The problem with customers who buy their own convertible tops

[TheHogRing]

Customers are starting to buy their convertible tops directly from suppliers at whole sale prices. It's cutting into our bottom line. Electron Top recently addressed the issue in a memo of theirs titled "We Do Not Sell Direct"...

This is an issue that we as a community of auto trimmers need to address: http://tinyurl.com/63znxqj

Thoughts?

[SHHR]

I have friends who run other types of shops who have signs posted that state something to the effect of what they charge per hour. Some have two charges posted; one for all work and supplies they provide and another for if the customer brings in their own parts. I look at it from the standpoint that being a small one man shop, I really don't have time to set there and explain to a customer why I have two rates. I do this; If a customer comes in with a top or any other material already purchased, I look it over and will quote labor price that I add time to to cover money lost from not supplying the material myself. I also make it well known that I will do a very high quality job in a labor standpoint, but will not guarantee any material whatsoever. If it looks to be a poor quality material I simply turn it away and let them know that it's inferior, usually showing them a comparable high quality material so they can see the difference. Some understand and some want to argue. If they start complaining about me not wanting to do the job, I always fall back on the same argument that you wouldn't walk into a restaurant with a bag of groceries and say I'll pay you only $5 to cook these for me.
Kyle

[bobbin]

The policy in the shop where I work is that any customer supplied materials are in no way guaranteed.  If there is insufficient fabric to effect a proper pattern match... tough! if there is a flaw in the goods and it cannot be avoided with ease... tough!  We will call and alert them that that is the case, and they are charged for the time required to figure it all out, at the hourly shop rate.  I am always surprised that so many customers have a sense of entitlement with respect to the time spent figuring out the finer detailst they never bothered to consider in the first place!

I am "on the fence" about offering lines of fabric in my own workroom (my experience is that the line is never the "right" one), and so I deal with COM all the time.  I give a fabric estimate based on plain goods and specify that any reputable dealer with know how to translate plain yardage into the proper amount when a repeat  is taken into consideration.  I will happily provide the customer with another yardage estimate if I am provided with the requisite repeats.  (and yes, I keep track of the time required and add it to final bill). 

Stock and time, baby!

[baileyuph]

Today with the internet and the willingness of the venfors to sell direct, I don't fight it.  Adjust the labor rates to cover all expenses and go with it. 

Customers when realizing they are assuming more responsibility in a project will get cold feet and just pay me to do the complete job, labor and materials.

Free estimates in the home are a thing of the past.
So is free pickup and delivery. 

It can be provided but the cost of doing that has to be extra.

Some even like it that way, they have trucks and know where to buy supplies, therefore handling the transaction that way is no big deal to them.

It all requires flesibility some times.

Doyle