My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?

wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?

Hi,
IMHO, all. It is his appliance. He is the registered owner with the
manufacturer I believe. I think you should've filled out his name.

On Thursday, December 12, 2013 9:59:36 PM UTC-8, Tony Hwang wrote:
wrote:

My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.

It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.

I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.

How much of the money should I give to my client?



Hi,

IMHO, all. It is his appliance. He is the registered owner with the

manufacturer I believe. I think you should've filled out his name.

1. I couldn’t fill out his name because I used my credit card with my name on the invoice.
2. I should at least get back the money for the stamp I used if nothing else.

On 12/12/2013 11:55 PM, wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?


You used your resources to purchase the appliance and if you are so
inclined, you could discount the price you charged your customer but
with rebates, you have no idea how long you'd have to wait to get it
and the cost of tying up your resources must be considered. If you have
the monetary resources that are large enough for you to operate while
waiting on a rebate check, you could discount your price, or wait until
the rebate check comes in a refund that amount to your customer. Your
customer would get a pleasant surprise and be inclined to recommend you
to anyone he knows who may need your services. ^_^

TDD

On 12/13/2013 12:55 AM, wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?



How much of the drug company kickback does your physician refund to you for the Viagra you buy?

wrote:

My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?

So if there was ever even a chance that you didn't intend to keep the
rebate, why'd you bother sending it in?

You could have just turned over the rebate coupon to the client along
with the receipt and spared yourself this agonizing moral dilemma.

On 12/13/2013 4:30 AM, Mike Hunt-Hertz wrote:
On 12/13/2013 12:55 AM, wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for
him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?



How much of the drug company kickback does your physician refund to you
for the Viagra you buy?

OJ Simpson got off, for killing two people.
Does that make it OK for you and me to go
kill two people?

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

wrote in message

My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an
appliance for him. It turned out that the appliance that
I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the
money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?

All of it. If it had been discounted in the store, he would have paid that
price. This is no different. If you had to put a stamp on the rebate, you
are entitled to that. You would be a cheapskate but entitled.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

You got a rebate back? Keep it and pay to Uncle Sam his share. Consider
yourself lucky. Rebates are like going to a casino, some winners but
the risk is high. I never did get the 5 bucks from Staples or the 40
bucks from Tiger Direct. Rebates and gift cards are a pain in the arse
but the companies love them, extra money in the bank for them.

On 12/13/2013 12:55 AM, wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?

I'd be tempted to at least split it with the client.
What happens when he finds out about the company
offering a rebate, and asks you about it? You tell
him you filed and kept the money. He's bound to be
upset.

Wish Dr. Laura Schlessinger was still answering
questions. This would be a good question for her.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 12/13/2013 12:59 AM, Tony Hwang wrote:
wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for
him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?

Hi,
IMHO, all. It is his appliance. He is the registered owner with the
manufacturer I believe. I think you should've filled out his name.

What if the customer knows there was a rebate available? Then it looks
like the OP cheated him. Would the OP have picked that model if there
was no rebate?

Several years ago, I hired someone to paint a room in my mother's house
when I was selling it. He told me to pick the paint I wanted and he'd
buy it. When I was looking for the right color paint, I saw that there
was a rebate and figured great, I can buy a better quality paint for the
same price as the store brand. He bought the paint and did an adequate
job of painting. I asked for the sales receipt and he claimed he
couldn't find it. My first thought was that he'd sent in the rebate,
which cheated *me* out of the discount I was planning on. I wouldn't
hire him again.

Bottom line, OP should have given the rebate form to the customer who
may well have told him to keep it anyhow.

wrote:

My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for
him. It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate
coupon. I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the
money. How much of the money should I give to my client?

The mere fact that you post this question shows your conscience is
bothered. Do the right thing.

On Thursday, December 12, 2013 11:55:09 PM UTC-6, wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.

It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.

I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.

How much of the money should I give to my client?

First off, your services were hired...it was your decision what to buy. Tell him about the rebate and discount his fees however you think is fair considering that.
As long as you let him know...it won't come back and bite you in the ass.

On 12/12/2013 11:55 PM, wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?





You are /absolutely/ not bound to give the customer /any/ of it.


You are the de facto vendor in this situation. You were the one who made
the purchase and your are the owner until you resell it. For you to have
gone through the work of selecting the item you are entitled to payment
for your expertise. At any rate, a reseller is certainly entitled to a
profit.


Once you purchased the item and resell it...you are only bound to sell
it for what you quoted the customer.


Let your conscience be your guide and simply charge a /fair price/ for
the job as a whole.


What people really care about is that the appliance works reliably and
was installed properly. If you did that, then you did your job.


If you are bound by conscience on the one hand to do the right
thing...and on the other by being a human being and wanting to keep the
rebate...here is what you can do:


After you present the bill... tell the customer,

" By the way, I got a small rebate on the item, would you prefer me to
deduct the amount from your invoice or shall I simply apply it to an
extended warranty on the installation ?"

On 12/13/2013 06:35 AM, Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote:
You got a rebate back? Keep it and pay to Uncle Sam his share. Consider
yourself lucky. Rebates are like going to a casino, some winners but
the risk is high. I never did get the 5 bucks from Staples or the 40
bucks from Tiger Direct. Rebates and gift cards are a pain in the arse
but the companies love them, extra money in the bank for them.



I stopped dealing with Tiger Direct due to a rebate I did not get.

I went back and forth with them /many/ times until the 30 days I had to
apply ran out. Once it was too late to get the rebate, they finally told
me to just download it from their website at the time of purchase.
Up until then they simply told me they'd send me the form.

philo wrote:
On 12/13/2013 06:35 AM, Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote:
You got a rebate back? Keep it and pay to Uncle Sam his share. Consider
yourself lucky. Rebates are like going to a casino, some winners but
the risk is high. I never did get the 5 bucks from Staples or the 40
bucks from Tiger Direct. Rebates and gift cards are a pain in the arse
but the companies love them, extra money in the bank for them.



I stopped dealing with Tiger Direct due to a rebate I did not get.

I went back and forth with them /many/ times until the 30 days I had to
apply ran out. Once it was too late to get the rebate, they finally told
me to just download it from their website at the time of purchase.
Up until then they simply told me they'd send me the form.
Hmmm,
When I purchase an item big or small rebate has nothing to do on my
decision to buy. I don't buy things because there is rebate. I buy what
I want/need.

On Fri, 13 Dec 2013 09:08:02 -0700, philo* wrote:

...snip...

I stopped dealing with Tiger Direct due to a rebate I did not get.

I went back and forth with them /many/ times until the 30 days I had to
apply ran out. Once it was too late to get the rebate, they finally told
me to just download it from their website at the time of purchase.
Up until then they simply told me they'd send me the form.


If you purchased through a standard credit card, like VISA, you go back to
VISA and protest the charge, subtract your rebate and accept THAT as the
cost. The key words are that you did NOT get what was purported to be your
agreed upon purchased item. They should stand behind you and subtract off
either the whole charge or the amount of the rebate. Again, you ordered
such and such and did NOT receive such and such, therefore you are not
liable under your agreement terms with your charge company.

On Friday, December 13, 2013 10:58:25 AM UTC-5, philo* wrote:
On 12/12/2013 11:55 PM, wrote:

My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.

It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.

I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.

How much of the money should I give to my client?











You are /absolutely/ not bound to give the customer /any/ of it.





You are the de facto vendor in this situation. You were the one who made

the purchase and your are the owner until you resell it. For you to have

gone through the work of selecting the item you are entitled to payment

for your expertise. At any rate, a reseller is certainly entitled to a

profit.




He's not a reseller. The client asked him to pick out, pay for
and install an appliance. We don't know the exact verbal contract
that was struck, but it sure sounds like the expectation was that
the client was expecting to get the same price that client would get
if they went to the store and bought it themselves. I would expect
that he presented the client with a receipt showing what he paid.
In my world, that's not a reseller, it's a person providing a service
and getting paid an agreed on amount for the service that has nothing
to do with the cost of the appliance. Would he have been able to pick
out an appliance for $300 and then charge the customer $350? I
doubt the customer was agreeing to that. IMO, the customer is entitled
to the rebated. And I would have just given the customer the necessary
receipt/paperwork so they could file the rebate themselves.






Once you purchased the item and resell it...you are only bound to sell

it for what you quoted the customer.





Let your conscience be your guide and simply charge a /fair price/ for

the job as a whole.





What people really care about is that the appliance works reliably and

was installed properly. If you did that, then you did your job.





If you are bound by conscience on the one hand to do the right

thing...and on the other by being a human being and wanting to keep the

rebate...here is what you can do:





After you present the bill... tell the customer,



" By the way, I got a small rebate on the item, would you prefer me to

deduct the amount from your invoice or shall I simply apply it to an

extended warranty on the installation ?"

On Friday, December 13, 2013 7:19:29 AM UTC-8, Lee B wrote:
On 12/13/2013 12:59 AM, Tony Hwang wrote:

wrote:

My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for

him.

It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.

I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.

How much of the money should I give to my client?



Hi,

IMHO, all. It is his appliance. He is the registered owner with the

manufacturer I believe. I think you should've filled out his name.



What if the customer knows there was a rebate available? Then it looks

like the OP cheated him. Would the OP have picked that model if there

was no rebate?



Several years ago, I hired someone to paint a room in my mother's house

when I was selling it. He told me to pick the paint I wanted and he'd

buy it. When I was looking for the right color paint, I saw that there

was a rebate and figured great, I can buy a better quality paint for the

same price as the store brand. He bought the paint and did an adequate

job of painting. I asked for the sales receipt and he claimed he

couldn't find it. My first thought was that he'd sent in the rebate,

which cheated *me* out of the discount I was planning on. I wouldn't

hire him again.



Bottom line, OP should have given the rebate form to the customer who

may well have told him to keep it anyhow.

1.You can’t get a rebate without a proof of purchase.
2. The proof of purchase is the invoice or receipt which has MY name on it because I used MY credit card.

On 12/13/2013 10:19 AM, wrote:
On Friday, December 13, 2013 10:58:25 AM UTC-5, philo wrote:
On 12/12/2013 11:55 PM, wrote:

My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.

It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.

I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.

How much of the money should I give to my client?











You are /absolutely/ not bound to give the customer /any/ of it.





You are the de facto vendor in this situation. You were the one who made

the purchase and your are the owner until you resell it. For you to have

gone through the work of selecting the item you are entitled to payment

for your expertise. At any rate, a reseller is certainly entitled to a

profit.




He's not a reseller.

I specifically said "de facto". The OP made the purchase and he resold
it. He is only legally bound to the terms he made with the end user.



That said: I agree there is a difference between what is legal and what
is moral. OTOH: A contractor needs to be fair to himself as well as his
customer.

On 12/13/2013 10:18 AM, Tony Hwang wrote:
philo wrote:
On 12/13/2013 06:35 AM, Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote:
You got a rebate back? Keep it and pay to Uncle Sam his share. Consider
yourself lucky. Rebates are like going to a casino, some winners but
the risk is high. I never did get the 5 bucks from Staples or the 40
bucks from Tiger Direct. Rebates and gift cards are a pain in the arse
but the companies love them, extra money in the bank for them.



I stopped dealing with Tiger Direct due to a rebate I did not get.

I went back and forth with them /many/ times until the 30 days I had to
apply ran out. Once it was too late to get the rebate, they finally told
me to just download it from their website at the time of purchase.
Up until then they simply told me they'd send me the form.
Hmmm,
When I purchase an item big or small rebate has nothing to do on my
decision to buy. I don't buy things because there is rebate. I buy what
I want/need.



So do I...but I did not like the way "Tiger" told me they'd send it and
after it was too late let me in on the real way to get it.

On 12/13/2013 11:42 AM, philo wrote:



So do I...but I did not like the way "Tiger" told me they'd send it and
after it was too late let me in on the real way to get it.

I hope you tell every one you know.

Radio Shack. I purchased a cell phone with
$40 rebate. Reminded them a couple times,
I never got the rebate. I've not purchased
even a penny's worth of merchandise since
then, and that was 2006.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 12/13/2013 10:19 AM, RobertMacy wrote:
On Fri, 13 Dec 2013 09:08:02 -0700, philo wrote:

...snip...

I stopped dealing with Tiger Direct due to a rebate I did not get.

I went back and forth with them /many/ times until the 30 days I had
to apply ran out. Once it was too late to get the rebate, they finally
told me to just download it from their website at the time of purchase.
Up until then they simply told me they'd send me the form.


If you purchased through a standard credit card, like VISA, you go back
to VISA and protest the charge, subtract your rebate and accept THAT as
the cost. The key words are that you did NOT get what was purported to
be your agreed upon purchased item. They should stand behind you and
subtract off either the whole charge or the amount of the rebate. Again,
you ordered such and such and did NOT receive such and such, therefore
you are not liable under your agreement terms with your charge company.



I've dealt with Visa on issues before and here is how it goes:


1) If an unauthorized person used your card...that is fraud and the card
holder is 100% covered. All you need to do is fill out a fraud report.
Visa is excellent in that area and makes a huge effort to prevent fraud.
Several times they called to to confirm whether or not the transaction
was legit.


2) If the card holder makes a purchase but it is not to their
satisfaction...all Visa will do is hold charges for 30 days while the
card holder and the vendor work things out.

In my situation I did not deem a long , drawn out fight for just a few
dollars to be worth doing...so I did what I thought best and stopped
doing business with them.


In a court of law, Tiger would have won. To get a rebate, it would have
been required that I sent in the rebate form...and I did not.
Though I was verbally given the wrong info...I am sure they had the
proper procedure buried somewhere on their website...and from a legal
perspective would have been in the right.

On 12/13/2013 10:52 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 12/13/2013 11:42 AM, philo wrote:



So do I...but I did not like the way "Tiger" told me they'd send it and
after it was too late let me in on the real way to get it.

I hope you tell every one you know.

Radio Shack. I purchased a cell phone with
$40 rebate. Reminded them a couple times,
I never got the rebate. I've not purchased
even a penny's worth of merchandise since
then, and that was 2006.



Yep...


As to Tiger...I just make sure everyone knows they need to print out the
rebate form first. It's been a long time since that happened and I
possibly would buy from them again.

On Friday, December 13, 2013 7:44:23 AM UTC-8, badgolferman wrote:
wrote:



My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for

him. It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate

coupon. I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the

money. How much of the money should I give to my client?



The mere fact that you post this question shows your conscience is

bothered. Do the right thing.

Thank you, I will, but I don’t believe in a “conscience” but I always try my best to do what is fair.

On 12/13/2013 6:35 AM, Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote:
You got a rebate back? Keep it and pay to Uncle Sam his share.
Consider yourself lucky. Rebates are like going to a casino, some
winners but the risk is high. I never did get the 5 bucks from
Staples or the 40 bucks from Tiger Direct. Rebates and gift cards
are a pain in the arse but the companies love them, extra money in
the bank for them.

I believe a lot rebates are a scam and a way to fool customers. The
advertising has a low price in big print but underneath, there is very
tiny print, "after rebate". ^_^

TDD

On Friday, December 13, 2013 11:41:08 AM UTC-5, philo* wrote:
On 12/13/2013 10:19 AM, wrote:

On Friday, December 13, 2013 10:58:25 AM UTC-5, philo wrote:

On 12/12/2013 11:55 PM, wrote:



My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.



It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.



I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.



How much of the money should I give to my client?























You are /absolutely/ not bound to give the customer /any/ of it.











You are the de facto vendor in this situation. You were the one who made



the purchase and your are the owner until you resell it. For you to have



gone through the work of selecting the item you are entitled to payment



for your expertise. At any rate, a reseller is certainly entitled to a



profit.









He's not a reseller.



I specifically said "de facto". The OP made the purchase and he resold

it. He is only legally bound to the terms he made with the end user.



And do you think from the description of the situation
it's likely that the client said "Go buy an appliance and charge
me whatever you like for it." Or do you think they said "Go
buy me an appliance and I'll reimburse you for what it costs and
pay you $100 for getting it and installing it?" Sure sounds like
the latter to me.









That said: I agree there is a difference between what is legal and what

is moral. OTOH: A contractor needs to be fair to himself as well as his

customer.

I seriously doubt that the contract struck was one where he can
charge whatever he wants for the appliance. Perhaps the OP can
supply the missing details, but I'm betting the arrangement was
one where he was to be reimbursed for the cost of the appliance.
In which case, I would hope you would agree, the customer is
entitled to the rebated.

And I would have provided the customer with the rebate form
and whatever is necessary to claim it, because sometimes the
rebate never shows up and I would not want it to be my problem.

On 12/13/2013 11:21 AM, wrote:



I specifically said "de facto". The OP made the purchase and he resold

it. He is only legally bound to the terms he made with the end user.



And do you think from the description of the situation
it's likely that the client said "Go buy an appliance and charge
me whatever you like for it." Or do you think they said "Go
buy me an appliance and I'll reimburse you for what it costs and
pay you $100 for getting it and installing it?" Sure sounds like
the latter to me.






No one here but the OP would know what the agreement was.


Whatever it was however, is what the OP is bound to do.

On 12/13/2013 12:21 PM, wrote:

I seriously doubt that the contract struck was one where he can
charge whatever he wants for the appliance. Perhaps the OP can
supply the missing details, but I'm betting the arrangement was
one where he was to be reimbursed for the cost of the appliance.
In which case, I would hope you would agree, the customer is
entitled to the rebated.

And I would have provided the customer with the rebate form
and whatever is necessary to claim it, because sometimes the
rebate never shows up and I would not want it to be my problem.

Even if they agreed on price, the customer likely
to be upset when s/he learns of a later rebate.
They will say "it's not fair".

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 12/13/2013 12:20 PM, philo wrote:
On 12/13/2013 11:32 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:


When I do service work, I charge a higher price than what I pay for
any item I provide because I'm using my resources to pay for it.
I'm not a wholesale supplier and I don't sell material to make
money. I sell my time and will add the price of my time for
obtaining any large item. I keep supplies in stock and I don't bill
a customer the same price I paid for anything, I'm going to make a
profit. Years ago, I had a friend who worked for NCR and they
charged a minimum of $1.50 for any small item like a screw or tiny
resistor that may have cost 5 cents. That is what a business does
and it's not stealing and it's completely ethical. If a customer
supplies a large item and not the hardware to install the item, I
will charge for what I supply and it's not going to be 10 cents.
^_^

TDD

That's right, your expertise deserves to be paid.

Here is something I did:

I have a friend who is a professional photographer and I do all of
his computer repair work and I generally do not charge him for my
time.

Even though I warned him many times about backing up all his
data...on two occasions I've done major data recovery jobs for him
that took me countless hours...and never charged him a cent.

I told him I was never going to to anything for him again unless he
got a back up drive...so he asked me how much that would cost.

I saw a drive at NewEgg for $100 and told him it would be $100

When I went to order it...I then saw there was a $20 rebate. I never
mentioned it to him but I took it. The only thing I feel guilty about
is not charging him for the data recovery jobs. A lab would have
charged at least $600 per job.

I've found that many people who complain about what I charge based on
what they think an item costs at a wholesale house, are often the same
people who pay a lawyer $150.00 for a few sheets of paper with some
writing on it. They can't seem to understand that I'm selling the same
thing as their lawyer, "My time" and I find it very insulting when
someone thinks my time isn't worth anything and they can just take it
up without paying for my product which is my time. When someone takes up
my time then complains about the bill, I ask them if they would like to
pay my cost? If they say yes, I hand them a bill for $400,000.00 which
freaks them out. I explain that's what my cost over 40 years is to reach
this point. ^_^

TDD

On 12/13/2013 12:47 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:

I've found that many people who complain about what I charge based on
what they think an item costs at a wholesale house, are often the same
people who pay a lawyer $150.00 for a few sheets of paper with some
writing on it. They can't seem to understand that I'm selling the same
thing as their lawyer, "My time" and I find it very insulting when
someone thinks my time isn't worth anything and they can just take it
up without paying for my product which is my time. When someone takes up
my time then complains about the bill, I ask them if they would like to
pay my cost? If they say yes, I hand them a bill for $400,000.00 which
freaks them out. I explain that's what my cost over 40 years is to reach
this point. ^_^

TDD



Here is where my perceptions changed:


I called a plumber to replace the inlet valve to my house.


Of course he had all the necessary tools and parts with him
and I watched him cut and thread a custom length pipe. He did the whole
thing in 90 minutes and charged me about $450.

Wow, I said, that's a lot of money.


He told me he was charging me "by the book" and that particular job was
a $450 job. I was paying for his expertise not his time.


When I realized I would have taken all day and countless trips to
hardware store...and it would have leaked all over hell when ...I
realized the $450 was actually pretty reasonable.

On 12/13/2013 1:18 AM, wrote:

IMHO, all. It is his appliance. He is the registered owner with the

manufacturer I believe. I think you should've filled out his name.

1. I couldn’t fill out his name because I used my credit card with my name on the invoice.
2. I should at least get back the money for the stamp I used if nothing else.


Any reason you did not give all the facts in your first post? It
definitely changes the right answer.

On 12/13/2013 02:16 PM, philo wrote:
On 12/13/2013 12:47 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:

I've found that many people who complain about what I charge based on
what they think an item costs at a wholesale house, are often the same
people who pay a lawyer $150.00 for a few sheets of paper with some
writing on it. They can't seem to understand that I'm selling the same
thing as their lawyer, "My time" and I find it very insulting when
someone thinks my time isn't worth anything and they can just take it
up without paying for my product which is my time. When someone takes up
my time then complains about the bill, I ask them if they would like to
pay my cost? If they say yes, I hand them a bill for $400,000.00 which
freaks them out. I explain that's what my cost over 40 years is to reach
this point. ^_^

TDD



Here is where my perceptions changed:


I called a plumber to replace the inlet valve to my house.


Of course he had all the necessary tools and parts with him
and I watched him cut and thread a custom length pipe. He did the whole
thing in 90 minutes and charged me about $450.

Wow, I said, that's a lot of money.


He told me he was charging me "by the book" and that particular job was
a $450 job. I was paying for his expertise not his time.


When I realized I would have taken all day and countless trips to
hardware store...and it would have leaked all over hell when ...I
realized the $450 was actually pretty reasonable.



Your plumber is no doubt successful - in part because he does know what
he's doing, and in part because he was able to make you understand
exactly why you were paying a high price for his services and not feel
ripped off or offended. The latter is a skill that is no less important
than the technical skill.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

In article ,
wrote:

My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an appliance for him.
It turned out that the appliance that I picked had a rebate coupon.
I filled out the coupon and mailed it and received the money.
How much of the money should I give to my client?

I notice that krwd hasn't chimed in on an "ethical" problem, speaks
loads about his lack of them

as to your question, it depends on if you want your client to refer you
and/or give you more work

On 12/13/2013 03:07 PM, Malcom "Mal" Reynolds wrote:

as to your question, it depends on if you want your client to refer you
and/or give you more work


Good grief, Malformed!

I recently had new furnace and central air units installed.
The dealer did an excellent job installing both.
Based on past and present work performed, I would recommend this dealer to my closest friends.

I assume that this dealer gets an end-of-year sales rebate from the factory.
I don't feel entitled to any portion of that dealer's rebate.
..

"philo " wrote in message

On 12/12/2013 11:55 PM, wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an
appliance for him. It turned out that the appliance
that I picked had a rebate coupon. I filled out the coupon and mailed it
and received the
money. How much of the money should I give to my client?





You are /absolutely/ not bound to give the customer /any/
of it.

You are the de facto vendor in this situation. You were
the one who made the purchase and your are the owner
until you resell it.

He made the purchase *acting as an agent for his customer*. Had he quoted a
fixed price for everything he would "sort of" been a vendor.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On Fri, 13 Dec 2013 08:59:12 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

The mere fact that you post this question shows your conscience is

bothered. Do the right thing.

Thank you, I will, but I don’t believe in a “conscience” but I always try my best to do what is fair.

I'm not sure I follow you. If you "don’t believe in a “conscience”",
why is this bothering you? Enough to ask about it here?

During the recent housing bubble, guys would ask my friend about
obtaining work and why they didn't get the work.

A: "Stop being greedy"

"philo " wrote in message ...
On 12/13/2013 12:47 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:

I've found that many people who complain about what I charge based on
what they think an item costs at a wholesale house, are often the same
people who pay a lawyer $150.00 for a few sheets of paper with some
writing on it. They can't seem to understand that I'm selling the same
thing as their lawyer, "My time" and I find it very insulting when
someone thinks my time isn't worth anything and they can just take it
up without paying for my product which is my time. When someone takes up
my time then complains about the bill, I ask them if they would like to
pay my cost? If they say yes, I hand them a bill for $400,000.00 which
freaks them out. I explain that's what my cost over 40 years is to reach
this point. ^_^

TDD



Here is where my perceptions changed:


I called a plumber to replace the inlet valve to my house.


Of course he had all the necessary tools and parts with him
and I watched him cut and thread a custom length pipe. He did the whole
thing in 90 minutes and charged me about $450.

Wow, I said, that's a lot of money.


He told me he was charging me "by the book" and that particular job was
a $450 job. I was paying for his expertise not his time.


When I realized I would have taken all day and countless trips to
hardware store...and it would have leaked all over hell when ...I
realized the $450 was actually pretty reasonable.



Bingo. I know someone in my area that wants me to get my general so that
I may do work for him at a lower rate than what is standard. I laughed at
him and told him the truth. I don't do that type of work, anymore. Some
people have no clue what it takes to run a business, and if I am going to
run my own it will be in a market that will be financially beneficial, to
me, and will be specialized. My body forgave me for giving up on the grind.
Though, my pocket book still bitches at me. :-)

On 12/13/2013 03:30 PM, Irreverent Maximus wrote:

mentioned it to him but I took it.

The only thing I feel guilty about is not charging him for the data
recovery jobs. A lab would have charged at least $600 per job.

Context is everything. If the customer asked you to get the best price,
that is one thing. A bait and switch is another. Charging more than you
paid for something is to be expected, yet does not have to happen if you
are not putting yourself in a financial hole to accomplish this.

People will treat regulars differently than an out of thin air customer.
A repeat customer will get better deals. A new customer, unless work
is grim, will get the standard quote with expected mark up. I worked for
a man that high-balled all new installations. He did not care. He did not
want the work. He made his money off of fixing other people's mistakes.
He would tell his customers to put the job out to bid and that he would
come in later and make the system work.

In the end, the customer paid around the same price, but my previous
employer
did not have to mess with the hassle of a new installation,
change-orders, time-
lines, and the usual cost overruns associated with getting a facility up
and running, either as a gen or sub-contractor. I care not to explain the
entire process, but he had a niche market for himself, and that was
beneficial
to me at the time.





Well, most of the people I repair computers for have very little money
so if I charge at all, it's typically just $25.

Only once did I get a job for a very wealthy business man but since it
went over 5 hours, I gave them a 20% discount.

On 12/13/2013 03:22 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"philo " wrote in message

On 12/12/2013 11:55 PM, wrote:
My client asked me to pick-out, purchase and install an
appliance for him. It turned out that the appliance
that I picked had a rebate coupon. I filled out the coupon and mailed it
and received the
money. How much of the money should I give to my client?





You are /absolutely/ not bound to give the customer /any/
of it.

You are the de facto vendor in this situation. You were
the one who made the purchase and your are the owner
until you resell it.

He made the purchase *acting as an agent for his customer*. Had he quoted a
fixed price for everything he would "sort of" been a vendor.




The OP did not mention a quoted price here and sounds like he just wants
to be honest.