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A lot of indy engineers that I know seem to be ‘retired’ or coming up to it soon. But none of them seem to be able to give this game up completely. Just had a call today from someone who used to be in the trade, well in his 70s ,who wanted a bearing kit for a WMA ,he’s only got one eye but still he gets calls. I call myself ‘semi-retired’ – cut down on the advertising but still work 5 and a half days a week.I used to be able to stand up from a squat position on the floor (yoga and rock climbing made me quite flexible and easier on the knees) but find it difficult now so I know the physical part of the job is not going to get easier. The household bills are now paid by the state pension and extras by the private pension,that takes pressure off the finances. It seems to be an aging profession with not many youngsters wanting this sort of work so we keep going. This retirement lark seems to be quite difficult to adjust to after 47 years of working. Wondered what others are finding as I know a few on this forum are ‘getting on’.
Re: Retirement
Still working four to five days a week, but doing less calls and allowing things to wind down slowly. Far more selective in work taken on and the general demise of economically repairable machines is helping me to reduce my workload.
After 12 years at Hotpoint and into my 37th on my own I still have a reservoir of 10 to 25 year old machines to keep me ticking over, added to this around 300 ISE machines. TBH haven’t advertised for almost 30 years now.
I work now because I want to, not because I need to and as the tax man is taking a not inconsiderable amount from my pensions already I don’t want to be too busy or I would be well into the 40{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} tax bracket. 😥
I cannot lie in bed, even on holiday I am up and out early, I still enjoy driving, I like ‘fixing’ things and most of my customers are decent people.
Had I been sat at the same desk or stood at the same workbench for 45 years or more I would doubtless feel differently.
I have been lucky health wise up to now, still play squash three times a week, so mobility and the physical side of the job is not a problem.
It is still nice to hear the alarm go off on Saturday and know I don’t have to work and not working on Saturday has allowed me to buy a season ticket for the Theatre of Dreams. 8)
Young Jim. (67 in November)
Re: Retirement
Completely divorced from it. If my own 14 year old machine packs up will probably buy another. Don’t even want to take the lid off.
Perhaps different for me as I traded in my tool box for spread sheets and accountancy packages and moved to dealing with parts, schedules, business initiatives plus fielding calls from engineers and customers alike.
The only time I look back is to pop in here every now and then just to look in on my friends. UKW has been such a vibrant community that I like to keep up with the comings and goings.
I have no desire at all to look at an appliance. I spend one day a week as a volunteer at Dunster Working Water-Mill and actually look forward to Monday morning.
Apart from that more golf, walking visiting places and having a ball!
I have taken for years a small blood-pressure tablet daily, and if it wasn’t for the day written on the packet I would not know one day from another.
EVERY DAY IS A SATURDAY!
Alex
Re: Retirement
I gave it up two month ago, I’m only 56 but I’d had enough.
I do not miss the customers or the dirty flea pits some of them lived in. I have no plans to return to the whitegoods trade. Wish I’d got out a lot earlier, for a one man outfit it is getting tougher and there is only so much you can do to generate work. If you have a shop and want to scale it up, it may very well be a different experience.
I planned my retirement and so far although it is very early days, it is OK. I got out of the TV trade before it folded, I have a feeling this trade might suffer the same death as the quality and repairability of the new machines becomes even worse as each year passes. I know a lot on here will shoot me down for thinking it but stranger things have happened.Re: Retirement
Spot on gazman. Im nearly 50 now and not sure how much longer I want to keep going at this, nearly 30 years in the trade now and 20 as an indie it is getting harder as years go by
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HDRe: Retirement
I sympathise and agree with what you say, if I was starting out in my working life I would certainly not consider this trade as a viable, long term option. 🙁
Re: Retirement
Our Jim is rather unique in his ‘semi-retirement’ approach I suspect. I’m with the other postee’s sentiments and actions on this. The trade doomed in spite of all the protestations from those misguided enough to think otherwise. May we all live long, happy and relaxing lives in retirement.
Re: Retirement
its getting harder and harder to find enough to keep going but pushing 60 and self employed for years I’ve got no choice but to carry on. ebay killed the few spares sales (any damb fool can give it away) cheap new machines wipe out any repairs over the ton and younger attitude to just bin it dont help. new machines are different from the old, boots dont rot pumps dont leak tubs dont rust air chambers dont block hoses dont split.
I wont miss the day when I can afford to throw in the spanner, just hope I can afford to stop before the work does.wilf
Re: Retirement
I know where your all coming from and I do understand, but I think survival is all about flexibility and ability.
There is work out there, that’s for sure. But you might not want to do contract work, or work for work providers, estate agents etc you might only do laundry and not do intergrated, semi commercial, commercial, refrigeration or gas, sell appliances, install appliances etc. You might only want to do a small area, or certain makes, not work early/late or weekends, I really really don’t know and don’t mean to offend but I’m just trying to say there is usually room for movement or advancement it is just if you have the ability and are flexible enough to take it on. You might not like it but work is out there.
I feel private chargeable work now is just a small piece of a big pie with a lot of people wanting that very same piece of the pie because someone else said it tastes good. So you just got to take some of the other pie if that piece as gone.
I keep hearing people say we are like the brown goods? I know it’s a sister trade but apart from that how are we? We ain’t nothing like them, that was only one trade mainly electronics, we have electrics, electronics, plumbing, gas, refrigeration several different types of large appliances etc etc or is it because they are appliances and in a house? That it? It’s like calling us heating engineers, we ain’t but we can sympathise with them too. If we was like them we would of died when they did but we didn’t, because that ain’t our trade and we are not even similar, to my knowledge I have been hearing that one for the last 15-20 years and it still ain’t happened.
Yes if you repair cheaper products people are less likely to have them repaired that is common sense on the customers side why have a day or two off work costing them either time, holiday or money when they can nip to argos and buy a cheap washer on way back from work or sat or Sunday and there ain’t no difference in price or hassle to them and they can install it themselves, job done. think of it would you have yours repaired? Yes we all know the difference in quality etc but those types of customers don’t think on those lines so your banging your head off a brick wall there.
I personally would rather repair a quality appliance or an appliance that causes the customer a real issue like a gas cooker where they need it fixed or will have to pay through the nose to get it replaced or installed (and you can do that as we’ll) or an intergrated appliance where yet again either costs them or it’s a proper pain to exchange or a side by side where the chances are they can’t go get that in the boot or it’s too expensive to replace, perhaps a range cooker etc etc I would rather do 4/5 calls at £65/70 then 7/8 calls at £40/45 any day of the week, from an engineers point of view what is the difference in actual work? Not a lot, but you don’t have to find so much work, people are more willing to have it done, you ain’t got so much competition, you have got more time free and there ain’t much difference in your earnings.
Just my thoughts and sentiments and I hope I haven’t caused any offence, I wish all you lads who are retiring all the best and enjoy your retirement you’ve worked hard for it and losing your skills knowledge and experience is a blow for the trade but the for ones who are left like myself, I feel we have to keep moving to keep up with the moving world otherwise we will be finished, but I don’t believe we are anywhere even close to that.Optimistic Phil
Re: Retirement
Things change. They always have, they always will.
See signature.
I’ve come across repairers that refuse to change. Refuse to learn anything about modern machines, modern customers, modern business, the internet and, that’s without even thinking about those that refuse certain types of work or, even certain types of call or products.
I am not for minute saying that is the case with the doom and gloom mongers for a minute as it could be just where they are or, whatever really.
But the days where you could run about all day changing carbs on Hoovers and Hotpoints are long, long gone and they ain’t never coming back.
I have, like many, a lot of years to go and in that time I can’t for the life of me see people living without a fridge, cooker, washing machine, microwave or any of the other appliances that they *NEED*.
Not all can afford to just bin them and buy a new one.
K.
Re: Retirement
As a guy doing this trade for 5 years, it is not helpful seeing comments from people moaning and looking back at the old days with rose tinted glasses.
I hope to continue this job till my retirement which I have 25 years left to go. I’m a repair and salesman at the moment this method seems to be working.
I see my work as an occupation which keeps me occupied and it makes me happy.
Re: Retirement
kwatt wrote:Things change. They always have, they always will.
See signature.
I’ve come across repairers that refuse to change. Refuse to learn anything about modern machines, modern customers, modern business, the internet and, that’s without even thinking about those that refuse certain types of work or, even certain types of call or products.
Not all can afford to just bin them and buy a new one.
K.
I think some of you are missing the main point here.
We all know things change and we can adapt but only so far.
What we cannot do is change the technology that is now coming along that makes a repair uneconomical. For example a few years ago bearing change was just a matter of knocking out the old one and fitting a new one, the tub did not need to be removed and it was a job with a good profit margin. Sealed tubs are getting more common, it takes longer and costs more. The machines are getting cheaper therefore the customer is more likely to say “sod that I’ll buy a new machine” That’s ok if you sell them or have a retail side to your business
some of us do not do retail. The changes that we are seeing is not just tubs and bearings. Timers now need to be programed to operate it all adds to the lowering of profit margins. We can chase calls by working for contracts or estate agents but there is only so many jobs that are still economical from the customers point of view. I know people will always need a washing machine or a fridge, the same was said about TV back in the 80s. Who has a TV repaired these days? More to the point who repairs TVs these days.
There will always be a living to be had, but how good a living will that be ten years from now and how many hours will you have to work to make that living when fewer machines are viable to repair and make a profit.
I’m not all doom and gloom I’m being realistic.
Nothing would make me happier than being wrong about this but looking back on my 30 something years in the repair trade both brown goods and white, nothing has happened that points out I might be wrong in thinking none of us will be doing repairs 10-15 years from now.
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