Thanks, mtgc. You've worded it more correctly.
The reason I asked about the TMS rod/switch is because I wish I had known
about it BEFORE I took the deck in for "repair". You see, I'm new to quads,
and I didn't realize that the drive mechanism was dependent upon this tape
-tension switch. So, when I first "tested" the deck I used an empty reel. Doh!
When the reel didn't turn I assumed it need some work done. Unfortunately,
the repair shop "technician" took advantage of me by making up some BS
story about how the lube/grease on the drive-mech was dried-up and was,
therefore, preventing rotation. I took him at his word, and forked over $133
($65/hr) for "maintenance". Couple of days later, I found the deck's "specs" on the net and quickly realized what the TMS function is all about.
Now I'm thinking I need to confront this technician about his unscrupulous
work-ethic. At the very least, he should refund half of what he charged.
What makes this whole thing worse is that I lost $ because the shop took
twice as long as they estimated to "fix" my working machine. At the time, I already had a "client" who had given me 7 reels and 1 LP for conversion to .wav files for their website. I finished the LP straight away and got paid for that, but because the shop kept my deck twice as long as they said they would need it, I was unable to even get started on the 7 reels. As a result of this "delay", my client found another service to convert their reels.
So, I guess this thread has now turned into a "work-ethics" topic. What do
you guys think? If I confront the repair-shop about their BS diagnostic and
BS repair, do you think they should be obligated to offer a refund of the
cash they "took" for "repairing" a working machine?
Thanks.
Well, concerning said technician, you have to remember that this unit is over 30 years old, and back then, they did not have the modern lubricants, and a lot of the older types of grease would actually harden and become a hindrance to the operation of the unit. It is possible that there was more than one problem with this machine. I would suggest that you gently inform the technician that you are aware of the fact that the unit will not work without tape on it, and since that is the way you originally tested it, ie without tape, you are sure that the unit would have worked with the tape on the reels and the TMS properly tensioned. You notice that I dide not say the unit would work properly, just that it would work, ie turn the reels.
I have found that using diplomacy is often times better than confrontation.
By the way, congratulations on a fine Quad machine.
MTGC (Michael)
Thanks for the replies, Michael and Decoder Man. Interesting that you (Decoder Man) can readily list a standard check-list of items, while my "receipt" for the work performed list absolutely NOTHING. It does make sense that "older" types of lubrication would "fail" over time, especially if the deck has been in storage. This simple explanation certainly "seemed" to fit the situation, but there's more to the story than I've indicated thus far. You see, this technician didn't even have a reel of tape on hand during his "repair" work, which pretty much indicates that he wasn't doing any particular tweaking such as the "head alignment" or "bias" adjustment that Decoder Man has mentioned. It also indicates that he hadn't taken the time to put the deck through normal functions like playback, record, erase, VU meter check, etc.Standard charge in northeast Ohio is $145.00. However, barring any defective components, it covers cleaning, lubricating, belt replacement, head alignment, demag and bias settings. You did not get ripped off unless he did not perform the above.
Dave
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