Do you ever wish…..

Re: Do you ever wish…..

I think you’ll find that many, many of the guys would if at all possible bail out this industry.

Pay’s rubbish. Dealing with customers is horrid at times. Dealing with commercial clients is sometimes little better. Etc.

But the first one is probably the biggest issue, there’s no money in it these days. If you ask about you’ll find most scraping a living, maybe making a half decent wage but that’s about it.

Many from conversations I’ve had are just eeking it out till they can retire.

Talked about at almost every conference in the past five years or more and, all the while the numbers of repairers have dwindled ever downward as people leave or retire.

Which means that, especially if there’s nobody else in the area or you’ve got skills nobody else has like gas or refrigeration, you can pretty much charge what you want these days. That’s the good news.

K.

Re: Do you ever wish…..

I’m one of the “hanging on until retirement” after 40 years what else could I do? The younger generation are more computer literate, fitter and adaptable, to pretend I could train to do something else and compete with a twenty something is stupid.
It will be the same or at least similar for the youngsters now in 40 years, it was for my Grandad 50 years ago he was a cobbler.
3174 3314L 1460 1850 1504 3236H L5 L6 etc etc if you know what these numbers mean your in the same boat as me.!!!!!!!!!!

wilf

Re: Do you ever wish…..

Money used to be good as it was always cheaper to repair than replace, its almost the other way around now.
Why pay someone £60.00 plus vat for an engineer when you can get a new washing machine for £150.00.
I keep thinking i should have jacked it in when i lost my company rather than starting again.

Re: Do you ever wish…..

“Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way” – Pink Floyd.
Agree with Ken on this one the repair side of the business is a dead duck especially for those of us which depended on cash repairs and weren’t willing to get into bed with the WPs. Selling new machines at the bottom end of the market isn’t worth it, margins are too small on small volumes, customers have the right to get their money back up to 30 days – not enough money for the risks. Lots of ‘poisoned chalices’ on the repair side when you can get ‘involved with an appliance’ and wish you hadn’t (we’ve all been there) costing you time and money. However the worst bit to me is the demoralising BER side of the business – parts too expensive so you have to scrap the appliance, so somedays all you are getting paid is call out fees. I actually like repairing things and remember my advert in the early 90’s boasting of a 95{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} success rate, lucky to get a 50{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} success rate today. Oh and the customers want everything now this minute (‘Why haven’t you got a computer board on your van’) and cheap. Internet also shows public how to do ‘bread and butter’ jobs -hence fewer blocked pumps,carbons ,fan oven elements,door boots etc.Would you advise a young person to come into this business – I dont think so.

Re: Do you ever wish…..

Not many people want repairs done any more when you tell them the repair costs the reply i think i will get a new one

Was concidering looking at other jobs like fire extinguisher sunbed repair ect

What other job would you guys and girls concider fasetester

Re: Do you ever wish…..

Brendarran, I have to say to you my friend that is a true heartfelt confession. I have to say that from you I visualise life in the raw in highlands Scotland. To me in the Home Counties, the dog eat dog world down here, you may not truly realise the enviable position you find yourself in.

Gillie, appliance repairer, all round handyman that you are. Don’t knock it and enjoy the modest but free lifestyle you live. :tup: