How's Business In Your Area

[epi]

Had a chat on the phone with my sister who lives in North London, says lot's of local TV Repair shops have closed down there,   same thing happening where I am, the cheap set invasion is throwing out repairs.
Customers come to my shop putting the price on there repairs "I won't pay over xx€", I tell them "You've got the dustbin on the other side of the road", and believe me quite a few have dumped their set's, gone and bought a new one.
Next door to me I have a Motorbike repair shop, who is experimenting the same, very low business, and he's not looking very happilly to the future.

What's it like in your area???

Frank

[Keith]

Hi Frank,

Cheap TV’s have been a problem for independent retailers since Currys started selling their Matsui and Saisho brands and the fixed manufacturers retail price was no more. The first colour TV’s, a bit before my time in the trade! Cost the equivalent of a few months wages, now you can get them for a weeks wages (if you have a proper job!).
TV engineers are able to adapt and there will always be something that needs fixing.
I opened my shop early 2010 in Essex, after coming back to the UK from living abroad for 8 years. Wasn’t too sure how it would go or what I would be repairing, what comes through the door dictated which direction the shop would go. I very rarely repair TV’s now, I do not advertise that I do. Word quickly gets around that ‘the new guy in the electrical shop can repair anything’ wish I could, but I will try to fix pretty much anything electrical or electro-mechanical. My main income is now from vacuum cleaner repairs, the complete reverse of what I wanted to be doing, but that's where the money is at the moment, so that’s what I do. In the Spring / Summer I repair electric lawn mowers too. And sharpen flymo blades at an equivalent cost of  £30 per hour! Most of my electronics repairs are quality Hi Fi products. Check out some electronics forums when you have a few minutes. I found a tip for repairing Canon EOS digital  SLR cameras, you can charge £80 - £100 for changing an SMD fuse, half the price Canon charge.
As for ‘How’s business?’ well my shop is new and business is picking up all the time.
I have always said I will give it 2 years and if I’m not making a profit by then I will close. At the moment the outlook is good.
 
I hope things pick up for you.

Keith

[epi]

Great Keith, you are challenging this "dying" trade, if I can express it that way. I' been doing a lot of board repairs, air-conditioning modules, lcd-psu's also got myself into the musical instrument repairs, guitars and amps, I used to build amps in London back in the 60's for Nolan NB (Holloway), also worked at Midas and WEM.
We had the Matsui invasion 1990, locally known as Firstline and Basicline, later Vestel sets 11AKxx under the same brands, the money making era, I worked for Carrefour (contract) and at one time reached 15 calls a day, now I'm lucky if I get 1 call in 15 days.
Haven't looked into cameras or mobile phones yet, feel clumsy on small repairs, may give them a bash.
I'm near retiring age, so the struggle for me will be relatively easy, I worry about the younger people in the trade. I closely work with some locall tv shops, help them out when I can. 
Don't now about UK, maybe you can tell me here, work licences are limted here, I can only repair domestic apliances (brown goods), no industrial or profesional products, and no arial rigging or repair, also my licence doesn't allow me to sell anything.
 
Frank

[Turnip]

Hi Frank,

Discoverered a while ago that we can still make a pound plugging plugs as most folks have no idea, and that  scarts fall out (one side or the other) at a glance from the cleaner.

Guess most of my work is in the recycling area, plus - plugging folks plugs and calling weekly to explain any sort of recording on those PVR/VCR/DVD machines.

Charge a fiver a go - well, it's twice a week and can walk there, most times - they write it down, but never remember what it means.

Suggest to them that thought, rather than ink might be the biz - but they pay me £5 per half week to go push their buttons.

Trouble is, they don't record anything significant -all Emmie/Corrie, and such -

Tell 'em about BBC 4 but they suspect it's Dave in disguise - can't win - Chris.

[epi]

Hi Chris
That just made me recall something, I recently installed  a TDT receiver for a couple of oldies, tuned it all up nice, as it was quick round the corner only 10€. A few days later the old guy came in all annoyed, ,  there's nothing on his set just a blank screen, and football was up, I went later that evening, true no channels, I moved the TV and TDT away from the wall, looked at the back and found both scart connectors into the TDT,  , his wife sweeping pulled it out of the tele and didn't know were to put it, saw a spare hole in the TDT and stuck it there and didn't say a word to her hubby.

all the best
Frank

[Turnip]

Hi Frank,

What's a TDT  ? bit like TNT for the old folks, perhaps - Chris.

PS Realised later TDT might be Terrestrial Digital Television - here called DVB or 'Too cheap to meter view'

Well, that was last year, but times are now becoming tough as they always do when Tories try help the working class to natural subservience.

Doffing my toupee, and NHS teeth to our betters   - Chris.

[siddons59]

TV engineers are fit to adapt and there will ever be something that needs preservation.
I opened my course rude 2010 in County, after future stake to the UK from experience abroad for 8 age. Wasn't too trusty how it would go or what I would be repairing, what comes through the threshold dictated which direction the work would go. I rattling rarely better TV's now, I do not push that I do. Order rapidly gets around that 'the new guy in the electrical search can reparation anything' asking I could, but I faculty try to fix pretty more anything electrical or electro-mechanical. My main income is now from vacuum jack repairs, the play modify of what I desired to be doing, but that's where the money is at the instant, so that's what I do. In the Outflow / Season I meliorate galvanising lawn mowers too. And compound flymo blades at an equivalent expenditure of  £30 per minute! Most of my electronics repairs are lineament Hi Fi products.

[epi]

Hi Siddons

'the new guy in the electrical search can reparation anything'

I had that tag to when I first came to Almeria, and it became a nightmare the things I was brought in, well tha was some time back.
I have recently jumped from the TV trade to the Professional Audio and Musical Instruments repair, I have experinece from my early days, mainly guitar amps and guitars as also being a part time musician helps a lot in knowing the field and the people involved.
I find the TV trade problem is locally (maybe other parts of europe) new TV's are under 200euros with 2 to 3 years waranty,  peolpe just dump their old CRT sets (working) and buy new.
There is money in the scrap sets, but local government have taken over and controling this section.
I'll get back on this.........
Cheers..........
Frank 

[epi]

Hi Chris,

What's a TDT  ? bit like TNT for the old folks, perhaps

Don't remember seeing you note, I should of check before posting, yes TDT is DVB foy you guys.

Old age is making me rusty.....
all th best
Frank

[Stunt Rider]

Everything is going very smoothly in my place, especially bike repair shops get the most businesses nowadays. Like you said some of the electronic shops are a bit down in here also.

[pana]

  Frank ! If you know what it was in 1966. Then the TVs were manufactured with tubes. In what respect were the masters.  http://dox.bg/files/dw?a=78376057c6

[Turnip]

Hi,

Never met a radiolampi - old sets had a barretter - prob the same in English.

Thought 'Epi' was spending retirement years diving for wonders of the old world in the Med. possibly discovering that lost sunken continent with heaps of gold, also ancient jars depicting manly folks in odd attitudes.

Knowing folks say it must be in the Med, as the old world went no further, chaps not yet having bikes - Chris.