Caveat Emptor

[Dingo]

Often, I am asked why I charge what I do to do electrical work and installations. I had one guy tell me Best Buy would do a job for $99. I quoted him $255. He asked if I'd match their price, and I said sure, when they match my experience and work.



Installers and mechanics aren't paid for what they do. They're paid for what they know that their customers don't know. This article illustrates my point.

 

[Todd Z]

LOL,



Experience and quality of work doesn't mean any thing any more....



IF some one can get it $5.00 cheaper thats where they will go.....Plain and simple..



Todd Z

 

[JK II]

CC is a joke when it comes to installers.

 

[Fudged Undies]

Much like it is for many things. One of my favorite examples....

A factory has stopped production due to a machine problem. They call a guy to fix the problem. He walks into the factory and presses a button and the factory comes to life again. He proceeds to give a bill for $10,000. The owner says "but all you did was press a button." The guy takes the bill and corrects it. It reads as follows:



Pressing a button: $1.00

Knowing which button to press: $9,999.00



An example I often use with clients who complain about what I charge.

 

[Kevin Lang]

You're saying that he expected circuit city to install all those new speakers and the nav unit for only 99 dollars? That's a problem right there, though no one should screw up that badly.



Although, for just labor alone, 99 bucks if it had just been the head unit is rather wrong.



And this is why I install as much as I can mahself. I now _really_ question best buy's install of my friend's radio...

 

[Dingo]

Nah, the $99 is from a separate story. I don't know what the dude in the article paid. What I DO know is that I wouldn't install an AVIC-Z2 for $99. That thing's kind of a pain to install.

 

[LaRue Medlin]

That's like my job,,, why should I drive 28 miles accross town to unlock a car for less than my 40$ charge? "That's way to much to pay" I hear it all the time. OK,,, 28 miles there, 28 miles back = 56 miles, at 14mpg, that's 4 gals of gas @ 3.25 = 9.75. rounded off to 10,,, 30 to unlock the car. Step 2,, wear and tear on the truck,,, I hour of my time,,, and 4 years of experience. NAHHHH my prices are too high.......... CALL ANOTHER LOCKSMITH!:angry:



They should be lucky to be in Sumter....... Columbia or at the Beach,,, minimum charge is 75$ Even if they are accross the street.

 

[Bill Barber]

you need to charge for what you can do, not what you do, in my medical Buis, it s $125.00 per hr,$140.00 per day if you want me on call 24/7, doing nothing.

but call me at 2 AM, i will be there in 20 mins.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Most of the guys I have known that installed radios for a living, received their initial training by removing radios from parked cars. They removed them at no charge.



My ex-fiancee's daughter's boyfriend worked for one of these places and once offered me a really nice head unit, installed for only $150. I didn't take the offer, even though I really hated the stock stereo in my ST.



Another guy in high school worked at one of those places before he came to the grocery store we worked at. He was always able to help people when they locked their keys in their cars.



These guys may be the exception, but I don't really expect much professionalism from the average installer.