Enjoy this month's inspector cartoon.

http://www.nachi.org/cartoons.htm

Funny,

Thanks

Sad, but true.

I had something like that the other day. Client called me 4 times before booking the inspection trying to get me to go down on my price. (I gave her a $25.00 off coupon on the first call. ) Ultimately she found someone that was essentially offering some of the same services I do for $50.00 less. She asked me to beat his price. I wouldn’t do it. She asked me why he was charging $50.00 less. I said I didn’t know, but I figure he knows how much he’s worth, said good by, and hung up. 20 seconds later the phone rang the fifth time and she said she wanted me to do it anyway for the price I quoted her. :mrgreen:

Turned out to just be a really sweet couple from India who are used to “dickering” for the best price.

So the comic is funny, and fairly true. But remember to always be nice. You might get the deal anyway. :wink:

Nice toons, Nick.

They got me laughing.

I get many Indian and Pakistani client calls. They always want to dicker and bargain down the price.

One time, the client called me 8 times, each time saying that some other inspector would do it for $20 or $30 less.

I never budged from my price. ($435 for a 1,900 SF SFH, thermal imaging included).

Finally they hired me.

During the inspection, the wife kept nagging her husband (and me). “Why didn’t you check this. Why didn’t you check that?”. My reply, “I didn’t get there yet.”

At the end, they said that my inspection wasn’t as good as they needed and they were only going to pay me half. I told them, “no, your not. Good bye.” and started to walk out.

I got half way down the driveway and the wife came out, yelling, “You can’t walk away! We only have two days left in our contingency!”

I said, “watch me. May you be well.” ( common Jewish “good bye” when you don’t want to have anything to do with the person.)

I got in my truck and was halfway down the block when the husband came running up to me. We talked and he explained that, in his wife’s caste, there was always bargaining and haggle and all that crap. I responded, “Well, that must make life very difficult for you. Look, this is America and a deal is a deal and my price remains and you are just too much trouble and I really don’t think that you will be satisfied with my services and since I want all my customers to be satisfied, I have to serve you and walk away. Have a nice day.”

And I drove off.

They called me, after I got home. They were outside. The wife (with her husband behind her, looking stern, came to my door and asked me to write the report and handed me a check for $700.00.
She was apologizing.

I accepted the check and told them I would send them the report the next day (it was 8:00PM).

I wrote the report and printed and bound it.

I went to their house, the next morning (8:00 AM) and handed them the report.

Inside the front cover was a refund check of $265.

Needless to say, the loved the report (and I have received many referrals from them).

A deal is a deal.

My motto? No surprises.

I do my best to not surprise the client.

But, I

expect the same respect from them.

Hope this helps;

Will,

That’s funny. I never made it that far into an inspection where I had to walk due to a clients negativity, but I can say that I do get immigrants calling me who are always asking if I can discount their HI fee. My reply…“Absolutely not. Would you ask your doctor to discount the medical bill ?”. I them explain why my fee remains the same.

I do not discount the fee unless I performed another inspection for a client, in the past.

Another situation, I had a female investor call me and ask if I would discount her HI fee if she gave me multiple inspections. I told her “Absolutely”. She then asked what her fee would be on the first inspection. I told her that I would be charging her full price on the first inspection and I would then discount any proceeding inspections. I completed the first inspection at full price and never heard from her again. Nice try…

Funny story Will.

Many times I hear my own thought saying to the Client…“please open your mouth
one more time, so I can walk out of here and go home”…LOL. They seem to
sense this and shut up.

Dang mindreading immigrants! :mrgreen: