Can I get a discount if I pay cash?
Answer: This question comes up several times a year... The reason people think they should get a discount is that they believe anytime they pay cash then the job will go unreported to the IRS and therefore I won't have to pay taxes on the income. As a result, they feel they should reap part of the profit.
Put simply: THIS IS TAX FRAUD! People are constantly hearing about illegal and unscruplous contractors and want their contractor to be open and honest... until it comes time to pay the bill... then they want you to break the law to save them a few bucks...
Illuminated Visions always pays their taxes! Please do not ask us to become a criminal by committing tax fraud!
Why do you only list labor prices and then bill separately for materials instead of one set price for both labor and materials?
Simple answer: It's more honest!
Detail Answer: I have been doing this kind of work for many years. I know many people that also do this type of work.Most use a "fudge-factor" when
applying materials to a "set" or "flat" price. Let's take a simple paint job as an example. If I need $100 labor to paint a small
room and I THINK it will take 2 gallons of $25/gal paint to complete the job. - You might
think the "estimate" would be $150.00- BUT - All walls absorb paint at different rates... so If I get 3/4 of the way through
the job and discover I need another gallon then I have two choices:
1) Try to charge the extra gallon to the customer - This has led to many an angry customer that claim I low-balled the
estimate to get the job and then hiked the price... - Many simply have refused to pay more than the estimated
price - meaning I made less in labor.
2) Add a "fudge-factor" to the estimate - If I think it's going to take 2 gallons I "fudge-in" a third. This makes the
estimate $175.00 - Since the customer is only given a flat price they have no idea how much of it is for labor and how much is for materials...
When you deal with a contractor that prices this way - how many of them do you think actually
give back the extra $25.00 when the job only requires two gallons? - Not many... None that I know of...
By separating the Labor from the Materials and then supplying the customer with a receipt for the materials - Then there
is never a question about how much of the final number went towards materials! And when you think about it, the materials
should cost exactly the same no matter which contractor does the job!
Why do you not negotiate your prices like a lot of contractors?
Once again the "simple answer" is that it's more honest.
A friend of mine who also does handyman work says that
his rule-of-thumb is to add a minimum $150.00 to ALL estimates (more if the job is over $1500.00) - then if the customer
tries to negotiate, he will come down (usually not more that $100.00) and the customer THINKS they got a good deal...
If the customer does not try and negotiate, then my friend just made an extra $150.00...
We all hate buying cars from a used car dealer... mainly because no matter how good of a negotiator you think you
are... you still wonder if you might have gotten a little better of a deal.
I analyze each job and decide what it takes to make it worth my time to do it. The labor price you get is the price.
However if you insist on negotiating
then simply tell me up front so I can pad the price - (Like a lot of other contractors)...
Then I'll allow you to talk me down (about $100.00)...
Why can't you give me a simple estimate to paint my 10' x 12' room over the phone?
I have seen a 10' x 12' room that I could paint in 1 hour...
There was no furniture in the room, no shelves, the walls were in perfect shape, and the carpet had been pulled up so they could lay new carpet after the room was painted.
I have also seen a customers house who SWORE that all the knick-knacks and pictures would be removed before I got there...
It took the entire first day to remove the furniture, pictures, etc. and drop-cloth the entire room before painting could begin...
