If you don't have a Sony service account, then you are pretty well stuffed, but that applies to ALL makes these days. The days when manufacturers would provide all and sundry with spares and information are long gone.
So true, so true! Subscribing to factory support is darn expensive these days and a shop needs to assure it can guarantee itself enough yearly repair jobs of that brand, to justify the expense.
So true, so true! Subscribing to factory support is darn expensive these days and a shop needs to assure it can guarantee itself enough yearly repair jobs of that brand, to justify the expense.
Appointed? Are you speaking of being "approved or accepted once the service shop has met the factory's requirements for test equipment, training, parts inventory, etc? I remember Sony and Thompson Consumer Electronics mandating specifis brand and model #s of test equipment necessary to meet their approval.
Appointed? Are you speaking of being "approved or accepted once the service shop has met the factory's requirements for test equipment, training, parts inventory, etc? I remember Sony and Thompson Consumer Electronics mandating specifis brand and model #s of test equipment necessary to meet their approval.
But even more so - applying and meeting criteria doesn't mean you will be accepted - in fact most manufacturers won't even go that far, they won't even accept an application.
It's been 10 yrs. since I had to deal with that scene. Sounds like things have changed for the worse! My shop never had issues in getting factory approval and support... perhaps because we never had issues with test equipment, volume sales and repair, number of trained techs on staff, a large parts inventory, and 2 investment partners to financially back the company.
What astonished me was the creditor behind some of the major name companies. For example, White Westinghouse was the creditor behind Sony America. Purchases were run through that company, not Sony as one would think.
It's been 10 yrs. since I had to deal with that scene. Sounds like things have changed for the worse! My shop never had issues in getting factory approval and support... perhaps because we never had issues with test equipment, volume sales and repair, number of trained techs on staff, a large parts inventory, and 2 investment partners to financially back the company.
Times have changed, with many companies closing accounts with smaller service departments and moving service to large national ones. For instance we used to be Samsung service agents, but our account was closed because we stopped selling much Samsung product. Later, when we started selling more Samsung they wouldn't re-open our service account, around that time they were also cancelling many other accounts. They planned to transfer service to a single national company, who went bust even before they did so
Basically there's little money in service work these days, and warranty work only pays a 'contribution' to the costs involved - and companies doing warranty work at warranty rates never last for long.
Times have changed.......... Basically there's little money in service work these days, and warranty work only pays a 'contribution' to the costs involved - and companies doing warranty work at warranty rates never last for long.
The electronics service industry has undergone a change for the worse regarding a technician's livelihood. I'm just thankful that I was offered a rewarding position with a major institution, allowing me the opportunity to escape the demise that many other techs underwent as the influx of repair jobs dwindled.