Bench Fee
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The short story, if you want or need to walk away from a project, now is the time to do so, and you will only owe $30 for the testing, information and results.
Your gear comes in the door, get's recorded onto a work order/reciept of repair, and is assessed. When equipment is safe to power up, typically a visual inspection, smell test, and a current consumption test while the unit is being brought up to line voltage using a variac, followed by observation, playtest and functionality checks if everything appears fine. If the unit is not functional, as in the case of a blown fuse, futher tests and observations will be performed. In most cases, a back panel or cover is removed to get more intimately familiar with the unit. Multimeters, scopes, mechanical testing and vibration testing, and, "divide and conquer" methods are applied until a bed of useful information has been gathered. We also have many other methods for testing when appropriate, such as Thermal Imaging, Signal Tracing, RF sniffing, freeze spray and snubbing. We also have a few custom tools to be used on specific Make/Models. At this time, if the Client has asked to be notified of a ballpark cost of repair (not an estimate nor an agreed upon price figure) or an informed assessment of the problem and the solutions available, they are contacted. No further action will be taken unless the client says otherwise, and through a written form of email. |
Retainer/Downpayment required at dropoff
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The short story, you place money down against the cost of testing, repair parts and repair labor. This Downpayment also covers me against flakey Customers. Most importantly, if a repair is finished for less than the downpayment amount, a refund will always be issued!
Some folks will suck you dry with needs for your time and energy, then protest and become defiant experts in your field. I don't need that. If you have questions, please understand that Communication is the first bridge that any two people build together. I have found it useful to ask prospective Clients to become financially invested, and I appreciate your need to understand what this means. |
Warranty
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The short story, no cost required, only a few conditions. The item must have an exact schematic and a serial number. Also, if a Client asks for a partially finished amp due to cost restrictions or other limit, no Warranty can be provided.
What does, "60-Day Warranty with Money-Back Guarantee", mean? Let's split that into two parts. First, the Warranty. Whatever specific area of a circuit or device that I have worked on is covered against issues that arise from my workmanship. My soldering and installation are covered fully in the engineering sense and in execution, and the solution I provide is covered from an engineering perspective only. In other words, parts are NOT covered, as I cannot assure the quality of parts beyond my personal selection of the best Parts Manufacturers. In many cases, I am working with Vintage parts or having to accept working with the only parts that can be found. To clarify the term, "engineering perspective", if I add a larger value capacitor to some area of a circuit, then I am taking responsibility for knowing what effect that extra value will have on the circuit. If engineering perspective covers my reasoning and education, then execution covers the act of installation or process of acting on the desired solution. I must be specific about including ONLY the area of an amp or device that I work on. For example, if I only replace the filter caps in an amp, the Warranty DOES NOT cover a microphonic preamp tube, dirty potentiometer, improper power tube bias... etc. Why? Because many issues can be found in a piece of gear, especially an old gigging amp, and most Clients hire me to fix specific problems and do so on a budget, if possible. I'm not a manufacturer of new gear, I don't always get to see every part of an amp, and I sometimes make it clear that I do not work on all parts of an amp. As an example, I do not currently provide AM/FM radio tuning calibration, due to the limitations I have for time/space and this rare need from my Customer base). The same is true if I am asked to replace a microphonic tube or resolder an input jack... I'm not liable for bad filter caps. As a Disclaimer, I have the explicit requirement to quickly check anything imperitive or critical inside a device unless I'm asked not to - power output test, etc - and in regards to safety protocol, you don't get a choice - things like, safety/chassis ground current, condition of power cord, insulation resistance of power/mains switch and proper type and value of Mains Fuse. in many cases, I am able to provide the Client with good information about the condition of many parts in your device, which often saves the Client a major inconvenience in the near or certain future. So I always pass on what I find. Where I can offer a Warranty within these restrictions, I will say so by email/writing, and be clear about what is covered. If it is not mentioned, it is not covered. If it is assumed, it is not covered. Now, as promised, let's talk about the Money-Back Guarantee. I have built my process up in a way that almost guarantees for me that I'll never be in debt to a Client for poor/incompetent workmanship. Why? Because, I care to be the guy who fixes an issue that causes issues. Builds redundancy, failsafes, and standardization into the process to avoid missing something important. As an example, I use and refine a set of inspection check-sheets given to me by my Electronics Mentor years ago. In 2022, I began the expensive process of redeveloping my shop layout, implementing 5S and Lean Manufacturing techniques to trim the waste from my processes. Tonight, I received an email from someone asking about the $150 Downpayment. It took me 20 minutes to write a quality email, and that's the 5th time I've done that this year. Knowing I could have spent 3 minutes in writing and included a link to a FAQ page, I ponied up the 2 hrs to make this page a reality. The future will be better. Anyways, the Money-Back Guarantee is only for product services, not inter-personal matters. I treat you with respect, offer a high standard of quality first and foremost, and do my best to place communication up front, so that we make it to the finish line with good results. In other words, you will have to try very hard to find a flaw in my work, and if you do, please notify me so that I can make it right. Have I ever had to honor a Warranty callback? Yes, 3 or 4 times I think, over the last 9 years. I make things right, and the Warranty is well founded. I am constantly looking to improve the ways in which I look out for myself and others. |
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Forfeiture Policy - PLEASE READ
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Make sure that your current and correct contact info is entered into the Intake/Work Order. All customers are expected to look after their gear by making themselves available to respond to communications, emails. I can understand maybe 7-10 days for an emergency, a case of Covid, or various hardship. I'll reach out at least three more times, with email/phone/text and spaced several days or a week apart. I'll do this for at least 1 calendar month. If you are still MIA and unreachable, then I will decide, if necessary, to send out a, "30-Day Forfeiture Notice", to the address that you've provided on the Intake/Work Order. It's worth noting that I'm not the bad guy here, and I don't like to do this, but the MO is always the same: Client relations are great until it's time to pickup and/or final bill is dropped, then... unreachable. Or, the wrong contact info was provided.
If this doesn't make sense to you, please consider: 1. Reasonable accommodation. If 30-days (60 days in Reality, since I do not repossess and/or resell your gear legally until after the Forfeiture Notice expires) passes without communication, does this seem normal to your lifestyle? Are you going on a business trip or out of the country for a while? Let me know. 2. Unfair expectations. When I have finished providing services, I like to get paid like everyone else. My concern and extra time spent does become relatively significant, and is mostly dependent on how much I have going on at the time. If you bail, I don't get paid in full, unless I have this policy in place. |