Funwithfuel, I have little unrelated question for you, I’ve seen you on crasher forum: working on Hartle 750, found the problem, but owner said it have to be timed, and it involve adjusting flow. And Martin Hartl not returning my calls. Do you have any idea about timing that thing?
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Sharing information with customers
- Thread starter TVA
- Start date
There is nothing wrong with that at all, it STILL has value. Make sure your rate is a good value to the customer, but it HAS to be profitable to survivable in the business. I personally always look a machine over before I leave the job. Regardless of why I was called out, I try to notice things that may need attention (loose bolts, leaks etc.....) if its just tightening a hose connection, or a few bolts, ……….I go ahead and take care of it and I let the customer know I did. If it is a safety issue, I will bring it up immediately...……..and 9 out of 10 times it becomes another repair job for ME. I have gone as far as to take cell phone pics and send them to the boss. LOL Be diligent, professional, clean with your work...……….I promise they will runover themselves giving you work, and if you apply some of those rules, you wont worry about getting what is owed you.
funwithfuel
Senior Member
Sorry no I have no personal experience with it. What if you could send me a picture or perhaps a model and serial I could try and do a little work on my end.
I mostly see mccloskey KPI sandvik and astec.
I know there are many other vendors out there I just don't have personal experience with them
I mostly see mccloskey KPI sandvik and astec.
I know there are many other vendors out there I just don't have personal experience with them
Thanks, it’s my first time working on those, hydraulicly it is not that complicated at all, but I have no idea what timing is about. I do see flow controller.
Thanks for advice! I do that, and maybe even little too much! I sent them pictures left and right!
As far as I see now I’m in a “sifting” time of my business! I hope it will get better when I will have critical mass of good customers. As any starting business I’m inexpensive at this point, and that’s attracts deadbeats.
Thanks! I will!
Wytruckwrench
Senior Member
Vetech63, has hit on a lot of good ones.
There’s so many deadbeats out there it’s scary. I have some good customers. Yet always have the deadbeats calling too. I have learned to not let any one customer become more than 50% of my business, no matter how much they beg.
There’s so many deadbeats out there it’s scary. I have some good customers. Yet always have the deadbeats calling too. I have learned to not let any one customer become more than 50% of my business, no matter how much they beg.
thepumpguysc
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2010
- Messages
- 7,518
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- Sunny South Carolina
- Occupation
- Master Inj.Pump rebuilder
Before anybody laminates that list.. ADD>>
Credit will be given to anyone 85 years or older, accompanied by BOTH parents..
Credit will be given to anyone 85 years or older, accompanied by BOTH parents..
Oh !!! For those all labor is free!!!
You didn’t answer my question about finger, mine do not hurt anymore, but I wish it was pain instead of this nasty indescribable feeling of severed nerves! Still having problems using plyers and most embarrassing is shaking hands when I meet people. I’m afraid they think I’m a wuss because I can’t really product a firm handshake.
Nige
Senior Member
Look at it this way, people should be more than prepared to pay you for what you know. Otherwise, as many other posters have pointed out, they would have fixed their broken-down machinery themselves.
There's a lot to be said regarding the "expert" who, when asked to detail a $1,000 invoice he presented to a customer, responded as follows ........
1. One cross - $1.
2. Knowing where to put the cross $999.
Your customers need to bear Item 2 in mind. That kind of knowledge never came cheap in the past, and it never will in the future.
There's a lot to be said regarding the "expert" who, when asked to detail a $1,000 invoice he presented to a customer, responded as follows ........
1. One cross - $1.
2. Knowing where to put the cross $999.
Your customers need to bear Item 2 in mind. That kind of knowledge never came cheap in the past, and it never will in the future.
Oh yeah! Even at the price of mad wife, because I spent too much time reading! She’s not so mad now though!
And BTW - we have six biological kids together, so if anyone wants to make smart ass comments, please don’t!
Birken Vogt
Charter Member
I can't really figure this one out. I don't mind if people want to watch and I will talk them through it. They will see that I know what I am doing and that it is beyond them usually. There are also crooks in the industry so being open and free shows that we are honest. Also they are the one paying and it is their machine so they kind of have a right.
Just got a text confirmation for appointment tomorrow - finally getting filter cart! $250, although it only has one filter, but I already have two more filter housings on my closed loop hose flushing rig, it’s spin on design. And I like to look at elements after I clean those hoses. So those spin-on ones will go on the cart.
I like ones that genuinely want to learn, but then there’s kreeps who you have no idea what they thinking!
My dad before he retired owned HVAC company in Seattle area. I remember he often had problems with Asian customers being to “anal”. In one case one of them started making ruckus about all the empty holes you have where the controls and starting components located on outside unit. I guess he thought that dad was cheating on him and not installing stuff.
So dad got pissed took whole bunch of sheet metal screws and filled every single hole!
So dad got pissed took whole bunch of sheet metal screws and filled every single hole!
funwithfuel
Senior Member
I'm talking about the guys that are right up your backside you can't take a step backwards without stepping on their toes they wanna be all up in your business I don't mind em watching and like you have mentioned I don't mind teaching a guy genuinely wants to learn I'm Just not intrested in working for somebody who wants to get in the way and tell me how to do the job they couldn't get accomplished in the 1st place
They are super paranoid! But then it’s counterintuitive - why do you want to hire a guy if you don’t know if you can trust him!
Mobiltech
Senior Member
Most of my customers have me figured out. They tell me where the machine is , what the complaint is then they wait for my call on whether its done today or another day when I get parts.
Pet peeve of mine is new people calling me telling me it wont take long and can I be there tomorrow. Sorry to burst your bubble but im not sitting on the couch waiting for a job.
Pet peeve of mine is new people calling me telling me it wont take long and can I be there tomorrow. Sorry to burst your bubble but im not sitting on the couch waiting for a job.
wornout wrench
Senior Member
Don't know if any of you guys know of AvE, he has his own Youtube channel.
This guy is brilliant.
A few years ago he did a vid on his 3 simple rules of troubleshooting.
I printed them off and had them pinned up in the office, in the shop, in the warehouse, because it makes so much sense.
So laminate this one and keep it with the other one and when someone questions your motives, just show it to them
Here they are
1. Do the easiest thing first
2. Don't rely on the people that tried and failed prior
3. 90% of problems are between the driver's seat and the steering wheel
Bonus: If it can go wrong, it WILL go wrong. (Murphy's Law)
Link to his vid
I was already pretty much using this philosophy during my working career, but good to have it written down.
As far as customer watching. I always told them that having someone watching over my shoulder made me slow down, or I would put the tools down and ask them if they wanted to have a conversation, I was still on the clock on the tools or not. I found most people would go off after a bit.
As for sharing what you did, I have never had and issue. Sure they might grumble but I got it running when it was broken before.
Had one fellow call me up. I wasn't working for myself, but he was in a bit of a bind.
I know a bit about logging machines, and he had a model that there are not very many of. The machine was down. They had a company come out and try but not
in their field of expertise. I'm not knocking the kid that tried but he just didn't know the system.
So I got out there on my day off. Thought to myself, what the heck is going on, it was doing some really funky stuff. After about 4 hours, I found THE WIRE that was in the wrong place.
Flashed up the machine, hit the button and everything worked as it should.
The owner was like, you got it, YOU GOT IT!!!
By the time the smoke cleared, I was about 8 hours into it.
My wife and I got taken out for lunch the next day and there was an envelope of cash in my hand when we parted.
He told us at lunch that the machine had been down for 4 days while they tried to figure out what was wrong. How much money had he lost in downtime?
So if you have the skill to get it running when the others can't, don't be afraid to charge. Set a minimum call out rate, I would go with 4 hours. Make sure that the customer knows that even if you find the loose wire in the first 10 minutes, they will still have to pay the call out. Charge for mileage, it costs a lot of money to buy that truck, outfit it and keep it running.
I find most people are okay with it as long as they see results.
This guy is brilliant.
A few years ago he did a vid on his 3 simple rules of troubleshooting.
I printed them off and had them pinned up in the office, in the shop, in the warehouse, because it makes so much sense.
So laminate this one and keep it with the other one and when someone questions your motives, just show it to them
Here they are
1. Do the easiest thing first
2. Don't rely on the people that tried and failed prior
3. 90% of problems are between the driver's seat and the steering wheel
Bonus: If it can go wrong, it WILL go wrong. (Murphy's Law)
Link to his vid
I was already pretty much using this philosophy during my working career, but good to have it written down.
As far as customer watching. I always told them that having someone watching over my shoulder made me slow down, or I would put the tools down and ask them if they wanted to have a conversation, I was still on the clock on the tools or not. I found most people would go off after a bit.
As for sharing what you did, I have never had and issue. Sure they might grumble but I got it running when it was broken before.
Had one fellow call me up. I wasn't working for myself, but he was in a bit of a bind.
I know a bit about logging machines, and he had a model that there are not very many of. The machine was down. They had a company come out and try but not
in their field of expertise. I'm not knocking the kid that tried but he just didn't know the system.
So I got out there on my day off. Thought to myself, what the heck is going on, it was doing some really funky stuff. After about 4 hours, I found THE WIRE that was in the wrong place.
Flashed up the machine, hit the button and everything worked as it should.
The owner was like, you got it, YOU GOT IT!!!
By the time the smoke cleared, I was about 8 hours into it.
My wife and I got taken out for lunch the next day and there was an envelope of cash in my hand when we parted.
He told us at lunch that the machine had been down for 4 days while they tried to figure out what was wrong. How much money had he lost in downtime?
So if you have the skill to get it running when the others can't, don't be afraid to charge. Set a minimum call out rate, I would go with 4 hours. Make sure that the customer knows that even if you find the loose wire in the first 10 minutes, they will still have to pay the call out. Charge for mileage, it costs a lot of money to buy that truck, outfit it and keep it running.
I find most people are okay with it as long as they see results.