 days ago and the pedal is still with me, it is Ibanez/Maxon AD100 .
And I really don't know how much would I ask for repair..
What do you guys think? :-\
Entirely subjective to everything. Parts and supplies cost - Time is money - money is time. And since you've not negotiated a price prior, you have to be careful or you could have a very non-plussed person on your hands.
I really didn't spend to much parts, just 2 transistors and bit of solder.. but it took about 3 hours to fix it, since it worked only in bypass.. One thing that could be added is fact that this delay is rare, but also this guy is super cool so I really don't want to take to much :)
Someone I don't know from Harry messaged me on twitter to fix his DOA nos Russian small stone, and a broken from stepping on jacks Russian muff,
The muff I replaced the jacks with quality metal parts and checked the rest of it out.
The stone had many cracked solder joints and traces on the board likely from stresses caused by the jacks with no relief.
I charged him £15 for both, the work took around 45 mins I suppose.
I did it more for the challenge of troubleshooting and fixing, and cos I had some spare evenings that week. I build occasionally but don't offer a repair service...
He was a bit aloof and treated me like a commodity. I would have changed the jacks on the stone had he been a nicer character. I'll save that for next time....
I think anyone else I'll charge £20 bench and the £20 an hour plus parts.
As said people just don't give a shit.
In the end he was very happy and was pleasantly suprised by what I charged him. That's a good indication it was too little, IMHO.
One problem that one might run into is the cost vs. cost problem...
What I mean is that some people in need of a repair might see it as a better option to go buy a new $99 pedal instead of paying $70 to have it fixed!
Same problems with any number of repair services. TVs come to mind. Often it is a little more or CHEAPER to buy a new TV instead of having it fixed.
Food for thought....
Clayford here's a nice story that will put a good spin on this disaster. I've done all the repair work for the church network that I play in and I've never charged anyone anything. It's just my thing. Amps, guitars, pedals, and I've built a bunch of pedals and given them away. It's worth it just to see players faces light up when their stuff is fixed and as good or better than new.
It's cost me some money but I'm not suffering and it's a nice way to give back to the folks that have helped me.
One of the guys showed up on my doorstep a number of months back with a guitar case. I assumed it was a repair of some sort but instead he said "I thought of you when I saw this, so I got it for you". It was a Hamer 25th Anniversary. It's about the size of a Les Paul but hollow with a top F-hole. Factory stock with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a Seth Lover in the neck. I was blown away. I've never played any other guitar that sounds quite like this one and the build quality is just sick. I was so mesmerized by this little beast that I contacted Jol Danzig, who was the driving force behind Hamer and was still with the company at the time the guitar was made, and he explained that it cost the company money to produce the guitars due to the fact that the bean counters hadn't factored in how much work it takes to make a guitar with NO binding. All the edges have to be perfect in order to look good under the wine red finish (I believe they may have been made in natural as well).
So to sum up this thread...chin up my man: what goes around, eventually comes around...
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on October 28, 2013, 10:12:28 PMSame problems with any number of repair services. TVs come to mind. Often it is a little more or CHEAPER to buy a new TV instead of having it fixed.
True, but something like planned obsolescence (on whice the sale of a number of consumer goods heavily relies) does not really concern pedals. I guess. I hope... And then there is the sentimental value — most musicians I know prefer having a piece of gear they've use for years repaired than thrown to the bin and replaced (although they'll throw away a working pedal and get a new one in a heartbeat if someone told them it will make them sound better).
I've only repaired a few pedals, all have been for friends only as I know they won't screw me and vice versa. I've only charged for parts as I've used them as learning tools on repairing pedals, they know that and are fine with it. One guy gets me a bottle of Stolichnaya and a bottle of Jack as a thank you everytime.
But from working with the general public for the last 8 years, I've found the trick is to avoid all the potential Darwin Award nominees, and how to smile and tell them to f**k off without them realising it.
I honestly don't think you were charging too much, especially for an (IMHO) overly expensive pedal for what it is.
Sent from my thumbs using Tapatalk!
This is also why I stay away from Ebay.
I could probably sell more stuff on there, and sell it quicker (including non pedal stuff like guitars etc.), but the horror stories you hear about the idiots that frequent it keep me away!
I expect my attitude to it comes from being a computer guy. John, he works with computers, he'll look at it for you... and because you're generally a nice guy, that's what you do... For a while anyway, as you know it's not that big of a deal. Then people expect it. People who you don't really know (except when they f**k something up on their computer or need something doing), then they think you'll spend your free time fixing it for them for nothing... It got stupid to be honest when I was getting recommended to people I didn't even know to come and fix their shit for free. I learned how to politely say no.
It's something particular to computers. My argument is, if you were a plumber and your neighbour, who you know only from waving at as you passed came over and asked you to repair a leak, in your time, for nothing. Do you think he would? Or a mechanic fix your car? Or an electrician fix your wiring?
Because of this I have an attitude to people who expect you to do them a favour for no other reason other than you can, when you know that it will never be appreciated or reciprocated. Now for friends that's a totally different matter and I will happily repair/set up things for people at cost of parts (sometimes not even that). But that's where that ends. If I don't know you from Adam, expect to have to pay for my time or go elsewhere because I have much better things to do with it.
I suppose I do not have the same problems that some or most of you guys have regarding pedal building. I do not have a large base of people around here to "offer my services" to. I have put out a few feelers but.... sadly, no responses. I have built a handful of pedals for some local musicians and they have been thrilled with them but, no return or referred business from them. :-\
I definitely do not want to start a business out of this however, it would be nice to have a dedicated group of people or some form of steady "need" to do builds or repairs. Mostly, I build for myself and even then it is 90% for the challenge. "Lets see if I can build this!" Usually, after it is built, tested, and working.... the feeling wears off. :'(
I can sympothize somewhat with my trials of selling ( the whole .... "Why does it cost that much to build it?") and the pain that is selling on eBay. I have put boxes on there that I am taking a massive loss on and I still get messages like "Can you work on the price with me?" or "I can get that cheaper!" Once, I put up a box for sale with (2) SAD1024s in it as well as 9 other ICs.... IT was a massive circuit. Had about $250 in parts and labor invested. I listed it for $200 + shipping. Got a response for an offer of $50!!!! ??? Told the guy... "I would rather throw it in the trash then sell it for $50. He countered with $60!!!!! Are you F'n kidding me??
I usually respond with "Feel free to get it cheaper elsewhere.... Good Luck!" :P
Quote from: juansolo on October 29, 2013, 09:45:01 AM
It's something particular to computers. My argument is, if you were a plumber and your neighbour, who you know only from waving at as you passed came over and asked you to repair a leak, in your time, for nothing. Do you think he would? Or a mechanic fix your car? Or an electrician fix your wiring?
Used to get that (being known as a computer geek at a meatworks.) Asked a lot if they were still under warranty. "Yeah." "Then go ring them."
Let's see, three beers @ $5.00 a piece at a bar is about $15.00 (which was in the pedal in the form of goo). Add in parts and labor...$20.00 was a very kind rate to have the pedal fixed, you didn't have to even do that. Sounds like this guy is a total dooshbag!
I used to mow this old timer's lawn who lived next to me when I was a kid. He would ask how much, and I would say, "Don't worry about it." He would then look at me with a stern face and say "never work for nothin', kid" and hand money to me. I think that is one sage piece of advice I have adhered to all these years. :)