Sense of entitlement?

[aloysius]

I'll occasionally do "love jobs" for friends & of course family, & even sometimes don't charge for labour when doing smaller jobs or urgent repairs for OAPs & others that are demonstrably penurious.  I always charge (at cost) for materials & consumables, 'though.  I occasionally take a few cups of tea & maybe a hot dinner as "payment", too, from the elderly.

I've even been known to drop in unannounced in Spring/Summertime to offer to mow lawns or remove flammable garden undergrowth for those I consider physically or financially incapable.

If anybody tries to take the Mickey, demanding my time for free, I simply shut them down by referring any choosing beggars to another maintenance service or tradie by saying that I'm much too busy doing my own thing.

 

[pixelated]

A graphics designer I knew told me he once put a “PITA charge” line item on his invoice to a problem customer. The customer asked what it was, he gave him the honest answer, customer laughed and wrote the check.
And, so far as I know, continued as a repeat customer.

 

[jeh]

I used to discounted jobs for family and occasionally friends, but ended it a few years ago. Same price for everyone which cut down on those asking for handouts. Once everyone got over the fact I will not work for less they quit asking. It's a tough call to make, but it is the correct one. No one works for free.

The only exception is for elderly people who I will help out if I think they need it or they ask, but I am talking about stuff around their house that needs fixing, yard work, etc. I'll also assist if they do need work done to make sure they do not get ripped off or taken advantage of. I also want them to call me before contacting someone. There are far too many vultures circling.

 

[six-point socket II]

There's a glove for every hand.

As a customer I have seen so many different bids from tradespeople over time, so many approaches to find a golden ratio between hourly rate and margin on consumables/off the shelve products that either get used or installed/ are part of the installation ... And as far as I can tell, all of them live to see another day and cater to a customer base. The "most expensive" to the "cheapest" - whatever that is.

We've had tradespeople work for us were we could break down the bid to a single fastener, we've had tradespeople work for us that just gave a single number over an educated guess ...

We've had tradespeople working by the clock, like 8 to 4 with a perfectly and rigorously timed lunch break in between. We've had tradespeople working from 7 to 7 more or less straight, snaring down a sandwich and a sip of coffee while some adhesive had to dry. ... We've had tradespeople working for us that loved their job. We've witnessed the transition from one tradesperson who loved his job once to adopting an uncontrollable, violent temper including going up the wall when the phone rang, throwing it into a corner, and after hanging up on a call, immediately bad mouthing that client in front of us ...

Life.

I don't blame anyone for wanting "more from life" speaking of $. Life is getting more expensive by the day. Obviously there are smarter ways to do it than just add a couple of grands to a bid that you can't explain/ account for just because you assume someone can afford it. (The core problems with these assumptions are a whole different story ...)

Try to support your friend if he is at a point where just everything is "sh!t". Help him find balance/ getting to a point where he can charge more for his work, or get him to calculate better, make a little profit on off the shelve products/consumables instead of handing them over at cost. Obviously depends on what he already does or not. ...

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[jimbo51]

There is a issue I have seen discussed regularly on a photography forum.

Have you ever been asked for a discount on the basis of getting great publicity from a social media influencer? I imagine it would take incredible ego to even ask this question, but who knows what people will try.

In regard to taking advantage of an old lady, many years ago my sister-in-law  visited a landscaper who had been charging my mother large fees for little work. She worked in law enforcement and suggested to him that he should reconsider some of his business practices. All issues resolved quickly.

 

[Bob D.]

"I’ve had to help so many plumbers achieve what I’m hiring them to do on a job it’s f’ing ridiculous."

Sounds like you're not hiring a plumber but some glorified drain cleaner. In that case yes, you are probably right.

No, I am not a plumber, but I worked in the building trades alongside many of them and other craft for over 35 years.

 

[threesixright]

Its a stupid idea, and will come back to hunt you. Karma is a bitch

Bottom line, set a hour rate for your level expertise and charge hours worked + material.

Making a bid based on someone income (which is still a guess) is bad practice. Period (imo).

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChuckM]

A graphics designer I knew told me he once put a “PITA charge” line item on his invoice to a problem customer. The customer asked what it was, he gave him the honest answer, customer laughed and wrote the check.
And, so far as I know, continued as a repeat customer.

[big grin] [big grin] [big grin] He got guts, If the story as told to you is true.

I wonder if any tradespeople ever explicitly added a covid surcharge to their bill.

 

[TwelvebyTwenty]

Some valid and balanced responses.

That Covid-19 surcharge made me laugh.

 

[Gregor]

My take on this is to have a reasonable rate, with enough headroom to both allow me to live the way I like and having the ability to perform random acts of kindness for people who currently are in need of them. Always telling them to pay it forward, so far it seems to spread Ok.

 

[CeeJay]

There is a issue I have seen discussed regularly on a photography forum.

Have you ever been asked for a discount on the basis of getting great publicity from a social media influencer? I imagine it would take incredible ego to even ask this question, but who knows what people will try.

My wife is a photographer and writer and this happens ALL the time. It is very annoying and drives her crazy.

A lot of online publications take this approach. It’s very hard for people working in the arts to make a fair living these days.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Apart from right or wrong, I don't think it will work.  Almost every rich person I have known has been very tight with his money.  Occasionally you may see Mr. "Money is no object." but that's mainly in the movies.  Doesn't matter whether you are selling trades work, real estate, or software.  Maybe that's a part of how they got rich in the first place or at least how they have managed to stay rich.

Maybe an exception is pricing by neighborhood.  Even a rich person will want to have his house look good compared to the neighbors and expect to pay in the same range they did.  But he will expect bang for the buck.

 

[peter halle]

Another thing to warn about - People talk. If you are a professional and do work in a neighborhood and then give pricing elevated based on perceived financial status, rest assured that the word will get out.  Better to offer "specials" that run for a limited time.

I personally do not employ any of these strategies, but they are viable for those trying to build a business with common sense.

Peter

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.

My wife is a photographer and writer and this happens ALL the time. It is very annoying and drives her crazy.

A lot of online publications take this approach. It’s very hard for people working in the arts to make a fair living these days.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hear you.

I know of one large publication house which moved its monthly issues to bi-monthly ones (once every two months), meaning reduced revenue, and cut its writer's fee across the board by 25%. "Take it or leave it." Magazines are tough to run. But then I know of none who writes woodworking articles for a living (not counting those who are themselves employees (Woodsmith, Woodworker's Journal, etc.).

 

[ChuckM]

Another thing to warn about - People talk. If you are a professional and do work in a neighborhood and then give pricing elevated based on perceived financial status, rest assured that the word will get out.  Better to offer "specials" that run for a limited time.

I personally do not employ any of these strategies, but they are viable for those trying to build a business with common sense.

Peter

Over the years, I've come across countless lawn or sidewalk signs from roofers, painters, or landscaping businesses that offer 10% off or something like that as they're working for some clients in the neighborhood. Window cleaning vendors, too. Surely, their intentions are to charge "other" customers not in the neighborhood more, even if the signs might just be a bait.

One or one set of standard pricing may be true for some sectors or businesses, but many legitimate businesses offer variable prices depending on whom they deal with. To say a client's background is never a factor in price determination is false. Healthcare professionals and teachers (that include woodworking instructors), for example, receive discounts when they buy merchandises from some vendors for or related to their professions.

If I came out of retirement and resumed my business, would I still have different pricing packages? Of course, it had worked for me for over 20 years, and the world --- save Covid-19 -- is still the same as the one I had been in before I called it quits.  But it might not work for someone else -- depending on their nature of business, experience etc.

 

[semenza]

  There is a difference between different pricing for different levels of work, economy of an area / region, different types of client (commercial vs private), other things that actually justify different pricing, etc. and simply jacking up the price because you think the customer is rich.

Those are very different things. I think the OP was referring to the latter.

Seth

 

[Imemiter]

To me it seems the height of entitlement to judge a person on how much they charge or why. If the market will bear, it's a bull.

 

[sancho57]

I have a hourly rate (labor) +, hourly rate (shop)+, Materials  mark up 10% +, and profit + 40%,= cost of the project.

Dont care how much someone makes only that they are good people and wont nickel and dime the heck out of me and can afford to payme on time and in full.

 

[demographic]

One of my brothers does it like this.
I would call him a fair person who is very experienced and knowledgeable in his field.

If he doesn't want to do the job he prices it higher.
Then if he gets the job he's happier to do the job because he's getting paid more.

That might just be because he knows the client will be a pain in the neck or possibly a bit slow paying.

So, in short if you are a pain in the neck, expect to pay a bit more.

 

[sancho57]

[member=51145]demographic[/member]

if the client is gonna be a pain, Ill just send him to a competitor let him deal with the toss bucket