At 10:33 AM 10/21/2001 -0600, Kim Knapp wrote:
> I would say that if you are approached by a buyer of a Panasonic system
>that wants you to install his system, then you should charge him your normal
>rate PLUS your normal markup for the system, so that he ends up spending the
>same amount as he would if he bought the equipment from you. And I would
>tell him up front that you will charge him a rental fee for any loaner
>equipment if he (or you) have to send any equipment in for repair).
My problem is not with installing or repairing other's equipment. My
installations are pretty much cookie cutter jobs and if I move or clean up
a system, I will make or try to make the system look like all the rest.
My ex-father-in-law used to say, "get a firm hold on the cash" when dealing
with a questionable person, and I like to treat questionable accounts the
same way. If I do a move or repair for any customer that I don't know, I
require 50% or more deposit in advance of doing any work. It's very
difficult to retain ownership of labor :-).
A couple of examples: Back in the 70's I went to a motel about 120 miles
away to repair a Mitel PBX. The software had failed and I dutifully
replaced it with my loaner. They didn't pay and my attorney said I
couldn't do "frontier justice" by pulling the card and replacing it with
their old one. So I had to buy a lesser generic and replace it to keep it
working. They have owed me $1000 ever since and I am about 52nd on the
baknruptcy list. But the owner got to keep his plane.
The other example was the "fitness center" guy who I didn't like in the
first place. "I'll get you a deposit check tomorrow when the bookkeeper
comes in." Yeah, I should have said I would start the job when the cash is
in my account, but I was in a hurry. Since it was a labor only job with
about $60 worth of materials, I was left holding the bag and the bank
backed a truck in and took posession of all the physical assets.
The point is, I will be happy to work on any installed system. How will
you be paying for this?
Carl "show me the money" Navarro
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