YTH2148 gas tank discontinued

[Boobala]

First of all if he doesn't like the price he doesn't have to buy it. I will make a guess that the mower is so old they don't make parts for it anymore. Have you walked into a antique shop and priced something for big dollars and then go down the road to a lawn sale and see the same thing that some one is almost giving it away. You call it greed but its just knowing what you have and what its worth. It makes it a lot worst when I have a repair in my shop with older equipment and need one of these parts that I have to spend hours find it. I have to mark the price up even higher. At that time of the repair I call the customer for a yes or no answer and if its no I just lost all my time looking.
This all has to be added into the labor cost. So at what point in time do you buy a new mower or keep repairing the old one that you can't buy parts for anymore? I am sure what ever you did for a living you got paid for it as most people do and didn't call it greed.

Usually a person that has a job, is in agreement with his/her employer about their duties to be performed for a certain rate of pay or salary agreements, and usually up for negotiation. I fully understand about supply & demand, good example is when after Hurricane Irma hit Fl. several months back, FEMA, and church groups, relief organizations AND neighbors were passing out bottled water freely, stores were selling it out (regular price) as fast as their supply trucks pulled in, then for other people in the remote areas, gougers showed up selling a $1.59 jug of water for $20.00 , till the authorities stepped in and busted them, it appears, you MIGHT think because "I have & you need ... it's OK to charge what I want" That's GREED!!! and that's what I'm talkin about, Most repair shops, deal in replacing with NEW parts, unless a negotiation over the cost of used parts, (if available,are agreed upon) usually MOST Franchise shops will NOT even deal in used parts but the few mom & pop shops sometimes have a back-room junk-pile they can scrounge through to help a customer avert the cost of new. I will say this, the fella looking for the gas tank is the one that should be searching ALL his local shops AND the Internet trying to locate his needed part, at a reasonable price he can afford, I would NOT expect ANY repair shop to do MY leg-work for me.

 

[reynoldston]

I would NOT expect ANY repair shop to do MY leg-work for me.

Yes I do agree on that but it just doesn't work like that. I have found in the repair business that a person doesn't know how to repair there own equipment doesn't know the skill of buying there own parts. Yes new parts, but when new parts aren't available what do you do. Most larger shops wouldn't even take on the job in the first place. This is the question, when do you let this outdated mower go to its final resting ground. Yes there are people that like to restore old things as a hobby but they pay big dollars to have it look like it come off the show room.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Usually a person that has a job, is in agreement with his/her employer about their duties to be performed for a certain rate of pay or salary agreements, and usually up for negotiation. I fully understand about supply & demand, good example is when after Hurricane Irma hit Fl. several months back, FEMA, and church groups, relief organizations AND neighbors were passing out bottled water freely, stores were selling it out (regular price) as fast as their supply trucks pulled in, then for other people in the remote areas, gougers showed up selling a $1.59 jug of water for $20.00 , till the authorities stepped in and busted them, it appears, you MIGHT think because "I have & you need ... it's OK to charge what I want" That's GREED!!! and that's what I'm talkin about, Most repair shops, deal in replacing with NEW parts, unless a negotiation over the cost of used parts, (if available,are agreed upon) usually MOST Franchise shops will NOT even deal in used parts but the few mom & pop shops sometimes have a back-room junk-pile they can scrounge through to help a customer avert the cost of new. I will say this, the fella looking for the gas tank is the one that should be searching ALL his local shops AND the Internet trying to locate his needed part, at a reasonable price he can afford, I would NOT expect ANY repair shop to do MY leg-work for me.

There is a big difference between helping out a friend or owners clubs or restorers groups or even charity groups and a repair shop or commercial wreckers.
They have to run at a bigger profit level than a franchise agency because they have to buy in all of their stock, cash in advance and in many cases hold it for decades.
Some one charging 2 times the old retail price for an obsolete part is quite reasonable.
Firstly it makes sure the purchaser really wants the part.
Secondly it knocks out the repair for profit back yarders thus releasing another old mower to be broken down for parts.
Thirdly it makes sure the now very limited supply of parts gets used and does not sit in some ones shed till they get bored & send the lot to landfill.

Exclusive franchise agents charging 10 times the factory gate price because they have exclusive access to them , that is raping the customer.

 

[Boobala]

Yes I do agree on that but it just doesn't work like that. I have found in the repair business that a person doesn't know how to repair there own equipment doesn't know the skill of buying there own parts. Yes new parts, but when new parts aren't available what do you do. Most larger shops wouldn't even take on the job in the first place. This is the question, when do you let this outdated mower go to its final resting ground. Yes there are people that like to restore old things as a hobby but they pay big dollars to have it look like it come off the show room.

AHHhhh YES !! I Agree with your summary ! EXCEPT, the mower repair shop SHOULD tell the customer, the machine is old,and actually beyond economical repair, suggest YOU (the customer) obtain all the required USED parts, THEN possibly we can discuss a price for the repairs, OR the customer can, sell IT for parts, sell it for scrap, or hang onto it for posterity It should rest the responsibility on the customers shoulders. However I still stand on the premise that just because YOU have something that someone else needs / wants MORALLY you should NOT be asking more than a FAIR profit, NOT gouging, because of supply and demand unethical methods of profiteering. I firmly believe more is gained by TRYing to help someone, other than yourself, UNfortunately GREED prevails .

 

[reynoldston]

AHHhhh YES !! I Agree with your summary ! EXCEPT, the mower repair shop SHOULD tell the customer, the machine is old,and actually beyond economical repair, suggest YOU (the customer) obtain all the required USED parts, THEN possibly we can discuss a price for the repairs, OR the customer can, sell IT for parts, sell it for scrap, or hang onto it for posterity It should rest the responsibility on the customers shoulders. However I still stand on the premise that just because YOU have something that someone else needs / wants MORALLY you should NOT be asking more than a FAIR profit, NOT gouging, because of supply and demand unethical methods of profiteering. I firmly believe more is gained by TRYing to help someone, other than yourself, UNfortunately GREED prevails .

If you are in the repair business you know its not that easy. I don't know what parts are needed till its apart taking up my work space. That is the very reason the larger shops don't want anything to do with a old outdated mower and will only use new parts. And NO I don't keep junk mowers for parts. Now as far as helping other people I do about 20 hr. of volunteer work for the county a month for free. When it comes to repairing mowers I get paid so I guess that is greed but I need it to pay my bills.

 

[bertsmobile1]

AHHhhh YES !! I Agree with your summary ! EXCEPT, the mower repair shop SHOULD tell the customer, the machine is old,and actually beyond economical repair, suggest YOU (the customer) obtain all the required USED parts, THEN possibly we can discuss a price for the repairs, OR the customer can, sell IT for parts, sell it for scrap, or hang onto it for posterity It should rest the responsibility on the customers shoulders. However I still stand on the premise that just because YOU have something that someone else needs / wants MORALLY you should NOT be asking more than a FAIR profit, NOT gouging, because of supply and demand unethical methods of profiteering. I firmly believe more is gained by TRYing to help someone, other than yourself, UNfortunately GREED prevails .

So who decides what is a "fair Profit" and when was "fair profit" part of the market economy.
If you want to regulate prices and thus profits of individual enterprises, there is a name for that , communism and thousands of your fellow servicemens lives were spent to counter communism.

As for fitting parts supplied by the customer, down here we have to warrant our work.
Six months is the minimum manditory period & I am not going back to a customer to do a free repair because they wanted me to fit a substandard used part.
Then there is liability. The customer comes up with a tank that has seen too much sun, thus has gone hard & brittle.
I fit that tank which ruptures in service and causes a fire, who gets sued,,,,,, me.
I try to help my customers, I regularly do free repairs over the phone & find quality alternative parts at lower prices but at the end of the month I have to pay the bills. as does the internet vendor who is selling the tank.
Apart from buying the mower, disassembling the parts, cleaning them, photographing them then PAYING ebay to list them and most likely Paypal to handle the financial side of the transaction.
All of this takes time & money and if that tank does not sell this week then there are relisting fees.
So no the vendor is not being greedy he is running a business in order to pay his bills, educate & feed his children, pay off his mortgage in an enviroment where he does not have the luxury of a set hourly pay rate, medical insurance, paid sick leave, holiday pay , long service & superannuation.

 

[Boobala]

Bert, you forget ! THIS is AMERICA ! NOT Australia, MOST everything here, is done quite differently.