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Thread ID: 49274	2004-09-14 19:46:00	Repairs: do you charge "labor" ?	Earnie Moore (5918)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
272379	2004-09-15 02:48:00	ROFLMAO irreplaceable chill! makes me wonder how much im worth? im special one of a kind type of person too.....:p seems i will never be able to charge for tech advice / labour in the IT feild as i seem to be the cause of most of the faults anyway....:p apart from the fact that i know very little when it comes down to the nitty gritty of these machines, im still totally lost. im obviously priceless.................. :D beetle	beetle (243)
272380	2004-09-15 02:51:00	Robsonde> Not many people know about it still, but I agree that $150 for that nowdays would be grossly expensive :-/ Still - http://insert.cd is great :-) Beetle> Here's a rather pessimistic view of what I also just said: You are unique - Just like everybody else on the planet :-) You're learning lots though, and take things in well, as well as knowing when to admit you have room to learn, and I commend you for that :-)	Chilling_Silence (9)
272381	2004-09-15 02:54:00	:8} Awww shucks....... :x beetle	beetle (243)
272382	2004-09-15 03:11:00	> Do you charge "labor" for computer repairs? > If so why? are you not selling a service your > customer does not know what to do? I think that Earnie is asking how you decribe the application of your knowledge, skill and experience to the job. In other words (his) do you use the term "labor" as a unit of diagnostic and repair time. > in that case I think you are underselling the > repair industry I'm picking that Earnie has considerable pride in his knowledge and experience, and doesn't want to see consumers treat those skills like the work of a labourer (or an ass). In my opinion, Billy got it right. Lawyers may labour, but they sell professional services and Doctors may also labour, but we rank their efforts as professional services too, because we can' t do that work ourselves. Rightly or wrongly many people see the building of a house or other "labour intensive" manual tasks as worth less in payment because they know that they can do most if not all of that work themselves. We pay more for the mystic sciences of medicine and law partly because we respect their learning, but more because realistically we cannot do without them. Computer technicians and electronics experts work in fields that the average layperson cannot hope to comprehend or match, therefore as Billy put it: Don't sell labour, sell "technical services", "Diagnostic time", "Repair Time", "Job time" or anything else that removes the pickaxe and shovel from your hands. Spence	Spencer (5624)
272383	2004-09-15 03:41:00	Spencer,sounds like you are trying to upgrade your job title. Regardless of what you call yourself if you fix faulty computers you are a computer serviceman.If you fix TV's you are a TV serviceman. Nothing more. I suspect that most of the "one man band" computer repairers are self taught too. What other tradesman do you know who can carry his tools of trade around in his pocket? and go off to work dressed like his bank manager. And have his customers pay him while he learns his trade on their computers. Probably taking much longer than the job should take too. But,of course, if you fix their problem they think you are a genius. And if in your ignorance you manage to cause even more damage you can always say "that was what your problem was. You need a new motherboard and CPU" A great way to make a living. :^O :^O Jack	JJJJJ (528)
272384	2004-09-15 04:02:00	Cynical old goat.	metla (154)
272385	2004-09-15 04:07:00	:o oh so beetle didnt really need a new replacement computer ? cos lemon isnt gonna die? :p ROFLMAO beetle	beetle (243)
272386	2004-09-15 04:41:00	You are a testy old fart Jack. I don't actually have a job title so it's Billy you should be spitting tacks at, not me. If we don't respect the skills of "tradepersons" and allow them to earn a decent living off our own shortcomings in knowledge, skills or ability then we will all be the losers because the disposable society will just get worse. More power to them I say, and they can call themselves Computer Surgeons or Television Consultants for all I care. If they do good job for me so I don't have to outlay more dough for a new product then I'm happy. Spence	Spencer (5624)
272387	2004-09-15 06:55:00	Yeah beetle, take it back.... I hear there's a retailer local who sells a free PC when you buy a desk ;-)	Chilling_Silence (9)
272388	2004-09-16 08:30:00	Hi everyone, sorry I never came back last night, This has nothing to do with giving free labour in replace of a higher parts price mark up . Spence has the right idea, take this "I'm picking that Earnie has considerable pride in his knowledge and experience, and doesn't want to see consumers treat those skills like the work of a labourer (or an ass) . " Well it is more why doesn't the industry have more pride in itself, Like I think my dentist puts more labour content in fixing my teeth, than some of you jokers fixing computers, the fact is if you did not know what you were doing and only used "labour" content in a repair,, well anything could happen, and it would take a lot longer doing it, Computers are developing field, why not show your customers that you did not go to school to learn how to use a screwdriver and that's it you were set for life in the computer repair industry . The other point is if electronics people for example sold a "service" instead of "labour" saying that to service the appliance they used, time, test equipment, service manuals, qualified person, experience in the trade, etc . . . . . . then "customers" might be less likely to poke around in the back of their television when it goes on the blink . thinking that their labour is cheaper and better than a electronics person .	Earnie Moore (5918)
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