Having run a cab business in a smal rural town that went out of business, I constantly had to answer "Why do you charge so much, It would be only a dollar for gas if I drove my own car, why do you charge $5?" Well, a car don't run just on gas, it has repairs, I vacuum it daily (Vacuum cleaner bags, eventually a new vacuum) keep the windows sparkly clean (windex, towels) Summer tires, winter tires, repair nail holes ($15) in tires. Insurance $3000 a year. And my office...rent, utilities, etc. And telephones, cellular. Well you get the idea. And P.S. if you want me to be in the cab business next year, I have to collect an honest wage to live on this year. So what's an honest wage? Well, if that kid who's fixing your belt doesn't have a shop, he doesn't have shop expenses. If he lives just down the street, he doesn't have vehicle expenses. if it takes him a half hour to remove the back cover, change belt, put cover back on, then maybe $20. if he's in the small appliance business, then he has to own or rent his shop (insurance, utilities, etc.) maintain a vehicle(Business insurance on a vehicle is higher than your personal car insurance) pay wages to his helper, even when there are no calls, drive to your house, find that he doesn't have the belt that fits with him in his vehicle( oh yeah, he keeps $20,000 inventory at his shop) so he has to drive to a distributor to get the right belt, then when he replaces it, and it flies off again tomorrow because the worker didn't tighten the belt, so he has to fix it again at no cost. So if a guy runs an actual business he has all these costs, so he charges his time out at $50 to $100 dollars an hour. So there you have the two ends of the scale. So if this is some neighbour kid, phone a couple of actual rpair shops, get a quote, compare prices, be a smart shopper. Tell them you want an actual quote not an estimate, that it is a belt installation only. They may not agree, will only estimate. If you can't do this job yourself, you are to some degree at the mercy of those who can. Good luck, get more than one person to give you a price.
Answered By: Jack of Many Trades - 2/6/2008 |