trackerm
Member
Posts: 190
Registered: 21-5-07
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 posted on 5-7-08 at 05:36 PM |
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difficulty in the art of leak finding
Ok, everyone in here, everyone everywhere is aware of the price of fuel. It affects everything we buy, paper, electric, clothing, ketchup. Well, its
affecting my prices as well. Not afraid to talk about the loss of a pool company today as i faxed out my new pricing. (by the way, their liners are
also going up 8 percent as of this week. i am sure the customer will flip that bill as they wont eat it.) I run a tight ship in my business. I match
liners and try to keep aesthetics a priority as well as stopping the leak. from what I get from pool companies, i do excellent work. Despite the
loss of only one pool company who feels my prices are too high. I can only reflect on a couple of ideas.
First, I set my prices in my business. Just because their previous leak detector charged x amount, I am not lowering my prices just to get the
business. I can flex a little, but not to leaps and bounds which some pool companies want me to set my prices by in order to get their customers.
Pardon my language ladies and gentlemen, but I wont wh-re myself out like that. I refuse to set my prices by what others feel is fair market value,
including some homeowners (not going there)
2. My cost, despite my raise in pricing, is still somewhat less than what i have surveyed other areas. I keep my prices fair, for what I can do it
for. I dont have all the over head as a pool company that does leak detection, I run my business out of my own home, I dont have that LARGE AD in
FIFTEEN PHONE BOOKS that I have to pay for. I also dont ride in a BMW z4 out to the hamptoms every weekend. ( i am not trying to offend anyone with
that one)
3. There are a lot of people out there, divers, etc. who proclaim to be leak detectors. And by right, probably are good at what they do. Their
services are minimal. They do their work on the arm, are possibly underinsured, if they have insurance at all. And try and get them back if the
customer still has a leak. Do they warranty their work? Do they use quality products made by ANDERSON?
I know of a few guys (not mentioning their names) who continually undersell themselves short in low pricing. Hey, if thats what they want to do it
for, thats their business. I am not making any attempt to influence anyone here. if thats what they want to do it for, by all means go for it. I
recently had a building owner who has a pool on the top floor of the building. He has a leak. he was willing to pay ANYTHING to get the job done. I
refused. Why?? i dont have the amount of insurance to cover for loss of damages if something happens. (a 800 thousand dollar suite having water
damage) And they will try to point it on you because you were the last one in the pool. When something goes wrong, america SUES.
I know a guy in florida who is doing crack injections for 100 dollars a foot. WOW, in my book he is giving it away. i am considering crack injections
and I cant do it for that. I think what we need to do is really think about the cost of replacement vs the cost of repair. vinyl liner repairs are a
few grand as well, and thats not the cost of water included.
Its like in one post. Do you want to do 100 jobs at 200 or 50 jobs at 400. your time is of value as well.
In short, this is a capitalistic society. free ebterorise and competion builds business. In a tight economy as we have, i am sure everyone wants to be
competitive. I refuse to set my prices based on the perceived value of others not in the trade. most of my customers dont argue the price when i put
things in retrospect. its just funny how some people have no problem as setting their own prices in their business, and want to extend that control
into yours.
Nuff of that. I just got a leak call.
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