Discounts

[Teaspoon]

Do you give senior Citizens discounts?
I see a lot of businesses around here advertiseing with these discounts.
I do not offer discounts. I do cut some slack now and then when i think,
the customer is in need of help.
I think this type of advertiseing draws the cheap scates.
It costs us just as much to do a job for a senior citizen as it does any other customer.
would be interested in everyones comments.

 

[templdl]

Do you give senior Citizens discounts?
I see a lot of businesses around here advertiseing with these discounts.
I do not offer discounts. I do cut some slack now and then when i think,
the customer is in need of help.
I think this type of advertiseing draws the cheap scates.
It costs us just as much to do a job for a senior citizen as it does any other customer.
would be interested in everyones comments.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or, 10% senior discount on what? On a given job without the discount would all contractors charge the same rate for the same job? Or should it be that even though the rates are the same depending upon the time it takes them to complete the job one woulld think that the bills would be different.
How difficult would it be for a contractor to make up that 10%? The customer only sees the bottom line less that 10% which makes the customer fell good. But would all contractors come up with an identical number?
Basically, unless there is a fixed fee for a given job that all contractors go by the discount really doesn't mean anything. It most likely is about the perception of a 10% discount as a marketing tool.
I may be more appropriate if the homeowner got quotes from a number of contractors for a given job where the numbers are known up front before the work begins.

 

[MikeS]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or, 10% senior discount on what? On a given job without the discount would all contractors charge the same rate for the same job? Or should it be that even though the rates are the same depending upon the time it takes them to complete the job one woulld think that the bills would be different.
How difficult would it be for a contractor to make up that 10%? The customer only sees the bottom line less that 10% which makes the customer fell good. But would all contractors come up with an identical number?
Basically, unless there is a fixed fee for a given job that all contractors go by the discount really doesn't mean anything. It most likely is about the perception of a 10% discount as a marketing tool.
I may be more appropriate if the homeowner got quotes from a number of contractors for a given job where the numbers are known up front before the work begins.

Right, the discount is all perception, it means nothing really unless thee's a fixed comparison, you can discount a Sony TV because theres a common retail price, in our trade theres such a variance from one EC to the next that the notion of a discount is all fluff.
I used to advertise a senior discount, but began getting calls in homes that put the governor's mansion to shame. That wasn't what I intended for the reduced rate so I stopped. Now when I'm asked for a discount I say "no, but I will give you a fair price & an excellent job."
So far, it's been my experience that people shopping for a deal, or surfing the senior discounts aren't initially concerned about the quality of work, just the lowest price, in that venue I won't succeed, so I don't go there.

 

[fmtjfw]

I haven't "discounted" but I have done work for free for someone on limited income on work for a powered chairlift for his handicapped wife.