re: I know we love the blue collar types, but..

I was at a PE backed HVAC/Plumbing company for a couple of years recently. In our monthly reviews, it was common for the Execs to encourage 10-15% price increases with qualifier that you can always discount back down to make sale if needed.

There were about 5 of these increases over two years on already inflated prices. One of our AC systems went out and was a 6k cost but all of my companies from PE would’ve charged closer to 20k.

My local area is often warning consumers about these now affiliated companies and price gouging. It’s more important than ever to shop around and haggle.

Car Repair,
Have a ‘21 Aviator, water leaking inside in rain. Was plugged sun roof drains, not the seal. A place in Covington that has worked on wife’s car since warranty expired said they’d have a look. Not being a dealer I thought they would be more competitively priced. Ha !
They wanted $1600.00 to take out complete headliner system to install new drains. I asked, how about unplugging the ones I have. They had no interest in that.
In short, YouTube showed how ford installs sound insulation in front of rear drains. 3 screws for fender skirt. Moved insulation over. Cleaned out drain with a small drill bit. 30 min to watch YouTube gather tools, do job and put tools away.
HVAC
Contacted a company in Slidell diagnosed a leak in coil. Common problem these days. The coil was sent to me by manufacturer under warranty. Slidell guy says he needs $4200 to install it. I asked how many days are your 2 guys going to take. His response floored me
“You don’t understand, I can send that truck out for a day and make $15 k. I have to charge you $4200 for 2 1/2 hrs !
Yea he didn’t do the job. Manufacturer arranged a free install !
Slidell boy was free to go make his
$15 k that day!
Win-Win…….

Actually best post I’ve read in a long a long time.
Thanks Fat Sexy.

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They thought I was freaking Smokey Yunick after that.

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Don’t know if I was ever thought of as a Yunick that I’d go bragging on it.

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You ain’t kidding. I call for some concrete work estimates and guys are showing up in brand new F-250 Platinums. I’m about to learn how to foreman a concrete driveway myself.

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I knew a guy that owned a temp nurse company that got into the fence installation business by accident. He called a fence company to come out and give him a quote. Fence company owner comes out, quotes the job and the homeowner agrees to the price. Fence guy leaves and sub-contracted Texicans show up next day to do the job. Fence guy was never on the job until completion.

So the temp nurse company guy says this looks like pretty easy money and goes to the fence supply company. Asked them what’s needed to open an account….nothing but a business license. Opens an account the next day. Puts ad in Craigslist. Guy was doing six fences a week within two months and having Texicans do all the hard work.

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they’ll be working along 25 Mike Rowes.

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I worked with 25 guys that looked like Post Malone.

I've been in an office setting for 12 years now. I've never once had a day where we were short handed because a coworker got arrested for dui, unpaid child support, or got sent home because he was smoking crack in a porta can. Seemed like that sort of thing happened multiple times per week when I was on the tools.

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Random simple example: Paying $250+ for a shower cartridge swap = Joke

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They had to come to your house. Nobody's doing that unless they can make money.

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The home mechanic doesn't need snap on tools. Most of my mechanic tools are Kobalt. You can catch a multitude of decent tool sets on sale for pretty reasonable prices. The recently new ICON sets at harbor freight is actually great for the home mechanic. And sales are run often on those.

And specialty tools can be rented for free at the chain auto parts stores. Just have to front the deposit.

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Again you guys are not understanding the point. To do a small job on your own sometimes you can get away with cheap tools or loaners ,but when you are a buisness everything revolves around time. Any buisness that is good will invest in professional tools that last longer, easy to repair/replace, and can get the job done faster. That is where costs for the buisness comes in and typically can do it alot faster than you can, not a dig they just have the tools. Now apply your logic to a bigger job, you think you can drop a transmission or pull out an engine with cheap tools or loaners? I doubt it. Also you are not taking into account that most are not willing to do so.

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They've cooked the books beyond what's actually necessary.

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he performs a great service at a reasonable price

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What is this communist shite? Who the frick are you to say what is necessary or fair? I guarantee you whatever it is you earn for a living is way more than you deserve in someone else’s eyes. And you have absolutely no justification to tell someone else what they should charge for their services.

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I avoid maintenance service as much as possible because of this. A lot of the jobs aren't actually that hard.

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Good for you. You figured it out!

Now STFU and let the service companies do their jobs.

DIY guys talking shite does nothing to help service businesses charge a fair rate.

When one first has to pay a person then cover all the related employment costs - recruiting, hiring, training, benefits, taxes and perks - that employee can cost $60-100 per hour. Find a good one and every competitor is flagging money in his face.

Put him in a truck or shop. One must meet all the regulations to operate in either environment and it is not cheap. Then the expenses have to be covered. Buying TP for the restroom all the way to insurance, rent and maintenance. Jose's shade tree car repair looks like a dump because it is when he is willing to work for wages.

Now factor in sales acquisition costs. Think about job costs. Think about warranty costs. As discussed, the cheap pay twice when buying tools.

That guy driving a Platinum F-250 is either paying it as a business expense or stressing his personal finances. Can you get rich? Maybe you can but most do not. It's a lving for the majority.

All you guys bitching about the prices should be bitching about the cost of doing business. From the costs manufacturing pays to supply materials all the way through the cost the laborer pays to complete the job there is some silk sock wearing soy boy trying to get a cut