Shop Quotes

Hey guys!

Need some opinions on an issue I’ve recently encountered with a big shop near me. I was given a quote of let’s say 10 hours for a lift install job and it only took 5 hours. In this case would you still pay the initial quote of 10 hours vs the 5 hours it took.

In this scenario the shop is still charging the 10 hours due to stating that they had an additional tech help on this job.
I feel that if a quote is given in hours for a job and it takes less, then the customer should only pay for the “actual time” it took to do the install regardless of if it was completed by one or multiple techs.

Am I wrong on this?

thanks!

 

That’s a shitty way to practice business. Every shop or service I’ve used for something will not charge what they quoted if they went under.

 

Did the shop happen to mention they were charging flat rate for the project?

 

Why should they charge less because they are efficient at it?

If they ran into problems and took more than 10 hours would you pay them the extra time it took? I'm going to say no.

A flat quote is different than a not to exceed amount which is what you are expecting.

 

Why would you pay for 10 hours of labor if 5 hours of labor is what it took? Your username makes sense.

 

1. You mistake my username for Delusional
2. It all depends on how the quote was worded etc. I'm not saying you are right or wrong. But if its a fixed price you owe it. They take the risk of not finishing it in 10 hours and eating the extra labor. If its not fixed then you should pay the 5.

Don't attack me because you are confused. Read or post the quote then we can give more info.

Also if it takes them anywhere close to 10 hours they are f'n hopeless.

 

Not a flat rate but gave an estimate of x amount of hrs at x$$$

 

I'm just wondering why after they quoted 10hrs, you still did business with them? Was it like some mid/long travel setup? Alignment included?

Shops SHOULD have a flat rate for the lift install. Now if problems arise then yes that price increases. Its not a "repair" so I don't get why they quoted hours.

 

had the job taken longer yes. I would have paid as im paying for their time. So if it takes less time then I should pay for the actual not more.

 

What does the quote actually say. If its a generic quote with no terms etc then you should pay the 5. If it has terms and conditions read everything. Their software of whatever they use could of honestly just spit out the 10 hours at whatever rate but still says you agree to pay amount in full.

Honestly any shop that told me 10 hours I'd never go to them again.

 

Can you let us know the extent of what was involved in the lift install in regards to what all the shop performed? Just trying to see what all was accomplished during the visit.

Thanks

 

Just to answer a few questions. Installed was Aluma 2.5 setup for front and rear along with springs, bump stops and UCA’s + alignment.

As for what the quote stated it was an approximate of X amount of hours. Could be more if issues came up (Which again, I’m ok with paying for their service/ time). The issue is that now it doesn’t work the other way around. They spent less time on it and still want to charge the initial 10 hrs because they used an extra person. Quote/ paperwork/ store rep did not state anything about it being fixed amount or price per tech. How a business runs their staff or the logistics of day to day operations is not my business. In my opinion you can’t just justify it by saying it took more people, when the agreement was based on time spent on the project, not how many people it took to complete the project.

 

Also, yes looking back now a quote for 10hrs+ is ridiculous but this was a highly reputable shop that I thought I could trust. I obviously won’t be going back and I’ll pay what I need to but none of this has sat well with me.

 

Simply based off of what you have posted, It sounds like the "Repair Shop" has something to learn when it comes to effectively communicating with potential clients to ensure transparency into service performed.

 

IMO depending on the lift complexity I would pay around 700-1000 (normally). I don't care if 1 person did it for 8 hours or 8 people did it in 1 hour. If the workmanship is good I'm ready to pay top dollar to a shop.

Edit -
In other words, If I own a shop I would give a price for the job. I would not say how many people I would use for it. Those who willing to do it will proceed and those who don't will go for a different shop.

 

I just noticed your response and have been in this same position. Most recently with a local HVAC company in regards to an entire system replacement. imagine my excitement when the wife and I had no heat from Christmas eve until Tuesday morning. Long story short the installing tech incorrectly configured the multi stage system on initial install, Throwing the system into a downward spiral when the winter cyclone hit. Frustrating? Of course. But was corrected.

I dont know if this is supposed to put things into perspective or simply tell me I cannot control everything.

Whatever I still like turtles... and my wife who seems to have some sort of ability to tone me down at times!

Rock on!

 

So it's not a flat rate. If it were a flat rate then I'd say it's on you since you know for sure that you'll pay for those hours no matter what (so if it went longer they'd be on the hook). But that's not the case.

Despite that, I still don't have a problem with how they billed you. You said they managed to halve the time by having an extra tech help with the install. From the shop's point of view they're still paying for 10 hours of labour, but rather than pay 1 tech for 10 hours of work they pay 2 techs for 5 hours of work each. It's still 10 hours, it's just split between 2 people. Asking to get refunded those extra 5 hours is punishing them for having fast turn around. Now if they managed to halve the time by doing a short cut then I might want some money back because the shop isn't paying an employee for 10 hours of work either.