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A customer told me my prices were too low and it actually cost me money
Had a guy come into my auto repair shop in Hamtramck last month, looked at my quote for a brake job, and straight up said "you're charging too little, I don't trust it." At first I was offended because I thought I was being fair to people. But then I did the math and realized I was barely making 20 bucks on some jobs after parts and labor. Raised my rates by 15% across the board and actually got more customers. Has anyone else had someone tell them to charge more?
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jakejones2d ago
Wait, are you saying you actually lost money on jobs after factoring in all the hidden costs like shop supplies and your own time? I mean, I had a similar thing happen with my freelance design work - I was charging like 50 bucks for logo packages and wondering why I was burned out and broke. A client told me my rates seemed "too accessible" and it clicked that I was undervaluing my experience just to get work. Once I bumped my prices up to something that felt uncomfortable, I started attracting clients who actually respected the process and paid on time. Kinda wild how raising prices can actually make people trust you more, right?
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jenny472d ago
YES, this exact thing happened to me with my house cleaning side gig. I was charging 80 bucks for a whole house and one lady told me "that's way too cheap, I don't want someone cutting corners in my home." Once I doubled my rates to 160, I had a waiting list and people actually tipped me (like, extra money for doing the same work!). It's wild how pricing signals quality to people, even when the work is identical.
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