Car dealerships and target don't send someone out to my home to show me what they have to offer and quote me prices. Auto repair shops don't come out to my home to look at my vehicle to give me a free estimate on the repair costs. I have to take my vehicle to them. Ask them to look at your car for free and then give you a free estimate and see what they say. They charge a fee just to look at your car and thats when you bring it to them.
I had a company come out to look at my big screen tv. They charged a $40 trip charge plus a $40 diagnostic fee. It cost me $80 to have them come out and look at it. Took him 5 min. to determine the problem. The estimate was free. It was the trip charge and diagnostic fee I was paying for. He had to order the part and come back another day to make the repair.
Why should we be any different.
I charge a service fee of $39.50 to come out. If I were charging for the estimate it would be alot more than $39.50
I had a customer call wanting me to come out and inspect the home that they were going to sell and give them a estimate to repair any problems that I found. I informed them that a fee would be charged for the inspection. After inspecting the home I presented them with the invoice, a list of problems and an estimate for the repairs. They felt that they shouldn't have to pay anything and it should all be part of the free estimate. I spent a little over an hour inspecting their home. I informed them that the estimate was free it was the inspection that they were being billed for.
If a customer would like to bring their home out to me I will gladly wave the $39.50 fee.
[This message has been edited by A-Line (edited 08-02-2005).]
