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Re: Should of got a deposit.
Sometimes you don’t need the hassle for customers fishing for hints and tips let alone quibbling over free estimates and call out fee.
I’ve always been upfront with my fees. If they argue, Walk away.
I had a complaint from a disabled customer who was fleeced by my rivals. Basically charged her £45 call out fee to check Bosch washer dryer and says need new drain pump. But what he failed to mentioned that he is charging an extra £79 for labour plus £80 for new pump when he came back to fit it. I was speechless that someone would do such thing like that. I checked out his website, no mention of labour charge just call out plus parts. This customer was really irate that she was charged in total £204. This should have costed her no more than £80 if I did the job. Sadly she did not know about me until her friend recommended me when her oven element blew out. I encouraged her to complain to the rival and point out the excessive charges.
You need to be fair with the charges and yes you will get someone saying so n so domestic appliance repair do free estimates. I say feel free to call him and let me know if he can fit you in today or tomorrow otherwise I can fit you in this afternoon or tomorrow first thing but my charges still stands. People wants you to come out yesterday after phoning you this morning rather wait for a whole week. People with free estimate are often busy based on my observation.
Re: Should of got a deposit.
We used to get a lot of the Free Estimate Boys working our area, over the years they have come and gone. Free appeals to a certain sector of the market, those who want you to use your time and expertise and materials and assets to LOOK at their broken appliance. We have let them get on with it for the best part of 40 years and have always charged a diagnostic fee refundable off the repair costs and for a small charge the customer has out time and honest opinion. With fuel, Insurance, premises costs where applicable, at an all time high if someone wants to spend their day driving round for nothing let them get on with it I say. Our main competition these days are not the local guys but the likes of BG, 0800, Repair Care etc and they do not come out for nothing. I appreciate however that in certain rural areas it could be a problem operating with fees as described but then again you have to take that into account when setting up a business in a location as this.
Re: Should of got a deposit.
Hi Squaddie: I did take the fee situation into account when I started out up here & I was charging a fee, at that time my nearest competition was 8 miles away & everyone was charging a callout charge. Now i’ve got 3 competitors basically in the same village & they don’t charge any callout or for estimates, my other competitors going further afield are all going the same way with no callout charges etc. Asked a woman in the village yesterday why she had a firm from 20 miles away to do her machine & the answer I got was that they gave free callout & diagnostic service and they clean the machine once they’ve finished the repair, I give up with these people they might as well give the parts free as well.
Re: Should of got a deposit.
The way I have always done it is a call out charge is due on the first visit then If I have to order parts I deduct that of the agreed total, if they don’t want an repair then they just pay the initial call out, if its BER and a very short call out i even reduce the charge to £15 or £20 (normally bearings on a welded tank) regardless of if I order or repair I walk away from the call the first time with money.
Every one is happy
Re: Should of got a deposit.
I always give a price before I call out. If it turns out to be a dearer repair they can deceide not to bother and I don’t charge anything.
There is a lot of competition in my area, if I tried to charge and callout fee I would never get enough call to make a living. as it is the majority of my customers love the fact that they know the price beforehand.
The customer who I told the wrong faulty part was bitten by the urge to fix the fault himself. He didn’t give a shit that I had waisted my time and effort and my money on a replacement part.
I don’t see how that makes me a cowboy. people who take advantage of the free callout to fish for the fault are just ignorant about the costs involved when running a small business.Re: Should of got a deposit.
If the tight buggers won’t pay, pack it in and concentrate on the area of work where you can earn a crust.
I did free call out for a long time, and I always found the customers wanted a cheap job, making profit margins very tight.
It could be down to where you advertise. I found local papers were the worst, most calls were in the council estates with many customers wanting it all done on the cheap.
A customer that will pay a callout charge is serious about a repair and you can make a fair profit for your services and tend to be in better areas, where you can build a reputation that will gain you recommendations to others in that area.The idiots that want you to bend over backward and all for free want a cheap fix after their giro gets paid. Let your rivals have these customers, they are no good to your business.
I don’t turn away work by telling them I charge for a call out, I only get rid of the time wasters and poor payers.
When I first started charging for call outs, my call rate fell like a stone, but my profits did not, because I used less diesel going to fewer calls, but every call I went to paid me for my time and fuel.
Think about it.Re: Should of got a deposit.
Gazman1000 wrote: I used less diesel going to fewer calls, but every call I went to paid me for my time and fuel.
Think about it.
Exactly. Even if you just charge a nominal fee, 20 quid or whatever, the piss takers will magically melt away.Quality over quantity every time IMO
Re: Should of got a deposit.
To survive you do what ever the market requires you to do, if that means you can survive doin free estimates, fine, if it means doin other work you are competent to do, great…. it also means that if your losing money and cannot move with the market etc etc maybe its worth working in Asda.
The worst mistake though is standing still and hoping things get better, they wont after a recession, crisis, it will never return to how it was.
Its simple economics. In my experience free estimate guys rarely survive beyond a few yrs or change, its very easy being employed, being self employed and successful requires some skill, many lack that skill.
Re: Should of got a deposit.
Been working for myself for over 20 years now. Had many ups and downs, rental washer business was the worse, nearly every machine and the renter disappeared after a few months of renting. It’s all part of the learning curve.
You get it right in the end.
Mod edit Uploaded your pic via the upload attachment button 😉Don
Re: Should of got a deposit.
walnut wrote:Been working for myself for over 20 years now. Had many ups and downs, rental washer business was the worse, nearly every machine and the renter disappeared after a few months of renting. It’s all part of the learning curve.
You get it right in the end.
Mod edit Uploaded your pic via the upload attachment button 😉Don
There you go… The clue on customers profiling – rented machines and renter disappearing = dishonest customers with very little cash or lack the skills to get a job to earn money to buy a machine and be serious about repairs.
To be blunt, it’s either you are being soft or simply you are operating in an area that are deprived littered with work shy residents, social housing residents with limited means of income.
You said its a learning curve but are you learning and make changes? You need to look at your competition, ask customers why they chose you over Joe bloggs domestics, be firm with your fees. Target different areas, give yourself a makeover.
Sometimes its hard to keep up with the changes especially with free estimates, sub standard appliances, customers fishing for tips – you have allowed your customers to take advantage of you and your business at your expense. Put your foot down, be upfront with your fees and you will be able to sort out the good and bad customers. Be firm and fair.
Re: Should of got a deposit.
It seems we all charge in different ways and what works for me in my area may not work for you in your area. One thing I know is that we are NOT the cheapest by a long way, however perhaps the fact that we have glowing reviews and appear to offer better overall value keeps us busy?
I would say if you aren’t getting the work then look at your business from your potential customers point of view – and then ask am I shopping purely on price alone? What else would make me choose one repairer over another?
When you buy tyres for your van do you buy from the cheapest supplier? You may do, but not if you have to waste half a day waiting for them to be fitted! Also if someone else is a little more expensive but checks all your fluid levels and does a wash and polish while the tyres are being changed……
Re: Should of got a deposit.
Got to say i ran around for years doing free estimates ,lost count of the times that i came in spitting feathers at a customers brass neck ,i was working long hours but did make a living just not the kind of living that i thought i should be earning for the hours put in .Around four years ago i decided enough was enough and i started charging a fee for diagnosis mainly because i wanted to be time richer ,i have to say it has been the best move i ever did not only have i got more time to myself but i have more cash in the bank ,my customers are of a better class and i know longer have to deal with the world owes me a living type of person .I have been able to replace both my vans with new ones and noticed that the mileage on both has dropped from around 25000 to 21000 a year . Have i lost customers ? yes but on the whole just the ones that used to waste my time Cras
Re: Should have got a deposit.
I have rarely had a problem over the years but I have just changed my job sheet wording to say that I won’t touch anything until they sign an agreement to pay a call out charge if they don’t want it repaired or a £20 deposit if I need to come back later after ordering part(s). I went to a Beko washer that was clonking on spin. The bottom stone was a little loose and I tightened it. I then noticed a huge hole in the door rubber and didn’t have one. She told me come back the day after tomorrow to fit the new rubber. Come the morning of the day of the call, I got a text from her saying don’t call as her father in law had one and has fitted it, sorry for messing you about. I rang her and said what about paying for my call and tightening the bolts up? I’ll send it down, she said. Yeah right, we know.
This free estimate thing narks me, I used to do TV repairs until 2 years ago because I can’t do flat panel sets. TV sets can’t really be estimated at all, 99{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the job is finding the fault in many instances. After 2 hours of fault finding the repair may only be a quick dab of a soldering iron but they would say just give me a price without doing any work, how in hell are you supposed to do that?
Re: Should of got a deposit.
I had a request to look at a lady’s washing machine. Bosch washer with blocked drain pump. Basically I was working at a property dealing with AEG double oven, their next door neighbour saw my van and left a note asking I pop by to fix her machine. She phoned my wife who then told me that her machine is not draining and would need help to drain the water and release her washing,
Luckily I finished the AEG job early and had a spare 2 hours before lunch. Thinking I could make a killing there as I do not need to travel and tackle two properties in one morning. Upon arrival to next door, found her machine stopped with water half way up the drum. Told her that my fees applies, she asked “why?” After all I am in the area and not as if I went out of my way to visit her. I explained that I don’t do things for nothing and therefore draining your machine and release the washing is chargeable as I have overheads to pay. She says but I was paid by next door so why am I asking for payment as I’m in the area. I explained that next door has nothing to do with her. If you don’t want to pay then I will leave and let you find someone else to do drain the water out.
She says fine and was left with a washing machine full of washing drowned in half a tub of water. All the best to her to find someone who will do it for free but not me!
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