Cheap people

About 45 minutes ago a guy calls and asks if I can heli-arc a casting. I say sure, if it's weldable I can probably do it. So he drives to my shop and shows me the casting. I recognize this casting, it's from a Sears riding mower and I have welded a few for my neighbor as a favor. Because I have welded on them I know how crappy they are to weld and how much extra gusseting they need added when welding so they won't break again. So I tell the guy I think it's a Sears riding mower part and he says yes, it is. I then tell him to buy a new one from Sears because it will be cheaper than me. He says that even though they are only 27 dollars he can't wait. I say OK, it will cost you 60 or 70 bucks, because I already know all about these particular parts. He says BAH! Too much. Then he says he has a TIG machine at home. So I say good, go home and weld it. Then he says the water pump won't work. So I say just hook up the garden hose to it. Then he says too much hassle and leaves in a huff. Good riddance to the cheapskate. And I'll bet his welder works just fine and he just doesn't know how to use it. He looked to be about 65 and was driving a nice new full size pickup. Maybe his truck payments are so high he has to try to get his expensive riding mower fixed for cheap. Eric

Reply to
etpm
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Ha! I got a call like that this morning. Somebody bought a Bunker Hill video system and couldn't get it to work. They were calling every company in the phone book today. They called me twice. First time I said, I do not work on low end DIY consumer stuff. 2nd time I had some pity on them and made a couple suggestions. They took that as an invitation to grill me. Out of curiosity I looked it up after their second call and found it's a Harbor Freight import. It looks amazingly like some of the unlabeled nonames the traveling installers sell when they pass thru town.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

My bet would be that he does not have a TIG welder.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

Been there, done that, just with design work rather than welding.

You've got to wonder just what kind of job he's going to get from whoever he does manage to talk down to his price, and whether he'll find someone before Sears would have gotten his part in.

Reply to
Tim Wescott

Good on you! I just finished installing thru bolts in the impeller housing of my C. Hina Co. sump pump. The original setup involved lugs spot welded to the inner surface of the outer casing of the pump; unfortunately these lugs were not made of S.S.. The first time it came apart, I only through bolted one of four locations,but knew where to find the remainder of the pack of four #8-32x2 bolts and nuts. Fortunately I had a $30- backup pump from HF plus required outlet adapter ready to install at zero notice. Now my backup pump is back in it's storage place.

Reply to
geraldrmiller

I deal with cheap people in my business too. As soon as I recognize them, I politely terminate the conversation.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus28245

I would have bumped up the price, audibly, at every reply from this guy. By the time he had accepted it, I might have made $500 for just putting up with him. He'd definitely know precisely what his truly bad attitude cost him. Then, once he accepted, I'd pencil him in for

11:75AM, December 32, 2025.
Reply to
Larry Jaques

Oh don't get me started. I wish I had a nickel for every time I quoted a pr ice and got, in return, "Oh, my brother-in-law's kid can do it for much les s." I just tell them to go ahead and have the kid take a whack at it. When he totally screws it up, come on back and I'll do it for double the price.

Occasionally, they do come back. And I charge them double.

I am so happy now that I've landed a pharmaceutical manufacturer as a regul ar client. They pay their bills on time and do not, under any circumstances , cut corners.

Reply to
rangerssuck

Every once in a while I'll get a prospect that'll give me some entirely open-ended design task and want a firm fixed price. Usually if I can engage with them at all I can get them to see why they don't want that; sometimes we actually constrain things enough that I can give them a bid. The rest I just wave down the road with all good will.

Reply to
Tim Wescott

My brother is in the land surveying business and he tells of a client who came in for a price on a job. My brother said between (prices not accurate, but good enough for the gist of it) $3000 and $5000. The customer said "not close enough - I need a fixed price". Brother said "$8000" and got the job. He said it would have come in on the low end of the estimate - but the guy paid the full agreed price.

Reply to
clare

"It is better to set a specific price"

Success and Survival on Wall Street: Understanding the Mind of the Market (Hardcover). By Charles W. Smith. 2001 - Google Books - Business & Economics ($39.95)

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Reply to
mogulah

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