Amplifier Technician - Blowing me off?

[Taking_Frags]

I took an amp in about three weeks ago. The technician located the problem and informed me within the first week. At the end of that first week, sent me an estimate with his recommendation as to what parts should be used. Soon after I contacted him and asked for another estimate that included parts that would suit me best. Since then, I have contacted him two more times for the updated estimate (which a reasonable amount of days were given between before I made contact again) over a two week period as a "reminder."

Thoughts? I'm under the impression that this technician is blowing me off.

Edit:

We are talking about speakers. He recommended Jensen C12Ns while I asked him for an estimate for Eminence Swamp Thangs. He is a dealer of Jensen, Eminence, and some Celestion speakers. He said if he did not have them in stock, he would just have to order them which would take about a week. I ask him for an estimate for the Swamp Thangs before he placed the order and he said "not a problem." And then the stories continues from above...

Also, I took it there because I couldn't figure it out myself and did not think that it would actually be the speakers.

 

[phsyconoodler]

Or you are bugging him too much.It depends on a lot of factors.What repair on what amp,where are the parts coming from and his work load.

If he has the parts and the repair is a small one,then he should get it moving.If it's a matter of ordering parts and you didn't give him a deposit to cover the parts and shipping,he may have to wait until he gets another order going to save on shipping.
Lots of factors to consider.Many people don't realize that their amps are not the only amp a tech has to work on.

 

[Taking_Frags]

There has been no talk about the need of a deposit. This isn't about the technician determining what is wrong with the amp. This is a PDF file that contains a few lines about the price of the items.

I don't consider a friendly "reminder" twice in two weeks bugging this person. Especially after each time it was made clear I would receive the estimate right after.

 

[RussB]

So go get your amp and put an end to the drama

 

[doublee]

So go get your amp and put an end to the drama

Yep....

 

[bizzwriter]

So go get your amp and put an end to the drama

This. You probably pissed him off when you told him you didn't want to go with his recommendation. Oh. And one guy's weekly "friendly reminder" is another guy's "get off my ass."

 

[wyatt]

What parts and what substitutions are we talking about? Sometimes requests for substitutions get misinterpreted as a red flag for "high maintenance customer" (and sometimes there is no misinterpretations about it), but without knowing the score it's hard to even guess whats up.

Phsyconoodler brings up an interesting point, if he wants to use a dealers' discount, he may have to wait until he can place a minimum order.

I've had bad amp techs and great ones...none are timely. The best I've used did it as a second job, after family and primary job commitments.

 

[Taking_Frags]

The brand I wanted to go with he is a dealer of. I guess I'll be picking the amp up. Unfortunately, I have to pay since it was ticketed.

 

[wyatt]

The brand I wanted to go with he is a dealer of. I guess I'll be picking the amp up. Unfortunately, I have to pay since it was ticketed.

Well then it becomes...is it in stock? ...or does he have to wait to place the order? If he's a dealer, he's not going to just order the part online and pay retail for the part, and distributors usually have a minimum order requirement, that means he can't order your parts until he needs enough parts from that distributor to place a large enough order. That could be weeks...or months.

 

[RussB]

I took an amp in about three weeks ago. The technician located the problem and informed me within the first week. At the end of that first week, sent me an estimate with his recommendation as to what parts should be used. Soon after I contacted him and asked for another estimate that included parts that would suit me best. Since then, I have contacted him two more times for the updated estimate (which a reasonable amount of days were given between before I made contact again) over a two week period as a "reminder."

Thoughts? I'm under the impression that this technician is blowing me off.

The tech diagnoses the problem, and gives you a quote. The tech has invested TIME into your amp, with no compensation.

Now, you want him to source out "other" parts. This means he must invest MORE TIME and may (or may not) have to purchase parts from suppliers he doesn't normally do business with.

I be you're the kinda guy that will bitch about how much he charges, too!

 

[RussB]

The brand I wanted to go with he is a dealer of. I guess I'll be picking the amp up. Unfortunately, I have to pay since it was ticketed.

Share the details of the part substitutions, please

 

[tonegangster]

The good techs always know what they need and should give good communication. Premium price should be expected.

 

[Ronsonic]

I took an amp in about three weeks ago. The technician located the problem and informed me within the first week. At the end of that first week, sent me an estimate with his recommendation as to what parts should be used. Soon after I contacted him and asked for another estimate that included parts that would suit me best. Since then, I have contacted him two more times for the updated estimate (which a reasonable amount of days were given between before I made contact again) over a two week period as a "reminder."

Thoughts? I'm under the impression that this technician is blowing me off.

There is little specific I can say without knowing a whole lot more, what amp, what fault, what parts he recommends and mostly, what you're asking for.

I will say that it looks like everything was going well until you spec'd the parts.

Your parts request may be trivial or an absolute nightmare for him - beyond that it may be something he understands and agrees with, or may be something that he would never willingly put in an amp. I can't tell from here.

I will say, as a working tech, we all have the part suppliers and brands that we routinely use and order from. As a rule there is a price structure that allows us to make some money (or at least, not lose our ass). The parts you want may not be available from his usual suppliers.

He may be unable to give you an estimate unless or until he becomes a dealer of those products. That can require paperwork, credit checks and can take weeks. It may not be possible for him to obtain them at a dealer price.

So please, what's wrong with the amp and what are you asking for in there?

 

[Taking_Frags]

We are talking about speakers. He recommended Jensen C12Ns while I asked him for an estimate for Eminence Swamp Thangs. He is a dealer of Jensen, Eminence, and some Celestion speakers. He said if he did not have them in stock, he would just have to order them which would take about a week. I ask him for an estimate for the Swamp Thangs before he placed the order and he said "not a problem." And then the stories continues from above...

Also, I took it there because I couldn't figure it out myself and did not think that it would actually be the speakers.

@RussB: Despite the sarcasm alert, I'm paying him for a service. It's called business. I have no problem paying what he charges in return for him fixing my amp.

 

[RussB]

We are talking about speakers. He recommended Jensen C12Ns while I asked him for an estimate for Eminence Swamp Thangs. He is a dealer of Jensen, Eminence, and some Celestion speakers. He said if he did not have them in stock, he would just have to order them which would take about a week. I ask him for an estimate for the Swamp Thangs before he placed the order and he said "not a problem." And then the stories continues from above...

Also, I took it there because I couldn't figure it out myself and did not think that it would actually be the speakers.

@RussB: Despite the sarcasm alert, I'm paying him for a service. It's called business. I have no problem paying what he charges in return for him fixing my amp.

Now if you had just posted this in your OP, there would be little speculation and more pertinent answers.

 

[Taking_Frags]

Now if you had just posted this in your OP, there would be little speculation and more pertinent answers.

I thought it would be best not to say much. I edited the original post with what was sent above.

 

[Blue Strat]

Maybe I missed it in the thread, but have you tried calling? Sometimes things happen and/or we assume things incorrectly.

I don't see enough information here to make a judgement.

 

[Taking_Frags]

Maybe I missed it in the thread, but have you tried calling? Sometimes things happen and/or we assume things incorrectly.

I don't see enough information here to make a judgement.

I edited the original post with more details. Sorry about that. But yes, I've contacted him twice.

 

[Tele Wacker]

Go get you amp and be done with this guy. Sounds sorta like a local guy here.

 

[Peteyvee]

I edited the original post with more details. Sorry about that. But yes, I've contacted him twice.

Contacted how? You'd be amazed what a phone call can accomplish. My amp tech is fairly slow when it comes to emails, but he always picks up the phone during business hours and is glad to hear from me. Then again, we're both over 40, I don't bug him and have given him a lot of business over the years...