The way around it is to book it as an install Tom. YES you should be paid
for work you do for people. That includes a site survey. If they just want
to look, than you go out of them. If they want to buy it's for you.
Marlon
(509) 982-2181 Equipment sales
(408) 907-6910 (Vonage) Consulting services
42846865 (icq) And I run my own wisp!
64.146.146.12 (net meeting)
www.odessaoffice.com/wireless
www.odessaoffice.com/marlon/cam
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom DeReggi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 9:44 AM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] Re: Outsourced installations (KyWiFi LLC)
There is a big difference between not getting the subscriber because they
changed their mind versus they couldn't get signal.
If the customer wants your service, and you can;t get it to them, should
you be able to charge for the trip?
If I could, I'd make more money doing site surveys than providing service.
With that policy, its just a matter of time before the best practice would
be start advertising in every publication and promising the world. Whats
wrong with over promising, if the end result will be just that they don;t
qualify, and you are off the hook for delivering? For these reason, and
credibilty I believe it is inappropriate to charge for site surveys. The
ISP's job is to know develop systems for accurate pre-qual and know their
target areas, and have efficient site survey methods, adequate to reduce
the loss associated with the site surveys. I charge higher install fees,
because the people that are successfull, subsidize the cost of those that
are not.
However, I feel getting a deposit is not a bad idea, and I see no reason
to refund money for people that change their mind after the work was
performed successfully. The problem is how to do it legally and amicably.
Sure you can get a Credit Card, but they can protest the charge unless you
have signed paperwork. They now need a fax machine to get you the
paperwork. Most residential users don't have this. So now the survey
process gets delayed several days, until they get to the office to fax the
paper work, in the mean time you lost the opportunity to send the tech by
that was just down the street already. Its jsut so much easier to send a
contract with the installer to get signed when he arrives. And are they
really going to sign it, if you aren't successful and there?
I guess it depends on how far away the installation is, on wether its
worth the risk to go without getting a deposit. Instead what we do is that
we jsut make everyone wait for a surevey until its cost effective and
convenient for us to do it, and its free. If someone wants us to escalate
the survey, which increases our cost, then we charge them a "priority" fee
upfront (non-refundable). There is also now a demand that has been
established by the customer, and providers cost for special treatment
recognized by custoemr, and an approival that he doesn't mind paying if
you are unsuccessful.
Money lost on site surveys is a sore point for us as well, but I'm just
not sure there is a good away around it, and part of teh cost of doing
business. I think instead a provider needs to think about what markets he
serves are cost effective for them to serve, and how to cost effectively
serve them. This is the difference between soliciting qualified leads and
advertising blindly. The way we handled it for residential is that we
send the van to the area that we want to serve, and he does a site survey
from the road in front of every house, and if they qualify, they get a
flyer on their door. Its cheaper to survey all the homes at once even if
tehy aren't prospects than it is to go back and survey a few individually
as they order. When a neighbor refers a new client to us, we pull up
their address, and go, Yes we already sureveyed you, you do or do not
qualify.
Tom DeReggi
RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc
IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband
----- Original Message -----
From: "Blair Davis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 12:06 AM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] Re: Outsourced installations (KyWiFi LLC)
I would not even consider charging for a site survey.
Way too many possibilitys for bad press. I simply consider it a cost of
doing business. Rarely do we have someone decline service if it can be
done at our $199/$299 install rate. I have declines on the $799+
installs, but I expect those.
Blair Davis
West Michigan Wireless ISP
Justin Wilson wrote:
I would not be happy about the $29.95 fee. If you can get away with
it go right ahead. I look at it the customer is betting $29.95 that
they can get service. I would rather have it here if they can get
service, and they don't then they are charged $29.95. If they can't get
service why should they have to pay $29.95? That would be like going to
buy a new car. You want a Blue one with a stick shift. The dealer can't
get you one, but they charge you $29.95 for looking. I think the word
will spread pretty quickly. Customers are a weird beast. I can see the
coffee shop conversations now:
Joe:"Yeah that company came out and did a site survey to see if they
could get me wireless"
Bob " How did that go?"
Joe "The installer guy waived an antenna around and said he could
not get me a signal"
Bob "Too bad, so what now?"
Joe "I don't know, but I got charged $29.95 for him coming out"
Bob "What? They are supposed to come out next week. I don't want
them charging me $29.95 if they can't hook me up."
Just my .02
Justin
--
Justin S. Wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Access - WISP Consulting - Tower Climbing
Web: http://www.mtin.net
Web: http://www.jwilson.ws
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