On Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 2:14:03 PM UTC-4, wrote:
RANT ON
About 45 minutes ago a guy calls and asks if I can heli-arc a casting.
I say sure, if it's weldable I can probably do it. So he drives to my
shop and shows me the casting. I recognize this casting, it's from a
Sears riding mower and I have welded a few for my neighbor as a favor.
Because I have welded on them I know how crappy they are to weld and
how much extra gusseting they need added when welding so they won't
break again. So I tell the guy I think it's a Sears riding mower part
and he says yes, it is. I then tell him to buy a new one from Sears
because it will be cheaper than me. He says that even though they are
only 27 dollars he can't wait. I say OK, it will cost you 60 or 70
bucks, because I already know all about these particular parts. He
says BAH! Too much. Then he says he has a TIG machine at home. So I
say good, go home and weld it. Then he says the water pump won't work.
So I say just hook up the garden hose to it. Then he says too much
hassle and leaves in a huff. Good riddance to the cheapskate. And I'll
bet his welder works just fine and he just doesn't know how to use it.
He looked to be about 65 and was driving a nice new full size pickup.
Maybe his truck payments are so high he has to try to get his
expensive riding mower fixed for cheap.
RANT OFF
Eric

Oh don't get me started. I wish I had a nickel for every time I quoted a price and got, in return, "Oh, my brother-in-law's kid can do it for much less." I just tell them to go ahead and have the kid take a whack at it. When he totally screws it up, come on back and I'll do it for double the price.

Occasionally, they do come back. And I charge them double.

I am so happy now that I've landed a pharmaceutical manufacturer as a regular client. They pay their bills on time and do not, under any circumstances, cut corners.