price quote & covers what?

n10spool

n10spool

PHD in table mechanics
Silver Member
Dartman, Glen and Neil brought over the last couples of months some good questions on what is covered, extra , excpected, or assumed included in the intial price quote.


If you quote a customer lets say $350 labor to recover with basic cloth.
what extra's are you doing anything, facings, feather strips, minor repair, touch up level @ the legs, ball polish, tip repair or instruction on how to prpoerly clean and care for the table?

Extra up charge for what and a good price?

Or is that in the $500 package?

whats in the $750+ package

How much is towards product?

How much is labor versus travel time?

Just want to see if anyone is lowering qality or just price for the slower economy to stay busy?

Craig
 
n10spool said:
Dartman, Glen and Neil brought over the last couples of months some good questions on what is covered, extra , excpected, or assumed included in the intial price quote.


If you quote a customer lets say $350 labor to recover with basic cloth.
what extra's are you doing anything, facings, feather strips, minor repair, touch up level @ the legs, ball polish, tip repair or instruction on how to prpoerly clean and care for the table?


How much is labor versus travel time?

Just want to see if anyone is lowering qality or just price for the slower economy to stay busy?

Craig
Click to expand...


here in nashville i would always included releveling the table (and slate)if needed,on barboxes i always included pocket liners if needed,on big tables
pocket facings,feather strips,spots,i always caried chalk to match the cloth.i carried tips for house cues.
i always did my best to leave the table perfect.

but it got so i couldn't make a living at it anymore.
The more i gave the more everyone wanted for free so i gave it up.........
everyone wanted the best for less.....

charging for cloth and a seperate charge for labor just didn't go here
when i started in 94 a barbox was 125.00 cloth included(yea i aint kidding)
my cloth went up every 6 months or so but if i tried to raise my price
all the venders i worked for threw a fit ....
the only way to make it is in home tables you can charge a fair price and show a profit
(a 8 ft recover here 275.00-325.00 cloth included)simonis was extra.
barboxes are only 175.00 cloth included
its a sad state in tn right now
scott
 
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Sounds like TN is very tight, of course if other expenses are less also than maybe its not so bad. Ie house in CT $500,000, House in TN $200,000. Its all relative to a degree. IMO
 
Good thread

n10spool said:
Dartman, Glen and Neil brought over the last couples of months some good questions on what is covered, extra , excpected, or assumed included in the intial price quote.


If you quote a customer lets say $350 labor to recover with basic cloth.
what extra's are you doing anything, facings, feather strips, minor repair, touch up level @ the legs, ball polish, tip repair or instruction on how to prpoerly clean and care for the table?

Extra up charge for what and a good price?

Or is that in the $500 package?

whats in the $750+ package

How much is towards product?

How much is labor versus travel time?

Just want to see if anyone is lowering qality or just price for the slower economy to stay busy?

Craig
Click to expand...

Quality never changes, just quantity, as there are jobs that I just won't take on for the price.
Kinda like the bar saying...."lower the standards raise the average."
I prefer the opposite.
How about keep the standards, and make the average rise up towards you?
50 miles can make a difference in the price sometimes, based upon the economy for the area.
I'd rather drive 75-100 plus miles, for a better paying job, than stay local in a flooded environment that is full of hacks and guys that will work for bartabs.
You get what you pay for, and most reputable guys will make sure that you get more than what you pay for, to ensure that another good referral has been made and another happy customer will be calling you back.
I don't think that Glen started out making the Mona Lisa out of a pooltable, but now that it's what people expect to see from him, they will wait for him to come and do it.
And no sacrifice on quality,price, or personal integrity has been made-
 
In my area, quite a few people shop by price alone, so you have to take the time to educate the customer of exactly what the process is. Being the cheapest or most expensive does not guarantee you getting or not getting the job. An informed customer is your best customer.

I normally have a set price for moves,recover,etc but theres always exceptions. It might be a table you love to work on such as a 7ft olhausen
gibraltar located two blocks away! With fewer calls these days, i am more inclined to give a little better deal then others. There's nothing carved in stone that says you have to charge this much. Be fair to your customer and yourself.

As far as whats included, i always leave the customer with a little more then he expected! We ENJOY what we do! Sometimes a extra 1/2 hour of
your time pays big dividends down the road, and its a long road!
 
table work

I had a guy call yesterday and told be he wanted a brunswick three piece table with 1 1/2 slate. I did not question it. Up stairs moved out of basement to his house 15 miles away. Down his stairs and wanted it set up. I told him 650.00. I thought that was fair and he told me i was 300 dollars higher than two other companies.
I told him to get proof of insurance and ask them what they do when they break a slate. How can these guy's do it that cheap?
 
I'm looking to refelt my table in worcester MA area. I have a 8' Kasson, 1" 3 piece slate w/ leather pockets. Anyone?
 
Apocalypse2012 said:
I'm looking to refelt my table in worcester MA area. I have a 8' Kasson, 1" 3 piece slate w/ leather pockets. Anyone?
Click to expand...

Too far out of my area..... Having fun(?) in Texas though!
Check the mechanics directory sticky,there should be someone around you on there.
Good luck!
 
You will want to find someone in your area for a quote too, because pricing is somewhat regional. Cost of living where I'm at isn't the same as where you're at, so the prices will be different. I could give you a quote, but it would have to include something for the 850 miles! ;)
 
I give him the $2.00 quote

thats....
$2.00 a mile both ways

$2.00 a minute to work on the table

If he takes it apart removes the staples he could save a few hundred dollars for doing some himself.

Craig
 
I guess I'm in a little different boat than most of you guys:p:p as I don't really do much table work, as most of you know I spend much of my time delivering Diamond tables. BUT...if and when I work on a table that has nothing to do with Diamond for the most part, my first thoughts are do I want to do this job, and is it worth while to me, meaning...if the tables not worth it, then I don't want to waste my time or the customers money. Second, as most customers that call me or send me a PM know, I always discuss the work wanting to be done first, before talking about any money. Then, if I agree to do the work, I lay out my price...and that's it. I won't lower my charges to get the job if someone is offering to do the work for less. I also won't give a bid to do a job so someone can shop around to get what they feel is the best price, as we all know...sometimes the best price...is NOT always the best work;) I don't know where I stand in pricing as far as what everyone else charges, that really don't matter to me. The only thing that matters to me, is that I charge what I feel my service is worth...and stick to it. I don't expect a tip or anything else once I'm done either as I don't work for tips:D

If I like the conversation with my customer, then if I can do the job...I'll agree to do it. If I feel that the customer is bidding me on a job, I'll drop any future conversations what-so-ever.

And, if the call is coming from the backyard of someone who I've worked with in the past, like Donny..."aka" Sdbilliards or anyone else for that matter, I'll refer the job to that person first, as I'm not into taking work away from someone, not on purpose anyway.

What I've learned in the last 26 years is that if the last table you just got done working on, is the best table you've ever done, then the money will take care of its self, all you have to be is true to yourself and your skills, and know that you did everything you could have done on the last job;)

Glen
 
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