On Thu, 15 Apr 1999 04:58:49 -0700, William Sommerwerck wrote:
>"They may be taking you, but then again, $35 to $40 an hour is the going rate
>for a competent electro-mechanical technician at commercial operations in my
>area. Labor alone would be about four hours for $150."
>
>The problem is that the technician doesn't make anywhere _near_ that much
>money.
>If the tech sees more than $40 from a $150 repair, I'd be surprised. Most
>companies run their repair departments as a source of Le Bigge Profittes,
>rather
>than than on a break-even basis.
The $34-40/hr you're paying for labor doesn't just cover the
repairman's take home pay. You're buying his tools, his training, the
space for his work bench, utilities while he works, insurance in case
he gets hurt, the furniture in the room where he works, his
supervisor (whose making sure he is working), tags and software to
track your camera, the receptionist who opened your camera and gave
it to the repairman, the assistant who packaged up your camera to go
back out, the inspector who spot checks operations, time spent
calibrating tools, etc.etc. etc.
So I hope you see that hour and a half your camera spends on eth
bench involves a lot more than paying the repairman's $8-15/hr (I'm
guessing) salary.
As far as profit goes, I'm not sure why a company would want to
operate its repair center as a break even proposition. Repair
facilities are every bit as expensive to set up and operate as
manufacturing facilities, and the volume is much lower (Most products
never come in for repair). Unless the company is operating as a
public service, why wouldn't they try to make a few dollars on a
repair? Do you work for free?
That said, it is frustrating that camera shops (even the good ones)
have "one size fits all" repair pricing. I'd much rather pay by the
job like I do with my car. I certainly don't pay for an overhaul just
because the wheels are out of alignment. But if a camera ends up
requiring a $150 overhaul after 3 or 4 years, that's still not a bad
deal. You end up with a "like new" camera (under warranty from a
reputable shop), and the cost of the repair only amounts to
$40-50/yr. That's not an exorbitant price to pay for a camera you
like, that performs reliably, produces good pictures, and has the
potential to earn its keep with a few freelance submissions or photo
contest entries.
BBB
-
B.B. Bean - Have horn, will travel
bbbean@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Peach Orchard, MO
http://www.beancotton.com/bbbean.shtml
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|