🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi Alan. 

You have choices. You can choose not to use the overpriced parts if
you decide to - in most cases at least. Just takes more thinking. You
can repair items with used parts, or differen brand ones. You can
choose to mod the items to get them going again, etc.

Any repair has to be safe, working, legal, and reliable. And either
tidy or not visible outside the box. Beyond that... its upto you. Its
perfectly possible to be a repair business that does this sort of
thing as standard. You can be very envirnonmentally reposnsible in
tronics, it just takes more bwain use than thoughtless part plugins.

People tend to regard such modding and part swapping as inferior,
simply cos it is also what bodge merchants do (incompetently), so you
will need to consider how to keep your business reputation good. That
isn't hard really. Honesty, decent repairs, and a reputation for being
able to fix what no-one else can, will go a very long way. It
establishes a solid customer base. Just keep telling them you can fix
what the others can't.

Or you can take the loser path and run away, give up.

Regards, NT

 
> Alan Liefting wrote:
> > 
> > As an electronics technician with a concern for the environment I have
> > seen another worrying trend.  In recent months I have seen the
> > following:
> > 
> > 1. A manufacturer has located its spare parts warehouse to Australia.
> > 
> > 2. Another manufacturer has sent out a directive to minimise local
> > stocks of spare parts and only give a good level of support for warranty
> > service.
> > 
> > 3. The use of contract warehousing for spare parts instead of keeping it
> > in-house (this introduces difficulties in administration and technical
> > backup for the repair trade).
> > 
> > 4. Proprietary components are priced at a such level as to make repairs
> > outside of an appliances warranty to be uneconomic.
> > 
> > These factors combine to make consumer goods an increasing part of our
> > "throw away society".  This has implications on attempts to minimise the
> > waste stream.  Electronic equipment contains valuable and hazardous
> > materials.  Unfortunately these materials are difficult to extract
> > economically in New Zealand.  Electronic circuit boards are sent
> > offshore to countries with cheaper labour rates as scrap.
> > 
> > Another issue arising from the third point made above is that
> > manufacturers are defying the "spirit" of the Fair Trading Act.  Under
> > the Fair Trading Act manufacturers or importers must supply spare parts
> > for "a reasonable length of time".  This is very open to interpretation
> > does not suggest that spare parts must be at a "reasonable" price.
> > 
> > Can I suggest that legislation is enacted to protect the consumer and
> > the environment by making electronic and computer equipment
> > manufacturers more responsible for their actions.  Overseas experience
> > has shown that manufacturers will rarely voluntarily factor
> > environmental or social ethics into their business models.