billing question with no $$ figures discussed

Weezbo

if you get a call and it turns into this and well then That and Oh by the way ...you might just wish you stuck to your original game plan. whatever it may have been. i would say that in condos and that sorta thing you cn charge inividual fees to individuals if it has some sort of management system then unless they have an agreement with you youd end up living there after all you do have a place called home right?

next thing to consider is how quickly do they pay ? You dont Know...how much brain ache is it to take to see your dollar back in Your Hand? in this respect you have a chance to provide them with your companys outlook on Additional repairs when called to a job. say you dont have a 8.35 nozzle on the van and drive back to the shop to find you dont have one there and then the trip to the wholesaler reveals you are SOL and during That trip you called two others and neither of them can locate one so you call your buddy and i say well yah i have one back at the shop things like that could turn into all day adventures so not to be disrespectful to grumpy,buh due to the general ding by ding battles i would be more inclined to charge them a service call and two tune ups ...it takes time to do the work right and know what to look for,.. think about what i mean by that...go ahead...you have time.... even if they were Tuned up yesterday that in and of itself doesnt mean that today you couldnt have walked into a room with the stack away from the thimble with soot all over the walls in the wrong buildings mechanical room...then what? you arent going to fix it ? nah if you opened the door even by accident You touched it last! you got to put it right...therein is my case for having to really really like service work to be in that road game. and if you are doing something you like then you may as well be paid for it :) someone this morning had their furnace going Bang Bang is not Good i tell him. it was serviced yesterday...well,if you went over found the nozzle was leaking what to do say well..er...that was easy the combustion test was quick ...or you are called out because the guy yesterday left the switch off...sorry that happened buh i still have to charge you...Welll cant you at least take a look at my1898 DinkelDorff single stroke generator out in the south 40 "While youre here?" :))) nah you be smart the first time around be fair to them and be fair to yourself.

*~/:) :) :) :)

Jim_47

a billing question with no $$ figures discussed

I could use some opinions here.
Customer has 15 burners on the property. Does NOT have a service contract on the units with my company.
Call comes from the super that they have two buildings without Hot Water. I respond (same day) and perform the needed repairs both within an hour.
Wether I am T&M or Flat rate is NOT the discussion, although it can be included in your opinion.
Do I charge for two service calls or one? Parts for both will be charged but I was there about an hour. Also if it helps, I am new to this customer, someone else claimed to have performed the annual service and both problems were related to incorrect nozzle installation by the previous guy.

pitman9_2

FWIW, we are flat rate.

We would have billed out 2 diagnostic fees. The more expensive repair is full price. Any additional repairs done at the same time and location are discounted 10%.

Paul Mitchell_3

I would charge X 2. Just because you do not have to drive as far as usual does not mean you should be penalized. We all get paid for what we know. But that is hard to remember. Just because you can do 2 calls on the same property in an hour does not mean everyone can. Bill them and if they complain, lose them.

jim lockard

2 calls

If I sit down in front of a furnace I want a service fee for it, 2 furnaces 2 service fees. Take 3 sick kids to the doctor, you know they all have the flu but I bet you get 3 bills. J.Lockard

Ericjeeper

offer him a discount for a maintenance contract

see if they are interested in a yearly PM/Service contract.. offer a discount if they sign.?Just a thought.. as you have already proven your diagnostic skills.

Don \"Grumpy\" Walsh

Not me

I would charge for 1 service call, and the second unit would be part of the fractional hourly rate for repairs. If the units were side by side in the same room would you still think of it as 2 service calls?

Try to look at it from the consumers perspective. If for example it were your house, and you needed both of your garage door operators fixed, would you expect to be charged for 2 service calls to fix 2 adjacent doors?

I'd charge once for the basic service call, and all additional work on the site would be on hourly billing.

jim lockard

grumpy

Side by side maybe. but this is two seperate building= two seperate service calls. J.Lockard

Keith_8

1 hour?

I would bill for the drive time, on the job time and the materials used. Doesn't matter if it was 1 burner or 2. They were on the same property for the same owner.

Look at this as an opportunity to build good will by doing the right thing.

Were you really able to drive to the facility, diagnose and repair one burner, test and make the proper adjustments, pack up your tools, travel over to the 2nd building, diagnose the 2nd burner issue, repair the 2nd burner, test and make adjustments, pack up your tools, make out the service ticket and have the customer sign of on the work in one hour?

Just asking. Be fair to yourself and the customer. No one can find fault with that.

Keith

Jim_47

customer billing

Guys your participation is great, your responses are wonderful. Each response carries important facts.
Be fair to the customer, be fair to your self, build a relationship, get properly compensated. The list goes on.I have enjoyed the responses and hope more techs and business owners add theirs. I have til the end of the month to bill the customer so I have yet to make my final decision. Each and everyone of you are helping in that decision.
Thanks to everyone and Happy holiday season to all