Part-Time is best (for me)

[chips1144]

The problem I have with very low price guys is this, They may go out of Biz after a while, but while in biz they discount the price to an unrealistic level...

Example, Working for high volume car dealers, getting $30 per chip, New Cheap guy arrives, charges $20 per chip thinking he will get all the work, some dealers hire him, some dont, you explain to dealer about your quality repairs but all he thinks about is saving money, you have to charge the lower price or lose the dealers biz, you drop price to put new guy out of biz, but then have to work hard to get dealer back up to the original $30 rate, $20 guy has under estimated the biz and fails, you suffer, dealer wins...
I know this is why many vendors dont like car dealers...
Anyone got more thoughts on this situation?

[glassdoctor]

You pretty muched nailed the dealership end of it. And this can happen NO MATTER how good you are or how you care for "your" dealers. I know this has happened to even the most successful WSR guys.

Last year, I had a new guys come around trying to get dealers... charging $15 to $20. I had one dealer let him do work, and they wanted me to drop prices or give up their work. I explained how the "new cheap guy in town" thing works, and that he would not be around long, and how I have been running my business for many years good weather and bad, etc.

I offered to drop my price to $25 flat, rather than $30/40 I was doing... if I would retain ALL their business. I did tell the manager that the $15 guys would soon be gone and I would not stay at $25 long term.

A couple months later, the manager was gone and I've never seen the $15 guy. I'm back to $30/40.

It's nice when things work out like that, but it could have been much worse.

BTW, my local market has not suffered too much from these "$15 guys"... but some nearby markets are hurting due to this. I charge $30-40 bucks at dealers, but I'm told it's $20-25 in other cities in the midwest.

[screenman]

One of the of the safest ways of protecting against underpricing is to have a wide and varied customer base split between fleet, car lots and of course lots of general public most pricecutters aim for either the fleet or car lots first and this is the time to rely on the public. Do not drop your price as it can look as if you were overcharging in the first place just wait for the new bloke to pack up. If you do ever want to discount do it by percentage rather than dollars giving ten % off a $40 job is only $4 but it sounds a lot, this is better than giving $10 which is what a lot of people offer.

To whoever said I felt threatened was wrong I was only telling as I see the situation and well done all those who keep their prices up, I see no one followed up on the fact that most of you charge less now than we were getting 16 years ago.

As I mentioned in an earlier post when faced with low cost replacement sell on the plus side of repairs, safety a badly fitted screen will not hold the airbag in place, better to repair for the enviroment, no damage to factory seal, etc. etc. I am sure you guys know a lot more.

[Layne]

Screenman---I hope that you did not misunderstand my posts. I tend to agree with most of what you said.

I do note that in your last post you inferred that most of us may charge less that we did a few years back. In my case, this is not true. I am actually receiving more for my repairs. I just wanted to clear the air on that one issue.

As some of the others noted, circumstances in the UK appear to be quite different from here in the states. While fuel (or Petrol) is considerably cheaper here we understand that the taxes imposed there go to fund the national health insurance program. Thus, it is very difficult for a part timer here to give up his other job to pursue WSR on a full time basis. In my situation, I am retired and have retained my health insurance along with the substantial deduction it requires from my annuity. Our current government administration is pursuing a reform of the Tort laws to better influence the cost of medical care. Should this happen, we may see a turn away from the desire by the liberals to tax us for a national funded health program.

We Americans reflect with pride our allied affiliation with all of you in the UK. Together we are the last remaining defenders of freedom that the world knows. So many other countries seem to forget the price that the Americans and the Brits paid to bail them out from under the tyranny that befell them.

Proud to have you and your countrymen as our allies.

Merry christmas pal, and a happy and prosperous new year for you and yours.

[glassdoctor]

Let the record state that I charge more now than 10 years ago.

It's easy to say never lower your price... stick to your guns, etc.

But you are gambling that they won't call your bluff. If you refuse to adjust pricing, that account and all the money is then in the pockets of your competition. I would rather keep all my accounts and let the competition starve.

Losing $5 per car won't hurt me nearly as much as losing the account.

$10-15 per car is another thing though. I don't go there... Last time I had a dealer say "Hey this guy does $10 repairs" I said fine, if you want $10 repairs, it's all his. It's easy to say it when you mean it.

[boyd]

Glassdoctor: I like that !!! ..... "It's easy to say it, when you mean it."
That's a quote for everyday life.

boyd

[screenman]

Great we have proper repairmen who work part time and charge a proper price I congratulate you all on doing a good job that you are happy with. I think a lot of people will learn from your postings.

I have no problem with proffesional repairmen and women at all who do the job right just those messers that there seem to be in every trade.

The tax we pay in the Uk works out at about 30% but goes up to 40% when you reach about

[chips1144]

Screenman... Tax in every state is different, it is graduated but not as simple to work out as in the UK, we dont have that breaking point at