Motorcyle workshop rates

[Canam370]

I ditched the "HOURLY RATE" 5 YEARS AGO . everything is now fixed price or as quoted. hourly rate for costing jobs is a outdated last century thing., the price is what the job is worth.

Intersting, So how do you work out what a job is worth? What happens if something out of you or the customer's control goes wrong like a stubborn fastener snaps or something like that & the job goes to shit & takes heaps longer than Quoted or fixed price? I'm not having a crack at you,Your system obviously works for you & your customers, just curios what happens in that scenario

I use an hourly rate as a 'guideline' for pricing a job. As Smed points out any work on old bikes (i.e; neglected and handled with years of intercourse fingers) WILL run into issues that aren't necessarily a part of the original job but still have to be sorted before you can actually start. Like having to remove a seized rear axle to get a wheel out for a puncture repair. It can be hard to explain to a customer that it took 2hrs to get the wheel out let alone the puncture repair! In these situations I have to wing it on any additional labour charge and just go for what would be reasonable. Generally most people understand, particularly if you show them any shrapnel, mangled tools and bloody knuckles. This is another reason that many shops won't work on old bikes - they don't want the aggravation and angst with the customer claiming that they are being ripped a new one. Funnily enough the people who bleat the loudest are the ones who deny having been the last one to have attempted what they are asking you to save for them.
So, no quotes are given on labour (yes on expected parts required) so its an estimate only. I've found that if a prospective customer is adamant about a quote then they probably know something about their bike that I don't which will only lead to tears later - so I generally will just say that unfortunately I'm too busy for their job but thank you for the opportunity!

[Slakewell]

Workshop rule #1 If the customer starts the conversation with , I normaly do this job myself BUT double the quote stright away 

[Rossvickicampbell]

through my job I probably spend between $1 and $2M per year on contract labour - for me the fixed price option is always better.  If the job goes over we work to fix that, if the job goes under we discuss that but usually do not begrudge the contractor - however the rates charged for even "basic" labour are quite high so I expect return on my money.

I think my local engineering shop (in Perth) is expensive, I rationalise what I take to him because of that - don't argue his prices with him - but more than once he has found one of "those" problems on my bike which he has fixed but cannot justify the hours taken and charges me for the job rather than the hours - that is why I keep going back?

[the stig]

     Fixed price repairs are o k on new or near new bikes where every thing
     is good condition and nothing should be seized or rusted in .
     I think Canam 's idear is the better approach to fair trade look at the
     job then factor in Ifs and buts before commencement that way there is
     room for give and take on the Final charge..
     
     The Stig
   

[Slakewell]

Working on old bikes isn't the smartest buisness model.
There are so many little extra things that go wrong. I can see why some bigger shop refuse to work on old models. Plus most people who love old bikes also love a bargin and we think everything is too expensive.
How many times have you gone out to the shed to do a 10 min job and been there 2 hours later still on the same job? Try telling a customer yeah we just replaced the spark plug But the the thread was buggerd so we had put in a insert and take the head off to do it correctly then the coil wire broke and we had to rejoin that etc and then charge him $100 for changing a plug. 

[Lozza]

Having the benefit of 30 yrs of face to face customer service if you strike problems you stop work and inform the customer straight away. Do not continue until you get the go ahead from the customer. Nobody likes being stung with a big bill for a simple job no matter how pear shaped the job goes. Had that happen many times where the customer is paying an hourly rate, taken the time to show and explain what's going on and never had any issues.

[topari]

Having the benefit of 30 yrs of face to face customer service if you strike problems you stop work and inform the customer straight away. Do not continue until you get the go ahead from the customer. Nobody likes being stung with a big bill for a simple job no matter how pear shaped the job goes. Had that happen many times where the customer is paying an hourly rate, taken the time to show and explain what's going on and never had any issues.

As a customer it works for me 

[asasin]

I ditched the "HOURLY RATE" 5 YEARS AGO . everything is now fixed price or as quoted. hourly rate for costing jobs is a outdated last century thing., the price is what the job is worth.

Intersting, So how do you work out what a job is worth? What happens if something out of you or the customer's control goes wrong like a stubborn fastener snaps or something like that & the job goes to shit & takes heaps longer than Quoted or fixed price? I'm not having a crack at you,Your system obviously works for you & your customers, just curios what happens in that scenario

if you know your business well enough you will know that there will be a time ,and it should be very very seldom, you will have to go over. there are two options here , either suck it up as you should have worked out by now that every other job has paid for it many times over. or stop and ring the client and explain it is outside of the work quoted . depends on what it is and how good the customer is to you!!. I repair automotive electronics and if you put a hourly rate on most items I fix it would work out around 300-500 per hour. so the meat is already cut for me. You dont have to have this large a margin to realize alot more money from your client than by having a hourly rate.
 The price of a job is what is the value of what you do . ie  if a new replacement is $1000 then most people would happily pay 500 - 700 for the same thing  so if I spend 10 minutes and charge $250 Im still the good guy.

[William Doe]

I often get called out to unlock vehicles for people, I charge a minimum of $150.00 (depending on vehicle type , mood im in and if I like the look of the people ) up front in cash , AND I ALWAYS ADVISE MINIMUM COST AND CONDITIONS ON THE PHONE BEFORE LEAVING TO DO THE JOB

I can generally access a vehicle in under a minute and then the whining starts  it only took you XYZ seconds and its $150 + blah blah blah 

My std response is " if its so easy WTF did you call me then " You lost or locked the keys in there NOT ME 

You just cant help some people 

Another favourite is people who crash their vehicles and are uninsured  They always want a discount , I point out to them that they are already getting a discount as they are only being charged what I would charge the insurance companies , therefore they are getting a corporate rate .

It usually ends with them whining and bitching  and me explaining that they choose to gamble by not insuring , I neither endorse or condone gambling to me its like smoking, doing narcotics , homosexuality , or voting National , lifestyle choices that  I choose not to indulge it but each to their own, but sometimes it will bite you in the arse .

Cash only thanks 

[pancho]

 How about 'Diagnosis"
 Very interesting sometimes, not necesarilly the actual problem but diagnosing or decyphering the customers complaint.
E.G. The apprentice asked the customer 'whats the problem with your car'
 Indian customer says "The self won't work"
My son the apprentice came over to me and whispered 'whats this bloke on about'
  I said 'Check the starter motor' 

 It wouldn't crank.
 Of course then the bargaining hassle counter offers on the price for a reco exchange starter.
 just one more of those days.
 cheers pancho.

[rob]

Smed,

Honda shop charges $145ph and the Auto electrician is  $176ph over here in big K town.

Cheers
Rob.

[Ted]

I often get called out to unlock vehicles for people, I charge a minimum of $150.00 (depending on vehicle type , mood im in and if I like the look of the people ) up front in cash , AND I ALWAYS ADVISE MINIMUM COST AND CONDITIONS ON THE PHONE BEFORE LEAVING TO DO THE JOB

I can generally access a vehicle in under a minute and then the whining starts  it only took you XYZ seconds and its $150 + blah blah blah 

My std response is " if its so easy WTF did you call me then " You lost or locked the keys in there NOT ME 

You just cant help some people 

Another favourite is people who crash their vehicles and are uninsured  They always want a discount , I point out to them that they are already getting a discount as they are only being charged what I would charge the insurance companies , therefore they are getting a corporate rate .

It usually ends with them whining and bitching  and me explaining that they choose to gamble by not insuring , I neither endorse or condone gambling to me its like smoking, doing narcotics , homosexuality , or voting National , lifestyle choices that  I choose not to indulge it but each to their own, but sometimes it will bite you in the arse .

Cash only thanks 

Granted, you work in a very dangerous field. Them Maoris ain't small. However, $150 to chuck a brick thru their window.......borderline price gouging

Go back to pylon painting

[EBT]

      Most bike shops always bill you for more Hrs than the Job actualy took
     

      The Stig

I must have been too bloody honest Stiggy when I had my bike shop,never done that,maybe that's why I ain't rich

Me to, different business as I sell firewood, if I had a order for say 5 metres of wood and delivered them 2 metres,  would that be the same as someone billing me for 5 hours of work on my bike that only takes 2 hours, I know the buyer of the wood would be totally pissed off, which is how I felt when charged many hours more for a job on my bike than it took...

[Lewis]

      Most bike shops always bill you for more Hrs than the Job actualy took
     

      The Stig

I must have been too bloody honest Stiggy when I had my bike shop,never done that,maybe that's why I ain't rich

Me to, different business as I sell firewood, if I had a order for say 5 metres of wood and delivered them 2 metres,  would that be the same as someone billing me for 5 hours of work on my bike that only takes 2 hours, I know the buyer of the wood would be totally pissed off, which is how I felt when charged many hours more for a job on my bike than it took...

These days if I need to go to a bike shop there is only one business I deal with.If they say 3 hours then that's how long the job took to do.What's that saying ? "old school service" I'm amazed people own up to over charging.Same folks will look you in the eye and tell you they're honest thru and thru.Yeah right. I've been self employed and it can be tough at times but I've never cheated anybody and still turned a profit.Glad I'm retired now.

[William Doe]

      Most bike shops always bill you for more Hrs than the Job actualy took
     

      The Stig

I must have been too bloody honest Stiggy when I had my bike shop,never done that,maybe that's why I ain't rich

Me to, different business as I sell firewood, if I had a order for say 5 metres of wood and delivered them 2 metres,  would that be the same as someone billing me for 5 hours of work on my bike that only takes 2 hours, I know the buyer of the wood would be totally pissed off, which is how I felt when charged many hours more for a job on my bike than it took...

So how does me unlocking a car work then under your system    if I charge $150 an hr and the unlock takes me under a minute do I charge the punter $1.25 for 30 seconds or $2.50 for the minute ?