Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work.

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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
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wrote in message
...
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



Ha! I got a call like that this morning. Somebody bought a Bunker Hill
video system and couldn't get it to work. They were calling every company
in the phone book today. They called me twice. First time I said, I do not
work on low end DIY consumer stuff. 2nd time I had some pity on them and
made a couple suggestions. They took that as an invitation to grill me.
Out of curiosity I looked it up after their second call and found it's a
Harbor Freight import. It looks amazingly like some of the unlabeled
nonames the traveling installers sell when they pass thru town.



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On Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 2:14:03 PM UTC-4, wrote:
RANT ON
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.


RANT OFF
Eric


My bet would be that he does not have a TIG welder.

Dan

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On Thu, 16 Apr 2015 11:17:46 -0700, etpm 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


Been there, done that, just with design work rather than welding.

You've got to wonder just what kind of job he's going to get from whoever
he does manage to talk down to his price, and whether he'll find someone
before Sears would have gotten his part in.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com
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On Thu, 16 Apr 2015 11:17:46 -0700, 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

Good on you! I just finished installing thru bolts in the impeller
housing of my C. Hina Co. sump pump. The original setup involved lugs
spot welded to the inner surface of the outer casing of the pump;
unfortunately these lugs were not made of S.S.. The first time it came
apart, I only through bolted one of four locations,but knew where to
find the remainder of the pack of four #8-32x2 bolts and nuts.
Fortunately I had a $30- backup pump from HF plus required outlet
adapter ready to install at zero notice. Now my backup pump is back in
it's storage place.
---

Gerry :-)}
London,Canada


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I deal with cheap people in my business too. As soon as I recognize
them, I politely terminate the conversation.

i

On 2015-04-16, 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

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On Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 11:14:03 AM UTC-7, 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


This moron sounds like he's related to Larry Jackass.
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On Thu, 16 Apr 2015 11:17:46 -0700, 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


More than a few of those guys floating around. Good advise about
buying a new one. I suppose the ******* had to mow his lawn before
8am because the inspector was coming to rate it for airworthiness.


"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child,
miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied,
demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless.
Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats."
PJ O'Rourke
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On Thu, 16 Apr 2015 19:13:49 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Thu, 16 Apr 2015 11:17:46 -0700, etpm 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


Been there, done that, just with design work rather than welding.

You've got to wonder just what kind of job he's going to get from whoever
he does manage to talk down to his price, and whether he'll find someone
before Sears would have gotten his part in.


I would have bumped up the price, audibly, at every reply from this
guy. By the time he had accepted it, I might have made $500 for just
putting up with him. He'd definitely know precisely what his truly
bad attitude cost him. Then, once he accepted, I'd pencil him in for
11:75AM, December 32, 2025.

--
[Television is] the triumph of machine over people.
-- Fred Allen
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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.


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On Friday, April 17, 2015 at 10:54:15 AM UTC-7, 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.


This "customer" might as well have been you.
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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.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com
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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.
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On Friday, April 17, 2015 at 5:48:46 PM UTC-4, 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.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com


When I get asked for a fixed price on open-ended work, I tell them flat out that if that's what they really want, then I have to cover myself, so let's call it a couple of million. If it ever gets close to that, I'll submit a change order.

And then there are the real dicks who want to push for a price up front including projected production costs on a big job which really should have an up-front engineering charge. They poke & prod, promising huge rewards at the end. By the time you've come up with a proposal, you've pretty much done the whole design.

Then they give the job (and your proposal with all the hard work done) to someone else who can charge much less to execute your design.

I don't get those nearly as often as I used to, and now I do insist on up-front costs before going very deep into a job. Usually. But I lost a good-sized bid a couple of years ago for a surgical device for a major manufacturer. I spent three days reading their documents and noted several errors and inconsistencies. I'm not sure why I didn't win the bid, but I can't imagine that they didn't submit my notes to whoever did win it.
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On Friday, April 17, 2015 at 9:01:40 PM UTC-4, Clare wrote:
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.


"It is better to set a specific price"

Success and Survival on Wall Street: Understanding the Mind of the Market (Hardcover). By Charles W. Smith. 2001 - Google Books - Business & Economics ($39.95)

-- https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0742516873

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