Pitfalls of Shops & How can I better serve you.

Edited: 10/25/2011 4:29:17 PM by seanb

I'd like to address a couple of things in general that's been brought up about some shops failing to perform up to expectations. I don't own my own shop but I am an independent contractor who's seen the workings of other shops. It's a tough, tough business... probably why I chose to be a hired gun instead.

1) Don't expect a killer, SEMA quality paint & airbrush job to get done in a month. Yes, I'm sure they said it could be done. Sometimes it hurts to tell the customer their project JUST CAN'T be done in the time they want. I'd rather be honest with you (and myself) and risk losing the work.

2) It seems to be standard procedure to take in any and all work regardless of the workload. When things get slow, there's always those "restoration" projects sitting around to work on.

3) Most shop's dirty little secret is that they use INCOMING deposits on work to pay for 'in-the-booth' work and payroll. It's a vicious cycle.

4) Most shop owners are well meaning and intend to get your work done but other work and interruptions stall their efforts. And they usually don't estimate their time or manage time very well.

I'm not trying to make excuses either but material costs have gone through the roof, customers seem to never appreciate you doing them favors, cutting them a deal, and overall the life of a shop owner is a daily fight to stay in business.

I'd love to see more (any) work from the SSM family come my way so tell what my problem is... Let me have it. Be honest (not mean). Thanks.

Wow you summed up pretty good seanb, I work for a body shop and every once in a while I decide to do a couple of resto and custom jobs but the one thing that always trips me out is those guys that go bananas when you tell them your looking at 5k plus for a paint job but they are rolling in 26" billets , that's why I personally don't budge because most of us already know what time frame most jobs will take.

Wow you summed up pretty good seanb, I work for a body shop and every once in a while I decide to do a couple of resto and custom jobs but the one thing that always trips me out is those guys that go bananas when you tell them your looking at 5k plus for a paint job but they are rolling in 26" billets , that's why I personally don't budge because most of us already know what time frame most jobs will take.

Heres my thoughts. I dont paint. I hire people to paint for me. Ive worked in a body shop, and been a painters helper before. I quit lol.

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1) Don't expect a killer, SEMA quality paint & airbrush job to get done in a month. Yes, I'm sure they said it could be done. Sometimes it hurts to tell the customer their project JUST CAN'T be done in the time they want. I'd rather be honest with you (and myself) and risk losing the work.

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If a customer comes to you, tells you they want a sema quality paint and airbrush job... Why bother telling them it can be done in a month, when you know damn well you cant? That just seems like a stoopid move, and a way to cause drama in your own life. Why not be honest with them up front, and tell them, its probably going to take 6-8 weeks..... Why? because you probably wont get the job, because they will go to the next person that WILL tell them they can do it, when they know they cant.

Seems like a visious cycle, but its brought on yourself, correct? I mean, how is the average consumer supposed to know that?

Material prices have gone through the roof, thats a fact. Its everywhere. I pay over 85% higher steel prices that i did a year ago... that has nearly doubled my material cost per job. It sucks... but I know when i cant do a job for a certain price... i tell them that up front, no suprises. It beats them coming back a year later and running their mouth about you on the internet, to other potental customers.

Owning your own business is tough, there is no doubt about that, and people that dont own a business really sometimes have a hard time comprehending what it all entails... hell even employees to a small business have no idea the work load you as an owner have at any given time. But, there is not a single person that owns their own business, who will tell you they were happier back when they worked for someone else. You do it for a reason.

To be honest, i dont even know what this thread was intended for, i just felt i would comment.

Taylor

Heres my 2 cents. If you quote a job too low, you get the job done however you have to and let it be a lesson learned. If you quote a time frame to short, you work every hour available to get the job done and let it be a lesson learned. If materials cost more then charge more. If you fail to finish agreed work in the time frame given, then you do everything in your power to make it right FIRST. Not after you have knocked out a couple other projects, not after you and your baby momma have got life straitened out, FIRST. If you want to be a business man in any industry you have to be willing to make sacrifice to make sure your customer is happy. If that is not your mentality then stick to helping your buddies out on the weekends. Leave the real business to the professionals.

On another note. I dont think its anyone elses responsibility to defend any other shop or persons doing work out there. If the shop or person has a problem with what people are posting on the internet then they should handle it themselves.

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ahab said:

On another note. I dont think its anyone elses responsibility to defend any other shop or persons doing work out there. If the shop or person has a problem with what people are posting on the internet then they should handle it themselves.

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Hey, thanks for the comments. Jrock it sounds like you've seen some of what I'm talking about. And Taylor you're right on. People do stupid things like give timeframes they can't meet. That was my whole point there. Just be honest and give yourself ample time to complete the job. Seems we agree there. But you hit the nail on the head. Shops are afraid the job will walk and they will be without that work. Andrew, everything you've said sounds right to me. I can see how you maybe think what I wrote is "defending" shops but actually I was trying to warn people what shops do. Just trying to shed a little light on why so many shops fall short and the realities out there. These were truths as I see them and since not everyone works at or around a shop I thought a little education would be helpful.

Since my point for the thread had two components, maybe I should have broken it into two threads:
1. Here's the pitfalls when dealing with shops. The truth as I see it.
2. How do I get more (any) work from SSM members? Is there a problem I'm not aware of? Is there something I can do differently? And what can I be doing better to serve you guys?

Sorry Seanb my last comment wasnt directed at you. It was directed at the friends of shop owners who feel the need to defend there friends even when they know very well that there friends are screwing people over.

Oh, okay. No worries. Yeah I'm agreeing with your comments. I have a lot of distrust for shops myself just because I know what they do sometimes. I guess I feel bad because I see people get screwed and think "see you should have brought it to me instead."

I agree with everything that has been said in this thread. I'm not a shop owner, but a consumer. I have been on both sides of the coin in this one. I have had shops under quote a job on both the price and the time frame. A couple of the shops stood behind what they quoted and got the jobs done as soon as they possibly could. A couple others fell into the other category. I simply won't have those shops do work for me anymore. It is the shops responsibility to live up to what they quoted a customer and to get the job done in the time frame given as well, regardless of profit or loss.