Who is the best pinball repairs in Melbourne - price and honesty

[pinsanity]

I'd like a translation on the lapdogs & tropical fruit please

Succinct translation - be thankful that AP exists.

Years ago when I first got into the hobby,  and being pretty green around pinballs, I called on a local tech to come fix the flippers on my GnR..  I watched him poke and probe, scratch his head,  umm and argh..  20 minutes later he had repaired it.  $160 please.!  I saw what he did,  he replaced a couple of fuses under the playfield.. 

Once bitten...

That's what happens when the geographically parochial collude together to eliminate any form of perceived competition for their own ego. Entrenched corruption goes hand in hand with any self serving oligarchy.

Given its arbitrary structure, you could probably call it a banana republic.....

[lanternau]

I am wondering how you can judge via an hourly rate. In my line of business, ( not pinball repairs) , if I quoted an hourly rate I would be compared with backyarders with no or little experience with no insurance..blah blah blah. E.g if I charged $140.00 an hour and I completed the job professionally and in less than half the time and stood behind the work I did would you choose me or Uncle Jim armed with an soldering iron and a multimeter? In my experience the fairest way to go is charge a call out fee...e.g $200.00 .This would included travel, initial valuation and even repair if is is a simple one. This also would filter out the time wasters. From there a competent person should be able to give an estimate of further repairs. Anyway ..there is my two bobs worth.

[Strangeways]

I am wondering how you can judge via an hourly rate. In my line of business, ( not pinball repairs) , if I quoted an hourly rate I would be compared with backyarders with no or little experience with no insurance..blah blah blah. E.g if I charged $140.00 an hour and I completed the job professionally and in less than half the time and stood behind the work I did would you choose me or Uncle Jim armed with an soldering iron and a multimeter? In my experience the fairest way to go is charge a call out fee...e.g $200.00 .This would included travel, initial valuation and even repair if is is a simple one. This also would filter out the time wasters. From there a competent person should be able to give an estimate of further repairs. Anyway ..there is my two bobs worth.

When I worked in IT as a consultant, my hourly rate (set by the firm I worked for) was $180 per hour, and was charged in 15 minute blocks. A minimum of 1 hour. But if I was send to a site for a day, it was not $180 X 8. It was a set see of $750 per day. If I was at the office, and a customer needed phone support, the first 15 minutes was for free, then after that, every 15 minute block was payable.

You cannot do that in the pinball industry. Every industry is completely different. I spend at least an hour on the phone or having customers in my workshop discussing problems and checking up on their reserved games etc. You cannot even contemplate charging a rate for my time.

The pinball industry is very different as we are mostly dealing with hobbyists. Pinball is "downtime" for owners. Even if they recondition and restore themselves.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

I am wondering how you can judge via an hourly rate. In my line of business, ( not pinball repairs) , if I quoted an hourly rate I would be compared with backyarders with no or little experience with no insurance..blah blah blah. E.g if I charged $140.00 an hour and I completed the job professionally and in less than half the time and stood behind the work I did would you choose me or Uncle Jim armed with an soldering iron and a multimeter? In my experience the fairest way to go is charge a call out fee...e.g $200.00 .This would included travel, initial valuation and even repair if is is a simple one. This also would filter out the time wasters. From there a competent person should be able to give an estimate of further repairs. Anyway ..there is my two bobs worth.

When I worked in IT as a consultant, my hourly rate (set by the firm I worked for) was $180 per hour, and was charged in 15 minute blocks. A minimum of 1 hour. But if I was send to a site for a day, it was not $180 X 8. It was a set see of $750 per day. If I was at the office, and a customer needed phone support, the first 15 minutes was for free, then after that, every 15 minute block was payable.

You cannot do that in the pinball industry. Every industry is completely different. I spend at least an hour on the phone or having customers in my workshop discussing problems and checking up on their reserved games etc. You cannot even contemplate charging a rate for my time.

The pinball industry is very different as we are mostly dealing with hobbyists. Pinball is "downtime" for owners. Even if they recondition and restore themselves.

Hence why I have not visited you new place

[ROWAN]

Thanks guys looks like pinball restorations is the best place and is trustworthy so I will go with that.

I will just post an article about the top 20 hourly rates in Australia for jobs makes Marc C's which I have now heard is $125 hourly rate + parts on top the highest paid job in Australia !

But with those charges you would need a drip in you arm ! Just a pure rip off !


The 20 jobs that are highest paid per hour

HOW much money is an hour of your time worth?
If you're an anaesthetist it's a lot - $124.10 to be exact.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the top 20 highest paid workers per hour, and along with the jobs you'd expect to be in the list (dentists, mining engineers, financial dealers) there are a few surprises.
University lecturers, crane operators and train drivers are among the workers who earn well above the Australian average of $34.70 an hour.

Top 20 highest paid workers per hour (average hourly earnings)
1. Anaesthetists $124.10
2. Internal medicine specialist $88
3. Other medical practitioners $69.30 (In this group the ABS includes dermatologists, emergency medicine specialists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, ophthalmologists, pathologists, diagnostic and interventional radiologist, radiation oncologists and medical practitioners.)
4. Dental practitioners $68.60
5. Mining engineers $65.50
6. Chemical, gas, petroleum and power generation plant operators $63.90
7. Barristers $61.80
8. Financial dealers $60.80
9. Geologists and geophysicists $59.70
10. University lecturers and tutors $57.60
12. ICT sales professionals $57.60
11. Marine transport professionals $57.10
13. Electronics engineers $55.90
14. Other building and engineering technicians $55.70 (In this group the ABS includes maintenance planners, metallurgical or materials technicians, mine deputies and building and engineering technicians not elsewhere classified.)
15. Generalist medical practitioners $55.10
16. Crane, hoist and lift operators $54.60
17. Civil engineering professionals $53.90
18. ICT business and systems analysts $53.40
18. Train and tram drivers $53.40
19. Aircraft maintenance engineers $52.50
20. Medical imaging professionals $52.30

[Crashramp]

That's a charge out rate vs pay rates. Two different things. Either way you won't go wrong if you take your machine to Nino. Good luck with it. 

[ROWAN]

Marc C is $125 an hour if you take your machine to the place !
But yeh thanks Crashramp I will take it to Nino seems like he is " the man "

[Freiherr]

Your list has left out bricklayers.
I just paid a good one $5000 to lay 4000 bricks which took him about 60 hours. That works out to about $80 per hour.

[pinball god]

Hookers might be up there in dollars/hour???? 

[ROWAN]

Ha Ha I would bow to your knowledge on the hookers but rest assured at $125 an hour I would be the one bending over and touching my toes !!

[Crashramp]

Marc C is $125 an hour if you take your machine to the place !
But yeh thanks Crashramp I will take it to Nino seems like he is " the man "

$125 would include profit and overheads it's not a pay rate. I'm not commenting either way on the rate he's charging just saying it's different to a pay rate.

By the way if you can find a barrister who will charge you $61.80 an hour they're probably not the one you want defending you. 

[ddstoys]

Hahaahahahahaahah pinball people are funny

[pinnies4me]

By the way if you can find a barrister who will charge you $61.80 an hour they're probably not the one you want defending you. 

Those figures are really odd - I have paid law clerks more than that!

[pinball god]

Ha Ha I would bow to your knowledge on the hookers but rest assured at $125 an hour I would be the one bending over and touching my toes !!

maybe that's why I didn't get the job, I missed touching my toes by about 300mm. But I do remember the interviewer standing hard up against me from behind trying to help me touch them. On reflection he was such a nice, helpful guy  

[Crashramp]

Ha Ha I would bow to your knowledge on the hookers but rest assured at $125 an hour I would be the one bending over and touching my toes !!

maybe that's why I didn't get the job, I missed touching my toes by about 300mm. But I do remember the interviewer standing hard up against me from behind trying to help me touch them. On reflection he was such a nice, helpful guy