Debate: do you fix every camera that walks in the door or turn some away?

Had a chat with an old repair guy at a shop in Portland last week who said he refuses to touch any camera under $50 value because it's not worth his time. He argued it keeps his bench clear for better work and happier customers, but I've always taken everything because you never know who'll come back with a Leica later. Where do you guys draw the line on what's worth fixing?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_west5d ago

My buddy runs a little coffee shop near me, and he had the same mindset at first only making fancy lattes for people who knew what they wanted. But he started saying yes to folks who just wanted a plain drip coffee or a kids hot chocolate, and now those same people bring in their whole families and spend more over time. I get where @ericj45 is coming from about the kid with the broken Rebel because that same logic applies everywhere. You see it at the hardware store too, ignoring someone with a simple leaky faucet question and they never come back when they need a water heater installed. It's like we all assume small stuff doesn't matter, but those little jobs are the threads that hold a community together, you know?

ericj455d ago

Whoa wait, he won't touch anything under $50? That seems crazy to me. I mean, some of those cheap cameras are how people get into photography in the first place. A kid saves up for a used Canon Rebel and brings it in with a broken lens, and you just turn them away? That feels like you're killing the hobby before it even starts. Plus I've had a few beat up old point-and-shoots come through that ended up being weirdly collectible later with some minor fix. Idk, maybe it's just me but I'd rather take the small jobs and build the relationships. You never know which customer has a rich uncle who collects Leicas, right?