Six Month Review

Appliance Repair Startup Six Month ReviewI can’t believe it’s been six months since I successfully started my appliance repair business!

I am surprised at some of the things I have learned along the way.  Many things have been easier than I thought, and a few harder.

Here are a few things I have observed so far:

  • Overall I have surprised myself at how well I have been able to perform at the customer’s home. The first few calls were absolutely nerve-wracking, but I still got a very good response and compliments from those customers when finished.  They really had no idea that I was brand new at this.
  • I can raise my rates. I started out with the thought of keeping my rates a bit lower than my competition to attract new customers.  I found out that people don’t comparison shop the service.  They certainly want to know what you will charge them, but as long as you are you aren’t well above all the others, it works.
  • Calls are very diverse. I originally thought that there would be a pattern of typical repairs and failures peppered with the occasional esoteric problem.  Nope, things are all across the board and that forces me to learn as much as I can about everything.
  • I hit the flashpoint. This is when I started to see the commonality between all appliances.  This was a helpful turning point because when I first started out I was daunted by the diversity of makes and models.  It felt like it was going to take forever to learn all the quirks and features of all this stuff.  Soon, though, the commonality of things became more apparent.
  • Other technicians aren’t supermen. Because I was so new, I entered this business with some insecurity about my abilities.  I imagined all other service technicians were fast, single-visit repairmen that never made an incorrect diagnosis.  Turns out that’s not entirely accurate.
  • Customers love communication! I tell people as much as I can about what I am doing and what to expect from the process.  I tell them as much as I can about my diagnostic approach and how I got there.  I think people are a bit suspicious of the tight-lipped technician, and that sets them up for unfavorable scrutiny.
  • This is an efficient, low cost, high paying career choice. I can’t believe I was able to start running service calls after 40 days of initial studying.  I still study, and I’m still learning (and always will be), but most of my experience is out in the field now.  I just needed that startup level of training to get me out into the real world.

Getting Past the Fear of Running My First Service Calls

Getting Past the Fear of Appliance Repair Service CallsWith a few service calls under my belt, I am finally starting to get past my initial fear of going into other people’s homes and fixing some appliance that I have never seen before.

Honestly, I have a long way to go before I feel totally comfortable, but I was surprised at just how nervous I felt on those first few calls.

Confidence can’t be learned in the classroom, and there is no substitute for the real world.  But being prepared by scheduling calls for the next day and doing my research ahead of time was actually my best defense for those first call yips.

I service appliances in a rural area and people around here never have a problem with me scheduling their repair for the next day as long as it isn’t an emergency like a non-cooling refrigerator or freezer.  In fact, they consider that very good service.

I think keeping the calls within a 24-hour turn around will be acceptable in most service environments.  It actually projects a busy repairman.  People want a technician who is busy but not too busy for them, so I go ahead and play that hand.  That then gives me time to research the customer’s problem.

I start by getting the service manual for that particular machine.  Fortunately, Uncle Harry has a library of 5,000 manuals online that I have access to which came along with buying his course.

Once I get the manual, I review Uncle Harry’s videos on that particular repair.

I will then search for various online repair forums to see if they have anything on that subject.

When I arrive on site, I have a clear idea of where I’m going to start troubleshooting.

When you first ring that doorbell, although the customer assumes you are going to be a competent and experienced technician, they then spend the next ten minutes scrutinizing that assumption until they feel confident that they have made the right choice hiring you as a repairman.

Having a fresh review of that particular appliance and its problem gives me something intelligent to say to the customer when I enter the house and keeps me ready for their questions.  I think that makes me look like an experienced technician to the customer.

I always try to have my meter out and working on something as quickly as possible.  People are watching you the moment you walk in the door even when they are in the other room in front of the television or a computer.

The lesson is simple to me.  Always be prepared, and that will defuse the nerves and fear.  Get that new customer confident in you early and it will pay off big in a smooth running service call.

 

The Random Nature of Service Calls

The Random Nature of Appliance Repair Service CallsOK, I admit it, I’m a bit of a control freak.  I spend my life organizing and planning the events of my day.

When studying appliance repair, I found myself choosing to study the appliances that I thought would be most in demand for repair FIRST and the least likely to get service calls LAST.

One problem – I didn’t know enough about the business to make that call accurately.

Once I hung my shingle, I was no longer in control of that variable.  People would call for stuff I thought I would hardly ever be servicing.

For example, I concluded that I didn’t need to study microwave repair early on because, heck, people just replace a $100 microwave when it breaks.  Well, that part is true, but I never accounted for the high-end appliance or the oven/microwave combination unit.  That’s much more costly to replace if the microwave dies, and that was one of my early service calls.

I found the random nature of service calls to be an eye-opening experience.  It reminds me there is a lot yet to learn in this business and this is no time let my guard down.  It’s a reality check that keeps me from slipping into a distorted view of what I think I need to know.

I have learned to embrace the random nature of calls.  It gives me diversity in my studies and keeps the learning process energized.  Each call is a new lesson and an exercise in the theatre of customers.  Right now that’s just as important as the paycheck from the completed job.

Now I look forward to the random nature of service calls, and I know I’m gathering valuable experience to be that service technician I’m meant to be.

The Customer So Nice, I Got Called Twice

Repeat Appliance Repair CustomersNot only did I get my first repeat customer call, but it came from my first ever customer

It was for the same appliance that I serviced just a few weeks earlier – the good news is the problem was unrelated to my first
repair.

After the first call, this guy thought I was a genius, and I wanted to reinforce his opinion.  He said his Maytag Duet was severely out of balance and sounded like it was falling apart when you ran it.  I told him it seemed like he had a suspension problem and I would be happy to take a look at it.

Once in front of the machine, I was not sure exactly what I was looking for.  Wow, it made a huge racket when I tried to run it!

I took a deep breath and reminded myself that this is a mechanical failure, and so the problem should be physically identifiable. Sometimes I struggle with tracing electronic circuitry, but this should be very different to diagnose.

I opened up the bottom panel to look around. Bingo!  Right off the bat, I noticed a shock absorber dislodged and just hanging off the suspension.  It just clipped back into place and looked perfectly good and undamaged.  That was easy!

I continued to look around and hey, another one was dislodged and hanging off in the back.  Wow – two of three dislodged from their connectors.  No wonder this thing sounded like a couple of buses in a demolition derby!

I told the customer that they indeed had a suspension problem, but it was immediately repairable and wouldn’t need any expensive parts.  A suspension problem must have sounded bad because he was so relieved I could tell that he had been sweating it.

I went back and finished reassembling the washer.  I also cleaned out the filter basket in the pump, which had an assortment of coins, paperclips, and stuff.  I asked him where I could throw out the items just so he was aware that I had even done this extra step.

With everything assembled, I ran a test load and voila, running smoothly as a Swiss watch!  Now all that was left was to write up my invoice and enjoy feeling like that appliance genius that this customer thinks I am.

It’s Not What You Study, It’s What the Customer Needs Fixed

What the Appliance Repair Customer Needs FixedAnother service call came in, but this one threw me way off!  Customer says she has a GE microwave that is dead and wants to know if I can come to take a look at it.

I kept a cool tone, but my stomach was in a spin.  I knew I hadn’t touched ANY of the materials in Uncle Harry course about microwaves because I figured those would be obscure and unlikely calls.  I figured wrong.

I couldn’t help but think, of all the stuff I studied what are the odds I get this call now?  Why couldn’t it just be a nice direct drive washer or side-by-side with a defrost problem?

One of the reasons I postponed the study of microwaves is they are really mostly about electronic circuitry and that is not my strong suit yet.  I guess in the back of my mind I hoped those calls would come later when I knew all about that.  I told myself I had other priorities in my study list and I would get to microwaves in due time.  Well, due time is right now.

I did my standard scheduling for the next day (so I could study that problem today).  Got the model number from the customer and looked it up in the service manual.  Oh, no…this is a fancy oven microwave combination built-in.  Now I’m starting to panic because I never opened up a microwave before let alone pulled out a built-in unit from the wall.

How am I going to do this?  I’m just one guy and this thing may be heavy!  No wait a minute, somebody installed this thing, probably by themselves, maybe there is some special dolly or stand I’m supposed to have to remove this thing with?  Now my mind is racing – I don’t own that equipment!

I’m desperately rifling through the service manual and I spot the answer.  The upper microwave detaches from the lower oven once the trim and assorted mounting screws are removed.  PHEW!  Suddenly this sounds do-able again.

I continue to cram on the subject.  Hmmm…not too bad, not as much as I thought inside one of these things.  The biggest problem is I may need to trace the voltage or continuity through the circuits – I guess this is as good a time as any for that hands-on lesson.

There is an unexplainable fear that comes with working on any type of appliance for the first time.  I mean like, the first gas stove, first dishwasher, first microwave.  I can’t wait to get that base level of experience behind me and get past this stage of my development!

I get as prepared as possible and go out on the call.  I arrive at a nice weekend home on the lake.  The customers are very nice and comfortable to work with.  I’m looking at the microwave trying to remember the order of disassembly to get the microwave out from the wall.  I’m very nervous and trying hard not to act it.

I had started keeping a file of relevant printed pages from the service manual in my toolbox just in case I needed it.  OK, this time I need it.  Along with the instructions for disassembly (which would make me look inexperienced to the customer), I have all the wiring diagrams and technical illustrations in that file.  I keep those on top so I can sneak a peek below at the basic stuff I need to refer to.  Turns out there is a fair amount of disassembly, and because it’s my first time I can’t remember all the steps in order.

I push forward and get the unit out of the wall and onto the kitchen countertop.  The first thing to check – are we are getting 240 VAC from the wall?  From what I’ve read, most electric ovens have a terminal block on the back where you can easily test this. Nope, not this one – the line runs straight into the unit and terminates somewhere not immediately accessible.  I’m going to need further disassembly to get to wherever the source is readable with my multimeter.

Because I don’t come from a technical or electrical background, this sort of thing does not come naturally to me.  I was naive enough to think that if you study technical manuals they will tell you exactly what needs to happen.  I never factored in the process of technical interpretation.

It’s becoming apparent to me that all the studying in the world will only get you the guidelines of what you need to do.  There is still an element of thinking on your feet and creativity that is going to be the biggest tool in your box.

With additional tear down, I gain access to the 240 VAC line inside the oven.  It’s time to get started.

Hey, L-1 and L-2 aren’t reading 120 VAC!  Problem is voltage supply and not in the unit.  Customer is going to need a licensed electrician for this one.  Gee, I was just getting started here.

OK, I put everything back together and tell the customer where the problem is.  I pepper it with “Good news, you don’t need an expensive control board.”  They happily write me a check, and I feel like I got paid for another day at school!

Ever Have That Feeling You’re Being Watched?

Being Watched on an Appliance Repair Service CallIt was a conspiracy of ironic bad luck that sent me on my second ever service call.  I had no idea when I rang the doorbell just how challenging fate was going to make my next experience.

It was not because the customer was some terrible jerk that demanded unreasonable results with no intention of paying for my services.

No, it was because they were nice, really nice!  Too nice…and too “hands on” involved with the repair of their Maytag Neptune dryer.

My second customer was a retired diesel tractor mechanic of 27 years and knew a whole lot about how to tear things apart and put them back together again.  He called me because his attempts to locate and repair the no spin problem of his Maytag dryer were somehow beyond his mechanical capabilities and he needed an EXPERT in on this one – me!

He thought he would just hang by my side watching every move I made and learn a thing or two.  After all, we’re fellow mechanics, right?  Holy smoke, I needed this like a hole in the head right now.  It was show time and the curtain was up.

I must stop and say I would normally welcome nurturing the customer/technician relationship, but this was my second call…ever!  I was nervous, unfamiliar, a little unsure, and grasping at anything that smokes screened my baby fresh newness and projected confidence and experience to my customer.

Now Bob was a very nice guy, and not even being a nuisance. The problem is I didn’t really have what he was expecting from me – lots of war stories about other machines with similar problems or possibly some editorializing about the good ole days before all this PCB technology took a stranglehold on the future of appliance design.  At the very least maybe he was hoping I could just chat about what makes some appliances better than others and how to avoid these costly problems in the future.

Nope, can’t help there.  Those gems all come from years of experience.  All I have to offer is that I know I can diagnose and fix this dryer, and charge a reasonable price to do it.  That is all I know my friend, and I never said it would be pretty getting to that result.

I had just studied the specific problem in its entirety in the Uncle Harry video course and the Maytag service manual.  I only hoped to not be too distracted as I fumbled about to find all the relevant parts in 3-D.  I only hoped to disassemble the dryer in a manner in which I could remember to reassemble it without much noticeable head scratching or any parts left over. I did not expect to do this in front of a qualified audience, one who had enthusiastically taken on the role of my assistant, ready and eager to help me fetch a torx 20 driver or extra flashlight if needed.

OK, so with Bob tightly welded to my side I now needed to open this unit up and get to the prime suspect, which was the wax motor.  My research had told me that historically the Maytag Neptune has problems with the locking mechanism failing and that results in the dryer not advancing into the high-speed spin mode. I needed to check the operation of the wax motor, but there were a number of panels that need to be disassembled to get to the section that exposed the wax motor for service.

Now bear in mind that I have NEVER disassembled a dryer before, and this was my first opportunity to do so.  Bob was busy being very social and telling me stories of various tractors he has repaired and kind of waiting for my responses, but I could not really focus on his banter.  I could only try to focus on the flow chart in the service manual regarding this repair.

It was at that point that something clicked in my head.  I became very aware that this is all part of the process.  It’s unrealistic to expect to enter into somebody’s home and always be given lots of space and uninterrupted privacy.  On some jobs, I’m going to be left very much alone (like my first repair job) and others are going to be much more socially interactive, like this one.  It turns out that this is very much a people business, and those skills need just as much development as the technical skills.

Finally getting access to the wax motor, I could start the spin cycle and observe its operation.  Lo and behold, just like my research said, I could see that the actuator was not making full contact with the door lock microswitch.  Looked like a classic wax motor failure.  I got the bright idea to shim the actuator so it could make good contact to test my results.

Oops, the dryer was still not advancing to high-speed spin.  Now that pointed to the control board.  After I thought I was going to get out of this one neatly, the fact was that I was not done here.  Deeper disassembly and more diagnostics would be needed just when Bob was getting ready to make more coffee and get distracted with his police scanner.

Visual inspection of the board showed charring on the R-11 resistor and that spelled a much bigger expense for Bob.  I explained that typically the failing wax motor sends a bad signal to the control board and is responsible for frying its circuitry.

Bob looked frustrated and told me that he only paid $250 for the entire unit and didn’t want to spend what the control board would cost on the repair.  I told him that I could understand his frustration but it may be hard to replace a stacking washer and dryer unit for any less than that.  He agreed with me about that but said he wasn’t very happy with the darn thing anyway and chose not to repair it.

I told him I understood perfectly and he would only be responsible for my diagnostic fee since he chose not to do the repair.  With many thanks, he wrote me a check for my diagnostic fee and even added $10.00 as a thank you for my terrific service.

I was pleased enough with that.  After all, I had a chance to test my diagnostic skills, physically tear down and rebuild a complex stacking unit, season myself with the social side of my new career, and even get paid for all that experience and education.  I even survived the stress test of having an experienced mechanic shoulder surf my entire service call.  I’ve never been paid to learn stuff before, so that’s a good deal – I can’t wait for the next call!

My First Service Call (For Real) Part 2

Getting Paid for Appliance RepairThe part came to Fedex at around 1:00 PM the next day.  I called the customer and arranged to come by at 2:00 PM.

When I got there, the customer let me find my way to the laundry room – we were old pals by now.

There was a load of unwashed laundry in the washer waiting impatiently for my repair.  I took the clothes out of the washer and went to work.

The door hook was easy, but I realized in order to install the door latch, which was electronic, I couldn’t really unplug the washer the way they had it stacked in a tight little alcove.  I would have had to remove the dryer from on top, and I wasn’t about to do that.

I made a calculated decision.  Knowing that the door latch plugged into a wiring harness, it wasn’t about to blow out the entire system.  I’d have to repair it without unplugging it at all.

First, I detached the boot.  It had a retainer spring under it that I could get off well enough, but I worried about getting it back on and making a tight seal later.  I figured I probably could do it and kept on going.

Once I had the boot out of the way, I removed the old door latch, and simple enough, installed the new one.  I thought to myself, I got pretty lucky on this first call with something so cut and dried.

With a little struggle, I got the retainer spring and the boot back into place, but I was still nervous if I had gotten it back right.

OK, now I had to test the machine.  I will admit, I am not a wizard with electronic gadgets.  But I loved this washer because it had an analog selector knob that ran all the electronic controls.  I closed the door, and turned the selector  to “Normal” and pressed “Start.”

A bunch of the display lights came on.  I heard the door click and the water started.  So far so good…

Then it stopped.

Uh oh…

What the…?!?

I turned the machine to “Drain,” waiting for it to drain, and tried again.

All the time, I was having a small cow.  I kept thinking, what if they sent me a defective part??  I know I installed it right…at least I think I’m sure…

Back on “Normal” went the selector.  The door clicked.  The water started.

Then it stopped again.

I stood there in a daze for a moment,  not exactly sure what I would have to do next.  Apparently, it was just long enough, because the door clicked locked and the water starts flowing again.

Wow.

At this point, I figured that must be part of the locking cycle, but wasn’t at all sure about that.  I drained it out again and put the unwashed load of laundry back inside.

I admit I looked over the washer for a couple of minutes just to explore it.  I had never had my hands on one, so I thought I’d familiarize myself a little bit while I had the chance.

After packing my tools, I went out to write up the invoice.  Actually, I already had it written up.  I just fiddled around with my clipboard for a minute or two, then came back inside.

“Looks like this is the damage,” I said handing the customer my first invoice ever!

“Who do you want me to make the check out to?” he asked without batting an eye.

There it was, my first ever paycheck in appliance repair!  I was so far up in the clouds, I forgot to leave him a business card.

When I got home, I celebrated.

I made a copy of the check to keep in my “files.”  A couple of days later, I was in town and deposited the check in my brand new business account I had opened a week earlier at the local bank.

The other day I was glancing through the repair manual for that model and it clearly states:

DOOR LOCKING AND UNLOCKING

Locking

The Door Locking Routine will only start if the door is securely closed and the Door Switch Contact is CLOSED.

1. The Door Lock Relay is energized whenever a wash cycle is started. The relay is operated for 40 milliseconds.

2. During the next three (3) seconds, the contacts on the door lock are checked by the central control unit

a. If the contacts are CLOSED, this routine is finished.

b. If the contacts are still open after 3 seconds, the Central Control Unit energizes the Door Lock Relay for 40 ms and then checks the door lock contacts for 3 seconds. This will occur a maximum of 6 times. If the door is not locked after 6 trials, the Central Control Unit will enter a failure mode and the digital display will show FdL.

Parts Suppliers with Low Prices

  1. ApplianceZoneAPPLIANCEZONE for STANDARD DELIVERY CLIENT PARTS: Because they consistently have the lowest prices for a dedicated parts supplier (excluding eBay) that I have found as of the writing of this article), for my client parts, right now I use ApplianceZone.
  2. eBayeBay for INVENTORY PARTS:  For my inventory parts, you can’t beat eBay.  They can be as much as half the price of other suppliers, but you may have to order from multiple sources.  Their shipping tends to be USPS because it’s cheapest, but not always trackable, and can take longer to deliver unless they offer and you opt for expedited shipping.
  3. RepairClinicREPAIRCLINIC for OVERNIGHT PARTS OR RETURNS:  If you need client parts overnight, RepairClinic is cheapest for overnight shipping, even though their parts may cost a little more.  What you really need is their return policy (yep, even electronic parts!)

My First Service Call (For Real) Part 1

First Appliance Repair Service CallToday I got my first real service call.   (Thanks to the “dress rehearsal” last Thursday, I wasn’t half as nervous taking this one. )

It was a straightforward call.  The customer said his wife had broken the door latch on their Whirlpool Duet washer (GHW9200LW).

I told the customer I’d come by at 1:00 PM, and actually got his address this time.  This gave me about 3 hours to do my research.

I immediately found the manufacturer’s technician training manual posted on the internet.   Also researched my part costs and shipping costs/times to give the customer some options.

I spent a few minutes turning my tool stash upside down looking for a torx 20, finally finding one as part of a kit of bits I bought at a yard sale.

Yes, I actually went on the call.   I actually went into the customer’s house.  It was a really nice house.

The customer showed me the laundry room and said, “There it is.”  I looked over and the washer and dryer were stacked, and believe it or not for a few, faintly awkward seconds I didn’t know which one was the washer.  But I quickly read wash/spin on the washer dial and began to work.

The diagnostic was so straightforward, it was over before I knew what happened.  The customer had told me the washer had been very overloaded, went out of balance, breaking the hook.  I had immediately seen the broken door hook and removed it.  I told him my flat rate labor charge, gave him the part cost estimate and the shipping options.  He wanted the next day.  He wanted it fixed.

When I got home, I ordered the door hook along with the door lock, from repairclinic.com, which lets you return electrical parts.  I didn’t want to be caught there with a repaired door hook and the door lock was still broken if this guy wanted it repaired the next day.

I then made out my first ever invoice, printed on my inkjet.  (It had only been 3 days since my “dress rehearsal” call, and I had ordered my invoices, but they hadn’t arrived yet.)

I then hit my Uncle Harry training materials on those types of front loaders, and he had exactly what I needed – door latch replacement and detaching the boot.

Let’s see what happens tomorrow!

My First Service Call (Almost)

First Appliance Repair Service Call (Almost)On the day before New Year’s Eve, I got my first call off a free directory listing on the internet.  The customer said he had a leaking Whirlpool top loader that wouldn’t spin.

From my training, I told him the spin problem could be as simple as a broken door latch or at the very worst it could be the transmission.  I said I was on a call that needed immediate attention, and told him I’d call him back in 15 minutes.

I hung up the phone and stood there in shock.  A million things were going through my mind.

I never ordered all the tools I needed to work on a washer leak, like the pinch-off pliers.  I never ordered any invoices, so I had to print one off my inkjet.  I was going to go to somebody’s house to take apart their appliance!

I was very excited and very nervous all at the same time.

I caught my breath and called the customer back, and said it didn’t sound like an expensive repair, and we had a discussion about price.  I told him I used a flat rate plus parts, the fact that I had a free service charge with the repair but I would charge him a diagnostic fee I came out and he chose not to have the machine repaired.

I got his model number (FWS1233FS1) and arranged to come by the next day in the morning.  Oddly, he wouldn’t give me his address, said something about his roommate was going to pay half the cost and he had to talk to him first.  So I told him I’d call him in the morning and figured I’d get it the next day, but something just didn’t sound right.

When I hung up the phone, I thought there was a good chance this guy was just calling around trying to get repair guys to spill the diagnosis so he could fix it himself.  I also wondered if he had other calls out, one to somebody he preferred for whatever reason.

No matter what, I hit the books with that model number and started to learn whatever I could about door latches and front leaks.

Immediately found a bunch of stuff on this model on the internet, including a factory parts catalog with detailed diagrams of the entire machine, a wiring diagram, and manufacturers part numbers.

Found out the door latch on these is notorious because it locks during the spin cycle and remains locked a little too long afterward.  The leak could have been just about anything from a bearing seal to the pump and any of the hoses in between, and I’d have to look at the machine.

Found the rough price of the door latch part on a competitive parts site and checked on shipping times and charges.

Then I got together my tools and waited for the next day.

In the morning, I called the customer and the phone just rang and rang.  No voice mail.  No one picked up.  About 15 minutes later I called again and got the guy on the phone.

I obviously woke him up, even though we had agreed on the time of the call.   He told me he had a bunch of stuff to do, could I come by about two hours later than originally planned, and he would call me when he gets done going to the bank, etc. (too much information!).  I told him sure, but it couldn’t be any later than that, after all, it was New Year’s Eve.

Just as I was giving up, about two hours after he was supposed to call me, he finally called.

It’s possible he had started celebrating New Year’s early because he was making absolutely no sense.  Told me I had said the problem was with the circuit breaker, and that didn’t sound right to him.  It was about then I realized this call would never happen.

We left off that he would call me back when he was ready to get it fixed.  I never heard back from the guy.

But he did me a big favor.  He had given me a wake-up call.  I was out there on internet advertising, and I was in business.  I better be ready for it!

Looking for Hands-On Experience

Hands-On Appliance Repair ExperienceI still want hands-on experience before I start taking calls because customers give you about 10 minutes to diagnose a problem.   That’s one I learned the first day from Uncle Harry – he says they don’t want to see you standing around scratching your head.

I have tried to hook up with a local discount appliance sales business that doesn’t do repairs. I figured I could do their repairs in the back room without a customer looking over my shoulder.

I went in a couple of times and talked to the guy – he was really nice – and gave him some business cards.

I told him I would work for free on the stuff they haul away from the customer’s house when they deliver the new one,  just to get experience working on machines, and they could resell them.

I have tried to work a deal with a local second-hand shop that sells a few appliances.

I thought I would offer to expand their appliance department by being the steady repair guy, maybe taking either a small flat fee or a percentage when it sells.  I went in a couple of times, but the owner wasn’t there.  I’m planning to go back until I get lucky.

I actually went and visited two of the local appliance repair businesses in town.  I was nervous that if I started getting calls I couldn’t handle, I would need someone experienced I could refer them off to.

In exchange, maybe they’d let me ride along in the truck for a while, and get a feel for how things really go on a service call.

The first guy said he was really happy I was getting into the business because we needed more appliance repair guys around here, but he didn’t want any more calls because he was so slammed.  That was the good news.

The second thing he told me, though, is that the rates around here were well below the national average.

That one was discouraging because I was seriously considering marketing my business as a discount shop, at least in the beginning.  I thought if I did, my customers might have more patience with how long it took me to complete my repairs, but I couldn’t charge any less than what he said was the going rate.  I’d have to rework my whole approach.

He told me about another guy who he said worked even harder than him, which sounded good again because it reinforced that there was plenty of business out there.

As far as the second guy was concerned, I went by his house a couple of times but he was never home.  Finally, one day I went by again and my car broke down in his driveway!  The alarm just started going off and the car wouldn’t start.

I called my mechanic, and he said the battery was dead and the alarm system was confused, and I needed a jump.  Just as I was getting ready to call someone to come out and help me, the appliance repair guy showed up!

So there I am in his driveway with my car alarm going off, and I thought, this is a heck of a way to do a business deal!  He was a really, really nice guy, and we tried for about an hour to jump the car.

It wouldn’t turn over no matter what we did.   Funny thing is, he kept saying, “I don’t have any idea what’s wrong with this thing.”  I couldn’t help wondering, “Hmmm, is this guy really going to teach me about appliances?”

He finally mentioned, “I just stopped by to get a part, and I actually have to go out on another call,” so we gave up on the car.  He said I could leave it there overnight, then offered to give me a ride home since it was nearby where he was headed.

As we drove along, I finally got to talk to him about my proposal.  I told him I was starting up, and he kind of hesitated, and very nicely tried to tell me it takes a while to do what I’m trying to do.

He didn’t actually refuse my referrals, but he said he really just did warranty calls for a major manufacturer.

Since I had been very curious about how much inventory I needed to keep on hand because of my remote location, so I took the opportunity to ask him how he did it.  He said he kept very little inventory in stock and got his parts overnight from an in-state supplier on demand.

Maybe that meant I didn’t have to fork out quite as much upfront cash for parts as I originally thought!

The epilogue on the car is, I researched it on the internet and found out you have to disconnect the battery cables to reset the system to factory defaults.  Otherwise, even with a full charge, it will never turn over.   Maybe that wasn’t so obvious after all.

Learning to Deal with Electrical Repairs

Electrical Appliance RepairsYou may be handy or mechanical, but you may have avoided electrical repairs.

Getting over your nervousness about electrical repairs is a hurdle, but the more you know about it, the more comfortable you will get. It pays to be very cautious.

There are basic tips from the UPenn Electrical Systems Engineering Labs advising safety guidelines on principles of conductivity of the human body, precautions when dealing with high voltage, and avoiding electrical shock might help.

By the way, they mention that you should put your left hand in your pocket or behind your back if you work on any high voltage electrical component or connection.   The reason you do this is that it encourages the current to flow through your arm and down your leg to the ground instead of through your heart to your other arm if an electrical mishap occurs.  Read the lab safety guidelines, it could save your life!