Need Advice on How to Charge fo Special Circumstances

[Coach Steve]

Earlier this week, I had a situation where a vehicle brought in for a complete detail with light correction had highway lane marking paint slung up into the wells and the rear fender on one side. Luckily, the use of my PW and plastic blades eliminated the problem without really having to spend and significant extra time addressing the issue.
However, there have been situations where circumstances have required extra attention to a particular area whether it be heavily soiled carpets, some sort of stain on upholstery or let's say the paint issue I just mentioned ended up requiring special procedures. I've really never come up with a "set-in-stone" method of charging for those kinds of situations. And the times I've actually charged extra, I've pretty much just come up with a price on the fly and blurted it out. And the few times I've done so, the figure was always way lower than it should have been when everything was said and done.
So, my question to all of you is, how do you decide how much to charge for these kinds of situations? In the case of this particular job, the customer is already paying $275.00 and increasing the price might not be fully understood or deemed unacceptable to the customer or worst case it might piss them off and take their business elsewhere. So, I guess the second question here is at what point do you just include the extra work given the price the customer is already paying.
In my personal situation, my prices don't go much higher than that for the work I'm capable of and/or willing to do - I'm pretty much at the top of my range at $300.00. Bear in mind that figure is relevant to the geographic area, local economy, etc. What I charge for what I do may cost more or less depending on the pertinent variables.

Anyway, thanks for your time and hopefully your comments.

Coach

 

[Coach Steve]

Just bumping this up to hopefully get a reply.

 

[greatwhitenorth]

I would suggest finding your hourly rate then asking the customer if it's worth it to them or you to spend X hours quoted to fix it. Generally the answer I get is not to worry about it or to spent .5 hours or whatever to see what I can do. I find doing it this way manages expectations for cost and outcome of the problem area

 

[Robbiek]

I would suggest finding your hourly rate then asking the customer if it's worth it to them or you to spend X hours quoted to fix it. Generally the answer I get is not to worry about it or to spent .5 hours or whatever to see what I can do. I find doing it this way manages expectations for cost and outcome of the problem area

That's a great idea

 

[Brody]

Well, I hate to say I deal with situations like that all the time, but I deal with situations like that all the time. I'm a mechanic and I co-own a wheel repair business. I usually refer to what you are describing as a "sub-surface condition" a bit cliche when it comes to detailing but it's a phrase most people can understand and very applicable to my line of work. I always explain to my customers up front that sometimes while fixing one problem you uncover another that was not originally apparent. If it is something that will add an additional cost to the price I originally quoted them, then I call them and explain the situation along with the additional cost.

If I were in your position on that truck with the road paint on it, I would have pointed it out to the customer and asked them if they wanted it removed. If yes then tell them you charge a flat rate of $65 per hour for road paint removal and you estimate 2 hours total for the job because road paint removal is not part of a standard detail. Since you said the guy left quick and you were not able to do a walk around with him, then I would have called him to explain the situation and additional charges for the additional work.

Don't be scared to charge for what you do. There is no sense in working for free. That said, don't rip people off either. Everyone is nickle and dimed to death enough so If additional charges really aren't necessary then don't assess them.

Here is an example of something I would charge extra for as a mechanic. I had a car come in last Thursday for a routine oil change, nothing special, just a simple 15-20 minute job. I got the car up on a lift to drain the oil and discovered a pretty substantial leak coming from around the drain bolt on the oil pan. I removed the bolt and turns out who ever worked on the car previously stripped the threads for the drain bolt. At this point I stopped and called the customer. Explained what I found and said we could either order a new oil pan for it or I could remove their pan and fix it(drill out the old threads and tap for the next size up bolt). Flat rate of $65 per hour, 2 hours estimated plus the cost of an oil pan gasket for the repair on their pan.

 

[Black's Magic]

It is impossible to come up with a set price for everything. If you tried, your menu would be huge and when you were finished, someone would bring you some disaster you have never seen before. Like GreatWhite said, a fixed hourly rate is best and just explain that the particular problem would require extra attention. We just detailed a 5th wheel and this worked perfectly. This particular 5th wheel had never been detailed. At all the seams and joints, there was a greasy, dirty, sludge from years of neglect. The owner was adamant about us getting rid of that but only wanted to pay for our express detail (wash/wax). I explained to him that we would have to use a product to break down the grease and use small stiff bristle brushes on every area to get it off before we could wash the entire thing. It took us about 1 1/2 hours just to remove all the grease and grime. @ $60 per hour, we tacked on $90. Even though the owner was cheap, he understood and didn't seem to have a problem with it especially when he saw the results. Best of luck

 

[Coach Steve]

Thanks guys for the advice and taking the time to relate your own personal stories to illustrate your respective points. Charging a set hourly rate does seem to be the only real way to approach those types of situations. It's the fair and honest way for all parties concerned.
In your own personal way of operating (and this goes out to everyone that replied...) does there come a point on a given job when the amount you're getting paid is enough to just go ahead and tackle whatever "sub surface condition" presents itself during the job?
the last thing I want to do is appear as petty or greedy and I kinda feel like there are some situations where you know in the back of your mind that you're already pushing the limits of the customers' ability/willingness to pay for this luxury as it is and calling them to get more money just might mean the difference between a repeat customer who spreads good word of mouth and a dissatisfied customer. I hope I explained that well enough and was able to get my concern across.

Thanks again!

Steve

 

[Brody]

In your own personal way of operating (and this goes out to everyone that replied...) does there come a point on a given job when the amount you're getting paid is enough to just go ahead and tackle whatever "sub surface condition" presents itself during the job?
the last thing I want to do is appear as petty or greedy and I kinda feel like there are some situations where you know in the back of your mind that you're already pushing the limits of the customers' ability/willingness to pay for this luxury as it is and calling them to get more money just might mean the difference between a repeat customer who spreads good word of mouth and a dissatisfied customer. I hope I explained that well enough and was able to get my concern across.

Thanks again!

Steve

As a flat rate tech that quotes based only on the job at hand, no. I only quote a price for the work I'm originally contracted to perform and substantial add on's equate to additional costs. Now, back to my statement about nickle and dimeing customers to death, if I come across something minor, like I'm doing an alignment and a rear toe adjuster bolt shears off, which isn't uncommon, that's a cost I'll eat completely. It's not my fault the bolt was old, rusty, and seized, but I wouldn't feel right about charging for something like that because before I touched it, it was fine. It's a really subjective thing to get into. I just know based on experience what I would and wouldn't charge extra for.

I think there is a VERY fine line when it comes to the detailing business regarding up charges. Road paint removal, yes up charge, really dirty carpet, that's a toss up for me, I'd probably say no unless they spilled a pint of maple syrup or something. It's subjective. Minor tar removal, no charge, major tar removal up charge. I could go on and on but I think you see where I'm coming from. I'm sure you will reach a set of terms you are morally ok with at some point

 

[greatwhitenorth]

In your own personal way of operating (and this goes out to everyone that replied...) does there come a point on a given job when the amount you're getting paid is enough to just go ahead and tackle whatever "sub surface condition" presents itself during the job?

Absolutely!
It's going above and beyond that can separate you from the guy down the street. However I always mention when the customer picks it up what I've done extra because I value their business. Not in a suck up, or guilt trip kind of way. If spending 20 minutes extra at the end of the day to support my reputation with a customer is what it takes, then I'd be stupid in the long run not to.
My two pennies. (Crap, no pennies in Canada anymore.) my 0.00

 

[greatwhitenorth]

Defiantly up charge for road paint though.

 

[Black's Magic]

Definitely, you just have to make that judgement call based on the issue. There have been times where I have clay barred a hood or sanded out scratches on a taillight from a branch without charging just because I take pride in my work. When we do extra things for free, I point out that we are doing them but at no charge. It usually helps with the tip when we are done. There is a difference between 10-15 minutes of wet sanding with 1500 and 2000 grit and 1.5 hours of meticulous scrubbing. Try to figure out how long it will take and ask yourself, "should I do this for free?" If they took their car to a mechanic, would they give them free labor for putting in an alternator? When we first started our business, we were killing ourselves out of fear of losing a customer because of price shock but finally realized people don't mind paying for quality work. You will burn out quick if you continuously give away free work.

Thanks guys for the advice and taking the time to relate your own personal stories to illustrate your respective points. Charging a set hourly rate does seem to be the only real way to approach those types of situations. It's the fair and honest way for all parties concerned.
In your own personal way of operating (and this goes out to everyone that replied...) does there come a point on a given job when the amount you're getting paid is enough to just go ahead and tackle whatever "sub surface condition" presents itself during the job?
the last thing I want to do is appear as petty or greedy and I kinda feel like there are some situations where you know in the back of your mind that you're already pushing the limits of the customers' ability/willingness to pay for this luxury as it is and calling them to get more money just might mean the difference between a repeat customer who spreads good word of mouth and a dissatisfied customer. I hope I explained that well enough and was able to get my concern across.

Thanks again!

Steve

 

[Pureshine]

This is the reason I don't have set prices and my prices say starting at. I go through the whole car before I give the final quote so I hopefully don't run into this problem. If for some reason I do come across something that does take a significant more time I will call the customer to explain the problem to them and tell there might be charge for the extra time.

 

[Coach Steve]

Great advice and wisdom imparted guys, thank you!
It's nice to see such consistency amongst everyone. I agree that no one should work for free especially when you work in a profession where time is literally money. Every extra little thing we do affects the bottom line in one way or another. And sometimes, the integrity and reputation that is strengthened by including an extra service will serve to build business and strengthen customer loyalty.
We're all consumers and we've all been the recipients of fantastic customer service at some point. Unfortunately, it's because of the status quo of customer service in today's world that the fantastic customer service stands out, is remembered vividly, and is raved about long after the fact. There have been instances when I as a consumer was on the receiving end of a favor someone did for me when they didn't have to. I try my best to be that guy for every one of my customers every day. What I need to do is decide where to draw the line between something that should be charged for and something that doesn't necessarily have to be charged for. I guess what I'm learning from your replies is, I'm being too nice when, not only do I not have to be, but my customers probably don't expect me to work for free.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts about this subject. It's clearly one of those subjects that you can't just answer with a quick yes or no. It required explanation and elaboration and for that I thank you.

Steve

 

[bsmith0404]

Consider the alternative...I once ran into a guy in a parking lot that had a severe road paint issue on the side of his truck. He had "done everything he could think of to remove it". He was at the point where he was ready to get a new paint job. I talked him into letting me take a whack. It took me several hours and I charged him $350 for the paint removal, he was very happy as I saved him thousands! The customer you are talking about most likely brought the vehicle in for a detail because of the road paint. My guess is he would have been happy to pay a little extra for the removal. He did have options in this case, 1- complete removal, 2-removal of just the portion on the fender and leave the paint in the well, 3- not pay for the removal with a detail and get the car repainted, or 4- live with the road paint. My guess he would have been very happy to pay for options 1 or 2. People aren't stupid, they know this type of service isn't free, it's an added expense no different than headlight restoration. Have you ever had a customer complain because you didn't restore their headlights with a basic detail.....I'm guessing no.

The last thing you want to do with your business is get into a habit of giving away your time. Remember, you only have so many hours in a day and you need to get paid for those hours to make a living. If you read any books on running a successful business, one of the most common points is that the businesses that try to undercut others on price don't last long. Start giving services away and that word of mouth advertising will spread...at the same time, charge a reasonable rate for the service and that word of mouth will spread as well. Would you rather have that customer telling friends that you removed his road paint for free, or that you removed it for $100? Do you think his friends in a similar situation that "have done everything they can think of" would be happy to pay $100 (more or less depending on severity) for the service. Give a free service to one person and everyone that follows expects it as well. I enjoy detailing cars, but if I'm not getting paid for my time I have other things I enjoy more!

 

[Coach Steve]

Consider the alternative...I once ran into a guy in a parking lot that had a severe road paint issue on the side of his truck. He had "done everything he could think of to remove it". He was at the point where he was ready to get a new paint job. I talked him into letting me take a whack. It took me several hours and I charged him $350 for the paint removal, he was very happy as I saved him thousands! The customer you are talking about most likely brought the vehicle in for a detail because of the road paint. My guess is he would have been happy to pay a little extra for the removal. He did have options in this case, 1- complete removal, 2-removal of just the portion on the fender and leave the paint in the well, 3- not pay for the removal with a detail and get the car repainted, or 4- live with the road paint. My guess he would have been very happy to pay for options 1 or 2. People aren't stupid, they know this type of service isn't free, it's an added expense no different than headlight restoration. Have you ever had a customer complain because you didn't restore their headlights with a basic detail.....I'm guessing no.

The last thing you want to do with your business is get into a habit of giving away your time. Remember, you only have so many hours in a day and you need to get paid for those hours to make a living. If you read any books on running a successful business, one of the most common points is that the businesses that try to undercut others on price don't last long. Start giving services away and that word of mouth advertising will spread...at the same time, charge a reasonable rate for the service and that word of mouth will spread as well. Would you rather have that customer telling friends that you removed his road paint for free, or that you removed it for $100? Do you think his friends in a similar situation that "have done everything they can think of" would be happy to pay $100 (more or less depending on severity) for the service. Give a free service to one person and everyone that follows expects it as well. I enjoy detailing cars, but if I'm not getting paid for my time I have other things I enjoy more!

All good points! Thanks for the reply.

Steve