After being out of the office for a while, the phone has gotten me back into things. It's been ringing like crazy. So the week gave me a chance to answer mail, book some future work and work on some training. Some of the phone calls were good and straightforward. Some were the typical shopping-around calls. But sometimes you get one that doesn't feel right (more on that in a minute).
I talked to a fellow inspector who gets shopping-around calls as well. I saw on Wayne Lee's Contractor blog that he gets shopped some, too. My position is that I don't. You tell me what you need, I tell you a price. That's it. No haggling. No discounts. If you want a discount, go to a discount inspector. But keep my name because you will probably want me after the discount inspection.
I used to offer a reduced price if I had another job in the area. I quit that because the other job would get postponed, and I'd end up doing the job for a reduced fee. I've also learned that the scope of work on some jobs isn't what I am led to believe, and I end up spending much more time than I had planned. So I don't like to schedule things back to back, because I don't like to be late. But when things do come together, I do reduce the bill. I am not going to charge two clients full price for the same overnight.
Sometimes, like this week, I get a phone call that gives you one of those feelings. Something doesn't sound right. This person offered to fly me to her location, put me up in a hotel, and pay for a rental car. The job was only 2½ hours away! So I pulled out the PIA factor sheet and gave her a price much higher than normal. The price would either scare her off or it would cover my fanny and a lot of contingencies. We'll see if I get the job. I only had one inspection this week, and that one I can't tell you about because of potential legal issues. Next week I do a little seminar for some installers. So it's back to the real world. Vacation's over.
