On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 16:48:43 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 10:54:12 -0700, rangerssuck wrote:

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.

Every once in a while I'll get a prospect that'll give me some entirely
open-ended design task and want a firm fixed price. Usually if I can
engage with them at all I can get them to see why they don't want that;
sometimes we actually constrain things enough that I can give them a bid.
The rest I just wave down the road with all good will.

My brother is in the land surveying business and he tells of a client
who came in for a price on a job.
My brother said between (prices not accurate, but good enough for the
gist of it) $3000 and $5000.
The customer said "not close enough - I need a fixed price".
Brother said "$8000" and got the job. He said it would have come in on
the low end of the estimate - but the guy paid the full agreed price.