Is $5.00 too much

Customer dropped off a blower last nite,said it wouldn't run, under warranty. This morning I picked it up and took a look at it, seen nothing wrong other than a wet muffler. Set it on the floor and cranked it a few times and fuel mix was pouring out the exhaust. Held the throttle wide open and cranked and cranked until it finally clear out enough to fire. She finally fired up and smoke poured out of it. After clearing out it ran perfect. Wipe up all the fuel mix off the floor and put a bill on the blower for $5.00. Customer came in this evening to pick it up. I went and got the blower, it been sitting all day. Prime it, choked it, second pull she sputtered, opened the choke and 3rd pull she fired up and and ran perfect. Re-started it 3 more times. Perfect everytime. Quite obivous he had flooded it. I told him so and he proceeded to tell me its under warranty, there should be no bill. I said warranty does not cover operator error or operaters flooding their machines. He tells me this isn't right, I shouldn't have to pay $5.00. He said this just isn't right, if I have to pay that $5.00 I'll have to go somewhere else from now on. Another customer was watching all this and spoke up and said I don't know where in the hell your gonna go and get anything done for $5.00.
I started to let the guy slide and forget about the $5.00 but everytime he comes in for anything he feels he shouldn't have to pay no matter what. I held my ground this time and made him pay. Question is did I overcharge him?

Nope. My opinion--you don't need that kind of customer anyway. $5 won't even buy a box of beer.

What's your time worth? Generally you have an hourly rate, and you divide that by how much time you spent on fixing the item. Meaning, if your hourly rate is $60, then 15 minutes would be $15.

In either case, anyone who brings a gas-powered item into a shop flooded to be 'fixed'...and doesn't know they flooded it, is a moron.

I wouldn't come back to you!

First of all it was brought in under warranty. Any charge not covered under warranty should have been cleared by the customer first.

I grew up in a variety of family businesses (running at the same time) where the customer was always right and any doubt is given to the customer. ALWAYS! All the business were very sucessful and had good reputations as a result.

The $5.00 is immaterial, it is the fact that he brought it in to you under warranty and you charged him! You will lose that $5.00 in bad PR from the customer and all the people that he tells.

Now if there is a problem that you didn't catch he will never bring it back to you and will crap all over the product and you.

Very poor way to make $5.00 in my opinion versus the goodwill that handing him back the product working would have generated! Do you think that he will ever buy anything from you again?

spacemule said:

Nope. My opinion--you don't need that kind of customer anyway. $5 won't even buy a box of beer.

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He

Ha Space, that feller acted like I had charged him a million, he was upset over it. He's a old landscaper I have been dealing with for years and spoiling as well I guess. Last year he walked in the door with a edger blade about 3in. long, completely wore out. He tells me this thing didn't last, I've hardly used it. He wanted a free one. I said they're only 2 bucks for crying out loud. He walked out pissed and bought another. A few months ago I sold him a saw. Last week he walks in with it and tells me this thing won't cut, I've hardly used it. I looked at the chain and it wouldn't cut butter, more less wood. I said looks like ya used it till ya dulled it. I hear ITS UNDER WARRANTY out of him. I was dying laffing on the inside but said nothing. I sharpened the thing for him for nothing and told him try to keep it out of the ground will ya, he smiled and left. I guess I done spoiled him so much today really shocked him. That $5.00 tore his butt up. Some customers are priceless, some worth $5.00................

MikeInParadise said:

First of all it was brought in under warranty. Any charge not covered under warranty should have been cleared by the customer first.

I grew up in a variety of family businesses (running at the same time) where the customer was always right and any doubt is given to the customer. ALWAYS! All the business were very sucessful and had good reputations as a result.

The $5.00 is immaterial, it is the fact that he brought it in to you under warranty and you charged him! You will lose that $5.00 in bad PR from the customer and all the people that he tells.

Now if there is a problem that you didn't catch he will never bring it back to you and will crap all over the product and you.

Very poor way to make $5.00 in my opinion versus the goodwill that handing him back the product working would have generated! Do you think that he will ever buy anything from you again?

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Read ya warranty sometime. It doesn't cover stupity...........

5.00

here is my thoughts
1. If he is a nusiance customer you might be better off getting rid of him.
2. if he is a good customer may by you should work with him on the item a bit and show him how to start it. Some dealers are good about it some arn't and are you so desperate that $5.00 will break you?? :yoyo:

Five bucks is a pretty cheap lesson but do you think he really learned anything? Sounds like no matter what you do this guy won't like it. You made five bucks and got rid of a PITA...pretty good day.

THALL10326 said:

Read ya warranty sometime. It doesn't cover stupity...........

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You missed the whole point of the post...

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO IS IN THE RIGHT!

It has to do with developing a business. If you go out of your way to harass customers for $5.00 then you end up being the loser! You said that this guy has dealt with you for years. Yes he may be a PITA but have you made money off of him.

If the $5.00 is worth more to you than a customer then I would not want to be one of your customers!

havvey said:

here is my thoughts
1. If he is a nusiance customer you might be better off getting rid of him.
2. if he is a good customer may by you should work with him on the item a bit and show him how to start it. Some dealers are good about it some arn't and are you so desperate that $5.00 will break you?? :yoyo:

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He is not a good customer, he is pita customer and a very cheap one as well. I been dealing with him for years, over 10 years as a matter of fact. Any idea why he only comes to me,hmmmm. I'm not gonna run him off nor am I gonna pacify him each and everytime he comes in like he's been used to. The $5.00 meant nothing to me but it sure meant alot to him. I love customers such as him, makes my day. This time I got to smile for once instead of him and yes I billed him on purpose just to see his reaction, it was priceless. If $5.00 kills his landscaping business I guess I'll pull a 5 out of my pocket so he won't be jobless,hahaha

Thall...you've got a good "read" on your customers. Thats evident from a lot of your previous posts. What Mike in Paradise,Havvey,and some of the others don't realize is that some customers,especially the older more ornery types,kinda like this sort of give and take. It puts a little spark in their day. Besides,the guy has been coming to you for ten years. That tells me you've been in business at least that long and must be doing SOMETHING right. The five bucks is an object lesson...nothing more. Bob

If the guy's enough of a tool to think that the chain dulling up should be covered under warranty, he should be smacked upside the head with the broad side of a 36" Stihl Rollomatic ES. Cheap and dumb. 5 bucks to clear out a flooded engine, not a bad deal if the guy's dumb enough to think there's something truly wrong with it.

boboak said:

Thall...you've got a good "read" on your customers. Thats evident from a lot of your previous posts. What Mike in Paradise,Havvey,and some of the others don't realize is that some customers,especially the older more ornery types,kinda like this sort of give and take. It puts a little spark in their day. Besides,the guy has been coming to you for ten years. That tells me you've been in business at least that long and must be doing SOMETHING right. The five bucks is an object lesson...nothing more. Bob

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This makes sense to me.

MikeInParadise said:

You missed the whole point of the post...

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO IS IN THE RIGHT!

It has to do with developing a business. If you go out of your way to harass customers for $5.00 then you end up being the loser! You said that this guy has dealt with you for years. Yes he may be a PITA but have you made money off of him.

If the $5.00 is worth more to you than a customer then I would not want to be one of your customers!

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Cranking your arm off and cleaning up mix out of the floor because someone flooded their unit isn't called harassing, its called work, work that should be paid for. He has been a long time customer. Sold him many trimmers, blowers and saws over the years. He only deals with me because no one else could stand his penny pinching ways. Today is the first time I decided not to let him holler ITS UNDER WARRANTY for his own screw ups. As you can see from his responce to that $5.00 bill he has never apperaicated all the free work I've done for him over the years. He got a free chain sharpening last week and as you can see today he didn't apprecaite it much now did he. He'll be back again and again only because like the other customer told him, where in the hell is he going get anything done for $5.00. So no my friend you missed the point , not me. There was no point to make, it was a matter of I did the work and he needed to pay for it for once. I just asked if $5.00 is too much, thats all.

boboak said:

Thall...you've got a good "read" on your customers. Thats evident from a lot of your previous posts. What Mike in Paradise,Havvey,and some of the others don't realize is that some customers,especially the older more ornery types,kinda like this sort of give and take. It puts a little spark in their day. Besides,the guy has been coming to you for ten years. That tells me you've been in business at least that long and must be doing SOMETHING right. The five bucks is an object lesson...nothing more. Bob

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Bob you be very correct, I know that ole sucker like a book. I know he's gonna try me every single time he comes in the door. Most time I let him slide but today I surprised him for once and yes I did it on purpose just to see his reaction. I figured $5.00 wouldn't kill him,haha. He put up a fuss more than I thought he would over $5.00 but he knows dayumm good and well he got a deal. He'll be out tomorrow making money with that blower, much more than $5.00. He just loves to try me, most time he slides, today I decided it was time I win one,haha

tek9tim said:

If the guy's enough of a tool to think that the chain dulling up should be covered under warranty, he should be smacked upside the head with the broad side of a 36" Stihl Rollomatic ES. Cheap and dumb. 5 bucks to clear out a flooded engine, not a bad deal if the guy's dumb enough to think there's something truly wrong with it.

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Awwwwww Tek I wouldn't smack the guy, he's a pita no doult. I know a lady he cuts grass for and he charges her $180.00 per cut for little over 2 acres. He uses that blower I got going for him today to blow off her sidewalk. He doesn't mind charging out the butt for his work but boy he sure hates putting out a penny for work done for him. Got alot of customers like him and every once in awhile I turn the tables on them but I never overcharge them or anyone else. Customers like him make my day, they really do. He probly went home thinking dayumm he charged me this time,haha

You have to wonder about this fella, been running small equipment 10 years and doesn't know when it's flooded? And no, Five dollars isn't too much for the agrivation.

Smokindodgew101 said:

You have to wonder about this fella, been running small equipment 10 years and doesn't know when it's flooded? And no, Five dollars isn't too much for the agrivation.

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My thoughts exactly, I didn't think $5.00 was too much to get his ole blower running for him. I sure as hell wasn't gonna call him and ask what he was willing to pay, hell I knew what his answer that was gonna be, nothing,haha. He is aggervating for sure but I'd never run him off, even being a pita he and me sometime stand outside the door and shoot the bull. He just hates to spend any of that rusty money in his pocket. Other than that he's a good ole guy but boy he has to be the tighest man I think I've ever seen.

This thread reminds me of a customer that came in a while back with a Dolmar PS-540 that he bought a year earlier.

Customer brought in his saw and said it won't start. Pulled it over a few times and it won't fire. I asked him what he was running for fuel & how old it was. He said it was about a week old with Dolmar Mix 50:1.

Anyway I dumped the fuel out added fresh gas and it started after 5-6 pulls. But it put out so much smoke I had to open Every Door & Window in the place! Then after a couple minutes he said he might of used a different gas can which he used with his crapsman trimmer gas that was a year old.

After that he said How Much Do I Owe You. I said $5, he came back and said That should be under Warranty

Steve

$5.00

THALL10326 said:

He is not a good customer, he is pita customer and a very cheap one as well. I been dealing with him for years, over 10 years as a matter of fact. Any idea why he only comes to me,hmmmm. I'm not gonna run him off nor am I gonna pacify him each and everytime he comes in like he's been used to. The $5.00 meant nothing to me but it sure meant alot to him. I love customers such as him, makes my day. This time I got to smile for once instead of him and yes I billed him on purpose just to see his reaction, it was priceless. If $5.00 kills his landscaping business I guess I'll pull a 5 out of my pocket so he won't be jobless,hahaha

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I took it much more serious than that now
the facts come out if he is with you for 10 years you all must be happy and your right some times the customer slideds sometimes the dealer does. for your sake i hope your not like the one here. an old lady couldn't start her lawn mower snowblwer etc. (it was a briggs 5hp etc) he pushed the choke in cranked it and charged her $20 Happened more than once.He did not get many credibility points. :yoyo: