I worked for an MG Rover main dealer '98-'02 first in valeting, then a year in service dept.
They were rip off merchants in that the bills tended to be inflated - try £700 for a big service and MOT on a Metro! But they also did a top quality job and never once did they pretend they were cheap.
Self-employed 10 years this month and I dont feel I rip anyone off, usually customers tell me I dont charge enough though those people tend to tip, so I please the bargin hunters while getting a higher rate from the generous folk.
Ive come to accept that my standards are irrelevant to most people and I try to meet the standard individual customers expect - if they say dont bother this or that, I tend not to whereas in my younger days I would have done, but at the end of the day, so long as they get what they want, job done, however I dont cut corners on what I am asked to do.
When people ask me what needs doing I avoid inflating the job because actually people trust you more if they ask you three times if it needs a polish yet before you say 'could do with it now'. I never put pressure on people to have extra work done, I hate it being done to me so I dont do it to anyone else. Quite often I think jeez the windows are dirty, but I say nothing unless they ask me if they need doing.
My only fault is that if I dont want to do a job, I quote stupidly high ( sustained physical work is beyond me now so anything over 3 hours is a no-no ). Occasionally I get caught out and they say thats ok, so then I say Im booked up for 5 weeks. Typically people carriers, 4x4s and countryside hacks get the unavailable line. If its a semi-clean Porsche Im suddenly available :-)
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