It Was Inevitable
October 10, 2026
StereoMan has had the same basic rates for two decades: a $25 diagnostic charge paid as a deposit on most equipment, and an hourly of $48. Now the time has come to raise my rates — not the hourly though. The deposit. I find that far too often when it takes a lot more than $25 worth of time providing a quote for a repair, it ends up being too costly, the estimate is declined, and I have given away time that I should be compensated for. My bad! I have enough experience to know in advance what types of equipment typically take more time to assess, and I am charging higher deposits to compensate for that, beginning Oct 19.
I will let you know in advance what your charge will be. No surprises. Some equipment will still be just $25 — 5-disc CD changers and belt-drive turntable for example. Other equipment will be a lot more, e.g. home theater receivers will be $50 from now on, record changers will be $65. It typically takes a lot more time to assess these products, and inevitably it costs more to repair them. As always, the deposit will be deducted from the total repair charge, and if you check my reviews you will see that I have always been fair and reasonable. That won’t change.
