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.

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cameron53817d agoMost Upvoted

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.