Joe Rigdon is a man I respect
In April I was searching for someone to repair my ailing HP-33c and HP-15c calculators.
When I contacted HP, they offered no help (my calculators were too "vintage"). So I searched the web-- and that's when I "found" this place.
I scanned the Forum, and a particular person seemed to be one many of you counted on when repair advice was needed-- Joe Rigdon. I emailed him, asking if he could repair my 33c. He replied that he would take a look at it, but I might have to be patient.
I sent off both calculators to him, with a note that Joe could contact me once he knew how involved the repairs would be. (I figured they were likely beyond hope-- the 15c had been mashed and dropped from my shirt pocket a few too many times. I had loaned the 33c to my sister, who had put alkaline batteries in it and then brought it back to me, dead. She is still embarassed about this). Sending off the calculators, I hoped one of them could be resurrected, but I did not know.
In the meantime, this Forum and the MoHPC site in general have become a valuable resource. It has become a regular stop for me (thanks Dave, the Daily View is a marvelous plus).
And then, I waited for word from Joe. But, as I checked in occasionally to the MoHPC Forum, I became concerned: a thread had been started by someone asking if Joe might be a "crook". Ooops-- I had sent my precious calculators... I steeled myself to the fact that, broken, I hadn't been able to use them anyway, so I had little to lose.
Happily, the response to the thread was overwhelmingly in defense of Joe Rigdon. Names I knew from reading the Forum and archives praised him and pointed to many happy repair stories. The testimonies were recent, real and positive. It restored my confidence enough that I felt no need to become any less patient.
Joe determined, in a post to the Forum replying to that painful thread, that he would no longer repair calculators for others. Joe could then have chosen to send back my calculators unrepaired. I would have been disappointed had that happened, but not disappointed in Joe. I did not contact Joe; I figured Joe would decide what to do about me in due time.
Joe did. He repaired both calculators, contacted me by email to tell me they were done, and estimated such a low price, I am sure that it did not really cover the time involved to deal with them. I was happy to send him a check, and thrilled to get two beautifully WORKING machines back (I suspect he cleaned them, too, they look too good).
I wrote to thank him, but I really wanted to know: was he just "wrapping up" his pending commitments, or had he changed his mind and was he open to repairing calculators for others again? I told him that I would be happy to announce his return to the repair business, if he would say yes.
He hasn't replied to my letter after several weeks, which I can only take to mean that, for now, he does not wish to change the way things stand. It's his option.
I can certainly understand his reluctance. Why commit to a position, especially where the gain is small, but the responsibility large and the potential good-will of years endangered every time you agree to take a look at somebody's machine?
Regardless, I want to report to the Forum, and to anyone who happens in, that I have the utmost respect for Joe Rigdon, and for all his work for the user community.
He did a marvellous job for me, coming through when I needed help. He was doing for me exactly the same as I know he has done for many of you: taking on those repairs we don't relish, using his experience and troubleshooting expertise to aid folks who have orphaned machines and therefore few options.
It's sad if someone who cares and contributes his expertise is ever lost to the community. Talented people love to do what they do, but should never be taken for granted.
I wanted to write an antidote thread to the one I saw from another user. There IS no proper antidote. You must decide in your minds what is right. While I could state my opinion about the use of public pressure/guilt/shame to achieve a particular goal, it is by now obvious to at least a few of you that such tactics sometimes have unintended or undesirable consequences. Pressing emotional buttons can sometimes be effective, true; but people are not machines, and so they may find a conditional branch you didn't see in the listing....
I hope I get to meet Joe in person someday. From his web pages, from my dealings with him, from his responses to threads, and from the things others have related, he's clearly a knowledgeable enthusiast with a love for these machines, and a talent for understanding them and even bringing them to "life" again. My hat's off to Joe Rigdon, and he has my respect, thanks and deepest appreciation.
Joe, you did a great job!