Re: Hourly Service Rate

["Bob Worthy" <securinc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Bob La Londe" <usenet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:4452275c$0$14457$6d36acad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> So...  what is your hourly service rate?

Here in South Florida, the subject is a sore one. I charge $65.00 for resi
and $75 for commercial. That is if I can get people to except it before we
go out. The minute we mention that there is going to be a charge, they go
ballistic. Threats galore about canceling the contract. That is ok because
we have a monitoring agreement and not a service agreement, so cancelling is
not so easy until the end of their agreement. A service agreement was
offered at the beginning and is a standing offer, through our newsletter,
that goes out with every invoice. Of course they declined the original offer
and ignore, if they even read the newsletter, the standing offer. Most
larger companies don't care about the customers financial hissy fit when
they are going to get charged for service. "If you want/need service, than
you will pay for it. Ater all they do own the equipment, no leases, and they
called me for service. If you leave mad at the end of your monitoring
agreement, than so be it. These larger companies have 5M, 10M, 20M other
customers with more coming in every day. The small independent, that really
does want to give good service, is the one that gets hurt down here. Rather
than loose a customer and their brother, who is a customer, and the
business, which is a customer, they break down to the whining and crying and
do the service for free and sometimes even includes parts. The pricing, the
competition and the mentality that everything should be free down here is
sick when I compare it to other parts of the country. I end up taking what I
can get and be happy with it. That whining, crying customer just doesn't get
renewed after the end of the agreement. My decision, not theirs, I don't
need the aggrevation. Maybe they will find out how good they had it when
they get tied up with one of these "free offer" types. Unfortunately, their
ego will not let them call me back. Oh well.