Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-11

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Service Association Of Metro
politan Washington. a group
of "a service businesses in
the area. 1t would provide
that no one could service TV
sets in the District without a
permit issued by the Depart
ment of Licenses and InSpec-
ton.
Nobody denies that abuses
exist in the television repair
business. The Better Business
Bureau received GA complaints
about radio television-ph
graph sales and service during
the year ended last June 30
the largest single category Of
complaints. An estimated SO
per cent of theSe-about $40
complaints dealt with TV
repair.
The question that divides the
industry is whether licensing
is the way to correct the
abuses. Argument pro and con
is focused on these characters
in the TV repair drama:
The "Gyp" Repairman-This
is the Serviceman who claims TO
charge only a dollar for a
service call but invariably finds
it necessary to take your set
into the shop for further re-
pair. Before you know it. your
bill is $50, even though he may
have done nothing more than
replace a couple of tubes.
Backers of licensing concede
it would not eliminate this type
of operation. But at least. they
argue. a customer would be
assured of dealing with a quail
flied .technician and not with
a so-called tube jerker." Fur
ther. they say. an INSCRIPTIONS
repairmans license could be
revoked if a valid complaint
were proved against him.
Opponents of licensing
heartily agree it would not
eliminate the gyp artist. In
stead. they say. it would make
things easier for him by throw
ing a cloak of responsibility
around h1m.
Most of the INSCRIPTIONS re-
pairmen. say the opponents, are
found not among the tube
jerkers" but among the COM
petent technicianS.
The Part Time Repairman-
This is the man who works at
another job, possibly as an
electronic engineer. and repairs
TV sets for his neighbors in
his spare time.
He is considered unfair COM
petition by proponents of Ii
censing. who estimate that 40
per cent Of all TV repair in the
Washington area is done by
part-timers. Because he has no
overhead, he often can service
a set for less money than a
regular service shop must
charge. Backers of licensing
also blame the part-timer for
giving the industry a black eye
by doing incompetent work.
Opponents If licensing scon
at these arguments. The part
time serviceman, they contend.
is Just as likely to be a quail
fled technician as is a repair
man working full-time for a
shop. AS long as he is compe-
tent. they ask. why should he
be forced out of business?
IF he isn't competent" as
one dealer put it, his business
eventually will come to me any,
way"
Licensing wouldn't eliminate
the part-timers,' said another
Instead. it would run the area
wild with bootleggers."
The Public - Proponents of
licensing believe it would pro-
tect the public against incom.
petent repair jobs by assuring
them a repairman who had
passed a technical examination
for a license.
But they also see a need for
educating the public. THE
public doesn't know how to buy
~ service" says one strong
hacker of licensing. Because
OF this. they think we're all
thieves. The public doesn t
understand the value of labor
They'd rather pay S35 for parts
and $40 for labor than vice
versa. So serviceman has no
choice but to pad his bill for
parts to make up for what he's
losing on labor"
Opponents Of licensing agree
IL