Windshield Repair Forum

2 years ago hacks were charging $35-40 for single chips, now they are down to $20-25. How low does is have to go before they stay home for good?

Ther is plenty of work for everyone I charge some commercial clients $20-25 and have done quite a few personal cars at the comercial site(employees) for $20 a good salesman never turns down a deal just makes the money and moves on to the next customer worry less about how much others make and more about how much you make. PMA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scratchy,

Just some info for you. All the major rental car locations in my area will only pay $20-25 for repairs, and that includes multiples hits free of charge. I have freinds that work airports at that fee and still make $300-$500 a day. I only wish I had one! It's all about volume. When turnback time comes they may even double that amount. Would you turn down those kind of profits? I wouldn't! As far as dealership accounts I try to stay at $30 but sometimes need to start at $25 just to get my foot in the door. Cash customers in this area will seldom pay over $25 for a repair. It's always your choice on what to ask for but you have to keep in mind you will always have competition. If your market area will produce jobs at $35-$40 then I think that's great. If not, you'll have too adjust.

You know what. You guys are great, always looking on the bright side. I push the insurance route first with everyone possible so they can leave without any cash out of pocket. When that doesn't work I size up the customer and the vehicle trying to be fair to them and myself. Almost all the time it works. I just think the hacks are slowly doing themselves in by giving themselves the only reason to exist is they are $5-10 less than a real shop now that they have competition. They were socking it to everybody not too long ago and where are they now? Watching their daily take drop like a stone.
I am going to be buying my resin and drill bits in bulk very soon and my cost per job is going to be next to nothing. I won't be losing anything no matter what the price of the job is going for within reason of course.
Customers do get confused though and seeing someone pull up to a hack with a $45,000 car is a shame for the vehicle.
This seems to be only the case for single chip customers. Multiple chips and cracks don't have much of a haggle to them.

Scatchy,
Starquest pretty much described me to a tee. I also do insurance and dealer work and when turnbacks get busy the numbers Starquest posted can not only double but quadruple. Be a little more objective in your description of a hack.

I've struggled with cash pricing and think it's a matter of personal choice. I haven't went after fleet/dealer work, as I got burned out on it when I was in the body shop business years ago. I did count chips last Sunday while car shopping at a dealership ( No salesmen working on Sun.) and found nine cars with chips. I think volume accounts and repeat customers deserve a price break, but beware of a dealer who will call you up to fix one chip real quick so it can be delivered to the customer and then only want to pay $20. Also with retail customers, I have a set price and stick to it. If you go too low they won't use their insurance. When you act like your sizing them up for a price quote, most people will size you up for a counter offer. Go with what the market will tolerate- I remember reading a quote from Sam Walton (Walmart)
Sell to the rich- live with the masses.
Sell to the masses- live with the rich.

Bob/ Paintless Plus

I look at it this way, if a dealer wants to pay 25.00 and has say 10 cars for me to work on I'm doing ok. That 250.00 paycheck is alot more than I would ever make working for someone else, done in 4-5 hours to boot.

I agree with CPR. I look at it and say "where would I go to make $300 a day." Nowhere. So I just try to line up those dollar bills.

I was focusing on retail drive ups in my initial post. I think $25 or less for a single chip retail is too cheap for a legitimate WSR business. Taking into account taxes, insurance and the responsibility of a lifetime guarantee the price really needs to be a little higher.
Commercial rates are different and volume makes up for it.
There is a guy I have seen, not a hack, charging $55 cash for a single chip! How many people walk away and how many pay up I don't know but I want to find out. Maybe its time for an experiment!

If we are talking about retail, cash jobs. I charge $50 for the first and $10 for each additional maxing at $70. I find that many people in my area are more than happy to pay that price. The biggest help to my retail business over the past month and a half has been accepting credit cards. I get alot of corporate types who have their point cards and they pay this way. I have also noticed that I tend to stand firm on a higher price, this is with my PDR. Keep the prices up on retail. It is the last great frontier.