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Hey Guys & Gals,
(And all of you "lurkers" out there with Amaya machines),
I would like to pose a serious question to you and get some genuine responses if possible. Every response will be appreciated and who knows, maybe something good will come of this topic.
As an independent technician, meaning I'm not employed by Melco or any other company (only contracted by them per job), I have learned over the years that pricing for machine repairs or service is best handled hourly because each job will be different where-as some can be simple fixes and others can be a combination of problems.
I've seen technicians around the county charging anywhere from $60 to $100 per hour. Usually the entry level technicians charging less and highly experienced techs charging more. This only being fair because an unexperienced tech may not solve a problem as fast as a seasoned tech. Some technicians are so good that they need to charge a minimum of a couple of hours just to cover themselves financially in case they spend most of the day driving to customer's location only to find they are able to solve the problem quickly. Hence, if the tech doesn't earn enough to stay in business on a daily basis, heck, they will have to go and find a new job.
We also learn in training that this industry is known as "Feast or Famine" and one must save up for the slow times. And a lot of us techs must become diversified, such as fixing other brands and home sewing machines and even becoming software trainers just to keep things consistent.
I have read, many of times here on the list, that we as small business owners (I also own my own embroidery business with the wife) want to keep our expenses as low as possible and have commented that having a machine repaired is or can be "expensive".
Therefore, my question to you is what would be a fair price to pay for repair and/or maintenance service from a qualified technician???
My dentist allows me to make payments over time if I don't have the full amount to pay but I know every six months, I will be seeing him again without fail because I don't want to loose my teeth.
Other folks feel like an extended warranty is the way to go because they have some degree of peace of mind that they won't be hit with a large bill.
Please keep in mind that I'm not referring to part prices or travel expenses as these are rather non-negotiable and are established based on outside pricing. We are only talking about the Labor Rate.
Please let me and everyone else know what you think.
Thanks,
Ed Orantes
(And all of you "lurkers" out there with Amaya machines),
I would like to pose a serious question to you and get some genuine responses if possible. Every response will be appreciated and who knows, maybe something good will come of this topic.
As an independent technician, meaning I'm not employed by Melco or any other company (only contracted by them per job), I have learned over the years that pricing for machine repairs or service is best handled hourly because each job will be different where-as some can be simple fixes and others can be a combination of problems.
I've seen technicians around the county charging anywhere from $60 to $100 per hour. Usually the entry level technicians charging less and highly experienced techs charging more. This only being fair because an unexperienced tech may not solve a problem as fast as a seasoned tech. Some technicians are so good that they need to charge a minimum of a couple of hours just to cover themselves financially in case they spend most of the day driving to customer's location only to find they are able to solve the problem quickly. Hence, if the tech doesn't earn enough to stay in business on a daily basis, heck, they will have to go and find a new job.
We also learn in training that this industry is known as "Feast or Famine" and one must save up for the slow times. And a lot of us techs must become diversified, such as fixing other brands and home sewing machines and even becoming software trainers just to keep things consistent.
I have read, many of times here on the list, that we as small business owners (I also own my own embroidery business with the wife) want to keep our expenses as low as possible and have commented that having a machine repaired is or can be "expensive".
Therefore, my question to you is what would be a fair price to pay for repair and/or maintenance service from a qualified technician???
My dentist allows me to make payments over time if I don't have the full amount to pay but I know every six months, I will be seeing him again without fail because I don't want to loose my teeth.
Other folks feel like an extended warranty is the way to go because they have some degree of peace of mind that they won't be hit with a large bill.
Please keep in mind that I'm not referring to part prices or travel expenses as these are rather non-negotiable and are established based on outside pricing. We are only talking about the Labor Rate.
Please let me and everyone else know what you think.
Thanks,
Ed Orantes
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