I recently had a foray into the world of orbital welding repair, a subject I admittedly knew nothing about. A manufacturing facility used by my company had a large, industrial pipe split at a junction. It essentially stopped all other operations at the facility and therefore needed to be fixed immediately. The site engineer said it was a welding issue but on a far larger scale than what our repair equipment could handle. Beyond that assessment, he didn’t know much more about the specifics of a fix.
After some cursory research, I realized the orbital field is highly specialized. More often than not, the word ‘specialized’ equates to expensive. Also, having to rely on others for expertise or information about an esoteric subject can be straining unless there is open and honest communication from the beginning. The last thing I want is to be overcharged for a service without clearly understanding what the service really does.
Fortunately, I was able to avoid buying equipment by going through a rental company. I didn’t have concerns about what was being done by them, because the technician they sent out with the equipment was not only personable, but also thoroughly knowledgeable and informative. He walked me through the steps he’d be taking to fix the problem and gave me a timeline that stayed unaltered.
It’s important to do your homework before you sign off on a job you don’t fully understand. Never be afraid to ask questions because, after all, you’re paying for it.