# customer bailout



## dmcarpentry (Aug 30, 2008)

Hi Guys I am new here and just looking for some imput.

One of my carpentry customers called at 1 pm at the last 14 inch storm we had and ther plow contrator had not shown up yet. It is a large parking lot for a 5 building apartment complex with 135 units. The storm ended early that morning. I had 2 2007 2500 hd with 8.6 v plows on the site within 30 min. The lot took us about 3 hours with 2 trucks to clean up. What do u think its worth ??? 

Thanks for the help

Drew

by the way I had already plowed my 28 driveways and 2 roads before I bailed them out.


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## QuadPlower (Jan 4, 2007)

I probably would have gave them a price Before I started to plow.

6 hours worth of work. What do you charge per hour? There is your price.


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

14" wow! 3 hours x 2 trucks I would go about $600 for up to 6". I would up it to $150 per hour for the quick response and deep snow. $900.


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

One thing I learned the hard way long ago was to agree a price up front. That said, I would say for the equivalent of six hours work with an 8 foot plow anywhere between $600 and $850. If you have experience with this type of site, then maybe $900 to $1000.


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## Rc2505 (Feb 5, 2007)

I agree with everyone so far. You should have set your price before you showed up. Bailouts look good for you, by showing up and doing a great job. Makes you look like a real hero, until you give them a bill that you think is fair, and the end up sh$*ing thier pants.


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## QuadPlower (Jan 4, 2007)

Was it just a verbal agreement? What happens when the other contractor that has a contract gets pissed because you did his work and took his money? I'm not saying mad at you, I'm saying mad at the customer.


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

dmcarpentry;727074 said:


> Hi Guys I am new here and just looking for some imput.
> 
> One of my carpentry customers called at 1 pm at the last 14 inch storm we had and ther plow contrator had not shown up yet. It is a large parking lot for a 5 building apartment complex with 135 units. The storm ended early that morning. I had 2 2007 2500 hd with 8.6 v plows on the site within 30 min. The lot took us about 3 hours with 2 trucks to clean up. What do u think its worth ???
> 
> ...


give them a decent price and negotiate a contract for the remainder of the year and next year payup


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## Kevin Kendrick (May 3, 2007)

If you give them a descent price now, they will expect that every time. I would give them a "bailout bill" and then lower it for the contract.


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## dmcarpentry (Aug 30, 2008)

thanks for the imput guys 

I charged the customer $800.00 and was just looking to see if i was way off with my pricing. 

The customer has paid and was very happy with the work but made it known that they thought i was too expensive. The landscape company that was supposed to show up told the customer that i was outragous and they would only charge $50 an hour. but I think this is a great example of you get what you pay for.

Thanks again 

Drew


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

I love stuff like that. :realmad:
Let's see, you went with a total lowballer and the guy didn't show up and I gave you a reasonable price ( i would have charged more if they wouldn't sign long term, unknown curbs, emergency response). Then you complain I'm too expensive

But the other guy never showed up!!!!!!!!!!

it's like talking to a wall. They don't even hear what they are saying.


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## dmcarpentry (Aug 30, 2008)

here is the property

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=riverside+st+portland+me&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.352165,74.53125&ie=UTF8&ll=43.707966,-70.318851&spn=0.001858,0.004549&t=h&z=14&output=embed&s=AARTsJr0O29ouqkE0zsmxqFxKkVwdb-GrA
View Larger Map


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## dmcarpentry (Aug 30, 2008)

i tried here we go with a link

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...547,-70.320965&spn=0.001889,0.004592&t=h&z=18


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## Eronningen (Dec 20, 2008)

I thought $600 in hopes of building a relationship. But sometimes you don't want it either and then ya stick it to them. 
The landscaper place only said they'd have been at $50 an hour just to make you look bad. But now their dumb azzes have to stick to that and give work away all winter.


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

dmcarpentry;728076 said:


> ...The customer has paid and was very happy with the work but made it known that they thought i was too expensive. Drew


Then you was right on the mark. The key words are "paid" and "very happy". Thinking you are too expensive is a good sign, too, actually.

Very good but expensive - sound familiar?


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## cretebaby (Aug 23, 2008)

dmcarpentry;728076 said:


> thanks for the imput guys
> 
> I charged the customer $800.00 and was just looking to see if i was way off with my pricing.
> 
> ...


If you would of charged them $50 they probably *****ed it was to much


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

i wish i could get every ****** in my area with a pick-up to become a member of this site so that they could get ripped apart for charging outrageously low prices to do some of the commercial lots....i mean there are guys that are charging no lie, 45 to 50.00 per hour for a truck or per trip, its ridiculous. these lots are all of 100 x 600 ft lots, decent sized lots. i charge 40.00 for a small lot i do, but it takes me 20 minutes at most to plow the place, that's reasonable but not 75.00 per trip for two trucks to spend an hour and a half


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

dmcarpentry;728076 said:


> thanks for the imput guys
> 
> I charged the customer $800.00 and was just looking to see if i was way off with my pricing.
> 
> ...


Hahaha the company that was supposed to show up can only charge $0 an hour cause they didn't show up at all! THat is hilarious, they charge $50 an hour to not show up?


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

LoneCowboy;728085 said:


> I love stuff like that. :realmad:
> Let's see, you went with a total lowballer and the guy didn't show up and I gave you a reasonable price ( i would have charged more if they wouldn't sign long term, unknown curbs, emergency response). Then you complain I'm too expensive
> 
> But the other guy never showed up!!!!!!!!!!
> ...


thats the sad sad truth.

"we may be more expensive, but we'll show up" that might be my new slogan


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## QuadPlower (Jan 4, 2007)

Good for you. I bet they ask you to bid it next year.


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## duramaxblade (Feb 12, 2008)

I know that this post is old, but as I am reading it I realized something. If took 6 hours to do the lot with two V-plows, with 14" of snow, and charged them $800.

The no-shows said that they would do it for $50/hour. Now if they had come like they were supposed to, which at 14" they already should have been there 3 times. So at 50/hr for 1 truck and an estimated time of 6 hours (ok thats an over-estimate but it id take two truck three hours) to clean the lot each time, and if they had come three times, it would have cost $900.

6 hrs x 3 passes = 18 hours

18 hours x $50/hr = $900

Just some food for thought...


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## iceyman (Mar 1, 2007)

duramaxblade;743801 said:


> I know that this post is old, but as I am reading it I realized something. If took 6 hours to do the lot with two V-plows, with 14" of snow, and charged them $800.
> 
> The no-shows said that they would do it for $50/hour. Now if they had come like they were supposed to, which at 14" they already should have been there 3 times. So at 50/hr for 1 truck and an estimated time of 6 hours (ok thats an over-estimate but it id take two truck three hours) to clean the lot each time, and if they had come three times, it would have cost $900.
> 
> ...


but they couldnt get the 14 inches done..... with only a 5 inch storm they wouldnt get that many hours and probably only make 3 to 400 for the lot


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## NICHOLS LANDSCA (Sep 15, 2007)

duramaxblade;743801 said:


> I know that this post is old, but as I am reading it I realized something. If took 6 hours to do the lot with two V-plows, with 14" of snow, and charged them $800.
> 
> The no-shows said that they would do it for $50/hour. Now if they had come like they were supposed to, which at 14" they already should have been there 3 times. So at 50/hr for 1 truck and an estimated time of 6 hours (ok thats an over-estimate but it id take two truck three hours) to clean the lot each time, and if they had come three times, it would have cost $900.
> 
> ...


Well yes and no you wouldn't have done a full push each time. I just do aisles, loading docks, and sidewalks during a storm and a full push when it's done. His price is high for MN. 6hrs of work would be $400 or less but for a one time deal $500


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## cretebaby (Aug 23, 2008)

IMO Doing the work without telling the customer the price first is asking to not get paid

on the flip side if the customer didnt ask how much first then he is just as much at fault


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## duramaxblade (Feb 12, 2008)

I do agree that you would do a full clean up each time. Still though, he should have given a price before. However, the place had 14" of snow!!! At that point who cares what the price is? It HAS to get done. Would it have mattered if it was $1200.00? I mean, you've got that much snow, people can't get in or out, including fire trucks and emergency personel. The price is just a number at this point. Yes you don't want to be a dink, but you're there to make money. Tell the owner that if he uses you on a regular basis it would be half of the cost.
My old boss just used to charge an hourly rate for everything. All the big equipment had a mobilization charge, even if we drove it down the street in a snow storm. Also there's a minimum 4 hrs on every big piece of equipment. I can't count the number of times a place was in a jam, I would drive the loader with an 18' push box on the front down the street clear a place out in 30 minutes maybe an hour tops ( yes I was always nice and pushed all the snow bank waaaaay back for them), and I knew that this was going to be a big bill for 1 hours worth of work. $200 mobilization, $140.00/hr loader for 4 hrs. $760 for an hours worth of work. Crazy right? Well, the next year we almost always got the account. Why, because we were there when nobody else was. Because we could do it. I wouldn't be surprised if this guy who charged the guy $800 gets the account next year. The other guys didn't even call or send anyone!!! That's ridiculous.
So what I was trying to say is that at some point in emergencies, the price is not a major factor. But yes he should have given a dollar amount to what was going to be billed. If I get someone who calls after a 12" storm, I don't charge them for one pass, I charge them as if I had been plowing them the whole storm. I thought it was a fair price, JMO.


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## duramaxblade (Feb 12, 2008)

boy, that was a long post about nothing...LMAO


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