Lamp Repair: Who knew it was green?
I grew up in this business, going to work with my Dad on Saturdays as a kid, and while I thought it was interesting and I knew that people needed their lamps fixed I never looked at it as being a part of the bigger picture.
Now, so much in our world has changed, who knew that lamp repair would be a part of serving a greater purpose?
We live in such a throw away society. You can buy a lamp at most any discount store for under twenty dollars. When it quits working, you just throw it away and buy a new one. Easy and Simple.
Well, except for the fact that we continue to overload Landfills with all of these cheaply made goods. Of course it’s not just lamps, it’s everything. We are also throwing away vintage lamps that can be repaired and refinished and opting to buy new; more Landfill food. The sad part is in the quest to lower the price the quality of the new lamps continues to decline. Most lamps manufactured today cannot compare to the lamps made before 1985.
Our minimum labor charge to repair a table lamp is 29.99. To some that cost my seem high but when you consider the cost to stock an inventory of repair parts, have on hand a full range of tools, and pay a skilled and knowledgeable technician it’s actually very reasonable. In fact it is cheap in comparison to the impact on our environment of having one more object in a Landfill. The great part of repairing a lamp is that with today’s technology, old lamps can look new and updated or classic and traditional. They can be customized to be a one of a kind expression of your taste. In addition they can be energy efficient with the use of compact fluorescent bulbs.
Everyone wins! You get a quality product that lasts and you make the planet a better place to live. So next time you need a lamp, instead of just running to the discount store, think about repairing and remodeling your existing lamp or looking around the attic or the basement for that lamp that has long been forgotten or visit your local second hand store and don’t just see an old lamp, look at the possibilities. To help you get started print this page. It contains a coupon for $5.00 off your next lamp repair at Bohnet Electric.
Here’s to greener living,
Steve Bohnet