Look around town, do you see any electronic service centers or even mom & pop appliance stores? Maybe you live in an area where there are still one or two hold outs? At least where I live in Staten Island, NY there is maybe one quasi-repair computer/electronics/etc. that does anything and everything. They make most of the money in fixing cell phones. At the end of the “repair era” most tv repair stores were doing other things to survive. It surely wasn’t fixing TV’s or installing antennas. Some were doing Carding, hot boxes, and other underhanded and illegal things to pick up the slack from what once was a thriving repair business. It was either break the rules or go out of business. So I do understand the how’s and why’s and I never would pass judgement. Plus there was no where else to go. You repair electronics, no more repairs what do you evolve to? Personal electronics? Surface mount microscopic repairs on video cameras, digital devices and cell phones? Most of the TV/Radio repair people I have met in my life were great guys.
But what about now? Where do I bring my monster Pioneer receiver when a channel goes out. And what about my Tandberg tuner that’s off frequency, and my Marantz receivers dial that looks like a checker board because so many fuse lamps are out. You take it no where unless you have a friend who is a ham radio operator or other electronics savvy person. If you mosey into one of the remaining electronic service centers you will 11 times out 10 walk out unhappy. Why you ask? Because your emotional attachment and love for your Sansui 9090db won’t make up for the ludicrous, ridiculous, ripoff/abusive quote you will get to get your unit “like new.” I know there are those out there who will vehemently disagree with me but…only a fool buys “fools gold” for the price of real gold. Just for bringing your boat anchor in and having them look at it there is a fee. Sometimes they charge $35-$75 just for an estimate. In other words no one cares who your 9090db belonged to, ok???? It’s a material thing that has no voice or soul. It doesn’t matter if it belonged to you since you were 9 months old or to your great, great grand daddy who invented the wheel. Any 9090db can take it’s place for better or worse. It’s a material thing that’s basically crap that can be replaced easier and cheaper then repaired. Sad, mom and dad dies eventually, are you going to keep every little thing they owned for a memory or a keepsake? Follow me. Don’t fall for that emotional nonsense for a material thing…never ever. That’s how retailers / service centers sometimes identify and exploit your weakness to bilk you out of your hard earned money. After all ” I have to eat too.” Well let another sucker pay for their eats, not you. Please remember this…there are sellers and there are buyers. Most of us act civil when selling and buying but as in BIG BUT, they are not usually friends. Simply put, consumers want the most for the least money, sellers want to give you the least for the most money. In my small, limited cerebrum that’s closer to a enemy then a friend. Is this true 100% of the time, NO. It’s most of the time. It’s called business and we come to a compromise as in a civil transaction. So be careful when seeking service of anything, be weary of guarantee’s and warrantee’s. Think about how many of these bogus insurance policies you have called on in your lifetime. Yes important stuff like house, car, valuables, etc…of course. Many of the other warrantee’s are total BS such as on small kitchen appliances like toaster ovens, electric can openers, coffee pots, or even mattresses, lol. Try and collect on a mattress warrantee. The infamous fine print. That’s a topic for another day.
I might sound like I have anger/madness issues towards the repair industry. Not at all because for the most part it doesn’t exist anymore. If you want to tinker yourself or have someone competent that’s fine. Just don’t get hustled by some person playing on your emotions to yank out the contents of your wallet. Here is a little secret not many others are going to tell you….Ready? Even after you have your Pioneer SX-1980 repaired or totally restored from soup to nuts something still is going to go wrong with it. YEAH REALLY. Did they replace every control/switch/potentiometer? How about some of the wire wrapped transformers with thread like wires inside? Crystals, every single resistor, diode, capacitor, meter, terminal, circuit board trace, and the list goes on. Even after a thorough restoration there is sill 85+% of the unit that can still fail. Think about an old vintage or classic car. In my neck of the woods people don’t drive many 10-20 year old cars any more. Why not you ask? Because you can put your college bound daughter / son in a brand new Korean Hyundai or Kia for $100-200 bucks a month. Warrantee, safety, new car, etc, etc, etc. Why in their right or wrong mind would put their loved one in something less safe, prone to breakdowns, and monthly absorbent repair bills? Yes, there are some who just don’t get it, or others who have bad credit ratings and other bad financial situations. But for the most part, people would opt to lease a new car for themselves or a loved one over an old maintenance headache. Why am I bringing this up for???? As with the electronics repair it’s the same S**t different smell with auto repair. Virtually all the auto service garages have disappeared. Who needs them anymore? Yes for maybe tire care, oil changes, etc. There are also a few auto restoration companies around. But like the few electronics service centers they are also looking for victims who think with their hearts instead of their brains. The last time I put a new alternator/water pump/etc. in my car was like 30 years ago. Basically what I am saying is that for the most part the repair industry is gone for most consumer goods in the US. Fuhgeddaboudit.
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