It seems just when things are becoming routine, the curve ball comes out of nowhere. And just like in baseball, lighting makes a lot of difference.
Yesterday I was sent to a place with a simple job. Re-key six locks. Maybe an hour to an hour and a half's worth of work, assuming I have to take them completely apart to re-key. When I get there my hopes are raised. The front door has a brand-new smart key lock. If all of them are like this, I'm out of here in under half an hour. So, I compliment the lady on her choice of lock, given its higher level of security. When I said that, I saw something in her eyes. She took me to five other doors. Not one of them had a locking doorknob. Nothing but deadbolts. They are also standard deadbolts which will require disassembly. So much for hopes and dreams. Or maybe not. She starts asking more about the smart key locks. I answer her questions and I told her that I believe in the unpickability of these locks so much that when Dad passed away, I installed them on Mom's home.
That sold her. Now a simple re-key has just become an install. The difference? Re-key charges, service call $100. (She is way out of town.) actual re-key, $20 per lock plus tax. Total, $220 plus tax. Installing new locks charges, service call $100. Installing new locks and keying them all the same, $60 per lock plus tax. (Normally the price is $67, but bulk purchase and all that, the boss gave a discount.) The price just doubled. I showed her what we have in stock, she picked what she wanted and then everything started to spiral out of control. I had ONE of those locks on the van. I make calls. There are three of these locks in the shop. That makes four. The other van has two. I get one and I have my five, but we really need to order more of this color lock. I go back to the job, install the locks and re-key them and as I'm getting ready to settle up the wife tells me,
"They are the wrong color."
These locks are stainless. Her old ones that match the doorknobs are nickel. They looked the same color inside the house, but in the light you can see the difference. Call the boss. What to do? He says leave what we have where it is. He will overnight what the lady wants, and tomorrow (today) you can swap them out. Then the new locks you take back, go back into inventory. A pain in the butt and an embarrassment for me, but in the end the lady was happy. The boss was happy, just not as happy as he could have been. I had given the lady the bulk price before she rejected the color and the special order made. I couldn't go up on it now. BUT the first thing the boss does is double the cost of parts. He didn't lose money, just didn't make as much as he could have. Special orders cost more. And he can't really grip about me too much. Even if we didn't max out the profit, I doubled the sale. Ya can't win 'em all.