Do people really appreciate your expertise?

[John Barrett]

I saw this today and it reminded me of when I was working my trade as an Army fitter/machinist.
For example, in 'the olden days', car brake drums could be ever so slightly skimmed to take out ovality, and it was a job I often did at half garage rates, as I'd made an adjustable fixture for my Triumph lathe and I could skim a set of four in my lunch break when nobody, including the punter, was looking!
Inevitable, a punter saw me doing his drums, and complained bitterly about the price, given the short time I took to fix his brakes. I quickly told him his fortune and sent him away with a flea in his ear, but the jobs didn't come in quite so often! Funny that...
I bet some on here have similar stories!

 

[Phill D]

It is also the fact that you have invested your time and expertise in making a jig so it could be done quickly and accurately.

 

[Off da Grid]

Only when your not around anymore, then it’s their lose

 

[Eggs]

My work is drainage, I got called to a blockage one Saturday, quoted the price and he was happy for me to go around and clear the block. I hit once with a plunger and cleared it, "£125 please" his reply, you've only been here 5 minutes", my reply, "you aren't just paying for what I do, you are paying for what I know". He begrudgingly paid me.

What a Tosser, we agreed the price over the phone, I thought to myself after getting in the van.

 

[Garfields]

When I was first an apprentice you got time for doing the clutch on a mini for removing the engine.
We found it could be done in place saving about an hour and a half on the book time.
It wasn't long before word got around and the book time got cut.

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[Landy Andy]

Shown all the time on here with the ”he charged how much”, “I could have done that cheaper/faster/better”, “anybody could have done that” comments.

 

[62272]

one we were told on a leadership training course (apparently true!);

(USA) An expert technician was contacted to assist a food canning factory as production had halted causing a severe loss of revenue, as the whole production process could not be fixed by the site engineers. The ‘expert’ arrived and on hearing the issue produced a screw driver and went to a certain control box, opened it and turned a screw… voila the factory was back in business. He left his bill which was $10,000! The director of the factory requested that he justified such a high bill for such a quick job. The technician wrote: $1 charge for turning a screw, and $9,999 for knowing which screw to turn. The factory paid the bill!

 

[tacr2man]

There were several groups in Australia the first were "Gunners" as in I was going to do that, and also the " Coulda wouda shouders !"

 

[ivorantony]

Doing breakdowns in the 1980 I would often give owners of Ford pinto engines ( cortina/serria/ Capri) a choice of being towed in,
or I would replace the timing belt at the side of the road for a price about half that would have been charged at the garage,
Needless to say practically everyone had it done roadside, one guy happily payed for the job then phoned the AA demanding his money back,
I was asked to go to his house and refund him his £15, so I turned up and before handing over the money I said I wanted my Cambelt back , he tried to buy the belt only, but I wouldn’t agree
The guy wasn’t happy as he would then have to be towed in for the repair at garage rates so eventually saw sense and refused the refund,

 

[Jaws]

Both the following are example of what I know agin what I do that have earned my wages time and time over

On the Honda Blackbird bike there is a really weird issue on the older carb models causing them to bog down at anything over 75mph
As soon as I hear the problem I ask 'when did you take the fairing nose cone off'
Always goes quiet and always followed by ,, ' how did you know' !
I received a fair bit of coinage from a Honda main dealer for the answer and they whined like hell when I told them what it was.. esp as they had spent days and days working on a bike
Happy to pass on the info to all and sundry now as I am long since retired.. There are two flaps of plastic mounted in the nose cone that damps the air flow in to the air box
Without them the air becomes very turbulent as it enters the intake plenum.. Disturbed air means no go !

Same as handlebar shake on the Bird.. Another odd ball one I got paid for to sort out
It s quite common ( as you bikers out there will attest to ) to sit up, hands off the bars, and coast down after a long motorway run
As the bike slows, when it hits 40mph the bars will shake violently . not a full blown tank slapper but unsettling to those who have never experienced it
it is simply fitting a top box on the back that causes it... which is why there never has been a Honda top box available ( pannier yes abut no top box )

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[simsy56]

Many years ago I had a fleet of mini excavators, self hire, or with operator. One chap rang to ask how much a mini digger and operator was to hire.

'£15 per hour' I said.

' me! I can get a full size JCB for that!'

'Well why don't you get one then?'

'Well, it won't fit down the side of my house, and around the back'.

I rest my case.

Craig

 

[poacher]

If the first question is "How much?"
My stock answer is now "Clearly more than you want to pay." - click (replace the phone)

Solicitors / the legal profession ring up and ask "How much to do a report for such and such (my area of expertise) ? "
Stock answer is now "About 3 times what you will charge me to sell my house."
Solicitor: "But I will know to know how much you are selling the house for, where it is, what is the time scale, etc, etc. "
Stock answer is now "Touché !!" - click (replace the phone)

Oh, to now be of that age