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MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by john white on November 3, 2008, 6:48 pm
Tony White

hi all
thought i'll run this and see what reponse we got.
vehicle in today for mot/service.customer had left last years mot cert'& invoice in car.
failed last year on headlight aim to low & wiper blades not clearing screen.
they carried out repairs,charging £19.60 labour to adjust headlights,£6.50 labour to fit wiper blades.the mot was full price,£50.35,final bill was £103.50inc.
now is it only me but i don't charge for adjusting headlights or for fitting wiper blades,in fact i don't even charge my customers for bulbs if i fit them at the mot(unless headlight bulbs)or am i doing it wrong,
p.s the main dealer closed down last week,loss or rover,skoda & citroen,
john

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by Andrew West on November 3, 2008, 9:18 pm, in reply to "MOT - minor adjustments"
Andrew West

Hello John,
I usually do the same as you, unless it is a pain of a customer, in which case I charge for adjustment & fitting.
Regards,Andrew

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by damian daize on November 4, 2008, 9:29 am, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"
Damian Daize

hi lads
i think we do have to be sensible but would an electrician or a plumber do anything for nothing ? sometimes i think we are just selling ourselves short !!!
regards

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by Keith Simpson on November 4, 2008, 12:23 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"

Yes but don't forget, these small items done free of charge means a great deal to your customer and breeds loyalty. Athough having said that we always charge for headlight alignment.

Keith

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by Aidan on November 4, 2008, 12:49 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"
Aiden Birley

hi John

yes they made a bit last year, but he's not gone back.

just remember the saying, If you want to make a lot of money out of someone do it a bit at a time

cheers Aidan

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by Tom Williams on November 4, 2008, 6:16 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"
Tom Williams

Hi all,

More businesses fail by not charging enough rather than too much. We used to do minor adjustments etc., free, but these days we usually charge. What other professions/trades work for nothing? If you employ staff, are they happy to work extra hours for no pay? Does the company that maintains your hoists or calibrates your equipment do anything free of charge?

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by tony bickers on November 4, 2008, 7:43 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"
Tony Bickers

Tom,

I agree in principle but as others have said customer trust and loyalty goes a long way in my book, many are fed up with being ripped off by dealers at their extortionate rates, and many of these dealers now seem to be going bankrupt, I have a large dealership that is multi-franchised in my area who have laid off 40 individuals over recent weeks including middle to senior managers, which makes a change to shopfloor redundancies, they have priced theirselves out of the market as many have said here in various forums, in this climate customers are looking for value for money, dealers, in my experience do not offer VFM.

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by ROY RITCHIE on November 4, 2008, 9:24 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"

Dont agree doing bulbs and wipers free,You under selling your self,If the job was that easy the customer would do it there self.Ask a plumer to fit a tap washer free or a joiner to trim a door that wont close,GUESS WHAT it wont be free.

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by Tom Williams on November 5, 2008, 6:53 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"
Tom Williams

A common theme seems to be relating main dealer experiences and thinking we need to do things for nothing in order to create customer loyalty.
Remember, many of us are charging an hourly rate at between 40-75% of the franchised dealer, so the customer is already getting a bargain when you charge your time out. Do it for nothing and you are giving away your pension.

tw

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by Derek Warwick on November 6, 2008, 7:04 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"
Derek Warwick

Hi all,
If it's a one-off customer then I charge, if it's a regular customer then I usually add it to their next service bill, like to try and keep customers happy if I can.
Derek

Re: MOT - minor adjustments

Posted by Matt Elliott on November 6, 2008, 8:48 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT - minor adjustments"
Mattew Elliott

Hi I agree with Derek here, If it's a regular customer we don't charge . I look at it as cheap advertising what's a 380 or 382 bulb cost 15-20 pence if bought in bulk ? the time it takes to fit is measured in seconds normally it'd cost more in labour/paper to do a bill & a little thing like a side light bulb or whatever thrown in goes a long way to make a happy customer. We don't advertise but are always booking 3-4 weeks ahead so must be doing something right

Not sure what an average customer spends a year but must in the region of 3-400 pounds so a 15p bulb is a good loss leader in my book.

Matt

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