Hi all,
I'm living in the south pacific and I'm, I think, the only rod builder in the area.
With the emergence of japanese fishing style (popping and jigging), more and more high price rod are on the market.
I use to do some repair on broken guides and charge accordingly (price of the guide + a little fee for the repair.
The problem is when a customer bring me a jigging rod with a broken butt or a popping rod with a broken tip or a broken handle and he consider his rod as useless and is ready to buy another one.
With a little knowledge, I consider that it is not a big deal but what do you charge considering that we are talking of rod of more than US $ 600.
Do I charge the real price of the repair or charge a little bit more?
Hope you can help me, it's the kind of conscious question.
Regards
fred

I think what you're asking, is whether or not you should charge more for the same repair when done on a more expensive rod. I had to wrestle with the same dilema years ago when I was actively involved in rod repair. In most businesses, the more expensive the original item was the more expensive the repair is, even though it may be the exact same work procedure charged at a lower rate when done on less expensive items.

I really don't know what to tell you. I think you should just charge what the market will bear and let the marke decide what a fair price is. If folks won't pay the price, then you're too high. If nobody scoffs at the price, you're too low. If most accept it but a few don't, then you're probably about right.

.................

One thing I would suggest on repair work is to never underprice yourself. Some repairs can be a bear and aggirvating as heck. Price it to be worth your while by all means.

Jay

1st & best thing I ever learned about retail......1 happy customer tells 1or 2 people.....1 unhappy customer will tell 10. I think charge a fair value for the repair...if the customer is buying high end equipment he will spend more money and typically will know people that you would want to have as customers. If you can repair his rod rather cheaply I would do it.....possiblity to grow business through word of mouth to customers who might order some nice rods down the road.

1st & best thing I ever learned about retail......1 happy customer tells 1or 2 people.....1 unhappy customer will tell 10. I think charge a fair value for the repair...if the customer is buying high end equipment he will spend more money and typically will know people that you would want to have as customers. If you can repair his rod rather cheaply I would do it.....possiblity to grow business through word of mouth to customers who might order some nice rods down the road.

Working in the automotive repair field the consensis is that the people with the most expensive rides wont spend money to repair them.They feel the higher initial price excludess them from having to spend any money down the road.However the less fortionate that need the car for tranportation to and from work will scrape togeather the cash to make the repairs.So it ts not always a good idea to judge a book by its cover.Find a price per hour that you would like to charge and possibly make a flat rate book of times for repairs(based on 10ths of an hour).Put a value on the the consumables(thread,tape finish and epoxy).Use this to create an estimate.This will keep your pricing consistant.

Example: Large Double foot guide repalcement,
Removal and blank prep 0.2hr
Underwrap 0.1hr
Prep and wrap guide 0.3(single color no trim)
Apply finish 0.2
materials charge $2.00

Add up the times and multiply by the hourly rate(0.8x $15.00) is $12.00.You can choose to either cut a break for overlapping times if more than one guide or more than one rod is being repaired for the customer(ie the finish time can be doubled or you can include both in the single finish charge the choice is yours)

Keep in mind this is just a sugestion and the times and labor rate are for demonstration purposes only.Your milage may vary.


Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

The only problem with pricing by the hour is that you eventually get better at what you are doing. In other words a job that once took you 30 minutes may only take you 15 now. So you have a choice. You either use your flat hourly rate and lose money (sort of punishing yourself for becoming more proficiant at your craft), or you charge the customer for the original 30 minutes even though it took you 15 (not exactly the most ethical practice to adopt).

Everyone has their opinion. Do what works for you. I personally charge basically 'by-the-piece'. Meaning I have a fee based on the number of guide feet I'm dealing with, number of wraps (double or tripple wrapping still based on the total number of guide feet), thread work like trim bands & inlayed threads per guide, etc. I also charge a flat fee for standard grip/reel seat replacement. As always things that aren't 'standard' will be different. There is always room for my pricing to get a little 'creative'.

It really is up to the builder to come up with their own pricing scale. This thread should provide you with different ideas so that you can come up with your own system. Best of luck!

Jay

Jay,Flat rate systems do reward the person performing the task if they improve productivity.The system is to keep pricing consistant.I work on a flate rate daily and 99%of the time perform the task in about 60% of the time charged.There are also times the table is turned the other way and it takes me longer and I eat the extra time.It makes you fine tune your procedures to be more efficient and make a little more money while doing the job right the first time.I have no trouble sleeping when I perform a job in less time than is charged.Imagine the issues if customer A spoke to Customer B and had the same exact job performed and the price was different.The one that paid less is not going to think they got undercharged,however the other will claim they got ripped off and tell a ton of people while the other says nothing.Consistancy is the key behind flat rate and it also increases productivity(ie.waiting til the end of the day to apply finish to all your repairs instead of one here and two there).I know some will feel they are taking advantage customers using such a system but almost all customer service situations are based on flat rate charges.
Auto repair,home renovation,plumbing,electrical,boat repair,house painting,landscaping,Just a few serices we use daily that are based on flate rate.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

I second Fred's method! I do a lot of repairs and have a set rate for most common repairs. If you don't, like Fred says, as soon as two customers that were charged different prices for the same job find out, you'll lose at LEAST one customer, along with everyone that he tells. Be consistant.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

The economy tanked in this trading area, so the full-blown custom rod sector went extinct.
The visiting rods from America/Europe/Asia take their dead birds back home with them, for warranty replacement, as they are pretty much all high enders.
I do mainly repairwork these days: as described above..re-corking, new reel seats, new guides, etc.
If the resin is the hard shard type, and a real bear to get off the project, the price goes up a little. If the resin is a decent sort, like FlexCoat, etc, the price is a little lower. Not a heck of a lot: between 12-15 Canadian, including a good used guide, 15-18 CAD using a new guide, for about 15-20 minutes work, excluding baby-sitting during the initial set of the resin.
Corks are charged by the inch, all found: cork, time, resin. 4.00 CAD per inch minimum, less for a long grip. (I just did 13 inches replacement rear grip on a G. Loomis, and the fellow was OK with 40.00 CAD, incuding a butt cap.)
Reel seats go for the cost of the seat, 5.00 removal fee, and whatever corks/guides needing re-do to get the new seat on.
Multiple guides are like peeling spuds for company.... the pot is already boiling, so I can come down some, no problem.
These numbers work in this trading area, and may be higher or lower where you live.
Rod "breaks" are on a case by case basis......Take a real good look at Mr. O'Quinn's great rod repair article, in the library section of this site... It's a real good deal.
Thanks to Messrs Kirkman, and O'quinn for making this resource freely available !!