posted
We were contacted by a company to install graphics on a 24' van body truck. They were going to supply the graphics and we were a little slow so we thought ok we will do it. We agreed on an hourly rate.
When the truck got to our shop it had been used some so it was full of road grime and salt, we washed the vehicle and installed the graphics.
The large lettering is black and red so it was two steps and the truck was loaded with rivets. The truck is a 24' van body.
After the graphics were installed we were told by a person in that company that we were ripping them off. They said this job should not have taken any longer than 4 hours and I think that they are nuts.
Just wondering if any one has done similar jobs and how many hours it took to complete the job.
Thanks in advance.
[ March 08, 2005, 11:10 AM: Message edited by: Dennis Raap ]
-------------------- Dennis Raap Raap Signs Posts: 839 | From: Coopersville, MI | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Let's see..you had to wash it, wait for it to dry then letter 4 sides with 2 colors & rivets. Might could do it in 4 hours...if there was more than 1 person working on it, it appeared spotless and dry and ya didn't hit a ton of rivets.
Realistically, I'd allot a day for it. If they don't like it, perhaps they shoulda done it themselves.
edited to take out the picts since you got them to show up while I was posting. lol
posted
I can’t upload pics, but I did 10 box trucks a while back that were similar. Take out the running man graphic and put a 10 inch stripe from the name to the back of the box and that’s it. Everything about the same, doors, over the cab etc. It took me and another man about 6½ hours including washing the truck. Hope that helps.
-------------------- Pat Phipps Custom Trophy & Design Glenn Dale. MD ______________________ _ "A Man Don't Learn A Lesson Less It Costs Him Blood or Money " Posts: 78 | From: Glenn Dale, Maryland | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
They are complaining because they CAN and they want you to come down on your price. I might tell them if they think that it IS possible to do it in four hours, NEXT time THEY can install it themselves! OR if you wnat to be nice, explain it to them in terms of their business. I do this all the time. I will say to the mechanic, "I wouldn't think of presuming to know how you do your job or complain that it took too long....I TRUST you to treat me fairly when you work on my car just as you should trust me to do right by you. We both need to make a living." Really, what can they say to that, especially when I am smiling sweetly. (I thing sugar works better than vinegar anyway!)
[ March 08, 2005, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: Jane Diaz ]
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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posted
I don't think I could do it in 8 hours. If it was a race, maybe... but doing a proper & careful job on the prep, rivits, seams, & registration.. & dealing with a scaffold, large pieces of vinyl... I'd charge $600 - $700 minimum... (probably 8 or 9)
posted
Put me down for 1000-1200. We have to remember you are in Michigan and someone has to pay for all that heat. Nothing worse than having someone accept fine work, then disrespect it by complaining about the price.
My guess is that they did'nt want a final price in advance so they could beat you up afterwords. I mean, does it make sense for a company shopping over the phone not to secure a final price?
Hmmmmmm
You can bet we are all in a hurry to accept work from this company.
Edited to add: Where did the name "Grabber" come from??
[ March 08, 2005, 11:54 AM: Message edited by: Rick Beisiegel ]
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3485 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I would allot a whole day because of the washing, rivets and the sheer amount of graphics.. It is THEY who are attempting a ripoff and I wouldn't let it leave the shop until paid in full. Don't play their little game.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7403 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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Our Commitment to You 1. We treat all customers and vendors with respect 2. We provide consistent value in our products and services 3. We help our customers and vendors build their businesses 4. We bring integrity and ethics to all our business relations
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-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7403 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
What gets me is them saying it shouldnt take more than four hours to do it. Are they experts at this? Have they done it before themselves? What are they baseing this time on? They got you, an expert cause its what you to, to install the vinyl so it would be done right. Now its done right, but they dont like the price. How many times we heard that? Jeepers.
-------------------- Maker of fine signs and other creative stuff. Located at 109 N. Cumberland ave. Harlan, Ky. 40831 606-837-0242 Posts: 4172 | From: Ages-Brookside, Ky. Up the Holler... | Registered: Jul 1999
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posted
I did a very similar job- 20ft truck, remove existing vinyl, clean, and apply new vinyl. Me and another guy(rookie) did it in 7hrs at their location 20 minutes away. That does not include me cutting the vinyl & prepping it the day before or any clean up in the shop when we got back. 12-14ish man hours.
-------------------- Phil Steffen, 29 Van Rensselaer St City of Saratoga Springs DPW Saratoga Springs NY 12866 Posts: 563 | From: beautiful Saratoga Springs NY | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
That would take me a minimum of 8 hours! (not including crying time) I hate washing trucks almost as much as I hate rivets. Double layers of vynull is twice the work. Stick to your guns. Love.....Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
If they can do it in 4 hours, then I guess they wasted their money - and you know who to call next time you want graphics installed! Why don't you print out this thread and send them a copy with the bill.
I'd be charging a minimum of 8 hours... probably $800/truck minimum.
Good luck!
-------------------- Janet Bakewell One Sun Grafiks Inc. Slave Lake, AB Canada www.onesungrafiks.com Posts: 128 | From: Slave Lake, AB Canada | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
Well Dennis, If you didn't have to wash & clean the truck, how long would it have taken you? Maybe what you can do is quote the installation as 1 line item and the cleaning of the truck as a seperate charge based on your hourly rate. With the exception to the logo, did they supply everything preassembled and prespaced? Did they supply measurments on placement for that exact syle of truck? Kicking butt, I could see this job getting done in 4-6 hours if everything was nearly perfect and all I had to do was stick vinyl. If there was any thought process or fudging involved, the time would go up. A shoot from the hip price on this would be $576 (about $1.50 sq. ft.). This amount would cover my time, cleaning materials, tape, use of my equipment and profit. Unfortunately, there are plenty of guys out there that would do it for less. I just lost a bid where the competitiors installation cost was about $1.00 sq. ft. on what I would call a difficult install.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
LOL! Brian, bet the vinyl was 'tented' over the rivets at that price! Yesterday I saw a tractor/trailer tha had some really great, eye catching vinyl grapics ... but all the vinyl was 'tented' over the rivets.
Ya gets what ya paid fer!
-------------------- Si Allen #562 La Mirada, CA. USA
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siallen@dslextreme.com
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Never mess with your profile while in a drunken stupor!!!
Brushasaurus on Chat Posts: 8827 | From: La Mirada, CA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Unpacked graphics cut apart and sort things out 1 hr
Re wash areas for graphics, layout graphics (no measurements supplied), install graphics this included setup tear down and clean up 2 people 10 hrs.
We did take our time and cleaned good around the rivets also no tents Si
I guess I was more worried that they would be more apt to complain about a poor job or tents than the time involved to do the job right.
It is no different from when I was in construction there are high end houses and then you have your apartments I guess I would classify fleet truck with apartments.
-------------------- Dennis Raap Raap Signs Posts: 839 | From: Coopersville, MI | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Over 20 hours of labor (two people @ ten hours) seems really high to me. Then again, I'd love to sit and watch somebody try to do it in four hours, too.
-------------------- Pat Whatley Montgomery, AL (334) 262-7446 office (334) 324-8465 cell Posts: 1306 | From: Wetumpka, AL USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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We were asked about installing on some FedEx freight trucks so I was sent to scope out existing trucks so he could quote ... I tell him a days work each ... he calls perspective client only to hear that the current installer gets $150 ... he tells them they already used that up by me looking at it LOL $150 yeah right
-------------------- Compulsive, Neurotic, Anti-social and Paranoid ... but basically Happy Posts: 2677 | From: Rochester, NY, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I'm always sketchy about installs for other sign co's why aren't they doing it? check your numbers because it is definately making them money or they wouldn't send it out, I hate eating jobs no one has ever lost money on a job by passing on a job that they can not do in a timely manner and we are all in the sign biz not the truck washing biz, charge that by the hour at your shop rate, customers will learn to bring you a clean vehicle we are very expensive car washers, but we've all been down this road at one time or another and probably will again, learn from it and bid the next one more appropriately and I'm not in a race on things like this I would assign 2 people and hope the got it done in a honest day but I'd tell the customer I'd want it for half the next day just in case any "surprises" pop up,
-------------------- Dan Streicher Slidell, LA Posts: 445 | From: Slidell, LA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Re-read Dennis' last post.....2 people @ 10 hours INCLUDED rewash, unpacking, layout, RIVETS, installation. I don't think that's high at all. Clean-up can be a big deal after that much vinyl. I hate laying out someone else's design.
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3485 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Usually when we do a job and are getting paid by the hour we pay attention to "every" detail and "every" minute. I'm not going to criticize Dennis' time but point out that a lot could be learned here.
A lot of times we forget to job cost ourselves, and realize actually how long it takes to do a certain job. Tha means not just the job but set up and clean up too. I am the king of that!
[ March 09, 2005, 07:27 AM: Message edited by: Bob Rochon ]
-------------------- Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA 508-865-7330
"Life is Like an Echo, what you put out, comes back to you." Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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I often forget to charge for the "little things" that take time, and cost money. We can learn from Dennis on this deal. He seemed to include all thatt stuff.
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3485 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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