Heat keeps air conditioners mechanics busy

[LahoreEstate]

Sunday, June 07, 2009
By M Farhan Zaheer

Name: Muhammad Abid

Age: 40

Business: Electrical appliances repairs

Location: Korangi, Karachi



The News: How long have you been in this business?

Muhammad Abid: I started receiving training in this field around 20 years ago after my intermediate papers. I took training for three years from three different shops and then decided to start my own business.

My first trainer dealt in fridges and washing machines, and had a very limited setup. However, the second shop was a big one and they dealt in both domestic and commercial sectors, which helped me gain valuable experience. Finally, I went to the third shop to learn some more techniques, and to polish and evaluate my own repairing skills of different appliances.

TN: When did you start off with your own shop?

MA: I clearly remember the time I entered my first complaint in a register of my own shop; it was in 1996. I took Rs300 to repair a fridge. I can never forget the day I got my first complaint; owing to my inexperience I was anxious and unsure of my work.

But as time passed, I gained confidence and perfection, and now I am fully satisfied with the quality of my work.

The monthly rent of my first shop was Rs500. It was in the Korangi area, a lower income group area, where I live. But unfortunately, I had to move my shop owing to the bad law and order situation there.

TN: Where is your shop now?

MA: These days I am running a shop in Clifton, a higher income group area. My shop’s rent, although, is still low owing to its small size and old construction. Monthly rent of the shop is Rs1,500 excluding Rs700 for maintenance and electricity.

TN: How much do you earn in a month?

MA: We get more work in summers and in a good season we earn Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 a month. However, in other seasons we get less work and hence our income drops phenomenally. I have a full time worker at the shop whom I pay Rs5,000 a month for seven hours of work a day. Similarly, we give Rs3,000 a month to those who come to learn and work for just one or two months.

TN: What type of clients do you mostly have, commercial or domestic?

MA: We have more domestic than commercial clients, though we do have some commercial clients also.

TN: Do you have a family to support?

MA: I got married 11 years ago. We live in a joint family with my parents and two brothers. My brothers are also married and we all share our income to run the house.

I have four children, one daughter and three sons. My daughter, who is the eldest, is studying in a madarassa, getting religious education, while two of my sons are studying in private schools. I want my children to continue their studies as long as they can. But, I believe that they should learn some technical skills to earn their living in this age of unemployment.

TN: What are the average repairing charges for air conditioners?

MA: We mostly deal in air conditioners. For replacement of parts, we charge Rs200. But, for service and gas filling we charge Rs1,500. Sometimes compressors are damaged; these are very expensive and come in the range of Rs8,000-10,000. Thus, we ask customers to provide us with such expensive items for the repairs.

TN: What changes did you observe in the transition phase from window ACs to splits?

MA: We can see that more and more splits have replaced window ACs over a period of 12 years or so. Window ACs were very good in quality and seldom needed repairing, but splits need repair more frequently. Especially now, almost all branded splits are from China, which are more economical but with compromised quality.


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