International Repair Shop

[WillSDQ]

Hi! My name is Will Marks. This is my first post. I have read and re-read the threads here and this has convinced me to go with the Delta kits. I will purchase a kit very soon and then plan to attend the training course. A little back ground on me. I am in the electrical field and make a very good living. My problem is this. I discovered the Dominican Republic about four years ago and fell in love with the island. I acquired a house in Santo Domingo and I go about 6 times a year. To continue with electrical contracting there would be a nightmare as everyone wants you to work for free. I have a friend in the metro New Orleans area who is a WSR. He asked me what was the status for persons in the WSR business in the DR. I had no idea. So, on my next trip, I did some investigating. As far as I can tell, no one is repairing windshields. There are 5 million people in Santo Domingo alone with about 1/2 million vehicles, both personal and business (including rental cars and taxis). There is a taxi stand across the street from my home. I asked many of the drivers if they would be willing to use such a service if it were available. So far, not one no! A windshield there cost an average of $250.00 USD to replace. When I explain to them that if they bring me their vehicle as soon as it receives damage, I can stop the chip from becoming a large crack (basic marketing). They love the idea as some of the taxis have windshields that look like they have been through a hail storm! As I understand the economy there, I feel I will only be able to charge about the equivalent of $20.00 UDS per "simple" chip repair. There is no insurance to speak of here. Everyone will need to pay out of pocket.

What I would like is your opinions on the following. Please assume I take the training course and become competent (believe me, I will not try this until I am). Under the circumstances I have described, Do you think it would be worth a try at $20.00 dollars a repair? I will be the only fish in a very big pond. I will be able to work right out of my house as I have a covered driveway large enough to fit three SUVs comfortably side by side. This would be a big plunge for me, but I want to live there full time. Any thoughts or help will be appreciated.

[jayjacque]

Well $20 per sounds awful cheap. But is the cost of living there much cheaper than in the states? And would the bulk of your clientel be generally much poorer? I guess those would be crucial to determine your pricing. What many businesses do is offer introductory specials. So you could offer at one price a time limited offer that allows you to then bump up the price by $5 or $10 more once your business is rolling. Also don't forget to charge more if they have multiple hits on each windshield. Another thing to consider is commercial pricing versus retail. The reason to charge less for commercial is you are counting on volume and repeat business. The reason to charge more for retail is because you have to make arrangements just to do one job.

[Frank EU]

Hi Will, welcome to this Forum. First of all; very good to get a professional training prior to your start in this business. I know of at least ONE vendor in the business who also operates there. And the man is an active member on this wonderful Forum. (He moved from the sunshine state to the DR because life is so much cheaper there) Anyway, to answer your question re the pricing structure, I believe you need to do more basic home work. To ask people what they would be willing to pay for product ABC or service XYZ is just a start, in fact it is a minor portion of the home work you need to do, it should never be your sole source. If we all would be asking our customers what they would like to pay us for our service....man, it would surprise you how low the prices would go! I am not convinced at all that you would be the only fish in that big pond! Howcome are you so confident?
I am not claiming that you searched directories, or not, you didn't tell us so we don't know, but even if you did, I can guarantee you that media like Golden Pages etc. cannot be trusted. In fact I know many professional repairers without any listing or ad. Not finding a vendor in the media would not indicate or guarantee that you will be the only vendor in a given area. Have you, for example, been visiting car dealers, work shops (garages), body shops, fast fitters? Have you contacted insurance brokers and just asked the important questions? Why would they only be replacing glass, in all fairness, it makes no sense to me. I would suggest to do some more research.

[WillSDQ]

My investigation has been ongoing for 8 months now. I have looked in repair shops, talked with mechanics, talked with other well established businessmen and most importantly, with the taxi drivers. Not only do they tell me that they have never heard of a person doing WSR, they tell me that they never knew it could be done.

You must understand life here. Taxi drivers are the staple of transportation. The drivers are a very tight, secluded group. Drivers regularly talk among themselves in large groups from one end of the city to the other. I have a friend here that drives a taxi. He has been doing so for about 15 years now. He told me that main topic of conversation is always on how to lower operating cost. Although not a daily conversation, he tells me it is discussed how expensive it is to replace a windshield here. He then told me that if someone was doing the repairs the drivers would be the first ones to know. The culture here is such that people talk to each other. Word of mouth here is a very powerful thing. I am very confident I will be alone in this business. By the way, after my friend saw the Delta video he became so excited, he offered to stop driving full time and help me with the new business.

Next, yes, many people are very poor here. However, if they own a car, then the chance they are gainfully employed is good. Just so you know, an average person only makes about $10.00USD to $20.00 USD a day. But there are people here with money too. Many, many expensive European sedans and sports cars. My focus will be with taxi drivers (who do make better money) businesses with fleets, dealerships and rental car companies. As a matter of fact, I already have a local rental company interested. I never asked anyone what they would be willing to pay. I have two other small business here and much experience with the economy. $20.00 is about right. After reading one suggestion, I understand I would need to be very flexible on price as I learned my new business. I would never want to under sell myself.

Cheap to live here? Not on your life. If you are satisfied with eating beans everyday then yes, it can be cheap. But if you want to live a more normal life, it is very expensive here. It is not a life for everyone. Thanks for your input! Keep giving me your opinions!

[Kgobin]

Welcome to the forum! You find a wealth of information on the forum from Windshield Repair Technicians across the world. I would like to formally invite you to Delta Kits Factory Training & Certification course at your earliest convenience. We will be conducting On the Road Training in Clear Water, Florida in January and in February we will be in the Arlington, Texas. We will provide all equipment & supplies for the training course. All you need to supply is a willingness to learn, and a motivation to be among the best trained technicians in the world. Upon completion of this course you will be among the best trained technicians in the industry.

When it comes to starting your business, I would be more than happy to assist you with creating business documents and developing a marketing strategy. I am a true believer of hard work pays off, so if you are willing to be dedicated to your profession I don’t see why you wouldn’t succeed. If you have any questions or concerns please email or PM me or call into Delta Kits.

Sincerely,
Korey Gobin

[Frank EU]

WillSDQ...; If people indeed (in average) make $20 per day, than you're looking at a proper price indeed. Given all the local DR variables, to me that seems to be good money and you should be able to make a nice profit. I would just go for it, all the luck with the execution of your plan!

[WillSDQ]

Merry Christmas to everyone! I have an update for this thread, if anyone is interested. I had an attorney do a search of Dominican business and she found one shop in Santo Domingo that is performing WSR. However, WSR is a second line for them as they are a car wash. Car washes in the DR are truly unique as they all have an attached barroom, a small to large restaurant and some have discotheques with dancing women.

The good news for me is two fold. One, they are stationary and do not do "house calls" and 2, and this is the best part, they are charging the equivalent of $50.00 USD to do their repairs. So, apparently I will be able to offer field repairs and charge a fair price.

[GlassStarz]

I have a close friend who does PDR that spends 6 months a year in the DR a windshield replacement there is $50 so I cant see how they get that for a repair?

[WillSDQ]

Hey GlassStarz, is that $50.00 in labor only? Because the cost of the windshield itself is high. I had a windshield changed on a 1997 Toyota Corolla last year. The cost was $9,500 pesos. That is @ $280.00 USD. And insurance there does not pay for Windshield replacement. It comes out of a person's pocket. This incident is what got me thinking about doing WSR in the DR. I had three different persons call this business and describe windshield damage to them. They all received the same answer. "Repairs start at $1,500 pesos", about $50.00 USD.

[harrellbenjamin]

Keep doing what you are doing and go for it.I am sure that you have already found out that secound hand knowledge and advice from people that have never even been there is less than reliable.......... I ran into the same thing when exporting a product to Venezula.Everyone had a reason why it would not work (but had never been there lol) or new some one from there and had the "It cant work attitude"... Dont buy it !! Do your home work and it will work out for you.I did my home work and it worked real well for me $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ in the long run.In country experience means everything !