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20-03-2010, 20:48
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#1
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Eternal Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North of Baltimore
Boat: Ericson 27 & 18' Herrmann Catboat
Posts: 3,798
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Penurious Sailors...Gotta Love 'em!
In the past couple of weeks, I have gone to a couple peoples boats to troubleshoot problems or give estimates.........
When you follow up, after a written estimate,
they decide to do the job themselves......
I should say that I was warned about one of them by another craftsman....who said...XXXX will mine you for knowledge......
and then PFFFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh well....goes with the territory
But being the kind of guy I am ....I'll be there to correct their
uh.....efforts.
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20-03-2010, 20:57
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2003
Boat: Dragonfly 1000 trimaran
Posts: 7,141
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The trick is don't be specific about which parts etc need replacement.
Give 'em a truthful estimate, but no more details than absolutely necessary.
__________________
The question is not, "Who will let me?"
The question is,"Who is going to stop me?"
Ayn Rand
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20-03-2010, 21:31
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Cruising
Boat: Privilege 39 Catamaran, Exit Only
Posts: 2,723
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You ought to have a minimum charge that you make to visit their boat for an evaluation. Then if you do the actual work, you deduct the cost of the initial visit from their final bill for the work that you perform on their yacht.
In that way, you get paid for the initial visit if they decide to do the work themselves. Just have them pay up front before you do the evaluation.
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20-03-2010, 22:06
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Puget Sound
Boat: Irwin 41 CC Ketch
Posts: 2,878
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Just part of being self employed..Happens to all of us.
A wise man once told me " Tell a man all you know and he will know more then you do"
__________________
"Go simple, go large!".
Relationships are everything to me...everything else in life is just a tool to enhance them.
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20-03-2010, 23:02
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Chesapeake Bay
Boat: Bristol 35 Bellesa
Posts: 13,564
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Now let's not give Chief too many ideas about how to charge more...
Thanks
I will need him again.
__________________
Sing to a sailor's courage, Sing while the elbows bend,
A ruby port your harbor, Raise three sheets to the wind.
......................-=Krynnish drinking song=-
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20-03-2010, 23:57
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: abbeville la
Boat: seawind II Patience
Posts: 541
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I agree except I usually do my own work,but will go with least/best bid.marc
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21-03-2010, 05:29
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#7
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Eternal Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North of Baltimore
Boat: Ericson 27 & 18' Herrmann Catboat
Posts: 3,798
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Hee-Hee-Hee
Not to worry Frank.........
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankZ
Now let's not give Chief too many ideas about how to charge more...
Thanks
I will need him again.
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21-03-2010, 05:32
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Marathon, FL
Boat: 1984 Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34
Posts: 85
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stillraining
Just part of being self employed..Happens to all of us.
A wise man once told me " Tell a man all you know and he will know more then you do"
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Couldn't have said it better myself...
__________________
Bill & Lisa Ballard
Cruising US East Coast (Currently)
S/V JO BETH
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21-03-2010, 05:52
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#9
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CF Adviser Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Montrose, Colorado
Posts: 9,845
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As "penurious" means desperately poor, poverty-stricken (descriptive of many sailors, perhaps, but hardly a reason to criticize ), I assume the OP actually meant "parsimonious," which means unwilling to spend money or use resources, stingy, overly frugal, absurdly thrifty. If someone is indeed "penurious," he had best be "parsimonious" as well, or he will probably lose his vessel.
TaoJones
__________________
"Your vision becomes clear only when you look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks within, awakens."
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)
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21-03-2010, 06:31
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#10
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Oct 2007
Boat: Endeavour 42CC
Posts: 1,182
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maxingout
You ought to have a minimum charge that you make to visit their boat for an evaluation. Then if you do the actual work, you deduct the cost of the initial visit from their final bill for the work that you perform on their yacht.
In that way, you get paid for the initial visit if they decide to do the work themselves. Just have them pay up front before you do the evaluation.
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Agree
Most repair shops have a minimum 1/2 or 1 hour charge for diagnosis that is rolled into the fee if the work is done.
This could turn into consulting. I have hired people to consult with me on how to proceed with repairs. I was happy to pay them for their time and knowledge but did the work myself.
You come by and do some checks. Determine the alternator is shot. You charge me $80 for the diagnosis. I pull the alternator, take it to the repair shop and reinstall it. I'm sure you would prefer to get the fee for all the work but you might make plenty of money just on consulting alone. I may bring you back to re-install the repaired alternator to make sure all is good in the end.
To me this feels like a happy medium. I save a few bucks you make a few bucks.
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21-03-2010, 06:38
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#11
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Solent, England
Boat: Moody 31
Posts: 18,398
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief Engineer
But being the kind of guy I am ....I'll be there to correct their uh.....efforts.
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I need a few jobs doing, could you pop over and give some written estimates, I'll be on board so could you talk me through what is involved
Pete
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21-03-2010, 07:11
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#12
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Sponsoring Vendor
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hollywood, Fl.
Boat: FP Athena 38' Poerava
Posts: 3,984
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I get these type of customers every now and then. Like Stillraining and Cheif said, "It comes with the territory". Personally, I don't mind them because many of them still get into trouble anyways and call back with hat in hand. A little of Jobs patience goes a long way because repeat business is what will keep you in business. Just a little industry secret. When sailors call, a lot of industry people cringe a bit. Depending on what the professionals do for a living they know for the most part that the real pay check is in power boats. Cruising sailors are a different breed. Most are fairly good with their hands and are willing to take the time to learn as much as they can about their boats so that they can do most of the work themselves. Something I advocate for anyone who wants to go offshore for any length of time. This forum is proof of that. But many times a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Also try to remember that as the sailing community is small, so is the community of people that work their on boats. We talk to each other and get to know the customers fairly well in our community too.
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21-03-2010, 07:18
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Tampa Bay area, USA
Boat: Beneteau First 42
Posts: 3,961
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hummm...
The on-line version of Webster's definitions (which are ordered by common usage):
Quote:
pe·nu·ri·ous [puh-noor-ee-uhs]
–adjective
1. extremely stingy; parsimonious; miserly.
2. extremely poor; destitute; indigent.
3. poorly or inadequately supplied; lacking in means or resources.
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So, it seems Chief was likely correct to beging with, eh?
__________________
"It is not so much for its beauty that the Sea makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from the waves, that so wonderfully renews a weary spirit."
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21-03-2010, 07:27
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#14
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 49,083
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FWIW, the OED lists the meanings in the opposite order:
1 extremely poor. 2 parsimonious.
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"
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21-03-2010, 07:48
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada
Boat: Mirage 27 in Toronto; Wright 10 in Auckland
Posts: 771
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Never believe Webster. The buggers just write down common mistakes and then their obiter dicta are taken as holy writ. They've been known to suggest that infer and imply mean the same thing.
Oxford at least makes an effort to tell us what the words mean, not how people misuse them.
FWIW, penurious means broke, parsimonious means careful with money. And you can believe me, because I never lie and I'm always right.
Connemara
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