elliptical illusion...

recently my crosstrainer which i have used religiously 3 times a week for the past 2 and a half years, began making a clunking noise. i did some research and was able to see where the crank was dipping further than it should and rubbing against the frame. i decided to continue using it until i could determine if i could get replacement parts and if so, if i could get it repaired. the other night i was using it and the crank completely severed rendering it completely useless. i contacted a local guy in the yellow pages who alledgedly repairs home excercise equipment and he said he wanted $92.50 to come out, troubleshoot and diagnose the problem. at this point we both agreed that after the bloated cost of replacement parts and shipping cost, it may not be worth trying to repair the crosstrainer. it may make more sense to just replace it with a better model. being the shrewd business mind that i am, i asked him if he would either a. - quote the repair costs for gas & time (this doesn't need to cost $100), or b. - offer a diagnoses (if possible) from digital pictures to save him time & money. here is how the exchange went:

him:
Hello Skip: I would suggest that I trouble shoot and dismantle prior to you ordering parts. Be aware that Proform has a stiff fee for S&H. Email me back. With name address city and Zip code and phone numbers. Thanks *** P.S. I am about a week out.

me:
***,

Proform told me to expect to pay $12-14 for shipping. I agree that the best approach would be for you to troubleshoot and diagnose the exact parts needed for repair, however, I have some reservations about paying nearly $100 to learn that. Once I've invested that much money into it I'm almost committed to repairing it rather than scrapping it and getting a new one, and like you said, we are not sure which option makes the most sense yet. I do not know how much disassembling you would have to do as the pedal disk is off and exposing the inside where the broken crank is. Would you be willing to make a diagnosis at a reduced rate? I understand that you must be reimbursed for gas & time. Or, would you be interested in seeing some digital pictures to see if you can determine anything from those? You might be able to guage from those if you think it is worth trying to fix or not.
Let me know your thoughts,
Thank you,

Skip

him:
Hi again Skip: My answer is no!!! I am too busy and to experienced to agree to your proposal. Thanks, *** P. S. My rate is not a 100. But rather 92.50 Good Bye, and luck! ***


okay, some may call me cheap for trying to talk him down from his $92.50 and that's fair, but apparently i struck some sort of nerve by rounding the $92.50 up to "nearly $100". what was i thinking?? another thing, i am no english major but one thing i AWLAYS notice is when people use "to" instead of "too". as in he got "too busy" correct but missed "to experienced". 50%...not bad. or should i round that down to 0%?