I've always found that adding surcharges, trip charges usually pissed people off. I just raise my service rate a little bit and let all the clients absorb some of this gas problem...why penalize the clients that live farther away...bump the service rate a couple of bucks on everyone (or whatever you think is fair).
Have any of you started adding a temporary sur-charge to off-set the rising gas prices? If so, did you charge a flat trip charge before, port-to-port, etc? How much are you charging? How did your customers respond?
We're looking at our options, so any feedback is appreciated.
The part that piss me off is you make an appointment and they forget. And you have to go back...
That's the best solution. Chubb introduced a "gas surcharge" of five bucks for every call (I know because a client showed me one of their invoices and boy was he pissed!). Everyone recognizes that costs are increasing. Adding $2.50 an hour to your service rate (depending on how much service you do) won't be that hard to swallow...
People hate being nickel & dimed...or anything that is percieved as an additonal charge/fee etc. Plus, it's much easier to say: Our service rate is $87.50 per manhour + parts and tax, period.
We have discussed this topic at length at our employee meetings. Too many negative connotations to a "sur-charge".
Norm
I was just using that as an example. I draw the line at 1hour drive time, but that pretty much covers 95 % of my clients.
The out of state clients will pay my fare, meals, hotel etc...besides, service out of state is like a vacation :-)
Period? Is that an on site hourly rate? what about travel time? somebody 2 hours away pays the same as someone 20 minutes away?
calling a sur-charge gas, travel, vehicle anything like that might put your tax deduction in danger of being rejected. Just boost your hourly, thats no problem with your deductions. RTS
I think it's the other way around.
Somebody 20 minutes away pays the same as someone 2 hours away. :->
shit gas is hovering at 3 bucks now here...this is getting bad. gonna have to schedule service calls more better.
$4.50 here.
yah, but where you gonna go? :-)
i spend $20 a day now in my 1.4 jap car, and thats just to the food store and back, imagine when i start driving my 4.0 again :-0 I imagine it will be $100 a week in the 4.0 just for runs to the food store etc, and double that when i do service.
No serious distance but alot of slow traffic, and alot bad drivers. Generally Takes 1 hour just to get 10-15 miles on this island!
You don't do service with a scooter? I thought the island was scooterville
I'd get one of those 3 wheel mini scooter trucks if I had to work in a small town. Dunno if they have them where you are - Ive seen them all over France and Italy...they're small but they'd be great for service.
We've been using gasohol out here for years...petrol + ethanol and there's a different formula too, depending on the season...one for summer/hot, one for winter/also hot. :-)...that's all they're allowed to sell here. Believe it or not they call it "boutique fuels"...sheet a pretty term for everything these days.
Doesn't effect the car...but smells sick when you gas-up.
oops, just went up another 10 cents since last night.
It's going for ~$1 (US) per liter here. With all the steep hills and stop-and-go traffic in Salvador even an efficient, new car uses a *lot* of gas.
I've been thinking of switching to gasohol. The "Adventure" is designed to burn gasohol or gasoline and the former is much cheaper. I wonder if there are any long-term effects on the engine from using the stuff though.
no i wouldnt ride a scooter here if you paid me, its dangerous enough driving in a car, noone can drive.
then you need more rum mon.
BWAHAHAHA a hat trick! I love this place.
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