“A TV is a TV, just the same as a car is a car — they all have certain basic things about them” -Ray Carroll
If you think the TV repair business is a dying trade like some members of this electronics forum think about 4 years ago, then here's another support to the argument that not only is it not dying, it is actually flourishing. Ray Caroll is an owner of a TV repair shop named Ray's TV Repair in Clifton, Colorado, USA and he's been in the business for 33 years! He was recently interviewd for the online news site GJSentinel.com and as the title of this post indicate, Ray thinks the TV repair business isn't slowing down at all!
Yes, indeed, it has changed a lot but Ray swears that many still needed his services. His explanation on why this is so is simply a matter of economics.
"If someone paid $1,000 for a new TV and he can fix it for $50, then repair is still a good deal..."
Mr. Carroll admits the television has stayed essentially the same until about 5 years ago when the new LCD-based flat screen televisions were introduced and gained foothold of the TV market. What Ray Carroll did to keep up with the times and hence, stay competitive, is pretty much the same as what this blog is advocating for--- that is, to upgrade your skills by taking plasma and LCD TV repair courses. He was pretty lucky as that time as the TV manufacturers were the ones giving them the the training they needed to be able to repair LCD TVs. For most people who doesn't have access to free training, the next best thing is learning through online or offline TV repair schools.
If you are a repair person that came from the old school days of CRT tube-based TVs, you should be open to the fact that the demand is decreasing for the tube based televisions but it is increasing for the modern flat screen ones. Acknowledging this fact and doing something about it by training yourself how to repair flat screen TVs essentially opens up more opportunities for your business. The TV repair trade is not dying.
BTW, Mr. Carroll also indicates that there is still a market for the repair of the old tubes. Many TV enthusiasts are having their vintage units repaired as part of their collection and for sentimental reasons; and you can charge higher in this niche because parts are becoming hard to find.
Below is the actual interview article and the link to the original piece on GJSentinel.
Television repair still in high demand
By Richie Ann Ashcraft
Ray Carroll, owner of Ray's T.V. Repair, says business hasn't slowed down in 33 years.
Ray Carroll, owner of Ray’s TV Repair in Clifton, snubbed out a cigarette in the tin ashtray on his desk as he began talking about his business.
His store is a graveyard of television carcasses and ensnarled wiring. A pile of green circuit boards lies in the middle of the shop, next to retro signs by Sylvania and floor-model televisions from the 1970s.
“I moved in here when this place was brand new, in 1976,” Carroll said of his location at 3279 F Road in Clifton.
He learned to fix televisions while serving in the Air Force. He served stateside as a radar technician for 11 years.
Over the years he’s seen the television electronics industry change, but he says the basic components have stayed essentially the same. That is, until the last five years when the LCD screen was introduced.
Read entire article...(UPDATE: Article no longer available on site)
Related posts:
Is the TV Repair A Dying Trade?
Are your TV repair skills still profitable to have?
Thank you for reading and good luck with your plasma and LCD TV repair projects!
