Jamtastic3 Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I've been given 6 HES Trackspots that were in a disused night club. I've cleaned them up as best as I can and tried each one. I've managed to get 3 of them working fine but the other 3 have some problems; Scan 1: gobo wheel not working, shutter problem, no pan movementScan 2: colour wheel not working, shutter's brokenScan 3: colour wheel needs 3 new dichroics, cracked condenser lense, new fan, corrosion etc. I need to take them to get serviced but I don't know much about the 'goings on' with servicing. Do they charge at a rate? How long will they take to service and I'm guessing new parts will be added to the final bill? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Phone them and ask? Many places charge by the hour plus parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I get the feeling your best bet might be to swap the various working parts into one of the scans, leaving you with a set of four plus two carcasses to ransack for spares... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3guk Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Personally I charge £20 per scan + any parts that need ordering. Don't really know how this compares with elsewher but I get a decent amount of business so I can only assume that's the standard price!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayselway Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 So, for a full strip down, service, repair, re-assemble, test, you charge £20 + Parts per Scan? Now I think I'm expensive, along with a few others I used before servicing myself (that was about 6 years ago though, so that might have changed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3guk Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Think is, since its more of a hobby to me, it usually takes about a week per shipment whereas most companies get them back to you within a few days !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detheridge02 Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I recently had some Martin 1220's serviced by a company called Airone uk. Great service and they kept me informed. Even with the rather obsolete parts I had 4 of the 6 units back in 6 days the other two being more problematic and taking 14 days or so. During this time I was kept informed of the progress via email which was great. These guys charged me £35 per hour and to be fair to them after looking inside a unit myself I think thats a pretty reasonable figure. I myself have an I.T company and even to install a memory chip I charge £20. After all, theres the time, premises insurance and the usual unexpected 'problem'. My customers are willing to pay that to ensure they get what they want and that their equipment is safe. If your house got broken into would my equipment be insured for loss / damage? This isn't covered in household insurance! Also what contacts do you have with manufacturers for parts and discounts? 3quk Think carefully about advertising such a service on the forums especially if you cant guarantee your work or ensure your clients equipment is safe. As a client £20 is too cheap. The term 'you pay for what you get' springs to mind and that would put me off. Cover your bases and charge realistic amounts and services. Just my tuppense worth Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturnx21 Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 3quk Think carefully about advertising such a service on the forums especially if you cant guarantee your work or ensure your clients equipment is safe. As a client £20 is too cheap. The term 'you pay for what you get' springs to mind and that would put me off. Cover your bases and charge realistic amounts and services. Damn you beat me to it!!! :P recently had some Martin 1220's serviced by a company called Airone uk. Great service and they kept me informed. Even with the rather obsolete parts I had 4 of the 6 units back in 6 days the other two being more problematic and taking 14 days or so. During this time I was kept informed of the progress via email which was great. Glad to be of service! I just need to make time to get my own 1220's sorted out now! :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3guk Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Dave, Like I said, its more of a hobby, although that said out of the 100 or so fixtures I have stripped and cleaned I have had no complaints with some customers constantly bringing me new fixtures to clean and test. Taking apart and cleaning a fixture rarely takes more than 1hour in my case, if its fitting spares thats different and in some cases takes a bit longer. I can guarantee my work, if the client finds a problem with the fixture then since its a hobby, they call me up and I fix it for free, and its back with them within a few days. That's just another problem I see with the industry, "charge realistic amounts" do you mean "charge extortionate amounts for a simple job ??". Cleaning fixtures and testing tends not to be rocket science and no doubt people could do it at home or at the lock-up the just lack the confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturnx21 Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 3guk This isn't just a simple clean....... You are still at school so I find it very difficult to believe that your such an expert in the maintenance of this kind if equipment. The £35.00 per hour that we charge is very competitive in this industry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamtastic3 Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share Posted November 12, 2006 I've cleaned out the scans myself (like I've said) it's just the other bits I can't do such as the broken shutters and needing new lenses/dischroics etc.If I was to go in to service them the guys wouldn't need to clean anything just unscrew and replace the componants I think - fix the faults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhuson Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 That's just another problem I see with the industry, "charge realistic amounts" do you mean "charge extortionate amounts for a simple job ??". What you see as a realistic amount probably is to you, but as you say you do this as a hobby. People who do this for a living have a whole multitude of overheads which they need to consider when charging for anything, as well as a margin of profit. I've cleaned out the scans myself (like I've said) it's just the other bits I can't do such as the broken shutters and needing new lenses/dischroics etc.If I was to go in to service them the guys wouldn't need to clean anything just unscrew and replace the componants I think - fix the faults. You will still find that most places will charge you by the hour for fault finding, parts replacement etc. Plus the cost of any parts used. However you have saved yourself some money by cleaning them up first. Expect to pay any where between £25-40 per hour. It's still cheaper than most car dealers will charge per hour to fix your car! If you feel there is any work your confident doing yourself, such as replacing dichroics, then any reputable lighting sales company should be able to source the parts for you (assuming they're still available). Alternatively you could try and contact Lightfactor Sales who are the UK distributor for High End. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I can guarantee my work, if the client finds a problem with the fixture then since its a hobby, they call me up and I fix it for free, and its back with them within a few days. I would expect more than that with a guarantee - public liability insurance for a start... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayselway Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 public liability insurance for a start... Which doesn't come cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andylouder Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Taking apart and cleaning a fixture rarely takes more than 1hour in my case. That's just another problem I see with the industry, "charge realistic amounts" do you mean "charge extortionate amounts for a simple job ??".I hope when you leave school and don't live with mummy and daddy anymore , have to earn a living wage to pay rent , support your family , put food and the table , you will begin to appreciate what a resonable amount is ,for an hour of your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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