[KENNY D]

I am located in Houston Tx and was curious what the going rate is for a "walk in and need it now" job. Had a customer of ours who only sends us screw ups from their regular shop and they usually need it next day of same day in some instances. Example: Last job was a conveyor roller that a bushing for the bearing on one end that the welds broke loose. The shaft was extremely rusty. We pressed out the shaft, pressed out the bearings from the bushings, cleaned up the bushings and re-welded the broken one. Installed the customer supplied bearings, polished all the rust off of the shaft, and test fit the shaft. Just as they asked. Got this all done in 4 hours. I charged them $95 an hour. They seemed to complain when they seen the price. What would have you charged for this job?

[Jim Dawson]

Seems reasonable for a panic job. If they don't like the price then next time they can take it to their regular shop, or just do it themselves. Most people do not realize what goes into a quality job, especially for on-off repairs. I kind of charge by the customer, for the little mom & pop operation I may charge less than I would for a large industrial customer, of if the neighbor comes over with a broken tractor part, I may do it for a cheeseburger.

[WFCustom]

I have an item on my billing called the "PITA" tax.
It automatically gets added on at my discretion,
and works on a sliding scale depending on how big a one you are.
I'm to old and grumpy to put up with aggravation and not get paid for it.
Like Jim says though, your a buddy and bring over a beer, that qualifies for "special discounts".
Greg

[warrenb]

Don't forget to charge for the time it takes to tear down a current job and set up the jobs you have to put on hold. And when they complain... Always invite them to find another shop that will do it cheaper and faster. In my experience most "I need it now" jobs aren't worth the headache.