Complaints About Prices

We went to pick up the Marshall Amplifier from Wire Audio today. The bill was just under a hundred dollars. I thought it was a very fair price considering the amount and kind of work that was done. Basically I thought we were lucky to be able to find someone:

• who knew about these kind of amplifiers, 
• was technically competent to perform the required work, and 
• was able to get it done in a timely fashion.

I didn't used to be like that. When I was a kid, it seemed like grousing about prices, especially repair prices was de rigueur. Everyone did it all the time. Or maybe it was just the people I hung out with. Or maybe because I did it, I tended to associate with other people who did the same. Or maybe it's just the nature of kids, or of being broke.

The other day when I went to the dealer to see about new keys for the Mitsubishi, I was shocked that they wanted to $200 for a key. Last time I checked they only wanted $150. Even at $200, if they had been able to produce one on the spot, I would have bought it, just to not have to hassle with it anymore. But I didn't complain about the prices or accuse the dealer of trying to rip me off. They have the part, if I want to buy it from them, I can pay their price. No one if forcing me to buy it.

Sometimes it feels like the repair shop has you over a barrel: you have no choice but to pay what seems like an exhorbitant price for some apparently minor repair. It might be a fair price, given their costs, or they might be making a bundle off of you. You will never know. But that's the way repairs are these days. You buy a complex machine like a car or a computer, and if it breaks, it is going to take someone who understands it and has the technical skill to repair it. If you aren't willing to pony up the big bucks for the occasional repair, don't buy the machine in the first place.