Forum advice

[Bertu]

I might be jumping to conclusions here, but if this thread is referring to 'How to safely carry 500-series modules' then I would suggest we put this up as "Example A" on how to scare away newcomers to the forum. Drawing incorrect conclusions from a short questions, jumping to extreme made-up scenarios in your minds, and then talking (almost) behind the original posters back about it in a different thread ... well, I am not impressed.

I am always open to clarify anything, provide more background, information, etc.. You know were to find me.

 

[Recording Engineer]

Fair enough - so does the same hold for food that is too heavily salted? If the customer can't eat it, the chef is still owed money, no matter how terrible the food is? I know of few restaurants that operate in this way, and I don't see why audio engineering should be any different.

I fully admit I might be in the minority, but I don't feel I deserve any compensation for any work I do unless the customer is satisfied with the outcome, and that determination is up to the customer. When I repair an amp for a fee, I get paid when the customer is happy with the work. If they aren't, I don't charge them. In 15 years doing this work nobody has "stiffed" me for a repair that was done well. I don't charge for my time, I charge for completed work (of which my time is a factor in the fee).

There are other amp service guys in my area that charge by the hour, regardless of the outcome. A lot of their customers end up coming to me soon after.

I think it all comes down what the service is. If it’s a repair job, then it’s either fixed or not fixed. Hourly is fine if it’s within the estimate or if things come up during the repair that makes it more costly, it’s expressed to the customer, and it is OKed. If not, everyone walks away with the repairer eating the time.

If it’s a modification job, I can see it both ways. Whatever works for you. Either way, the servicer presents the way they do business and the client either goes for it or they don’t.

A client should be satisfied with whatever they actually agreed to, prior to the job getting started.

 

[iampoor1]

I fully admit I might be in the minority, but I don't feel I deserve any compensation for any work I do unless the customer is satisfied with the outcome, and that determination is up to the customer. When I repair an amp for a fee, I get paid when the customer is happy with the work. If they aren't, I don't charge them. In 15 years doing this work nobody has "stiffed" me for a repair that was done well. I don't charge for my time, I charge for completed work (of which my time is a factor in the fee).

There are other amp service guys in my area that charge by the hour, regardless of the outcome. A lot of their customers end up coming to me soon after.

I think this is the difference between charging for outcomes vs work. In my repair business I have a similar approach. I try and get a ballpark of the issue before even looking at it...and before charging a diagnosis fee. If I'm still unsure if I can complete the repair after this step (ie its something that could either be simple or completly catastrophic) I try and give the customer the upfront probabilities of me being able to do the work and then ask them if they still want me to look at it (and then get charged the diagnosis fee). This weeds out the vast majority of repairs that are not worth it...and if it turns out to be something catastrophic that isn't economically repairable....well the customer knew upfront and is generally not too upset. Have I turned away tons of "work" doing this? Yes! But it's also built many relationships with people that recognize that I'm genuinely only interested in positive outcomes!