Antique Rocking Horse Repairs

[UKRay]

I suppose this is a common enough situation, but a few weeks ago I had an call from a business in Shropshire that restores and sells 'antique' rocking horses.

They, initially, came to me about a year ago with a rush job. They needed a new saddle and bridle made and fitted to a rocking horse so I did the job (five hours work) whilst the woman (Sally) stood in my workshop and waited for it. No pressure there then! When I accepted the work she seemed suitably grateful (the rocking horse looked lovely finished) but when the job was done she quibbled about the price (agreed in advance) which was exceptionally reasonable considering it was a Sunday and I just charged my standard rate. She promised to bring me all her work in the future (yeah - we have all heard that one before...) so I relented and even gave her a discount (more fool me).

I didn't hear another word from Sally or her husband until just before Christmas when he called wanting another saddle fitted in a hurry saying their regular leatherworker didn't have the skills to do it for them. I asked him what happened to all the other work I'd been promised last time I did them a favour and he just laughed and said Sally will say anything to get what she wants and anyway, although his work is poor quality, the other guy is cheaper than me. He stopped laughing when I told him to take his job elsewhere.

Ever since, I've been wondering if I should have bitten my tongue and done the job. The money would have been useful just before Christmas but I would probably have felt angry about it for ages afterwards.

What would you have done in these circumstances?

Ray

[Timd]

Ray, I think you made the right decision. They showed you how they plan to do business with you, probably laughing about getting the pushover to do a nice, quick job for cheap AGAIN! Yes, we can all use more money, but you nailed it, ethics leads the way.

[rawhide1]

Ray

I'd rather pick up pop cans than work for the likes of them. Those are the kind of people that want to dicker on price and get a helluva of a deal. But their the first to stick it to someone. As far as I'm concerned they can go pound sound. I think ya made the right decision.

Mike

[JJLeatherworks]

Hindsight is 20/20. You probably wished you had not only charged her Sunday rates but also extra for a rush job. You are too nice of a fellow, and Sally took advantage of it. You did the right thing by telling them to take their work somewhere else, but your kindness is eating at you. Don't let it bother you, Sally and her husband will run out of options for screwing others and will wonder what happened. Too bad. What goes around, comes around. You showed them something that they lack: integrity.

Merry Christmas and have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Edited December 25, 2010 by JJLeatherworks

[dirtclod]

Ray you made the right choice. Plus if he laughed in your face when you asked about the job you did the other time and the work you were supposed to get from it, they must of been rolling on the floor laughing the first time thinking we got Ray and he's easy.

In the past i have had people come by and ask for a price to fix / make something ( when i was cash poor ) and have the customer say it's to high and leave with a smart a$@ remark. Then come back in a couple of days and want it fixed / made. When i asked why they wanted it fixed / made now when i was to high a couple of days ago. They said well we went and asked some other shops about fixing / making what ever and i was cheaper so were back. Well the second time they were back i was to busy even if i had nothing to do.

Kinda like the time i asked a guy for a job and was told i didn't know enough to work for him. A few days later he asked me to come to work for him. Found out he had been asking around and found out that i knew more than he though. I told him if i didn't know enough a couple of days ago, i sure hadn't learned enough in the last couple o days to be able to work for him and NO i didn't want the job. ( It's a pride thing for me i guess ) And i felt durn good about it. The Good Guys won one..LOL.

[rickybobby]

Ray,

You absolutely did the right thing. The anger carried after dealing with someone like that can affect other business decisions made in other areas of your shop. The couple times I have done this type of “discount” work always sets me behind mentally and you never see any work (money making kind) from them.

I have sent a couple people on their way if they were not 100% on board with the price of the work. I no longer even give them a chance to reconsider or make an offer. This type of customer will never be 100% happy (they will always think they could have it cheaper) and will not send other, profitable work to you no matter how good of a job you do. Then their friends will show up and know you give “good deals”. You never get a chance to make any money with this type of customer.

When I was in the automotive body shop business years ago, an older bodyman once told me,

“I can starve to death sitting on my butt, why should I starve to death working for that guy”

A craftsman earns a living working with their hands, if this work they want done so bad is so easy… LET THEM DO IT!!! We slit our own throat when we work cheap; I stopped doing it and have never looked back.

Best of luck Ray, you always bring great ideas and knowledge to us here on LW and we all appreciate it,

Rick

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

You made the right decision. All that you would have done was upped their profit margin to their customer.

When I was working for an automotive lift company I made a service call to a dealership that we had done a lot of business with. When I got back I mentioned to the boss (another Ray) that Curly had a new lift. As soon as Ray heard that he got on the phone to the dealership. Turns out he had quoted that job, but they gave it to someone else because the install was less expensive. They were less expensive to install them, but they didn't service them afterwards, so they called us to do so. Ray told them that he was going to stop doing business with them, and they could find someone else to do their repairs, and servicing. For a small shop we traveled all over California, and into Nevada because we were factory authorized by a couple of the main manufacturers of lifts. My service area in California went up to the Redding/Red Bluff area ,and down to the Fresno/Los Banos areas. We were more expensive, but we did it all-a one stop shop doing lift installs, removals,repairs, and servicing of not only lifts but air compressors, lube pumps, hose reels, etc.

Pricing is one area that I have always had a problem with, even when I had a machine and fab shop of my own. I NEVER charged enough. I found out how much less when I was working at the Jelly Belly Candy Company. The purchasing agent found out I used to have a shop, and asked me how much I would have charged to make a part for a machine. I looked at it, and told him I would have a hard time telling him $100, and it would be more like $60. It wasn't that complicated, and I figured it would take no more than an hour to do. Turns out that they just bought 20 of them for $300 each, because that was less than the factory price. So here I would have charged $1,200-$2,000, and the other guy got $6,000. I charged what I felt was a fair price, and I would have made a profit, just not as much profit. If they don't like your price, tough.

Now if they become a good repeat customer, then you can consider doing them a favor once in awhile. Reward the loyal customers that you have, but charge shop rate for new ones. Great customer service is more valuable to some than a discounted price.

I have since learned that I take my skills as a craftsman far too lightly. I look at some jobs as easy to do because of my skills, and tools. . People come to me because they cannot do something I can, or do not have the tools that I do. Yes , others can do what I can. Some are better than myself, but I am better than a lot of others too. Yes you lost a sale, but you gained some respect for yourself, and your skills. They lost more than you did, especially if word of this gets around to the other craftsmen.

[roo4u]

oh yes absolutely the right thing....i bet they dont give discounts or do sunday rush jobs for free. and you cant ever trust a person who is willing to say anything to get what they want. what has happened to morals, ethics and honesty in this world. good for you for standing up for yourself.

[Elliot]

You did right with him.

Her when complaing about price, I would have taken a knife and cut the leather off the horse and sent her out the door with cut up junk!

People like them are nothing but parasites. Suck every thing they can out of you and kick you on the way out.

Remember them when someone else tries the same, you will be money ahead.

[JRedding]

If you just told him to take it elsewhere and left it at that you were much more polite than I'd have been, he'd have likely left my place knowing my full opinion of him, his wife, his dog and what I thought his children would grow up to be. People like that shouldn't expect anyone to be tolerant of their using ways and if they do they deserve to be told what you think. I think you did the right thing Ray and your ability to keep your composure doing it is a fine quality I admire but don't have, you are a true gentleman Ray.

[gary]

Ray,

'Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me'.

Have a good Christmas knowing you did the right thing.

Gary

[RMB Custom Leather]

I would have given them a quote that you knew they would not take like 3 times the normal price. If they had to use you then look who is laughing now, but if they did not use you then your better off.

Edited December 26, 2010 by wwwrmbbladescom

[Suze]

Wow -- was she entitled much?

I agree with the others you did the right thing "showing them the door"

I wouldn't have crossed the street to do them this "favor"

(the sneaky me would find someone they didn't know to go to their shop and find out how much they are selling the horses for.....especially the "rush job" you did - bet it is still sitting in the shop. Of course I can be a right little snoop when I want to be)

[UKRay]

Thanks for all your kind words and support, folks. I thought I had made the right decision but the slight uncertainty was eating at me. LOL

I'm now convinced!

Ray

[amuckart]

I'd have done the same, and probably a damn sight less politely than you did.

If there's someone else in the region who lacks the skill to do things right, then it sounds to me like they deserve each other.