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| 27 Apr 2011 03:11 AM |
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I've made a nice living recycling solid surface countertops for customers and have done it many times. One guy sold his house and the buyer told him he could take his Corian, another bought a display from a closing showroom. Once before I pulled granite tops, the customer replaced the cabinets and I reinstalled the tops.
Today I installed garage-sale granite. Yep, the guy bought the granite at a garage sale and I installed it for him. His uninstaller cut through the rodding and destroyed the sink but I was able to reassemble everything on the top. I repaired a couple of chips at the sink. The cutout for the sink is for some $1,500.00 Italian job, he's installing a $150.00 closeout sink that comes close to matching the polished cutout.
With my bill, the cost of the garage-sale granite and the closeout sink, the guy will probably pay $600.00 or so for 50SF of a dark Uba Tuba.
Joe |
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Tom M
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| 27 Apr 2011 02:14 PM |
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That's true "Green", if you ask me. |
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...those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
-C.S. Lewis |
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David Gerard
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| 27 Apr 2011 03:16 PM |
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Nice.
We have had requests to install showroom tops in the past. We gave a price with no warranty. The customer should have come to us first before they got sucked into the big box sales pitch. Just too much $$ to make new seams here and there and of coarse a complete repolish.
Im all for doing it you can though. |
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| insomnia crossed with dyslexia and atheist beliefs may lead one to lay awake all night wondering if there really is a "Dog" |
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John Christensen
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| 27 Apr 2011 03:49 PM |
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Nice Job, Joe. It is all good when it can work out that way. Many times it is just not worth it.
Johnny C |
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Len Smith
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| 28 Apr 2011 03:24 AM |
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Very cool, Joe. |
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| 29 Apr 2011 12:05 AM |
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Thanks everybody, but I got my a$$ handed to me the next morning. After complete satisfaction and payment, this customer called me yesterday morning bitching that I hadn't top polished the seams. He was oblivious to the fact that cost more money, he wanted it done with no additional payment.
I mailed back his check.
Joe |
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Len Smith
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| 29 Apr 2011 08:45 PM |
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You should have just mailed half of it back to him. |
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KCWOOD
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| 30 Apr 2011 12:35 AM |
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Posted By Kowboy on 28 Apr 2011 07:05 PM
Thanks everybody, but I got my a$$ handed to me the next morning. After complete satisfaction and payment, this customer called me yesterday morning bitching that I hadn't top polished the seams. He was oblivious to the fact that cost more money, he wanted it done with no additional payment.
I mailed back his check.
Joe Joe... You really need to stay with what you do best... Being a student  This is one more reason. there needs to be a website, kinda a reverse of Angies list, where one trade can warn other trades of problems they have had dealing with a specific homeowner.. You are just too kind Joe... I would have said I could come back for a fee... I never would have returned their check... sometimes you have to treat bottom feeders like they want to treat you... |
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| 30 Apr 2011 02:12 AM |
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This is a cost of doing business, nothing more and nothing less, just like an electric bill or abrasives. You can't let your rent get too high and you can't pick too many bad customers.
It wasn't worth it to me to have this guy complain to servicemagic, the Better Business Bureau and blab all over the internet. If he does now, I'll just say "I refunded all his money." That pretty much trumps anything he has to say.
Joe |
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Tom M
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| 30 Apr 2011 02:18 PM |
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While I admire the principled stand, I wonder if you returning the money actually has the reverse effect. The curious consumer may think that, by returning it so easily, you are conceding there was a problem on your end with the quality or professionalism of your service.
If you went and polished the seams the next day, you would still be out some of your money, but the customer could report that there was a misunderstanding between him and you, but you stood up and took care of the problem.
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KC, that is an interesting idea. I wonder if it could be legally done? |
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...those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
-C.S. Lewis |
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John Christensen
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| 30 Apr 2011 03:36 PM |
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I like Toms answer. But I never met the customer.
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| 01 May 2011 12:11 AM |
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Posted By Tom M on 30 Apr 2011 09:18 AM
While I admire the principled stand, I wonder if you returning the money actually has the reverse effect. The curious consumer may think that, by returning it so easily, you are conceding there was a problem on your end with the quality or professionalism of your service.
If you went and polished the seams the next day, you would still be out some of your money, but the customer could report that there was a misunderstanding between him and you, but you stood up and took care of the problem.
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KC, that is an interesting idea. I wonder if it could be legally done?
Tom: You make a good point. What really did it for me was when it came time to pay, I included my drive time. Every since I've been in the repair business, I charge for drive time. Every single person who's ever called me has had that explained as part of my minimum charge. I would no more forget to tell it to a potential customer than I would forget to put on my pants. This guy insisted that I NEVER told him I charge for drive time. When he said that, I knew he was a liar. Once I know you have no integrity, I want to terminate our business relationship as soon as possible. Yes, I could have went back and top polished his seams for no money but since he beat me up on my drive time, I had little appetite for another round with the liar. Who knows what his next fantasy might be? KC has an excellent idea, I don't know why it would be illegal. Joe |
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Tom M
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| 03 May 2011 03:11 PM |
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Maybe you can use a catch phrase as a mnemonic device:
"I use the plumber's method for billing - portal to portal. The clock starts when I leave my house."
Or something that will click when you remind them of this fact. |
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...those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
-C.S. Lewis |
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Andy Graves
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| 31 Jul 2011 05:21 PM |
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How about "I charge for drive time, but I'm worth it" |
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FabNet Administrator
andy@thefabricatornetwork.com
Countertop Company - www.OliveMill.com |
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Norm Walters
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| 01 Aug 2011 02:11 PM |
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I have had the conversation about drive time with my customers. I simply ask them if they work for someone would they drive from one location to another and not be paid for the time. The truth is not only would they get paid for the time but they would also be reimbursed for the mileage or write it off at the end of the year as an unreimbursed employee expense.
You can't have four hours of work scheduled in an eight hour day, at four different loacations and only get paid for four hours, they wouldn't do it, neither should you. |
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| www.normwaltersconstruction.com |
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Gene McDonald
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| 19 Aug 2011 08:40 PM |
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You want a free estimate...come to shop with plans or some other dipstick who spent ten hours making cutlists and including the drawer features of hardware and where the seams will be and how much he or she will do it for after they invested all that time..
.let me see the confidential bid and Ill see if i can do it it ten bux cheaper...cause someone else did all the real work for me...even drove to customers house and showed the whole family samples three times...then they wanted them to open up on saturday to bring the flooring guy to match it up...hmmm Oh and then actually wrote down the materail MFG number of the material...yeah I guess than I do free estimates...
Plus customers always tell why do i charge estimates...and they say everyone is free...I say if all estimates are free ...why do they hafta write the word free then?
also I telll them people who do that run around town 100 times and drawing up plans like a bootleg designer also...how are they going to recoup that money...its on the next victim..i mean customer who buys off them..
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| www.gotgreencountertops.com |
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| 22 Aug 2011 01:41 AM |
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Gene:
Guys who spend inordinate amounts of time estimating for potential customers and not getting their share of jobs are not properly qualifying potential customers. If you can't get a budget number out of a customer and assess whether or not they are buyers or shoppers, you deserve to have your time wasted until you can.
Joe |
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Andy Graves
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| 23 Aug 2011 04:43 AM |
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Posted By Kowboy on 21 Aug 2011 08:41 PM
Gene:
Guys who spend inordinate amounts of time estimating for potential customers and not getting their share of jobs are not properly qualifying potential customers. If you can't get a budget number out of a customer and assess whether or not they are buyers or shoppers, you deserve to have your time wasted until you can.
Joe
How do you get a budgeted number out of a customer? Are you suggesting I ask a commercial contractor what they have budgeted for the countertops? I doubt they would tell me, but would be interesting if you have some experience doing so. |
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John Christensen
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| 23 Aug 2011 06:31 PM |
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Posted By Kowboy on 21 Aug 2011 08:41 PM
Gene:
Guys who spend inordinate amounts of time estimating for potential customers and not getting their share of jobs are not properly qualifying potential customers. If you can't get a budget number out of a customer and assess whether or not they are buyers or shoppers, you deserve to have your time wasted until you can.
Joe
Sounds like going to a car dealership and telling the salesman that you have $$$ to spend. How much will you sell me that car for? Johnny C |
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| 24 Aug 2011 11:03 PM |
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Posted By Andy Graves on 22 Aug 2011 11:43 PM
How do you get a budgeted number out of a customer? Are you suggesting I ask a commercial contractor what they have budgeted for the countertops? I doubt they would tell me, but would be interesting if you have some experience doing so.
Andy: I was speaking of retail customers, not commercial. Sorry I was not more clear. When I'm speaking to a potential retail customer I may say "The last job I did similiar to yours was $2,000.00. Are you comfortable in that range?" Now shutup. I don't care how long or uncomfortable the silence. First one to speak loses. If they don't have a realistic budget, move on. Joe |
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