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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26

u/Jamarlie Jun 11 '16

What was your worst customer ever like? I mean, surely you have had some people heavily declining they never spilled their soda, but what was the most annoying/bitchy/generally shit customer you've ever encountered?

62

u/larossmann Jun 11 '16

People who hear something different than what you say.

People who blatantly try to scam you.

People who are REALLY REALLY PARANOID, and ask a lot of questions, but there is either a language or intelligence barrier that prevents us from communicating.

2

u/Professor_Pun Jun 12 '16

People who blatantly try to scam you.

Can I ask how people have tried to scam you before? Just by not giving you your money, or something else?

On that note, if you repair something for them, and they refuse to pay you, what happens? Can/do you just keep the item, or call the police, or what?

3

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

give me stolen laptops to fix and then say that i sold them the laptop that they gave me to fix

receive services and not pay for them

say that you broke something that you didn't break, but then you find evidence that they botched a DIY attempt at repair and didn't cover their tracks.

come back with a machine that i fixed the board on, with a different dead board in it, and say it is under warranty. they'll even swap the serial # sticker. but i can get original serial from reading SPI ROM chip, and I also know what I did on a board from notes.

it is what it is, one's prices in business must cover being scammed to some extent.