Brian, I tend to agree...
But...
I've found that these jobs generally create "return work" that is even smaller and less profitable. And when particularly busy is the most likely time that your "loyal customer" will call, and want the same good value as before...
A recent job (
service change ) that I only made $8 per hour on is becoming the job-that-won't-go-away. Just today, she called me to say that she's getting the on-demand water heater this week and I still haven't talked to the EE about changing the Xformer to a 25KVA. I may have actually got a little snotty with her on the phone, the EE is out for deer season, and there's nothing I can do for 9 days. She asks "should I get electric or LP then" and I say, "I can't guarantee that the EE will put in a new Xformer, and I don't want to absorb the cost of that if he won't!"
So she'll wait, and I look like the bad guy.
</rant>