# Quarter Car Wash -- LOWBALLER



## Lynch & Sons Landscapin (Sep 5, 2006)

Am I out of my mind, or is someone else? 

I got called to a quarter car wash a few days ago... The lady asked me how much?.... I told her 50/plow & 15/salt (same trip), $25/salt if no plow. She told me her last guy was doing it for $30/total. I said "I'm sorry, I can't do it for that".. She said she was going to call around... I called her back and she got someone else to do it for $30. BTW: The first guy quit on her.. I told her I would too for $30.... WTF.. About 1/2-45min to plow, and about 120lb salt... 

I asked if her last guy had insurance she said yes... what is wrong with people. I get more for a res than she is paying for a comm w/ salt...

It's a small place and I know she doesn't have alot of money or I wouldn't have bid it that low..... damn...


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## fatboy (Dec 6, 2006)

All I can say is move on...can't get blood from a stone! let the low ballers have it, she'll call you one day when they all disapear. payup Then say.. GET OUT YOU WALLET!!


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## Vaughn Schultz (Nov 18, 2004)

Lynch & Sons Landscaping LLC;359991 said:


> Am I out of my mind, or is someone else? I got called to a quarter car wash a few days ago... The lady asked me how much?.... I told her 50/plow & 15/salt (same trip), $25/salt if no plow. About 1/2-45min to plow, and about 120lb salt...


In my town you would be out of your mind to plow anything for $50 let alone even think of salting at that price. Why do you even salt at $15? That seems a little out of whack to me 

who knows, could just be a different market. I hope it is.


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## carcrz (Jun 5, 2006)

That's funny. Goes to show you how area prices are so different. I had a self-serve call me & I told her around $100 but it would be later in the day because of my contracted accounts. She acted like I was going to do it for free @ that price. She said that was great, but she was going to keep trying to find someone because she wanted it done asap. Someone else had it done when I went by. Oh well


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## lodogg89 (Jul 8, 2006)

i got a call at the beginning of winter for a shell gas station. I bid it at 75.00, which is kinda on the low end, probably will take 20-30 minutes. He said okay, will let you know. Never heard back from him. He calls me last week and tells me out of the 3 he called i was the highest and he started with the lowest. He said first snow it got plowed, second snow no one showed so he called the next guy on the list he said he plowed it that day and never showed again. Well he calls me and says yea you gave me a bid for this amount, yada, yada, yada. I said yea well that before season prices. I will do it for 100.00 now, and its going to be 125 to clear the lot today. He gruffed and grunted, and i proceeded to explain you get what you pay for. If somebody want pricing that low, tell them to eat it and find someone who will back into their towel dispenser.


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## nms0219 (Jan 20, 2007)

I plowed a local quarter wash last year. What a joke. I had to chase the guy for the money. He even had the gull to try and pay me in quarters!:realmad:


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## DJ Contracting (Dec 16, 2003)

*$15.00*

Around here a small lot for a quarter car wash would go for a min. $50.00 BUT $15.00  for salt come on now. Lets say your using two and a half bags or 125 lbs of bulk then at least charge the $45.00-$50.00 for the salt.

Furthermore why would you even think of doing it for the lowball rate unless your secretly a lowballer youself and got beat at your own game lol.


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## Turf Masters (Jan 7, 2007)

*The idea is to make money!*

The idea behind any business is to make money not break even.For as many times as you get under bid,there will be a customer that will pay top dollar for great service.It's these accounts you want.


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## Farm Boss (Jan 20, 2007)

I once plowed a business that I lost to a guy that said he would plow for way less than myself, an on top of that he would plow the lot for FREE if it was under 2". I lost the account but got it back this yr when the business called and said he was a joker! No kidding, he was! Maybe if my tank is only a quarter low the gas station will start filling it for free!


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## Lynch & Sons Landscapin (Sep 5, 2006)

*50/15*

It is small. 1 1/2 - 80lb bags = Cost $6.... I bid it higher than this initially but after hearing what she wanted to pay and a little sympathy for her lack of money (not a fancy place, a bit rough) the $50/$15 was my final offer in our negotiations. I have another account within 3 miles of this so almost no fuel/travel time involved. I dont care that I didn't get it... That part doesn't bother me. There isn't enough money in it to matter. It was just a free money job if I did. I was just astonished that somebody is doing a plow & salt for $30.... Even with sympathy & convienience on her side I wouldn't do it that cheap.


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## andrewlawnrangr (Dec 3, 2004)

come work for me ill pay u that to do my lots....... hey at that price u could do all of my work and ill sit in my warm house..........


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## Mr frosty (Dec 30, 2006)

dont get caught up on the ones that wont pay your price , service will get clients looking for you:salute:


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## magnatrac (Dec 22, 2006)

I have a small group of three building that I have been going for about 6yrs. now. One of the buildings was a doctors office and they sold it last summer. It is now a little ceasers. We talked to the owner in the fall told him we service the rest of the buisnesses right there and we would give him a good price becasue we are already there. In december we had two small snows and noticed that the lot had not been touched. We went in and talked to the manager and she told us that they have been giving pizza's to a guy that was supposed to be plowing it. I almost started laughing right away. " Will work for pizza" The guy that is doing it shows up late , if at all ,and has a new dodge diesel with a boss v blade. How the hell can you work for pizza!!! If they can sell pizza for $5 and and make money, he's spending more on a gallon of fuel than he's getting in pizza!!!! I plow a quick oil change for trade, but they service four trucks. We get anything we need trans service, wipers, lights no questions asked. I guess all you can do is smile when you drive by and see there is still a snow covered lot at the end of the day!!!!


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## WALKERS (Nov 1, 2006)

:bluebounc I would plow Mother Natures driveway for FREE if she would make it snow about 7 more times before March!


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

for three years now I have been bidding on some coffee shops that are next to or on the way to some of my commercials. Every year I am too high, but every year their service is terrible- you get what you pay for. I know they are paying $55 for a plow and I thought that included salt but I've only seen the lots salted once. I started bidding $160, and this year I bid $85 (ProWings improved my plow times and the cost of plowing around here went down a lot)

This fall I almost got the account but my automatic salting clause prevented me from getting the bid. The owner knows his service sucks but is not willing to pay for quality service. I think though that next year I will be able to come down a tad more and he will be willing to pay a bit more.


LONG winded story in short, its a fun game trying to get people to pay reasonable rates.


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## nick858 (Jul 17, 2006)

It really sucks when people would rather have cheap prices than quality service. I plow in a town full of those people, and you cant get them to change.


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

There are some customers not worth having.


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## PremierLand (Jun 11, 2004)

Just stick to your grounds. I have an account that takes a whopping 10minutes to plow and salt, total, and I charge 85 and only use 2 bags of salt. Last year they had someone else doing it, he charged $30 for the same services, wouldnt you know hes not in business anymore, and didnt have insurance, thus I am doing it now for more than double the price. 

Just keep in mind, there is someone always willing to beat your price, just stick to your grounds and show the people what you have to offer over the other guy.

Dont let other people set your prices.


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## MD Power Plow (Nov 30, 2004)

I wonder if you asked her what kind of service she would give you if you had her wash your truck for .25
after all a car wash is just a car wash right


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