Gentlemen,
There are people in the business who look for customers who have cars
for which they are not in a hurry. These cars are used for fill-in work
during slow periods in the shop, so the shop operator can afford to keep
his staff.
A problem arises when the Shop asks "When do you want it" as an
estimate is being prepared, and the car owner says "Whenever."
Months later, the car is not visibly improved and the owner gets itchy.
The shop knows that by scheduling the work at the regular pace, it will
now have to charge the regular rate. Conflict is brewing, because the
owner will only understand the estimate, and not the new cost, plus the
yet-to-be discovered problems that will have to be worked on also.
The shop is paying 30-40% of its gross payroll for Workers Comp, 6.75%
for Fica and Medicare, xx% to the state for unemployment insurance, yy%
to th Feds for unemployment insurance, $$ for being a corporation in its
state, $$ for having a sales tax number in its state, $$ for being a
producer of "Hazardous Waste", $$ for getting disposal of said "Hazardous
Waste", $$ for insurance of all sorts, plus insurance in case the
hazardous waste isn't really disposed of properly by the people he paid
to dispose of it properly.
The costs of the shop continue, regardless of the work being done.
True, the lad changing the tyre and bending your wheel may be paid only
$8.00 per hour, but he costs the shop a lot more, especially when the
$8/hr employee forgets to show up for a couple of days.
On Wed, 27 Aug 1997 15:20:10 +0000 "Scott Gardner" <gardner@lwcomm.com>
writes:
>> Scott:
>>
>> FIRST - you won't pay the going rate so do NOT except to get the
>same
>> treatment!! If you pay me the $ 55-65 Chicago prevailing rate I
>will damn
>> sure you and your baby are done in a very timly manner. You want to
>accept
>> my regular shop rate of $ 30/hour then you wait while some IDIOT
>pays me that
>> rate to fix a flat tire.!
>>
>> NEXT QUESTION?!?!?!?!?!?
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Ed
>Ed,
> I'm confused, enlighten me. Your labor rate is $25/hour
>cheaper than
>the area average, so I should shut up and you'll work on it when
>you damn well please, even though I'm paying the same rate as your
>other customers?
> It seems we're back to the same scenario--My car takes bottom
>precedence over faster, more profitable jobs, presumably until the
>tires of the world stop going flat at $15-$20 a pop plus parts, and
>you decide to spend a few minutes with it. And for this treatment,
>I'm paying the same rate as everyone else that comes into your
>shop??
> Do you explain this to your prospective restoration customers
>and tell them that in all likelihood, The Presidency will change
>hands at least once before they get their car back, or do you just
>let the realization slowly dawn on them? Why don't you just put up
>a sign that says "In the interests of my profit margin, only quick,
>labor-intensive jobs with few parts involved will be done here."
>(tune-ups, oil changes, tire changes, etc.) After all, why should you
>spend ten hours EARNING your $30/hour on my car when you can change
>sixty tires in the same amount of time and call it a day? You know,
>it's not really fair to even charge $30/hour if you're going to
>spend all your time spinning a lug wrench and pouring oil. A
>trained monkey, or at the very least, an unskilled laborer can do
>that, and they don't deserve $30/hour for it. I used to charge
>$100/hour for emergency computer servicing, but I wouldn't be
>able
>to look myself in the mirror if I took my college degree and years
>of technical training and put it to use changing out floppy drives
>and motherboard batteries at $100/hour just because it was quick and
>easy.
> I don't like your condescending attitude, or the fact that you
>
>refer to your most profitable customers as "Idiots". I don't know
>which disgusts me more, the fact that you exist, or the fact that
>you're so unabashed about your work ethics. If you don't want to do
>restoration work, turn the jobs away, but if someone pays you your
>thirty dollars an hour, they have every right to expect their car not
>to get shuffled to the back of the deck in favor of every flat tire
>and oil change that comes along.
>
>Scott Gardner
>gardner@lwcomm.com
>
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