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Thread: how to 'gently' tell a customer i cant work on their project 1 hour at a time

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    Default how to 'gently' tell a customer i cant work on their project 1 hour at a time

    i have an upcoming project from a remodeler....

    1. i visited the house for the original bid
    2. i revisited the house a few months later to make the homeowner happy
    3. builder wants me to come again because the customer is changing bathroom layout
    4. builder wants me to come to disconnect piping to put a beam in (never told about)
    5. builder wants nme to come and reconnect piping 1 day after beam is installed

    and finally i can start my 'actual' project....i will have 4 extra trips(so far) on this job...at my min charge thats $640 extra i needed to charge.....

    i already told the builder to see if they can wait to do the beam replacment until im there for the 'regular' work....i thought that was a 'hint'

    he seems to think i can just keep coming over for 1 hour at a time....to maximize profits i try to work a full day at all my projects....

    how should i explain it to him 'gently' that if this continues i will be charging him $160 for every trip/??

    when i bid on the bath revise i plan on tacking on hundreds to cover the trips...no way i can hide $640 though....its a long term customer, but its a partner that i normally dont work with...so its someone new in a way

    i know i should have told them already that some of those trips will be extra...but i know that the $$ will come out of the builders pockets and not the customers....so i just eat it.......its at a point where i feel i have to speak up

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    its might be too late to easily fix ....you have let them set the standard and its not right.... good luck!!!!
    my experience with this is a preacher customer who i let bring in his dog....now i hate the whole idea of his dog in the store and i dont allow it from anyone else......but thats just the way it is...he just brings it in like its ok.....
    how about this... very casually, did you know i have to charge 160 for e very visit...the first 2 were just becasue of?????
    ann at greenoak www.greenoakantiques.com

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    Do you sign a contract or anything with these contractors when the job is accepted? It seems like the easiest thing to do would be to have a signed document that outlines what the job will be and details what charges will be made if extra work is required. In this case, the guy appears to have asked you for work that was beyond what you agreed to and for which you are to be paid, so I don't think it's unreasonable to tell him so. If you do have a contract, and it has an extra work clause, that would be your out. If you don't have that, I would just tell the guy that you priced out the job based on the original specs for the work and now he's asking for a lot of additional work and you'll need to work out payment for that work.

    The only reason to eat the charges would be if you think this guy has the potential to become an important source of new revenue for you. If not, I'd just be polite and direct and let him know that you'll need additional payment.

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    I would bring that up just to be nice to them. If I were him I would want to save where I can and I would try to bulk the visits as much as possible. I would just say it nicely like "you know to save YOU a little time and money we may want to group part A and B together. That can get it done a little quicker, saves us both time, and saves you the cost of me coming multiple times!" He may thank you! I would! : )
    Tyler Hutchinson
    CEO at Full Circle Business Consulting
    HTTP://www.fullcirclebusinessconsulting.com

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    i know i let it go to far already....each extra trip happens on a separate phone call..and before you know it its 5 extra trips.....

    i had another customer who had me come 5x to finish a kitchen and bathroom...he had me making individual trips for each fixture....my future bids with him outlined how many trips were included and how much extra for extra trips......i never won another bid with him, but when i figured out how much i made on the first project it was a loss...so good bye to him.....

    this is a long term repeat customer....its just a different partner running the job........i will probably let it all go and bring it up on the next project...i will have them define all the trips before i bid on it....when i bid i assume the most efficient way to complete the project....

    thanks for the advice!

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