Did I charge too much?

[weemac]

I do repairs for the local music shop. Most of the work I get asked to do is to stick the headstock back on, on cheap guitars.
I did one such repair recently that was a fairly straightforward fix. In such a job (for those who done know) it requires:
Removal of the strings
Removal of the machines
Get the titebond in there
Clamp it up. I use some baking paper so my clamp blocks don't stick too much.
Clean some of the spills.
Let it sit for around a day....
Remove the clamps..
Clean up the joint (remove glue residue and polish it up)
Fit the machines.
Fit the strings amd tune it up.

I charged $50 to the shop I do it for and he balked at the price.

Did I charge too much?

Eden.

[jingle_jangle]

Maybe...

He's looking (as all dealers are wont to do) at the bottom line--a $200.00 guitar has little chance of bringing $250.00 once $50.00 has been spent on it. OTOH, unless something is spent on it to repair the break, it's firewood.

You, on the other hand, would like to be fairly remunerated for your efforts, for good reason.

Both of you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. I suggest you give a quote beforehand in the future, so this does not crop up again. For his place, he should have asked for a firm quote. Not doing so puts him in the position of losing no matter what.

How to deal with this one? If you want to keep him as customer, ask him what he thinks is fair, and accept that as payment. If you don't want to keep him as customer, do the same and don't accept any more work from him. You don't want any negatives on your reputation, and you certainly don't want a $200.00 guitar with a repaired neck, no matter who did the repair!

[weemac]

I don't think it is his guitar but someone brought it in to be repaired.
The funny thing is The shop owner will buy a guitar of some poor chap for $50 and sell it for $200 and he will not have done anything to it save fitting a new string or two. I know that is what it costs to run a shop with rent and all but he has marked up a price without really doing anything to it.
I spend a measureable time on a repair and he thinks I'm charging too much....
What would be a fair price for a basic headstock repair?

Eden.

[winston]

Paul is correct on all accounts IMO. Having said that perhaps in the future maybe counsel your client on the virtue of not spending good money on a poor investment.

I was once asked by a casual acquaintance to repair the headstock on a Gibson SG and refinish the entire guitar. After I cautioned the owner about the time that I would need to invest in doing a refinish on top of the repair, all I did was repair the break. The cost to him was roughly the same as you charged. He was happy of course because the instrument was playable and the repair cost was reasonable compared to the value of the instrument.

Let me add that I don't do repairs for just anybody. This was a friend of a friend. I normally just look after my own gear.

[scotty]

Brian could you repair my Adams Bike its got a puncture?

[winston]

Yes of course. Send me the wheel and tyre..............I am a whiz at those things. But I suppose you want an estimate first eh?

[scotty]

hahhhaha you got me i was going to ask you for a estimate.Always a estimate NEVER a quote these are two very different things.

[blueboy]

Both of you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. I suggest you give a quote beforehand in the future, so this does not crop up again. For his place, he should have asked for a firm quote. Not doing so puts him in the position of losing no matter what.

I agree with Paul.

A craftsman such as yourself knows what it takes in terms of material, labor and related overhead to perform a specific job and a quote beforehand will spare both parties any hard feelings.

[scotty]

As i say i dont know where the land lies in the US but over here i always give a Estimate before i untake any work.I find a quote to be very tricky and it gives people a idea that any additional work undertaken should be under the umbrella of the word Quote.

[antipodean]

In terms of pricing I think you were very fair Eden. To get that done in Sydney would set a customer back at least $65 - that's the price the repair guys down here charge to do minor structural work.

[jingle_jangle]

I don't think it is his guitar but someone brought it in to be repaired.
The funny thing is The shop owner will buy a guitar of some poor chap for $50 and sell it for $200 and he will not have done anything to it save fitting a new string or two. I know that is what it costs to run a shop with rent and all but he has marked up a price without really doing anything to it.
I spend a measureable time on a repair and he thinks I'm charging too much....
What would be a fair price for a basic headstock repair?

Eden.

You charged a fair price. The instrument (and, in my opinion, the customer) weren't worth it.

[weemac]

I called the shop. He was ok about it in the end, he just didn't understand that I had to take the thing apart before fixing it and the cleanup time involved. So I believe it is sorted for now.
I will be giving estimates from now.. (which I usually do anyway)

Thanks to all for their insights!

Eden.

[grazioso]

well, this is ongoing problem - pricing it so you won't loose money on it, same here, people keep bringing me 10 years old epiphones with broken headstocks right at the glue joint, when i tell them i need to take it appart, clean the break, glue it, clamp it, do the cleanup and touchup and complete setup with some frets touchup here and there and maybe new nut + strings for like $100 they take it to some carpenter and year later they come again with it with a screw through the break and it is broken again...and when i tell them that now it is going to be $150 they toss it in the garbage even though it is still guitar worth fixing...than i get really nice old valuable piece for refret e.g. 70's les paul special, and when i say hey, it is bound fingerboard and so well i can do it for $250 - $300, they argue with me, and the story goes just the same...so i have to tell them to take where they WILL do it for $50 and not to bring it here again when it's screwed up, than someone brought me 1963 j160e in very good condition but ready for neck reset... when i told him around $600 and couple weeks to rehumidify it before i do anything to it he was shocked and left.... i saw the guitar in local shop after it was "done" by someone else, the hack almost removed the bridge, the neck had backbow and frets were ground down in the middle of the fingerboard to compensate and the action was still pretty bad but it was considered 'fixed' and priced well above market... it is sad how the perception of good repair value had changed . i don't know.. but i kinda blame the society

[marc61]

Where I live, if a shop has to replace the strings, and polish the guitar (What they call a "set up")it costs $75

[deaconblues]

$50 is more than fair for that amount of work, IMO.