Covering for others

[up2u]

So a locksmith phones me and wants to know if I would cover a job for him. So I say yes but what about the money. He says what do you charge and I tell him. So I go and do the job phone in and give verbal report then type up invoice and written report and send it off. Now about two days later he comes on moaning about he can not charge his customer that much and I am ripping him off and about his blokes would have done it much cheaper. Well I told him that I am not one of his blokes and perhaps he should have got one of them to do it. Any way this all went on for a while and I eventually agreed to take about 30% less.
Now we all have our prices and they vary significantly but I don’t feel that I should lower my rates to someone advertising in my area.
I don’t want to work for Reactfast or any others I am not a subcontractor.

What do you all think of (covering) for others?

And before you flame me because I should have searched before posting where’s that button?

[Shrub]

The button is next to the rules button but i dont recall this being brought up that often.

A lot of lockies do offer cover and just give the original lockie a 10% finders fee (or simular)

I would suggest the other lockie did charge the customer that amount and just wanted more money off you.

Agree terms before you go out and you charge the customer and get it paid to you, you then send a cheque to the lockie that passed the work on for 10% (or whatever) of that price.

I could be way off as i dont do it but i know some others that do it this way.

[digital_blue]

Yeah, the first thing I thought was why the heck didn't you just get paid by the customer directly? However, assuming this was a contract deal or something where the customer has an account with the original lockie and must pay them, I still don't see why you'd drop your price if he agreed to it in the first place.

I'd have simply told him that if he had a problem with the price he should have brought it up when you quoted it to him in advance. Waiting until after the work is done to bicker over the price is offside, and doesn't deserve even a modicum of consideration.

Cheers!

db

[toomush2drink]

I sub for others and some are on this site and its for the rates i charge, no problems to date. Sound like he is taking the pee a little bit, after all you told him your rates so its now up to him to make a decision based on your rates which he did and agreed to.So you helped his business which is your competion then he gets stroppy as hes not making as much as he wants, work it out for yourself. Now on the other hand what if you had turned him down, maybe the customer would have rang you.....................

[wraith]

Been there, done that

If another locksmith asks me to "do them a favour", I collect direct from the customer, and refer a "finders fee" to the locksmith that refered tthe client.

Sounds like this locksmith is trying to get more money.

Trey

[Chrispy]

At work, there are a few locksmiths who get thrown work every now and then because we're usually too busy. We simply say "Are you free? Here, do this job. It's all yours, have a nice day."

[vector40]

To me there's nothing strange at all about referring work to others if you're too busy. I couldn't imagine trying to make it more complicated than that.

[digital_blue]

Well, there is something to the "finders fee" thing, in that it was likely YOUR advertising dollars that had the customer calling you. That costs something, and it's worth recovering a few bucks where possible.

[up2u]

Apparently the customers insurance company contacted this other locksmith before lunch and about 4.30 when it became apparent that he could not make it he called me.
I do not have a problem with helping anybody out, and if when I told him my rates he had said something, I possibly would have compromised. It’s just that moaning afterwards gives me the hump a bit.
And don’t get me wrong I haven’t a problem with subcontractors just that I choose not to.