Ok until I opened my shop, I was a shade tree mechanic. Now I just don’t have the time or desire to work on my own vehicles.
I need breaks for the van. I haven’t paid somebody to put breaks on a car in my life. I had no idea if it costs $75 or $275 or God forbid $475. I simply have no clue. I know that it also needs a rotor (don’t ask).
Well the van has bad breaks and now a flat tire. I can’t procrastinate another day. I take it to Sears at the mall. I tell them I need a tire repaired and ask for an idea on price for a break job. This guy responds, “We have to do a break inspection.”
I ask, “can you just give me an idea on price?”
“Not without a break inspection.”
“You can’t tell me within a hundred dollars, oh and it will need at least one new rotor.”
“Nope.”
Then he unloaded the bomb that sparked this thread.
“The inspection costs $15 but that is refunded to you if you let us do the break job.”
My eyes glaze over with thoughts of anger but mostly curiosity. What if a frameshop operated this way?
Breaks are a rather custom item. They simply won’t know the exact costs until they know EXACTLY what my needs are. But do you think my question was fair, and do you think its fair to totally avoid the question?
I ask this because at my new location I get a minimum of 5 people a day ask, “How much is a frame.” I am not bothered by this question because I think it’s a fair question. However it’s a very difficult question to answer with any degree of accuracy. Again I can’t tell you within $400 what a break job costs. I’ll bet many of my customers can’t guess the cost of a 20x24 frame any closer.
How do you respond to that question?
How should we respond?
What about absolutely refusing to give any price until we design it? (a legitimate option)
Has anybody found any effective, positive, helpful ways to answer that question?
I can tell you that I don’t feel Sears answered that question to my satisfaction.
Carry on.
I need breaks for the van. I haven’t paid somebody to put breaks on a car in my life. I had no idea if it costs $75 or $275 or God forbid $475. I simply have no clue. I know that it also needs a rotor (don’t ask).
Well the van has bad breaks and now a flat tire. I can’t procrastinate another day. I take it to Sears at the mall. I tell them I need a tire repaired and ask for an idea on price for a break job. This guy responds, “We have to do a break inspection.”
I ask, “can you just give me an idea on price?”
“Not without a break inspection.”
“You can’t tell me within a hundred dollars, oh and it will need at least one new rotor.”
“Nope.”
Then he unloaded the bomb that sparked this thread.
“The inspection costs $15 but that is refunded to you if you let us do the break job.”
My eyes glaze over with thoughts of anger but mostly curiosity. What if a frameshop operated this way?
Breaks are a rather custom item. They simply won’t know the exact costs until they know EXACTLY what my needs are. But do you think my question was fair, and do you think its fair to totally avoid the question?
I ask this because at my new location I get a minimum of 5 people a day ask, “How much is a frame.” I am not bothered by this question because I think it’s a fair question. However it’s a very difficult question to answer with any degree of accuracy. Again I can’t tell you within $400 what a break job costs. I’ll bet many of my customers can’t guess the cost of a 20x24 frame any closer.
How do you respond to that question?
How should we respond?
What about absolutely refusing to give any price until we design it? (a legitimate option)
Has anybody found any effective, positive, helpful ways to answer that question?
I can tell you that I don’t feel Sears answered that question to my satisfaction.
Carry on.