There is a whole class of people who are smart enough to fix simple things, but not smart enough to recognize their limited ability. They will strip out all the screws on the machine and then claim warranty after replacing random electronic components on the control board. In reality the problem will be a dirty contact that is a 5 minute fix.
In a world where people know less and less about how to solve problems themselves, I think repair skills are incredibly important for people to have.
Personally, I would happily pay more if you show me what you're doing and/or explain what I did wrong :)
And how did you build the skillset to do this as a side job if it wasn't by making the attempt yourself using available information and learning? Isn't your position just ladder-pulling that creates a population of less informed and less capable people?
Exploring the boundaries of one's own ability is not being "not smart enough." It's learning.
(I once bought a grass rake with 2 or 3 dozen metal tines, and it arrived with a huge sticker across all the tines. Which when I attempted to peel off, left a scattered layers of paper hard glued to all the tines. Not happy.
Same with a rolling hot dog cooker. Glued “temporary” sales sticker covering half the transparent hinged top. Not happy.)
My usual flow chart: Nothing, water, alcohol, goo gone.
I’ve never ended up with a marred surface.
Otherwise, yes!
Hell I've got a 55 year old piece of electronic equipment here with the serial number sticker still on it.
It still worked last time I plugged it in. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find someone to calibrate it when the 40’s roll around again. :-)
But even without that calculus, you can put a bunch of stickers on, all over the machine. They cost nothing and can be applied automatically. Better yet, punch it into some central metal part of the washing machine like the VIN on a car.
Hosting a product manual doesn't need to be some whizbang React SPA with the framework of the month. It can be plain HTML that will work for 30 years.