How bad can a job be, before you tell them to go away

[simso]

Music stores in perth do the majority of there own work, however when the jobs get a bit more difficult they farm the jobs out to various repairers.

This came in on saturday from one of the stores. The customer wants it to be electrically working, no buying new parts

3 single coils - all 3 are dead
1 Hummy with 4.25ohm reading (so it works), but leads are to short so they need to be lengthened
Input jack with heavy duty 240volt wire attached and the ends just hanging in the air
One tone pot 250k - Working
One volume pot 250k - working
A cap 1M - WTF
A 5 way switch
No whammy bar
No springs on the back of the trem

Make it go -

Yeh Ill make it go...............away...............

Seriously, I dont understand some people

[Kim]

Yeah, send it back with a note informing that you cannot perform any work on the piece in light of its hysterical significance.

Cheers

Kim

[kiwigeo]

Nothing a bit of lighter fluid and a ciggie lighter wouldnt fix

[Nick]

Input jack with heavy duty 240volt wire attached and the ends just hanging in the air

Tells me right there what sort of customer you have & as for not spending any money on it, "Tell him he's dreaming" By the way....what is that gooped onto the upper horn, is it a selector switch or just a "enhancement"?

[liam_fnq]

Trying to explain to people that products have both a labour and materials cost can be mighty difficult. Some times if you just cough up for new/better materials the labour cost can start to dwindle.

[Taffy Evans]

With jobs and customers like that I politely tell the customer that if the jobs going to have my name attached to it, its going to done this or that way and it will cost this much. Oh and a deposit prior to starting. They pay up or go away.

I had a customer telling me that the price on some custom work he wanted "had better be good as I have ten guitars", I politley told him I was too busy to fit his job in this year.

[Kim]

With jobs and customers like that I politely tell the customer that if the jobs going to have my name attached to it, its going to done this or that way and it will cost this much. Oh and a deposit prior to starting. They pay up or go away.

I had a customer telling me that the price on some custom work he wanted "had better be good as I have ten guitars", I politley told him I was too busy to fit his job in this year.

Its pretty easy to identify those who have been in the repair game for a while by how many ways they have devised to direct the clever and frugal 'no wool over my eyes mate' customers down the road...its funny how often when reality bites how they return with a much more philosophical approach towards instrument repair and what constitutes good value for money...ain't that right Taffy

Cheers

Kim

[Taffy Evans]

Too right Kim, I also told the customer with ten guitars that I have a customer who has just given me his tenth guitar for service and another who had given me his ninth two weeks ago, and yet another customer who had purchased four of my instruments and was instrumental in selling two others for me. Those customers get price considerations, or loyalty discounts.

[Ormsby Guitars]

haha, seen many similar to that one

For some reason my clients are now the type of guys that pay deposits for courses, and never turn up (so I can double book them!), and leave numerous 60's Gibsons with me for years of end. Oh, and a brand new $4000 acoustic...

You should try finding those clients, they are GREAT!

I think I need to have a sale! Whats a '63 and '65 SG worth?

[Ormsby Guitars]

With jobs and customers like that I politely tell the customer that if the jobs going to have my name attached to it, its going to done this or that way and it will cost this much. Oh and a deposit prior to starting. They pay up or go away.

I had a customer telling me that the price on some custom work he wanted "had better be good as I have ten guitars", I politley told him I was too busy to fit his job in this year.

I never take a deposit first. Hell, I have their guitar! Only had one guy not come and pick up his guitar ($50 value, $700 worth of work to it), but his band mates paid for it in the end when they kicked him out of the band.

After two weeks, I remind people there is a $2 per day charge for storage. They come in real quick then...

Absolutely NO discounts, unless they are good loyal customers, who listen to advice regarding their instruments. Then they get looked after. But, those guys bring much more than that to me, via referrals.

Ive only had two guys I can think of that I never want to work for again. One I gave "credit" to ($200 on a $1100 bill) on the promise he'd come sort me out when his first pay cheque came in from a job he was still searching for. Was an easy way of making sure he never came back Funny thing is, I get referrals coming from him all the time. The other, well, he wouldnt want to step foot on the premises...

[matthew]

I told this guy to go away. the thing fell off the back of a ute. Was built with hot melt glue.

[simso]

Yep, just needs a little bit of work, the glues some people use are amazing

[simso]

By the way....what is that gooped onto the upper horn, is it a selector switch or just a "enhancement"?

A skull enhancement, ah ha

[MattW]

Where does he want you to put that third single coil?



Oh I know where

[charangohabsburg]

Oh, I thought the whole remains would go there...