Thread: i have lost it???

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well thanks everyone.yes i think dave and some other hit on it my shop is not the hi rent look that demands the big time money look no waiting room or flashy store front .smaller shop but ? i have a long list of engines and other work. i do not think anyone has said i was not worth it? i have some very good runners out there . i try to keep the shop looking clean . but the cost of doing this stuff has to go up or i can not do any thing for anyone and i will lose my shop thats just the way it is .i know that if it is cheap it can not be good and if it coast more it right???? i think this guy that has the boat engines is this way. after someone gets the big money he hauls has stuff to me and i make it work so many times the list is long . but now i think he just thinks i should do him a favor . he giving me the job i am the best around ?YES.. but maybe not really he may think? i still think he.. thinks the hi rent way.. but i demonstrated to him he was wrong so many time my stuff works.. i want to be paid a far price. it is he wants great work and it for free .i work at a big boat yard for 3 years i work on as many as 4 boats or more a day. no one got the deal .no cash no splash

Pat, my favorite saying to a customer is I didn't buy it,build it,nor break it,I'm just trying to fix it for you. I learned a long time ago not to eat chit from any customer. If I get someone in here that comes off with well so & so will do it for this much,I flat out tell em well ya better take it down there. Few things I learned is if ya try to save any body any money it will bite ya in the butt no matter what and if ya give em a break once they'll expect it every time. Never ever charge less than your competitors and never bad mouth your competitors.Make sure when it goes out your door that its right. I guess what it boils down to is you hafta have nuff respect in yourself and confidence in your work that it doesn't matter what size or how cosmetically appealling your shop is to demand the same amount of money the big guys want. If ya do good work,collect a premium price,never over extend yourself ( 40-50 hours a week is enough) and don't take no crap (but ya can't be an A-hole) I'll almost bet ya that ya won't even need your Yellow page ad after awhile.

i know that i am not in any of you guys league when it comes to auto work but i do try to make a little cash here and there. Had a young man come up to me in my yard from my neighbors yard. he asked me how much i would charge to change oil and check the spark plugs. I told him $20.00 plus oil and filter and the cost of plugs if i found a problem. He told me that wal-mart would charge less. I told him that wal-mart was 20 minutes away and enjoy. my neighbor came over 2 days later and told me that wal-mart damaged his engine because they forgot to screw the oil filter all the way in and the oil leaked out around the seal. I said that he got what he paid for. My neighbor asked if I could fix it. I told him to tell his friend to take it to walmart and have a nice day. I do not understand people. They want to pay the lowest price and then bitch about what kind of service they got for that price. I was always taught that you get what you pay for.

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

well thanks everyone.yes i think dave and some other hit on it my shop is not the hi rent look that demands the big time money look no waiting room or flashy store front .smaller shop but ? i have a long list of engines and other work. i do not think anyone has said i was not worth it? i have some very good runners out there . i try to keep the shop looking clean . but the cost of doing this stuff has to go up or i can not do any thing for anyone and i will lose my shop thats just the way it is .i know that if it is cheap it can not be good and if it coast more it right???? i think this guy that has the boat engines is this way. after someone gets the big money he hauls has stuff to me and i make it work so many times the list is long . but now i think he just thinks i should do him a favor . he giving me the job i am the best around ?YES.. but maybe not really he may think? i still think he.. thinks the hi rent way.. but i demonstrated to him he was wrong so many time my stuff works.. i want to be paid a far price. it is he wants great work and it for free .i work at a big boat yard for 3 years i work on as many as 4 boats or more a day. no one got the deal .no cash no splash

Hey Pat, if you do me up a 632 for freebie, I'l say nice things about you forever and ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Hey Pat, if you do me up a 632 for freebie, I'l say nice things about you forever and ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well i have done that this is nothing new i been at this game for a long time if it a bbc chevy i am the guy most around here come to if not god help you i have done some nice stuff for this guy a dual turbo v6 custom grand natonal i did alot of work to all glass but the back half and re did the car when his builder use the car for a ladder and climb over the roof and dent it to hell a very nice black paint job re did it give him a even better paint job the second time a round .the first one was very nice to.and did get this car to fire when no one could they tried every thing but did not have the wires right out of the coil packs car was down in detroit at a shop for over many months that knew alot about buick V6 cars fixed his Zo6 vette when they recam it and bent all the valves in the cnc heads and the pushrod were not right size for the t&d shaft rocker arms or any thing they did .but i fix it the list is long i have help him on GM show car wheels so i not new with him i guess i was thinking back i think i should not have to take crap from him i proven my self to many times any time he thinks he found some one better it comes back and i fix it

Originally Posted by HWORRELL

Pat, my favorite saying to a customer is I didn't buy it,build it,nor break it,I'm just trying to fix it for you. I learned a long time ago not to eat chit from any customer. If I get someone in here that comes off with well so & so will do it for this much,I flat out tell em well ya better take it down there. Few things I learned is if ya try to save any body any money it will bite ya in the butt no matter what and if ya give em a break once they'll expect it every time. Never ever charge less than your competitors and never bad mouth your competitors.Make sure when it goes out your door that its right. I guess what it boils down to is you hafta have nuff respect in yourself and confidence in your work that it doesn't matter what size or how cosmetically appealling your shop is to demand the same amount of money the big guys want. If ya do good work,collect a premium price,never over extend yourself ( 40-50 hours a week is enough) and don't take no crap (but ya can't be an A-hole) I'll almost bet ya that ya won't even need your Yellow page ad after awhile.

thanks HWORRELL i do not take to much crap i can fly off the handle if i get rub the wrong way and told customers to get there $hit. the deal is i work for my self because i can not work 40to50 hours a week .i will not get in it much but i have chorionic pain i can not work normal hours with out a lot of drugs

Hey Pat, if you do me up a 632 for freebie, I'l say nice things about you forever and ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL Dave i just want have that .

Working at Dealers running body shop and writing service and nite for xtra bucks i was beat on more then a boxer. John Q public just dont get the meaning sometimes they want to save but have it brand new .

Pat my hats off to you for standing on the front lines . Did it allmost 9 yrs and went back to factory work so i could yell at the boss LOL .

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

i have a small machine shop and am having a very hard time dealing with customers some are great and some i like to hang. some want me to DO WHAT EVERY YOU THINK IT NEEDs then i tell them how much that is then they do not want it done ? well they do i think they just want it for less. or find a better parts for less money .when it just can not be done but i am 20.00 hour less then any one in town? my work is just as good if not better . i would love to help them but my over head went up with more machine and the hot tank and jet wash soap and fuel to get to the shop. i just can not do it cheap any more.i take pride in my work that i do but after dealing with some of them and trying to do a job right and not put any time in it so they do not have a bill???? just to save them a buck. i just hate every thing i loved to do

Just tell them to go down the road for a cheaper job. But dont complain when their having trouble. Quality is not cheap!!!

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

Quality is not cheap!!!

So you met my ex wife did you ?? LOL

Originally Posted by headlines

So you met my ex wife did you ?? LOL

Pat, I used to tell 'em: "That's the price; you can pay me a straight reasonable price now, or you can pay me to fix the mess up later, and it'll go up 25%."

Everybody (except for one general Contractor) wanted it on the cheap. I set my bids by a basic time and material, plus 10%; I didn't think it was exorbitant, especially considering that the generals or developers that I subbed to were rolling in dough, and I had to scrape just to pay my insurance and bonds. I finally got to where I'd tell 'em what I said above. Quite a few times, they'd go with some other sub, then come to me hat in hand a while later; but, I quit letting them beat on me.