Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2007 13:05:52 -0500
Reply-To: vanagon-rcampbell@USA.NET
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Campbell <vanagon-rcampbell@USA.NET>
Subject: Re: Moral question--no Bob-related content - LVC
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<P><FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3>Geza,</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3>I don't think there is a moral issue here. Think about this, even your time isn't free, even if YOU were to work on your van other things are now on hold or something is costing you money -- anyway, your time isn't free.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3>I would state that if you had a mechanic look at your vehicle to fix a problem, they spend good hours trying to fix it, you owe them for their time.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3>I do computer work on the side, I tell my clients I charge $75 per hour or any portion thereof. So, do I charge them when I have spend and hour or two trying to undo or figure out what the last ID-10-T did? You bet. I value my time and I value other's time too! If I took my van to my mechanic, who charges $80/hour, to fix my intermittent no start problem, would I expect to pay him for all of the diagnostic and troubleshooting effort, you bet I would, not just the last hour it took to actually fix the problem -- and if he couldn't fix it after 4 hours would I expect to pay, yes -- those where 4 hours of his time that gave me 4 hours of my time to do other things. I don't think I or my mechancic are climbing over each other for money. Perhaps a way to prevent this issue would be to tell your mechanic, or anyone doing work for you, if you have to spend more that some number of dollars or some amount of time, stop and call me so I can decide what I'd like to do next.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3>Read this book: Your Money or Your Life -- it basically sums up what I'm saying, your time out of your life is always worth something. I put in my own cabinets, not only because I didn't feel that $2000 was a fair install price, but also because I wanted to learn something and boy did I -- and I would do it again. That means that since I spent a good 60 hours installing the cabinets, spacers, toekicks, baseboards and crown molding, that my time was worth $33+ an hour -- I'd say even more, but in addition to not paying someone else, I paid myself by learning additional skills, just like do by the mere fact that I own a Vanagon :-)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3>Best of luck on your issues!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3> -Robert<BR></FONT><FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3><BR><BR></FONT>------ Original Message ------<BR><B>Received: </B>Tue, 16 Jan 2007 05:36:55 PM EST<BR><B>From: </B>Geza Polony <gezapolony@SBCGLOBAL.NET><BR><B>To: </B>vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM<BR><B>Subject: </B>Moral question--no Bob-related content<BR><BR><BR></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid; WIDTH: 100%">Ok, in a question with no bearing on the Boston Bob scandal of late, here's <BR>a situation I've been in many times and have yet to find an answer for. <BR><BR>You hire a tradesperson by the hour to fix a problem. He or she puts in the <BR>hours, but does not fix the problem. Do you pay? <BR><BR>Sounds simple, but it rarely is. Case #1: I took a '93 Saab to a reputable <BR>local mech to have the vacuum cruise control fixed, something which I now <BR>know is by definition impossible. After five hours of labor at something <BR>like $85 per hour, the mech came back with a kind of sheepish look and said <BR>he just couldn't figure it out. <BR><BR>He put in the time, so he should be paid. I didn't get the problem fixed, so <BR>he shouldn't be paid. What's the answer? <BR><BR>Case #2: an HVAC installer put in a $4,500 water heater in one of our <BR>buildings, but could not get it to start. After countless hours on the phone <BR>with the manufacturer and other information sources, we had our maintenance <BR>guy reverse the polarity on the AC supply. Five minutes and it worked fine. <BR>We paid the installer around $2K for his labor but balked at the second bill <BR>he sent for his (worthless) hours troubleshooting. <BR><BR>He put in the hours. Should he be paid? Should we, for the damage to our <BR>company's reputation from irate tenants without hot water? For the hours we <BR>put in? <BR><BR>I think this happens all the time, especially in diagnostic situations <BR>involving things like intermittent electrical problems. <BR><BR>In Vanagons. <BR><BR>Any mechanics out there care to comment? <BR><BR>Geza <BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE>
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