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Nick Ostrowski
04-11-2008, 02:21 PM
Annoyances seem to come in threes for me. First off at my morning inspection, I'm inspecting a house at the request of a couple for whom I have performed many inspections on investment and personal properties. This one is for the wife's parents who are moving back to the area. I've already given them a discount on my HI fee and they are also getting a radon test and WDI inspection. During the inspection, the husband starts going on about fees, discounts, the termite inspection price has gone up (not gone up, I made the mistake of giving him a break on one in the past and now he thinks that is standard).

Second, my Saturday morning inspection which I've had on the book since Tuesday, calls and says she wants to hold off on the inspection for now because she wants to look at some other houses on the same street. Meanwhile, I've already turned down at least one other request for Saturday morning while the cancelee sat on that slot. No way to get that back. The cancelee said, "I'm sorry, I guess you could have probably scheduled something else for Saturday morning". My response.............a flat "Yeah.......yeah I could have". I make no effort to hide my feelings when I get last minute cancels like this, even if they say they want to reschedule because they rarely ever do.

Third, I get a call from a realtor who represented a client of mine last year. The buyer found me on his own and the realtor did not know me. I get no referrals from him between then and now and now, he wants me to inspect his house. The question he asked which is just the cherry on top of my annoying day "Do you have any realtor discounts?"

Excuse me guys. I believe Captain Morgan is calling me.

Billy Stephens
04-11-2008, 02:49 PM
----"Do you have any realtor discounts?"
.

Nick,

How much of a discount did he get? :D

wayne soper
04-11-2008, 03:05 PM
I give a realtor the same discount they will give me. If I give them a 20% discount. I expect the same. So how many takers have I had?

John Arnold
04-11-2008, 03:59 PM
Isn't it amazing how cheap people can be? They're buying a $500K property and they're all hot under the collar to get a few bucks off the home inspection, which is likely to SAVE them thousands.
I keep running into clients who ask me if they really need a termite inspection. It's $85-95 for crying out loud. They really think I'm going to stick my neck out and tell them not to bother with the WDO so they can save the cost of a dinner out? Please people. Get a grip.

Nick Ostrowski
04-11-2008, 04:31 PM
I may be in the minority but I can't stand haggling over price, for something I purchase or on an inspection I offer. Here's the price, take it or leave it. You try to offer somebody a professional service and they demean your efforts by trying to get you to take less but do the same amount of work.

James Duffin
04-11-2008, 06:53 PM
The only folks I give a price break are old folks with limited funds. Usually a townhouse or condo. They remind me of my folks plus I'll be there soon.
I also do free minor repairs...sometime during the inspection....don't tell nobody!

Darren Miller
04-12-2008, 04:39 AM
When I fisrt started in business I used to give discounts. Then, Johnny would call and say, "you did my friends house for 350, my house is smaler, can you do it for 300?'.

Then Bobby would call and say, 'You did Johnny's house for 300, mines a little bigger, but can you give me a disount off of Bobby's price?"

Now, like Nick says, my price is my price, no discounts anytime. Even now, when things are tough, my competition is actually offering a townhouse for 200 less than me, but I won't stoop that low.

Nick, how about the guy who can't make up his mind and wants you to hold 3 different time slots until he calls you back?

Nick Ostrowski
04-12-2008, 05:01 AM
They'll drive you up a wall Darren. I learned the hard way that I need to ask callers when booking an inspection if they have an agreement of sale in place on the house. Getting that last minute call to cancel a job that's been booked for a week on the schedule because "they couldn't agree on a price" makes you want to jump through the phone.