NolaTigaBait

Ok, i need to vent....
I get a call saturday morning around 11...i'm already at the Hornets game. The customer leaves a message which i return as soon as the game is over. I meet her at the house around 4pm. She tells me that het a/c, dryer, etc isn't working. I diagnose the problem within minutes, turns out she has a burnted lug on the meter. She insists i give her a price right away, i give it to her off the top of my head and she says ok do. I schedule it for Monday morning. As i', leaving she ask, "do i owe you anything?" Stupidly i respond, "don't worry about it." I figure i'm ok, since she gave me the job.
I get the call first thing monday morning. She wants to get another price and she is now not the only owner of the house she just lives there blah blah blah. Turns out she hires one of the big companies, who probably charges 3 times what i estimated.
So, i call her and ask for a minimum service call and she says that it is ridiculous b/c i "didn't do ANYTHING"....So, what do you guys think?....where did i go wrong?

seo

Not taking money when she asked if she owed you anything.

william1978

Next time someone ask do I owe you anything you need to already have a price in your head so you can pop it right out so that you atleast cover what you have involved in diagnose the problem.

NolaTigaBait

thanks you for this well thought out constructive answer...DUH...thats pretty obvious now...I've made this mistake many times....What do you do?..this wasn't an estimate initially though it turned out to be...It was a service call....
Do you guys charge for estimates, then say you'll take it off the price if you get the job?

william1978

This is a good idea. Then bump the price to cover the estimates.

Black4Truck

Service call is $75.00.. for that she knows what is wrong and house is not going to burn down. Tell her IF you get the job, there is no charge for the service call and you will take $75.00 off the estimate.

It is better to eat the money and get a happy customer who will give your name to someone she knows.

BuzzKill

Agreed, although prices may vary.

BuzzKill

oh yeah Nola, how'd the Saints do in the draft?

Frasbee

Forget the Saints, hopefully the dumb$hits in Philly will be able to pull it off finally.

Arc Angle

diagnosis means the HO has to pay money. you drove out there, looked at the shiz, figured out the problem, and came up with a solution. If they want to pay you to fix the problem thats great. If they just want to know what the problem is so they can shop around for a cheaper rate to fix it, don't tell them the problem till you have money in your hands for the diagnosis/service call. I do a lot of mechanical diagnosis on cars. everybody want's to know what is wrong, but when you tell them what it is going to cost to fix it, they start shopping around.

a service call is a service call, you need to be paid for your time to diagnose the problem, even if somebody else gets the job. dont tell them what they need until you have $$$$$$$ in hand.

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Arc Angle - Geometry will save us.

Tiger

First charge a diagnostic/troubleshoot fee. Then be prepared to quote the repair and do the repair at the time you diagnose the problem. What if that burned lug had started a fire before Monday morning? Seems like you shot yourself in the foot on this one.

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www.TigerElectrical.com

NolaTigaBait

you're are 100% right!...i turned off the main...the supply house didn't open back until monday...i guess i gave her too much time to think

NolaTigaBait

Tiger, i take it you flat-rate price as well?...jeez, i really need to start doing this

Black4Truck

Another thing 1 man shops (like me) forget is if we sent out a truck and repair man, it costs money. Labor, gas, and insurance ads up quick. Always think of yourself as an employee of the company and NOT the owner.

Joefixit2

I think you would have been better off mailing her an official invoice rather than calling her up on the phone to ask for payment. I have had situations like this. When you left on Saturday, you left an open ticket. When she elected not to use you for the repair,that closed the ticket and initiated the invoice.

John Valdes

I agree. How could she let you walk away without fixing the problem. I can tell you I would not go without power from Saturday to Monday.
When I did service work we did not have had the luxury to wait until after the game to call back. We called right away and made arrangements to arrive later. Otherwise someone else would get the call out.

NolaTigaBait

this is good advice....

NolaTigaBait

Apparently, she wasn't the sole owner of the house and when i gave her a price to fix it, she deffered to the other owner/owners(i don't know the whole strory) to pay for the repair-which they did by hiring someone else...i don't even know if my price was an issue

brown1806

Hey, it happens....just learn from your mistakes.....and try to get at least half up front.....that's it what I do....

480sparky

Good luck with that.... in most places, you'll starve to death if you always demand half up front.

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