On Wed, 19 May 2004 11:23:00 GMT "HeatMan"
wrote:

This is called Flat Rate.

[...]

It's also called up front pricing and several other names. It can be a good
thing and it can be a bad thing.

I won't have anything to do with it. There are a lot of people in my
industry that love it. They say it's really helped the bottom line. I
think it's a way to help people that really have no clue how to run a
business....

I was wiring my basement as it was being finished and when I opened up the
main service panel I notice a neutral all burned up. All connections were
tight. So I figured I'd call in a guy and ask him his opinion on the matter
- cause mainly.

The guy showed up, in a spiffy nice jumpiest, and after discussing the
issue of the neutral (and deciding it wasn't an issue), he asked me if he
wanted me to have him cut and reterminate the wire. Note that he was called
also to give an estimate on installing a ceiling fan box and switch. So I
figured that since the guy was here (we were paying for him to come -
charges to be removed form any future work done) and in the box already, I
would pay a small fee to have him cut and terminate. He whips out a pack of
slickly prepared laminated 8.5 x 11 sheets, all nice with colors and
pictures (obviously prepackaged) with the rate sked. Let's see, cutting a
wire and terminating, $90! They literally had an entry for this. The main
reason, the ceiling fan estimate, was over $700!

Needless to say I told him to bolt.

The whole operation had the look and feel of some sort of franchised outfit
with some parent corporate entity pushing all the materials and pricing and
stuff. It was pretty sad.
__________________________________________________ _______________
JG... Jeff Givens


"My hovercraft is full of eels."