Can't decide on whether I should help a neighbor

[Modelworks]

Here is the situation. I live in an apartment that has a lot of elderly people living here. I'm probably the youngest at 39. The guy next door it 75+ and just got home from the hospital after being in for 2 weeks. Some of the residents know I worked with electronics in the past , I helped most of them through the DTV transistion with antennas, etc. So one of them knocks on my door yesterday and ask me to check my neighbors tv. I go and it is an old 19" tv. It is dead, outlet good, checked all the normal stuff. I tell him it is best to get a new tv, this one was made in 1990. He sighs, he doesn't have the money and it will be another month or more before he can afford one, he thanks me anyway, and I leave.

It has been nagging me since yesterday. The man lives alone, no family visits, and without his tv basically just sits looking out his back patio window. I worked for GE/RCA from 1996-2000 as an electrical engineer and worked on designs of many of the sets of the time so I can with about 99% certainty fix his. The issue though is that the old people around here talk, and they talk a lot. I'm afraid to fix his set because if I do I could be bombarded with repair request, people bringing me every little thing that breaks. I'm tender hearted and would probably say yes to people to fix something even if I didn't really want to.

I already have to do about 2-3 visits to homes a week for DTV related stuff. It isn't that I don't want to help , but I also don't want to be the goto guy for everything.
So what would you do, fix the guys tv, or pass on it ?

 

[LTC8K6]

Tell him what you told us. You'll fix it, but you don't want to become the on-call TV repairman for everybody and their brother. Maybe charge him a small fee.

 

[sourceninja]

Fix it, but charge him a small fee, at least materials + a small charge for your time.

If it costs some money, people might not be as eager to ask you.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Maybe you could find a cheap/free used CRT TV (about the same size as his old one) on CL or something and give that to him. It'd be a nice gesture and you wouldn't have to worry about being Mr. Fix It.

 

[Oceandevi]

I am sure you could find a crt for free or cheap. I see them on the curb all the time. Good for you being a nice guy and all that jazz.

 

[JS80]

Do not fix. I would go on craigslist and get him a $50 TV.

edit: just browsed on CL. bunch of $20-40 TVs. I bet you can even talk them down.

edit: I'll chip in $5 I'm sure other people here will too.

 

[darkxshade]

Can't decide on whether I should help you with this problem. 😛

 

[Paperdoc]

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
Maybe you could find a cheap/free used CRT TV (about the same size as his old one) on CL or something and give that to him. It'd be a nice gesture and you wouldn't have to worry about being Mr. Fix It.

This is a good solution!

 

[Baked]

How are you an EE and live in an apt complex with poor old people? It doesn't make any sense. You should've told everybody in the apt complex you're a janitor so they can all fuck off and leave you alone. When you tell people you know to how fix shit, they'll latch onto you forever.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
Maybe you could find a cheap/free used CRT TV (about the same size as his old one) on CL or something and give that to him. It'd be a nice gesture and you wouldn't have to worry about being Mr. Fix It.

Yea this sounds best.
You can most likely pickup something free or even something for like $20 bucks or so for a small CRT TV.

it's a small gesture.. that will not only make you feel good for doing it, but it'll be more than returned later down the road when you need something.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: JS80
Do not fix. I would go on craigslist and get him a $50 TV.

edit: just browsed on CL. bunch of $20-40 TVs. I bet you can even talk them down.

edit: I'll chip in $5 I'm sure other people here will too.

This.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: Baked
How are you an EE and live in an apt complex with poor old people? It doesn't make any sense. You should've told everybody in the apt complex you're a janitor so they can all fuck off and leave you alone. When you tell people you know to how fix shit, they'll latch onto you forever.

Not everyone is a dick like you seem to be. Also, why should he be living somewhere else? What reason do you have for talking down to him about that?

 

[Platypus]

Help out an old man in the last few years of his life.

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
Maybe you could find a cheap/free used CRT TV (about the same size as his old one) on CL or something and give that to him. It'd be a nice gesture and you wouldn't have to worry about being Mr. Fix It.

Originally posted by: JS80
Do not fix. I would go on craigslist and get him a $50 TV.

edit: just browsed on CL. bunch of $20-40 TVs. I bet you can even talk them down.

edit: I'll chip in $5 I'm sure other people here will too.

While others agree with this, I have to ask. If fixing the TV will result in others asking for help with broken things... how do you think they will react when they find out that asking for help fixing broken things will get the OP to buy you a used but otherwise working replacement?

edit: Because it's all the same to old people.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
Maybe you could find a cheap/free used CRT TV (about the same size as his old one) on CL or something and give that to him. It'd be a nice gesture and you wouldn't have to worry about being Mr. Fix It.

Originally posted by: JS80
Do not fix. I would go on craigslist and get him a $50 TV.

edit: just browsed on CL. bunch of $20-40 TVs. I bet you can even talk them down.

edit: I'll chip in $5 I'm sure other people here will too.

While others agree with this, I have to ask. If fixing the TV will result in others asking for help with broken things... how do you think they will react when they find out that asking for help fixing broken things will get the OP to buy you a used but otherwise working replacement?

edit: Because it's all the same to old people.

i think he will help the old guy find a TV he can afford, probably does not realize about CL...

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
Maybe you could find a cheap/free used CRT TV (about the same size as his old one) on CL or something and give that to him. It'd be a nice gesture and you wouldn't have to worry about being Mr. Fix It.

Originally posted by: JS80
Do not fix. I would go on craigslist and get him a $50 TV.

edit: just browsed on CL. bunch of $20-40 TVs. I bet you can even talk them down.

edit: I'll chip in $5 I'm sure other people here will too.

While others agree with this, I have to ask. If fixing the TV will result in others asking for help with broken things... how do you think they will react when they find out that asking for help fixing broken things will get the OP to buy you a used but otherwise working replacement?

edit: Because it's all the same to old people.

"Hi neighbor, my buddy was throwing this out, and I told him I know someone might be able to use it. It's not much but it's bigger than that 19" you had. Do you want it?" I wouldn't expect OP to "show off" and be like "look I'm a baller I bought you a tv just cuz i can."

Next question?

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: Schfifty Five
Maybe you could find a cheap/free used CRT TV (about the same size as his old one) on CL or something and give that to him. It'd be a nice gesture and you wouldn't have to worry about being Mr. Fix It.

Originally posted by: JS80
Do not fix. I would go on craigslist and get him a $50 TV.

edit: just browsed on CL. bunch of $20-40 TVs. I bet you can even talk them down.

edit: I'll chip in $5 I'm sure other people here will too.

While others agree with this, I have to ask. If fixing the TV will result in others asking for help with broken things... how do you think they will react when they find out that asking for help fixing broken things will get the OP to buy you a used but otherwise working replacement?

edit: Because it's all the same to old people.

i think he will help the old guy find a TV he can afford, probably does not realize about CL...

Sounds like the suggestion is to buy the old guy a replacement through CL, not to find one for him to buy.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Fix it. Maybe charge a small fee. Politely ask him not to tell anyone about it because you don't want to be the resident TV repairman.

Good on ya for caring. :thumbsup:

 

[JDMnAR1]

Fix it with the understanding that if anyone else finds out you fixed it you will come back and break it again. 😉

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: JS80"Hi neighbor, my buddy was throwing this out, and I told him I know someone might be able to use it. It's not much but it's bigger than that 19" you had. Do you want it?" I wouldn't expect OP to "show off" and be like "look I'm a baller I bought you a tv just cuz i can."

Next question?

Won't stop the guy from telling others and soon enough, people will be asking him what else he's throwing away.


I guess what he could do is just put the TV on his doorstep, knock on the door and hide, then deny he was the one who bought it for him if asked.

 

[whattaguy]

Go with your conscience, man.

 

[JaYp146]

Get him a nice/cheap TV via Craigslist for $20.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: JS80"Hi neighbor, my buddy was throwing this out, and I told him I know someone might be able to use it. It's not much but it's bigger than that 19" you had. Do you want it?" I wouldn't expect OP to "show off" and be like "look I'm a baller I bought you a tv just cuz i can."

Next question?

Won't stop the guy from telling others and soon enough, people will be asking him what else he's throwing away.


I guess what he could do is just put the TV on his doorstep, knock on the door and hide, then deny he was the one who bought it for him if asked.

Yea that's a stretch, and I had a feeling you would come back with it. But you already had the answer I had ready (leave anonymously on doorstep) 🙂

 

[TheKub]

Wait till he comes down with alzheimer's then fix the TV.

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: JS80"Hi neighbor, my buddy was throwing this out, and I told him I know someone might be able to use it. It's not much but it's bigger than that 19" you had. Do you want it?" I wouldn't expect OP to "show off" and be like "look I'm a baller I bought you a tv just cuz i can."

Next question?

Won't stop the guy from telling others and soon enough, people will be asking him what else he's throwing away.


I guess what he could do is just put the TV on his doorstep, knock on the door and hide, then deny he was the one who bought it for him if asked.

Yea that's a stretch, and I had a feeling you would come back with it. But you already had the answer I had ready (leave anonymously on doorstep) 🙂

I'm not trying to deny the old man a free TV but I've dealt with my share of old people and in some cases, the best solution is to remain completely anonymous if you're going to be generous but want to be left alone. 😛