Flat rate or hourly? I switched after 3 months in Columbus and now I'm second guessing it
Started doing appliance repair solo back in March. Ran everything hourly, kept it simple. Then a buddy in the trade told me flat rate is where the money's at, so I tried it for about 10 weeks. My first flat rate fridge compressor job went smooth, quoted $450 and finished in 2 hours. But then a washer drain pump that should take 40 minutes ate my whole afternoon due to seized bolts and rusted hoses, and I ate the cost difference. Do you guys stick with one model or bounce around depending on the job? I'm leaning back to hourly but the quick wins were real nice.
Stick with both but pick your spots. I learned that the hard way doing side work for cars, same deal as you. Flat rate only works when you can see the whole job before you quote, like a compressor where you know the setup. But the second you hit rusted bolts or a weird install, you're gambling. Hourly keeps the stress down and the customer honest about what they're really paying for.