Tips, Tips, Tips …
Apr 11, 2016
This is the story of three tips.
I never expect or request a tip, I charge a fair price for my expertise and service, and am glad to help with free advice and support when it feels right to me. I am always grateful for the trust and satisfaction my customers express, and therefore I try always to remember to say “thank you for your business”. For me, a tip is really above and beyond, even if just a few dollars. The gesture means as much as the amount.
TIP #1: I got an email from a person with an Onkyo home theater receiver, wanting to know if I could repair a “no audio” problem with it. I could tell from his description though that this was the notorious “defective processor board” problem that so many Onkyo receivers of the 2010-2015 time period were prone to. I advised him that it would be expensive or even impossible to repair in the field, but that Onkyo was aware of the defect and if he called them and let them know that HE was aware of it, they might provide some suitable remedy even though the unit was out of warranty. He took my advice, and sure enough Onkyo is replacing his stereo at no charge. As a result, this gentleman sent me a bottle of good Sangiovese wine as a tip. I’m not a big drinker, but I know what I like, and I like a good Sangiovese!
TIP #2: One of my “good old customers”, people whom I’ve been doing business with for a long time, has an incredible mansion on the slopes of Mt. Mitchell, which I have visited several times to work on his whole-house stereo and his home theater. He is almost immeasurably wealthy, and has always treated me with kindness and camaraderie. He calls me occasionally for advice about audio and video equipment, most recently to find out how to stream Netflix through his existing system. I explained how it would complicate the operation, and suggested ways to make that less of a learning curve. In the end, he decided it was too much for an octogenarian, but before the conversation was over, he asked me if he could reimburse me in some way for all the advice I had given him, now and in the past. I agreed to his offer and suggested one hour’s charge, but he would not hear of that. He insisted on giving me $100 for my time and knowledge. I demurred, but he was adamant, so finally I accepted with much thanks.
TIP #3: Last Saturday I had two appointments that didn’t show up, and I had two people who came in for service who didn’t have appointments. The second one had a beat up older Monte Carlo with a radio half installed in a somewhat broken trim, and the factory radio plug had been cut out of the car. I agreed to wire it up for him, and suggested replacing the trim, a $15 part. As I was working, he sat in the car and we chatted. I found out he was an Asheville native, grew up in Lee Walker Heights, Asheville’s oldest public housing development, was now a medic in the Army, stationed in Roanoke VA, and his family all still lived here. I finished the work, buttoned up the dash with the new trim around the radio, and charged him 50 bucks for trim and labor. He paid by credit card, then handed me a $20 bill.
I was very pleased and grateful for all three of these tips, but that last one especially.
