No, I don’t tell other repairers what parts to use when I’ve not been engaged to repair a piece of equipment. 

We don’t offer remote technical assistance as a general rule and for those wondering why, here’s a little pop quiz.

Is it because I don’t want to help people, or because:

1. I’ve already produced over half a million words and 500 articles for free and contribute more than any other professional repairer I’m aware of.
2. My work is already heavily copied, almost always without attribution, often for commercial gain.
3. Helping other technicians generates income and cudos for them and not me (see above).
4. The “can you tell my technician” thing is usually code for an owner or technician wanting assistance we don’t offer.
5. All of the above?

If you answered e) all of the above, you are correct!

In all seriousness, I’ve lost track of how many times people have told me ‘their technician’ asked them to contact me, only to do a quick search and discover that these people are technicians or hi-fi store owners trying to make a quick buck with my help, and with me getting nothing, of course!

Helping people like this is not high on my list of priorities and, whilst one can never be sure who is who, a lot of people try to take advantage. Not offering remote technical assistance broadly covers most of those possibilities.