Jimmy interview transcript
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What is your name?
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My full name is Jimmy Rojas Torres.
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My work is repairing computers.
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In which way?
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I work with a discard system.
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This serves to analyze a PC and find the problem at its origins, be it a problem with the circuit, the hard-disk, the source or the video.
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Do you use BIOS?
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BIOS? No, I mean physically only.
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I take the computer apart and put it back together, and I see the result of each step with the ring - the circuit rings if a piece is missing.
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It rings once or twice when the video is missing. It has a small speaker that rings with a different tone.
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When the ventilator is not working it's due to a failure in the source.
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So you discard possible problems, one at a time.
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How long have you been working here?
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I've been working in the region 15 years.
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Always here?
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No, unfortunately I've had to jump like a kangaroo from one spot to another.
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But always here in the region.
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And right here?
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I was over there first, then I passed over there, then over there, then a larger store, and then here.
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And in this stand?
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I've been here for 4 years.
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How did you begin working in repair?
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Oh, that's a good question! Out of necessity.
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Need is what led me here. I never studied this actually.
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My work was restaurant, I administered my own restaurant, selling potatoes, sweet potatoes and onion, which have nothing to do with this.
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My economic situation pushed me to find a job, because I didn't have capital for the restaurant.
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I visited a cousin who fixed TVs. And back then computers were starting to enter Peru - used computers, obviously.
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Back then I saw it was a beneficial activity, prices were higher for buying and selling. Computers were more expensive.
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I saw it was good business, so I took the risk and set out to learn.
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I didn't make much, just enough to take something home.
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And I kept insisting and learning, asking here and there, participating in classes, and that's how I learned more everyday.
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What do you prefer?
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I prefer installing software, aside from detecting hardware problems.
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I like my job. Something I would like to learn is how to repair parts.
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There are a number of elements that are not in my favour. For example, eye-sight. Eye-sight and tools.
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I've been to some courses on reparation. It's easy you know.
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If you attend class and fulfill the requirements, you can learn in 15 days.
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You have to learn to use the multi-tester, which is what allows you to measure component values. Once you know that, the rest is easy.
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What's the difference in between recycling, taking apart, and repairing?
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Recycling is separating the parts that have errors but can still be of use and throwing it in scrap parts; I understand they take the scrap to China where they extract the gold from it.
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That's recycling.
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Taking apart is to dismantle everything, and try each piece, one by one, to see if they are still operational. Those that still work are kept and recycled to be used in another device.
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Repairing... If it's a good part, that I know it's asked for in the market, I fix it and sell it.
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Why did you decide to work in repairs instead of recycling?
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Recycling is just one moment.
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Recycling is when you buy second-hand parts - it can be a sale or because the parts were stolen, or someone who has an economic problem who sells it to you - well, it implies purchasing an object.
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You purchase the part without a receipt, probably for a good price, since the person doesn't know.
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You turn it on and it doesn't work. You tell them it doesn't work, and buy it cheaper. But once they leave, you detect the problem, fix it and now that device is worth more, and that's why I do this job.
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Why is it important to dedicate ourselves to repairing as opposed to just throwing them away?
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Why? Because fixing these devices is cheap, since you can find cheap parts.
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And why would you throw away something if you can fix it? It's common sense, no?
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Many people just get rid of it.
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People do that nowadays because you can't find a replacement piece. That's one motivation.
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The second is that if you find a better device on the market, which is better, you buy it.
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And what do you think of this system of buying and buying and then discarding non-stop?
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It depends at what moment this happens. There are many factors that influence.
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If I have a good job, why should I worry about recycling. I can change it for something better, with a cheap price, and if I can get credit, that's even better.
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One question: You mention you buy circuits, be them good or bad. Do you repair the bad ones?
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Of course. For example...
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Basically, the person who sells these parts or the computers that don't work anymore, they sell them to us because they don't know how to repair them.
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The scrapers - as we call them. Tricycle riders who cover the whole city of Lima. And, lets say they collected 10 or 20 circuit boards.
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I purchase those 20. Since they don't know anything about repairs, I pay a certain price.
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I try to see if it's worth fixing - I calculate my costs; how much it cost, how much I need to fix it, and how much I can sell it for.
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If it's worth fixing for me, I'll repair it. Otherwise, it becomes scrap.
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And do you re-use pieces from the circuit?
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Of course, it depends how badly damaged it is. For example, if this is the main part of the circuit, the pins.
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If these are bent, then it's useless. I take out the pieces that are of no more use.
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How do you update your knowledge?
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How do I stay up-to-date? Asking my colleagues. That's the only way, because there's so much out there you don't know, and science progresses so fast...
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Sometimes things are not well explained online, or I don't want to look it up, so I just ask a friend
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So you have a good sense of community here?
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You could say so, amongst those of us who know each other well, since it's always changing here.
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Friendships are always rotating, because if business doesn't work out for someone, they leave. And like that, little friends are left, and those are the ones you ask when you have a doubt.
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Do you also repair things for your friends or family?
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Of course. I have done it, repairing for friends or family.
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But I haven't put up a sign or something, and most people don't know. Why? Because if I put up a sign at home, I'm risking that someone come knocking on my door.
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And normally here when someone knocks it not to ask you something, but to rob you.
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That's why I haven't put up a sign. Only with business cards, family members and friends.
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I was thinking more about if you help a friend out with a reparation.
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Normally that happens. Because people ask me what I'm up to these days, since my work was a restaurant before.
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"What are you doing these days?" they ask me. I work on computers. "Oh, let me give you a call".
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Nowadays everyone has their laptop, they no longer use PCs. I also fix laptops.
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Since it's people that trust you, they leave you their things, you fix and repair it and give it back. With that trust, you know?
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Where are your clients from?
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Clients mainly come from the province, because there's little service in province.
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And if there is a technician, it can be expensive.
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So they come to this market, Leticia, which is well-known now in Lima.
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They see that there are many new and cheap replacement parts here.
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But there's a problem here, which has been emerging for a while now.
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People are being cheated, too much.
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And when a cheated client says "there's fraud in Leticia", that refers to all of us.
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And so even if it's a certain sector, it affects the whole market.
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Where is the furthest you've received clients?
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Iquitos - the Selva-jungle region. Chiclayo.
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And people who come from the jungle, what do they bring?
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They bring their laptops, because it's very expensive there.
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Or, they are told there are no replacement parts, so they come to Lima.
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If they see it's comfortable, they have it done here.
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Because something I would charge 100, in the jungle they charge 300 for the same thing.
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Anything you'd like to add?
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I wish people would always carry out these reports and analysis like you.
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It's important, not only so you can see the worries not only of this product - computers - but also of all the things that are done here.
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And it's good for those who are studying to focus on those who want to push forward and improve their conditions.
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Thank you.
