There is no doubt that pricing based on the work that was completed has been the standard model for plumbing pricing for a long time. It is just the way things have always been. And it has made sense because so often when you begin a plumbing job, you never know what you will find when you start digging or taking things apart. But today we are questioning the status quo and you should to! Flat rate pricing is a win for everyone because it makes everything more transparent and simpler.
Here are 3 reasons why flat rate pricing is a great idea:
- It Protects The Customer. There is nothing like the feeling of getting a bill for double what you were expecting. Maybe the bill was fair, but it’s so easy to feel taken advantage of. Flat rate pricing cuts that difficult moment out of the equation because you know what the cost is going to be, or at least very close to it, unless something very unexpected happens.
- It Protects The Plumber. When there is an agreement in place about the price of a job it improves the chances of the plumber getting paid in full and on time. It helps improve the overall relationship between customers and plumbing technicians.
- More Peace Of Mind. When you know what to expect you can rest easy, customers and plumbers do not have any anxiety when it is time to hand over the bill. There are fewer frustrated customers and fewer plumbers wearing themselves out trying to explain exactly why a bill was a certain amount. Everything becomes simpler and easier.
You might ask the question, why is flat rate pricing more possible now than in the past? Well, technology is a big part of the answer. We can track job time, materials, and even some unexpected events over the course of years, and then forecast what the cost of a similar job should be with very good accuracy. The result is an honest, steady, and predictable price that we can commit to before the job starts.
This is a win for customers because you know the price in advance and it’s a win for plumbers because it saves so much time trying to calculate the exact price for every routine job.