I just wanna rant

PTmowerMech

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Twice this week, customers want stuff fixed, so I spent probably 3 or 4 hours diagnosing their equipment, asking questions on here, fixing minor things so I can make a better diagnosis, figure out what parts they'll need so I can give them a somewhat accurate quote.
And darned if they all haven't said. "Na that's OK, I'll fix it myself. "

Well crap, if you aint got the money to have something fixed, or don't wanna spend it, why bother wasting someones time.



Ok, I feel better.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
 

StarTech

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OH should have been around my place last Wednesday. I let two vendors have it. Promise they had resolve their after market belt problems. Well they haven't and I lost several days having to re-order the correct belts. One want if I wanted a credit for the belts and I said at this point I don't give a D****; just not ever ordering any more belts from them; I don't what their salesman says. She lied...
 

StarTech

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Yes at least charge an estimate fee as many are just wanting to find out what wrong so they can fix themselves besides all of our time is worth something. Besides thank you's don't pay our bills as those billers don't accept thank you notes.
 

PTmowerMech

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I hope you charged them at least a diagnostics fee before they left.

The one with the messed up wiring on his JD, I'm not going to charge him anything. I should. But he's good people, just kind of poor. The other guy, with the bad governor, yup, he's getting charged.
 

ILENGINE

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Sounds fair to me. And you may end of with some payable business from the poor guy at a future date. Could be in the form of him sending some customers your direction.
 

Hammermechanicman

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Ah grasshopper, you are learning. I don't give estimates for any problem i am not sure of when they drop it off. I tell them there is a $20 diagnostic fee if they want an estimate. There are reasons people bring in a ragged out, red neck rigged POS machine. It finally took a dump and they can't get it running. They won't put good money in it. I don't get as many of those as i used to. There is another guy that will work on those.
 

bertsmobile1

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I am a little different
IF I can not fix it because it is just plain worn out or parts are NLA then I bill out 1/2 hour and asked to come pick it up because I don't want it cluttering up the shop & there is nothing on it I can use .
If they ask for an estimate they get one X for parts & Y for labour.
If they ask what is exactly wrong then they get told a written quote will be $ 60 ( 1 hour )
The quote will list the parts by part number not name .
If they are a good customer then I will tell them exactly what needs doing but mostly these are drive bys
The clincher is to tell them I have most of the parts if they want to do it themselves .

The other PIA's are the shop hoppers who get quotes for everyone then pick the cheapest.
Or even worse the ones who buy the cheapest parts from a dozen different places then pick me because my labour rates are the lowest .
Nothing you can do with them other than to let the job sit for several weeks before you start it .
 

Ron_AU

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Honestly, is it that hard to diagnose your own lawn mower and hunt down the parts yourself? And decide if it needs the parts money spent on it, or just junk it?
Hate to think how these people go with something more complicated, like a car.
 

StarTech

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I had customers that try to fix their mowers themselves. For some it is way over their head, for some it is too simple. For one or other they just give up bring to a shop for repairs. Personally I rather have them not to try as it makes my job so much easier; otherwise, I got to undo all their makeshift repairs before I can get to the real problems.

I remember one customer recently that had starting problems. He basically was just throwing parts at it hoping to fix it. New starter and solenoid, new stator and voltage regulator. After it was getting expensive fast he yielded and brought it to my shop. It turned out to be a fifty cent terminal that failed. Once I handed him the repair bill, he was asking if I buy the new parts which I declined as I was not going to make him whole again. I did however offer to buy them at 50% of my cost as they are used items. He decided to try to sale them on eBay.
 
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