Vent: That customer who told me I was 'too slow'

Had a guy last month in Phoenix watch me build his custom kitchen cabinets. He kept hovering over my shoulder, making comments. On day 3 he said 'you're too slow, my buddy could do this in a day.' I stopped, looked at him, and asked what his buddy charged. He said $500. I told him my price was $3,200 for the whole job and he'd get drawers that don't fall apart in a year. He went silent. Still finished the job. Has anyone else dealt with customers who think they know your trade better than you?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannaho5213d agoMost Upvoted

The thing that gets me about these guys is they never factor in the planning time. I bet your customer had no idea you spent hours measuring, sourcing materials, and laying out the cuts before you even touched his wood. My guess is his buddy slaps together stuff with pocket screws and hopes for the best, not built to last. Thats the real price difference right there, the invisible work that keeps cabinets square and drawers sliding smooth for years. Good on you for not letting him rattle you, that takes more patience than I would have had.

calebw5013d ago

Read a blog post once that called planning time "ghost hours" and that stuck with me.

finley_bennett2813d ago

Honestly, "the invisible work" is exactly the part most people don't get. I had a guy once try to haggle me down on a floor install because his brother-in-law said he could do it for half the price. I just said, "Okay, have him come look at my subfloor and tell me if he's still cool with that." Funny how they never want to deal with the actual prep. Tbh, I learned the hard way that if you let them rattle you, they'll never respect your time or your prices.