Service Calls

[billsines]

Ok so how many of you maintain your own equipment or do service calls? For the last 10 years I have serviced all of my own equipment. All of it. Now when I called the company about a printer problem, they offered to come out and look at it. I asked how much. They said $800-$1000. I wonder how much money I have saved over the years servicing all my other equipment. Is this a normal range for a service call? Maybe I am in the wrong business? All this after they told me it's a really easy fix.

 

[HDvinyl]

Maybe you should go into business for service calls?

I think distance is the biggest key, you must be far from the tech?

 

[SignTeam.us]

I maintain and fix all our own equipment, We can be up and running faster than waiting for a tech to show up.

 

[fresh]

we fix our equipment, never needed to pay anyone and have done some major replacements/repairs.

 

[equippaint]

I can get the Caterpillar dealer to come out in a $200k service truck to work on an excavator for less than the printer dealers charge for a service call. It is ridiculous

 

[papabud]

i normally handle the smaller simple stuff myself.
i am more than capable to handle any level of repair. i just choose to spend my time on more productive things.
but like i said i would rather do the quick easy to fix stuff and keep running than wait on a tech

 

[Solventinkjet]

Most fixes on these printers can be done by end users but I will add that when I go out on service calls it's for 2 reasons. 1. the person just doesn't feel comfortable doing the repair and 2. they think they could do it but they want to make sure it gets done right. I'm not a full time field tech and am in the office more often than not and get paid a full time salary which I prefer because techs who make a living on service calls have very volatile incomes. This is why you see some guys charging an arm and a leg because they don't don't when their next call will be!

 

[ams]

I only hire a tech for a new print head replacement or for major issues like taking half the machine apart.

 

[Terry01]

Have service all my own over the last 35 years, I too was too far from a tech when something went
wrong or wouldn't work. I have helped many signwriters over the years and the techs know it.I also
get calls from the techs on different problems they encounter, and its worked both ways. Have had
many different makes also, and that puts me at an advantage. Have great delight advising someone
over the phone and getting them going, when techs have given up and do not even charge the client
due to their inability to diagnose and fix without replacing every part they can think of.
My latest was one on here where they quoted 9000 bucks and I had him up and going for $24

 

[billsines]

With regards to the service call, I declined and was able to figure it out in about 1.5 hours. All set again. Thanks for your replies.