Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 06:09:39 EDT
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Mechanic VS customer (i need you imput!)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 28/04/2007 1:02:35 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
And lastly, raise your darn prices on bodywork!!, find the average
rate for bodywork in your area and charge $10 MORE an hour than
everyone else.
I'm sure NOBODY in the area (perhaps the N.A. continent) will fix a
Vanagon body with the level of passion and detail you do. If the
customer doesn't want to pay your rate, they can go down the street
and get crappy work done. Customers that appreciate quality will
gladly pay your rate. As a business owner, sometimes you have to
"fire the customer", you cannot make everyone happy all the time.
Pick the customers that appreciate your talent.
I AGREE !! I have just partial painted two vans and am in the process of
refinishing an entire van. ALL customers pay $65/hr, no questions ! Paint
matches or it doesn't on partial re-sprays. That is made loud and clear up
front. Sometimes it matches sometimes it does not. I remember some time ago
while working for another shop in the area I was repainting the side door on a
grey metallic Honda. I re-sprayed that door so many times and it never did
come out perfect. The paint company could not get the colour matched no
matter what they did. AND, with metallic, the spray gun, spray pressure, the
atmospheric conditions, etc all play a role in the final colour outcome.
So.........there is no way you can guarantee a colour match ! Get over it and tell
your customer he should get over it ! I'm going out now to see how close a
match the Titian Red re-spray on the nose of the '87 Westy I sprayed
yesterday matches where I fogged in the joints to the old paint ! Surprises in
store........................at least it's red !
Cheers,
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy, '90 Carat, '87 Wolfsburg (Forsale) & Lionel Trains (_Collection
for sale_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )_ Frank Condelli &
Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html) - Vanagon/Vanagon
Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley_ Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm) _ BusFusion_
(http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10,
2007
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