Most folks don’t realize that I started helping people with this stuff back in 1994. At the time, I was working for a major manufacturer and decided to apply my technical knowledge in a manner which the common public could benefit from. I also realized that technical support for the common man was hard to find, even though we were in the beginning stages of a wonderful computer age. Information was just beginning to become readily available, Yahoo was just getting started, as was Google. So in my opinion, the time was ripe for starting a help site for appliances. I was looking down the road and saw opportunities of being first in line for any subject matter, so I chose this one as my natural subject. The truth of the matter is…I really enjoy what I do and it gives me a good feeling to be able to help people do things without relying on someone else.
The funny thing is, I began to get a huge response back then a few weeks after I began helping folks. Now mind you, I had to do all this from a free Geocities web page thet Yahoo was promoting at the time (1995). There were no provisions for a forum like the one we have today, so I got swamped with email asking questions that my website did not cover. I quickly decided to rent space on a paid forum site so people would have a place to post. I charged a small fee to join the forum for life, which was a steal for you and just enough to cover my expenses to run the forum.
When 1999 rolled around, other appliance people who were avid followers of my site (and no doubt saw the statstics), began putting their own sites up for the public. RepairClinic was one of the more prominent ones, followed by AppliancePartsPros, etc. Funny thing was, these companies were more concerned with selling parts than giving help…they just used my idea of free help to promote sales. In my opinion this was a brilliant sales ploy, just not what I had in mind when I began my site as The Virtual Repairman. I was driven by more of a Christian upbringing, which encouraged me to help my neighbor, not delve into his pocketbook. However, to retain my loyal following and spread the word of self-improvement, I too had to sell a few of the more commonly used parts which I knew that most people are capable of changing. My inventory grew more and more as people’s repair issues changed thru the years.
Now, I have affiliate parts distributors, who in reality are my competition, but are so impressed with the success of this website that they glean profits from my recommendations. Yes, I get a small pittance for my touble, but in the long run everybody is happy..the customer, the webmaster and his affiliates. Now that my former employer went out of business in 2006, I became a self-employed repairman and webmaster. The site has taken on a whole new perspective as there are hundreds of websites jumping on the bandwagon. They even come to my site for their answers. Yahoo and Google make a fortune off my stuff, don’t fool yourself. If I was more of a businessman, I would find ways to profit more from this, but that is not my nature. I still enjoy helping people and I expect their loyalty in return. I am often disappointed, but the nice emails I get from time to time really boost my confidence that this is working.
Rest assured. I still give the very best daily advice for consumers on their appliances. I also went to great lengths to find affiliates who stand by their warranty and provide fast service. So far I have heard nothing but praises for them, which speaks volumes for my affiliates. I mean, who else allows you to return a part if it does not fix the issue? (Hint: Not Sears)
All in all I have enjoyed my 16 years of service to the online community and want to thank those of you for your kind remarks and support. I will not be around to do this much longer, but thank you again for all your support and rest assured that I will continue to help as long as I can.
Thought I’d share a springtime photo of the Texas Hill country in the spring time. What you see is a swath of our native plant the Bluebonnet, lining the roadways. Quite a sight as I make my service rounds daily.
