rates (was: 5W-20 engine oil?)

[Mat Garneau]

I think the 'padded' rates are fair. A flat rate is fair.
I'm a Commerce/Computer Science student in university, and I have a little
side business designing web solutions for businesses. It's the same
principle here. I quote a price to a customer based on how much time I'm
expected to complete the job in. If I quote the customer for 30 hours,
that's what they pay. Now I can probably get that job done in 20 hours, but
I have to take into account possible problems that may occur. I've had a 5
hour job that took me 25 hours to complete because of these 'problems'. This
costs ME money, and so I now make sure that I ensure that if there are any
problems, that time is accounted for in my quote. Usually I complete a job
in 75% of the time I quote (no, I don't cut corners or take shortcuts, just
plain ol melon bogging), but things don't always go so smoothly. That 25
hours on a 5 hours job cost me alot of unpaid time which could have been
spent on other jobs, not to mention that I'm a full time university student
which has the rest of my time tied up.

Whether I complete a job in the time allotted, sooner, or much later, the
customer only pays me the price quoted, the same principle that Mike uses.

No, I don't trust most garages, not about prices, but because of the "don't
fix it, charge it" dishonest attitude. I've found a garage I trust,
thankfully.

Oh, and yes I like Mike very much and I share Jay's attitude.

-Mat