ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Business Related Discussion service call

Right and how do these guys get away with it? I'll tell you. It's because we are stupid. Most of us are not businessmen we are electricians. See how the appliance repair guy gets a credit card before even leaving the shop? Customer doesn't like it? Call somebody else and they want a credit card too! Try and get your car back from the shop without paying in full. Don't like the charges? You'll be driving the shoe leather express until you pay up.

Then you get people in our industry who say that the customer demands this and that and if I don't knuckle under I won't have any work. BS! Those guys above seem to have plenty of work.

-Hal

Hal, I don't think we are stupid.

I am just saying, I would never pay for an estimate, sounds pretty smart to me.

However some people will, and if you can cater to them, you got something going.

I even bet someone could make a business out of giving estimates. If the roofers charged $150 for an estimate, then bid the job so high no-one would take you seriously. That would be about $150hr for no work involved, except taking a ladder off the truck.

Pretty good money for nothing.


Dnk.....

I am just saying, I would never pay for an estimate, sounds pretty smart to me.

And what I'm saying is if we ALL charged for estimates people like you wouldn't have a choice. That's what garages, appliance service and other trades do and that's pretty smart.

If a customer doesn't like one EC's deal they can always find another who they can take advantage of.

-Hal

""And what I'm saying is if we ALL charged for estimates people like you wouldn't have a choice. """


Now that's not a good statement, not giving consumers a choice?

Now that is excatly what the "scammers" that I refer to in other posts say, I hope you really didn't mean it.

If you do, you are scaring me.


Dnk..........

Not everyone who calls is your customer!

Somebody wants T&M, or oversee our material costs and mark-up........Not our customer.

Somebody wants a free estimate......Not our customer.

Somebody needs managements permission to OK a bill or terms of payment other than upon completion........Not our customer

That doesn't mean their not somebody's else customer, or that a different type of EC than us can't serve them and be profitable. It simply means we can't.

Clearly defining what and how you deliver your services, allows you to manage your business and retain your profitability. Catering to every possible call and situation allows you to maintain your "job" that you can't quit. Probably not the dream you envisioned when you decided to open your business.

Thank you, wilkie, well said.



[This message has been edited by LK (edited 07-31-2005).]

Now that's not a good statement, not giving consumers a choice?

Why should I have to give consumers a choice? Why is that my job and what's that have to do with scamming? Now you are scaring me.

For instance if I take the lead from the rest of the EC's in a town and realize that free estimates to tire kickers are costing me money why shouldn't I start charging for them? That's a business decision and there is nothing dishonest about it. If a customer can't find someone who will give them a free estimate that's not my problem.

-Hal

Thanks Wilkie, Yes we should move forward and not worry about what the other ECs want to Charge.

For all I know he could do things cheaper because he had called another EC posing as a Customer to see what his rate is and shaved a few dollars off to be cheaper.

Then the EC he called could of done the same

Hal - DNK is correct, our customer base (retail/commercial) covers a very wide spectrum. Some of these guys are very sharp about electrical (and other) service. While we do have minimums some of the larger retail customers have a T&M requirement after the minimum is met.

Free estimates? We stopped that practice several years ago. Because of the customer base we choose to work for. If allowed, they would use us as a pricing service so we decided that there would be no free quotes.