Tires Customer had a kitchen knife hidden in his grass, cut two tires

[Industrial Toys]

It's amazing how much bad stuff happens to me that when seen in the correct light is a blessing. Like things happening to my truck a short distance from home, which are a pain and maybe expensive, but far better than four hours from home.

 

[bigtiller]

It's actually amazing how many guys that work on machines would never leave their machine, touch the dirt, bend down or grab a shovel if they absolutely didn't have too.

I know. I walked into the work area in time to see a young man on a 3000lb forklift drive over a new Dewalt 1/2" cordless drill. It wasn't my place to correct him but I chewed him out anyway.

 

[the old grind]

I wonder if guys who charge 'full price' earn enough to cover such losses in the course of doing business.

Under-priced work can be imagined to be inferior by potential customers. My only advice is to quit giving 'deals' at your own expense.

Charge what your work is worth. If referrals are by price alone you may only draw cheapskates who aren't always easy to please, and who may become vocally bitter if not getting 'something for nothing'.

I don't ask for a bid without a guy first explaining exactly what and how the job will be done. If a customers asks for your price first, start high. If the job can't be done right for a price anybody would bid it at, know when to walk away. You don't owe favors, just fairness.

 

[Molalla1]

I wonder if guys who charge 'full price' earn enough to cover such losses in the course of doing business.

Under-priced work can be imagined to be inferior by potential customers. My only advice is to quit giving 'deals' at your own expense.

Charge what your work is worth. If referrals are by price alone you may only draw cheapskates who aren't always easy to please, and who may become vocally bitter if not getting 'something for nothing'.

I don't ask for a bid without a guy first explaining exactly what and how the job will be done. If a customers asks for your price first, start high. If the job can't be done right for a price anybody would bid it at, know when to walk away. You don't owe favors, just fairness.

:thumbsup: Exactly OG . . .

 

[Sebculb]

Thanks everyone for your viewpoints and experience. It's true I gotta start charging full price. I've got several years experience driving this thing now and a lotta mechanical problems are hitting now. I can charge full price, perhaps I'm not totally as skilled as the dudes that have 20 years (have you ever seen a 20 years backhoe driver? Dudes are nuts!) But I'm no goober anymore and the costs are getting real.

 

[Molalla1]

Thanks everyone for your viewpoints and experience. It's true I gotta start charging full price. I've got several years experience driving this thing now and a lotta mechanical problems are hitting now. I can charge full price, perhaps I'm not totally as skilled as the dudes that have 20 years (have you ever seen a 20 years backhoe driver? Dudes are nuts!) But I'm no goober anymore and the costs are getting real.

From the get go right around 70 years for me I know I started when I was at least 7 yo.

 

[Cat_Driver]

It's called the cost of doing business. It's YOUR equipment, you ran the equipment, it's YOUR responsibility to see where you are going even if you need to walk the area by foot with a metal detector.

Sorry, you're SOL.

I'm also sure you didn't have a clause that says if you run over a knife that you didn't see the customer MUST PAY.

If you asked me to pay for YOUR ERROR I would never hire you again - EVER.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Thanks everyone for your viewpoints and experience. It's true I gotta start charging full price. I've got several years experience driving this thing now and a lotta mechanical problems are hitting now. I can charge full price, perhaps I'm not totally as skilled as the dudes that have 20 years (have you ever seen a 20 years backhoe driver? Dudes are nuts!) But I'm no goober anymore and the costs are getting real.

It is not you...this is just part of running a business. It is known as hidden costs, and what happens is, a guy that is hungry (wants work), so they always come in on the low side of things, but there are a ton of little things that cost money, that they do not think of. Slowly, those hidden costs build up, and it is just not profitable for them anymore, and they go under. Most of the time it is depreciation of equipment. That is, they wear their equipment out, but have not charged enough to eventually replace it.

But the opposite happens too. A guy starts out hungry, builds his business up, then thinks he is always going to do big work now that he has "made it". When they do that, they forget about the smaller customer that actually built their business, and when they lose out on some of the bigger contracts, they have angered the smaller customers, and now just have no work. I have seen that a lot too.

One of the best companies I ever heard about was a sawmill in Idaho in the 1930's. They wanted to get contract truckers to haul them wood, so for months they hauled the logs on their own trucks, they figured out what the expenses, and hidden expenses were, then paid contractors to haul in logs on their trucks at that amount so that the contractor's would make a profit. They knew doing that was better than having a revolving door of contractors who hauled logs, then went out of business because they underpriced themselves. For the 1930 depression era, that was pretty ethical.

 

[Big Barn]

So you under cut all the competing bidders, use equipment with faulty tires and some how a "hazard" in work environment is customers fault.... Sound like poor business model..... Dig deep in pockets and put new tires on front
Dale

Agreed.

 

[the old grind]

Did I read more of a "Whaddya think" into Post #1 than a "wa wa wa"?

'Iffy' tires were part of giving 'good deals'. Lesson learned, I'm sure.

Sebculb, I wish you the very best in your future work.

I know these fine gents are pullin' for ya. :thumbsup: (sincerely)

By contrast, I'm known as 'pushy', but I'm just as proud to be on your team.

t o g