[fo3oz]

Re: customer wants part numbers

Cras wrote:Martin wrote “I think your ‘terms of contract’ need a little refinement especially when you refer to the “the £36 acts as a deposit” bit. I think that there lies your problem and that if you define the £36 more specifically as a “set diagnostic/call-out fee” you wouldn’t have this problem.”

i like the words set diagnostic fee i may use that in future :)and in fairness i dont actualy tell them it acts as a deposit at the point of booking i only mention this after they have agreed for me to do the job as lots of customers think they have to pay the “set diagnostic fee” 😉 on top of the estimate i give them and on the odd occasion i have nearly lost the job when they think its got to be added on top of my estimate.
Cras
I have a call out of au$77, that’s my diagnostic fee, it applies even when I say “buy a new one” rather than repair.
As said by others, my job/contract with the customer is to diagnose. At the time I don’t even know the part numbers of anything. I may remember the prices, but not the part numbers.
So all I do on site, as part of the diagnostic fee/call out, is list the options and approximate charges.
If they say that want to repair, then I call suppliers/look through manuals etc to get part numbers and exact prices. This part of my time is unpaid, so only do it if they have given the go ahead to look into repair. The customer isn’t owed part numbers or other info because they haven’t paid for this, this part only happens due to good will on your part that they will follow through with getting you to repair it.
Suppling part numbers means they can get someone else to quote sight unseen and find the lowest quote to fit them. They aren’t owed that information because that’s work you did after you left the customer in good faith, not part of any call out/diagnostic fee paid for on your on site visit.

edit: charge call out/diagnostic fee regardless.
When I was starting out, yeah people complained, maybe lost 10 jobs a year. but I priced it at what was viable for me. It’s still priced at what is viable for me (not much of an increase, mainly just $10 for more expensive petrol). Yeah, those cheap jobs I didn’t attend haven’t hurt me, and I’m one of the cheapest now compared to the rest…
But hey, the only whitegoods/appliances I touch are fridges, I mainly do air conditioning, so the game is different, the stuff it is not user replaceable but fixed equipment. Eve the fridges I touch are only the ~£1000 side by side or 4 door ones, that’s all that it’s worth looking at for me.

You whitegoods guys have it hard on the earning money front, but so easy in all the other ways. Never having to crawl through 60C ceiling spaces, jump up 2 storey roofs, or carry a few hundred kgs worth of gear into some inaccessible location for compressor changes etc. Also being out of pocket $6K for gear and labour you paid for, and waiting to get paid before you can even afford more work…

But I also get the “not my floors”, this fridge is slightly too noisy, and crappy fridges with crappy support, and getting screwed by manufacturers and suppliers

[fo3oz]

Re: cordless screwdriver

pmb wrote:Had two Dewalt Screwdrivers, Both had the same fault,
the trigger spring brakes.
Gone back to Black and decker,Doe”s the job and its smaller

that’s the same fault the $60 bosch had, the trigger spring.
No such fault in the cheapy ozito. What did that in is the charger I think. 10V is a bit high for a 3.8V battery…
Might invest in a universal transformer with multiple plugs and selectable voltage for the next one.
Nah, stuff it, they have a 3 year warranty here, next time I’ll just keep the box and receipt, and get it replaced if it stuffs up under 3 years old. If it stuffs up after 3 years, fair enough to pay $20 for a new one.

[fo3oz]

Re: RS20CCMS fridge and freezer warm 12 degree and 4 degree

Is this a samsung side by side with just a single evap in the freezer?
If so remove the freezer evap cover and see if it’s iced up.
But before you turn it off, either depending on the model, hold down the top two buttons for self diagnostics for the type with two vertical rows of buttons, or the inner right and outer left for the horizontal button layout, because it could be a fan motor fault or something else.
(I can only give generic advice since model numbers are different here)

If no faults shown, then remove freezer evap cover. If it is iced up, with the power still on, check the voltage across the defrost sensor (normally yellow leads with the sensor either at the evap outlet, or at the bottom of the evap coil). Should be 3+ DC volts if the evap is iced up (voltage decreases with temp, defrost terminates at ~1.9-2V) so if it’s reading ~2v, defrost will never start, and that’s you problem, the sensor). If that’s OK, check thermal fuse and heater for continuity.
But if the heater circuit was open circuit (fuse or heater fault), then the fridge would have chucked a wobbly as it has certain faults it does if the defrost circuit is open circuit, like incorrect temps or flashing display. So it is probably just the coil sensor if it’s not the fan motor

[fo3oz]

Re: cordless screwdriver

I’ve had many, most were crap. In fact I’ve had a few that are the identical chassis to the ryobi in the OP. I’ve had au$60 bosch one too.
The best ever has been a cheapy one only available here probably. Maybe there’s a rebadged version over there that you’ll recognise from the picture. main thing to know is there’s a button on the top you hold and the handle turns so it’s a straight cylindrical shape.
Costs $20 here goes 5 days on a single charge, first one lasted 3 years, has more torque than other cheapies.
http://www.ozito.com.au/36v-lithium-ion … crewdriver

Ozito is a brand name that a local hardware shop uses for their exclusive cheap gear. Can be hit and miss. Redid all my wooden floor sanding with their stuff, lots of tradies use their rotary hammers for core drilling (mine cost $60 and is 5 years old and still going). Other stuff not so good. but pleasantly surprised with the rotary hammer and battery screwdriver. As it’s generic chinese maybe someone over there sells the same thing under a different name.
But that ryobi in the OP looks exactly like one of the crappy ones I tried before I bought the ozito one.
I’ve got plenty of drills and drill/drivers, being in the a/c game as well as fridges, but I want something small and light that lives in the toolbag, that’s why I use this cheapy, and it has been better than some big name battery screwdrivers.
edit:
This screwdriver is just to remove fridge panels and a/c panel screws, don’t need a drill/driver for that.

[fo3oz]

Re: Newer samsung fridges, fan iced up

r600a wrote:Hi

That’s a short term fix and doesn’t cure the problem.there is a modification for the fault.

Bryan
I think he was explaining to me why the fan/cooling didn’t restart after I reconnected everything and turned the fridge back on. And hours later the customer called me and said it has started working fine.

Is that correct that they don’t restart straight away, but go on defrost for a certain time after powering back up?

[fo3oz]

Re: Newer samsung fridges, fan iced up

chezza wrote:If you disconnected the power when clearing the ice, these will go into defrost when power restored before compressor and fan will kick in

OK thanks, but what causes the fan to ice up in the first place?

[fo3oz]

Re: Newer samsung fridges, fan iced up

Got another one, exact same model, exact same iced up completely fan.

Did the diagnostics first, lower right horizontal segment displayed, probably fan fault since it couldn’t turn.
cleared the ice, retested diag, this time no faults, but again compressor and fan refuse to start in a 15C fridge.

Put the system into forced cooling though, and the fan runs fine.

edit: I’ve got the feeling there’s going to be a lot of these, and hardly anyone else in my area wants to even touch a samsung fridge.

[fo3oz]

Re: Samsung RS21 no or occasional fridge fan.

Came across this twice myself, it’s the fan motor. It usually runs for 5 min then cuts out.
It doesn’t pick it up on start up diagnostics, but if you run diagnostic mode it will probably come up with the LED for fan fault.

[fo3oz]

Re: Newer samsung fridges, fan iced up

I think I can’t read my own writing, it must be a srs 594hdss.

I’m in australia, I figure the model numbers would be different over here anyway so not much use to you guys.
Serial is B35742BS4000067 for what it’s worth.

[fo3oz]

Re: Newer samsung fridges, fan iced up

Sorry about that, SRS504HNSS.

I’m familiar with the older ones icing up, but they don;t ice up completely, as the fan is running, you hear the fan hitting the ice etc.
This is a newer fridge/design, and the fan was a very solid lump of ice, no way to get like that unless the fan wasn’t running in the first place.

[fo3oz]

Re: Uploaded by Apart4u to Youtube

Well said Kwatt.
Bottom line is you can’t get worried about this stuff.
Every DIYer is going to try if they think they can, they are either not your customers, or they are going to call if they stuff it up.

Car mechanics can’t really complain if I fix my own car, not everyone pays gardeners or lawn mowers either. Tool repair, plumbing, brick paving etc etc.
I won’t mention electrical stuff, you guys have got it good there. It’s a real bogeyman here because it is illegal to touch anything electrical here in Australia, so more trades get a free ride if the equipment is electrical.
Appliance repair and brown goods trades need an ‘electrical workers’ license just to repair. Electricians need own license and to work under someone with a ‘contractors’ license for supervision if they are installing new circuits. So top dog means an apprenticeship to become an electrician, then further study and exams to get the contractors license so you can be self employed.
They really are scared of electricity down here, but don’t care how many dodgey cars out there are self maintained for some weird reason.
But anyway, the main point is you don’t hear about mechanics moaning about all the self help available out there.
It’s not just a youtube video either, but it’s a full industry making money supplying car repair information in heaps of magazines, books, service manuals and forums too. But the mechanics still get work…

[fo3oz]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

Martin wrote:

fo3oz wrote:
as I mainly get cheques still and cash payments.

I’ve been to New Zealand and saw how they are still stuck in the 20th century. Never been to Oz but I guess, from what you tell us here, the same applies does it? A sort of…. the front door key is under the mat, let yourself in, let me know how much I owe you and I’ll drop a cheque through your mailbox next time I’m passing. 😈

Pretty much, yes. At least for the customers I get and the type of work I do.
It’s either that, or dealing with manufacturers (ie warranty work) that make me jump through hoops, make me wait months for payment, and try play a little game where they try to charge me more (for parts I’m changing under warranty) than they are paying me for the job.

Ie changed a few dead split system a/cs over, they claim they never received the old units, so billing me $3k for the new units.

Or another manufacturer charging me $600 for a PCB and only reimbursing $400 for it. (With that manufacturer I have to buy everything up front, even for warranty stuff, and they reimburse me when they approved warranty)

I like dealing with the old basic customers in comparison.

[fo3oz]

Re: Card Payments …which way to go?

I go through my local bank, who just provide me with a “first data” login
http://www.firstdata.com/en_us/home
Designed mainly to get CC numbers and details over the phone for businesses shipping parts, but works fine if you have internet access on the road and can do it all onsite.

I thought about getting a mobile terminal, but that’s just extra fees and equipment rental, and to be honest, most people still get their cheque book out here (businesses, landlords and whatever still like paying by cheque for some reason), Real estate agents pay me by direct bank transfer after I’ve sent the invoice after, and the non business private home owners normally have the cash on hand if I let them know before hand the cost.

It’s really only the non business private home owners that I rock up to that I can fix on the spot and it’s over $150 that want to pay be credit card, so only about 3-4 jobs a week for me, not worth a terminal, so I stick with first data and my laptop and modem as I mainly get cheques still and cash payments.

[fo3oz]

Re: samsung rs21 fridge temperature

sensors can be tested with a multimeter, you just use volts while the fridge in on, rather than resistance with the fridge off.
Volts are what the controller reads, and that’s all that matters.
Volts good, then the fridge will work.

[fo3oz]

Re: Best form of advertising?

i)Van sign writing is good. Even if you don’t know anything about the internet, if you are without jobs it’s still a mobile billboard you could park at any busy place (need a good logo though)
ii) still not busy, then you need a web page. Doesn’t have to be much, just a proper web page.
iii) SEO and pimp that page, there’s normally a lot of businesses trying to list service providers. They list pages for free to rank their index. Once you have your own website, you’d be the guy that everyone who uses/finds these indexing provider use first, because the others are nondescript.
iv) local rags if you want to stay local (to save travel time and petrol)
v) tie up with a manufacturer for warranty. Pick a brand that sells well but has no local support. Warranty is a pain but you’ll get ALL the non warranty jobs too and can name your rates and price. Even if the industry is quiet, and the pay low, at least there’s always work and you never are sitting around doing nothing and losing money.

Another traditional way is leaflets/fridge magnets. Don’t spend a bomb mass marketing. But get some made up and just door knock the neighbours to every jobs you do get somehow. IE if you get a job through any other method, just drop to their left and right neighbour and across the road quickly before you leave.

Lastly, if you want to market yourself, real estate agents, they have to get things fixed, but don’t like doing it or trust tradesmen. But once they trust you, you may get very busy.

That’s every trick I have used. And if I wasn’t alone, I’d be super extremely busy. Unfortunately not always being able to answer the phone and not being able to do all the jobs cost me, so I’m just regular busy and booked out for 2 weeks.
I needed more people to handle the calls and work I was getting to keep more people happy. But I have the right workload for what I can manage, edit: ie trying to stop all advertising these days, but the info above is what I used when starting out in 2008.

[Author]

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