Customer wants to buy material

delta T

When people ask me this I am usually upfront with them. I will not barter, my price is my price. My customers do not get to dictate what their conception of a fair profit margin is. If the customer wants to buy the parts for the job then that is fine, however my warranty ends. I will not be responsible for any component failure and they will pay my time for diagnosis and to get new parts. If they do not get the right part that is on them and they will pay my time to wait for them to go get it, or mine to go get it. Most of the time they agree to my price. When they don't I don't lose sleep over it. This is a business. We all work our a**es off to do a good job for our customers. We are allowed to make money to support our own families. Good on you for walking away Johnny.

@rick in Alaska I have started doing that too, sometimes people ask for a breakdown, most of the time not though. If they are getting that nitpicky about pricing I just tell them to move on. I'm not the cheap guy and will never be. On a lot of things it just isn't even worth fighting the battle as most things can be found online for less than wholesale cost, but the warranty stories I've heard....makes me cringe. The manufacturer, sales rep, wholesale network is there for a reason and they all deserve their cut as do we. If they don't like it, tough.

GW

I bluntly say I can't be of any help, that I have had problems in the past micromanaging the time and small parts breakdown, too much wasted time and energy. If I get a rebuttal from the customer I will ratchet up my delivery and verbal packaging, but it's extremely rare if you simply say no.

Don't get defensive, just state your position. If you get defensive you're the loser. The more you talk, the less sense you make. This is what separates the pros from the handy man with a bucket of tools.

Sell yourself short and reap your due rewards. If you think you can't pass on an install, you've lost the battle and the war.

After typing all that I see you walked, good for you. Let the guy seek out some like minded character to do work. It's hard to keep the public respecting the trades.

About a year or two ago I started adding a tidy paragraph to my quotes that say something to this effect " these new systems are complex, we only work on systems we have installed". It is dressed up a little more than that, but the gist is clear. My office lady is keenly aware we don't bail out people that I quoted the very work they are having troubles with. We get one or two calls a year on this, not many.

Ratio, yes, we cut people loose when our goals are mis - aligned. I'll jump up and down to keep people happy, but one ounce of disrespect and the tables turn quickly

347

I have to add my 2 cents to this. I had customer a couple of years ago who wanted to supply his own material, I said of course. I gave him a list of everything you could possibly need for a five zone boiler. At the end of the job he had pile of stuff left over. He could not return it because he got a "cash" deal. He asked why I ordered so much, I told him sometimes a plan changes and that's why I keep stock on my truck. He asked if I wanted to buy it, of course I said no. I don't think he "saved" any money on that one. Maybe he learned a lesson for the next guy.

BobC

@347 Let the punishment fit the crime.

Bob

JUGHNE

So if a tradesman/installer were to work for wages only: who would pay for.....combustion analyzer...wear on pipe dies.....the liability insurance to cover the "Act of God" pipe leaking causing thousands of dollars of damage, (even from a leaking WC upstairs) or worse. This list could go on for pages.

So as I think about it we all work too cheaply even with mark-up on materials. Someone will ask me what I charge per hour; I say do you mean what I make per hour or I what I charge you per hour? Looking at the annual gross income number is impressive, but at tax time after all deductions are taken and the bottom line of "profit" is seen it is actually pretty depressing.
The encouraging point is that I really like what I'm doing and after 38 years have learned to turn down some jobs (took probably 28 years to learn this ).

OTR truck driving might pay better but would certainly be less satisfying at the end of the day.

unclejohn

Tell him you make "X" on a job, that's what it takes for you to stay in business. Let him know he can buy the equipment and then he handles all warranties and you are still going to make "X" on the job. Then walk away.

j a_2

Great move....Johnny88. Your in the big apple,correct? It must be crazy busy down there....1.30 x the cost of your product after all said and done and you honor and support all warranties and your craftsmanship, is a good deal for the customer....if someone just wanted me to put there toilet that they purchased,my words were, I could care less if it flus

JUGHNE said:

So if a tradesman/installer were to work for wages only: who would pay for.....combustion analyzer...wear on pipe dies.....the liability insurance to cover the "Act of God" pipe leaking causing thousands of dollars of damage, (even from a leaking WC upstairs) or worse. This list could go on for pages.

So as I think about it we all work too cheaply even with mark-up on materials. Someone will ask me what I charge per hour; I say do you mean what I make per hour or I what I charge you per hour? Looking at the annual gross income number is impressive, but at tax time after all deductions are taken and the bottom line of "profit" is seen it is actually pretty depressing.
The encouraging point is that I really like what I'm doing and after 38 years have learned to turn down some jobs (took probably 28 years to learn this ).

OTR truck driving might pay better but would certainly be less satisfying at the end of the day.

I can not agree more.....I can't remember ever charging by the hour....it's not all that common around here I don't believe...pricing was based on the job, and there was no sharing jobs with the homeowner....well I guess I could have asked them to go to the supply house on a freezing cold Monday morning...and tell the counter guy you want a whatchamacallit thingy..lol