hey guys I wanna run this past you and see what you think. A tradesman is employed by a customer to do a very specific repair job they advertise they are specialists in. They start the job. find the faulty component. Stop work and state they are unable to complete the job due to parts being difficult to locate. A week later the customer contacts them to ask whats happening to be told that parts aren't available. Another week later and a second tradesman is called as the first hasn't attempted to return to complete the job. This tradesman calls 3 average parts suppliers and offers the customer three options for parts,Factory,cheap chinese or reasonable accessory. The second tradesman then easily obtains the part and competes the job. What would be a reasonable payment to the tradesman that didn't complete the job?
a.woodrow,
Mar 27, 7:05pm
$0
seadubya,
Mar 27, 7:06pm
Call out fee and diagnostic time only. Followed by placing them firmly in the only use if all else fails basket.
darryl,
Mar 27, 7:07pm
In my opinion, coming from a self employed service person (different field), I wouldnt be charging anything.
From a customer point of view, I wouldnt want to pay anything more than an inspection fee.
skull,
Mar 27, 7:30pm
Tell the first tradie to take it to the Disputes Tribunal and you will pay whatever is judged as being fair. Let him know you think fair is nothing to pay at all.
barrylarry,
Mar 27, 7:32pm
this is why people should collect parts, I sometimes go to a mechanic to get my car fixed, which is old, but not rare. and they dont even have parts handy like a starter motor or alternator for example
trogedon,
Mar 27, 7:35pm
If I can't complete a job for someone I don't charge them. He shouldn't have the gall to charge either.
a.woodrow,
Mar 27, 7:36pm
Most mechanics don't stock anything other than common service items and consumables, why would they keep starters and alternators for vehicles on the off chance that you might bring yours in and it needs one? Most stuff is available same day or overnight
darryl,
Mar 27, 7:37pm
LoL you have any idea how many different types of parts there are. Even one type of car can have different parts for the same thing depending on year of build.
franc123,
Mar 27, 7:49pm
This and no more, you employ specialists because they know what they are doing, know the availability of stuff and know what commonly fails and whether its fixable or replaceable or reworkable and what the best course of action is to match the customers budget and operational requirements. Customer should have been informed a hell of a lot earlier that sourcing what was required was proving to be a problem, its called being courteous. A big problem in the trades these days is people not thinking outside the square, this square being their usual pool of suppliers, or even supplier, singular, because they prefer to use them and them only because of convenience and discounts and backhanders and better margins blah blah which simply doesn't benefit the customer. In this world there is bugger all you can't get, someone somewhere always has what you want if it exists, you just have to find it.
mrfxit,
Mar 28, 8:11pm
Call out fee or basic inspection fee only. Would have said both but the 1st guy mucked about for a long time & didn't have the decency to cancel the job properly.
gammelvind,
Mar 29, 5:16am
+1 Though I wouldn't be in a rush to pay his bill, he did diagnosis the problem.
ladatrouble,
Apr 7, 5:12pm
He did diagnose the problem, so is entitled to that. We don't know the real reason he couldn't source the parts. Most workshops will only get parts from businesses they have accounts with, to get something privately, say TM, then they may not be able to return the part, like when the customer doesn't turn up. He may have used it as an excuse not to get involved in a messy job, in which case he doesn't deserve the diag fee.
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