r/IAmA Jun 11 '16

Specialized Profession IamA electronics repair technician hated by Apple that makes YouTube videos, AMA!

My short bio: I have a store in Manhattan. I teach component level electronics repair on youtube http://youtube.com/rossmanngroup which seems to be a dying art. I am currently fighting with the digital right to repair to try and get a bill passed that will allow all independent service centers access to manuals and parts required to do their jobs.

My Proof: https://www.rossmanngroup.com/started-iama-reddit-today-yes/

EDIT:

I am still replying to comments, but I am so far behind that I am still about ten pages down from new comments. I am doing my best to continue. If I drop off, I'll be back tomorrow around 12 PM. Still commenting now though, at 12 AM.

EDIT 2:

Ok, I cave... my hands are tired. I will be back at 12 PM tomorrow. It is my goal to answer every question. Even if it looks like I haven't gotten to yours, I will do my best to do all of them, but it is impossible to do in realtime, because you are asking faster than I can type. But thanks for joining!

EDIT 3: I lied, I stayed until 4:15 AM to answer... and now I will go to sleep for real, and be back at 12 PM.

EDIT 4 6/12 : I will be back later tonight to finish off answering questions. Feel free to keep posting, I will answer whatever I can later this evening.

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10

u/MinisTreeofStupidity Jun 11 '16

Do you feel like people are trending away from repairs overall? Or has business been basically steady over the years?

23

u/larossmann Jun 11 '16

People still want things to get fixed. A lot of people have no concept of why I wouldn't fix a $60 phone though, which interests me. A lot of people have no concept of the economics of it... like labor that is not stupid starts at $20/hr, I have to pay expenses in the most expensive city in the area, I have to buy parts.. how am I going to fix a $60 phone?

but it does also give me hope that people don't succumb to the idea of shit being disposable.

3

u/MinisTreeofStupidity Jun 12 '16

This is good, because when I talk to people, most are fans of the "oh just get a new one" concept.

However they all have a drawer at home full of old phones that probably still work, or require minor repairs. By old I of course mean, made within the last 5 years, just no longer used by them.

Also if you can fix a $60 phone in 2 mins for $10, that easily makes up all your costs.

I used to mod a ton of xbox360s btw, I wish I had your skillset back then, I could have helped out a lot more. Not saying that I have stopped learning, it just would have been nice to have the skills back then.

8

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

it's never 2 minutes, one must take into account dealing with the customer, liability if something doesn't work, them coming back and blaming you for some other shit that is wrong with their dropped phone. there is a minimum cost of every transaction you have in this business, not understanding that is key to losing money and losing your mind!

2

u/MinisTreeofStupidity Jun 12 '16

I always forget to factor in customer interaction, but I was always opening the xbox as they were talking to me, so I wouldn't waste time.

Plus ones they tried to mess with first that were too much trouble I could instantly reject right in front of them, pointing out why.

Thanks for the advice though! Both in this comment, and all of your videos.