SHOULD I CHARGE FRIEND OF A FRIEND ?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

MacFromOK

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
13,759
Reaction score
14,757
Location
Southern Oklahoma
Loaned a transmission jack to a friend once over the weekend.

Later found out he rented it to another guy.
106175-49d784bef6807223563e66ec189df5d0.jpg
 

sedona

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
Messages
1,668
Reaction score
1,215
Location
Duncan
If you are just talking about removing the forend and changing around the friction rings I wouldn't charge him.......I've done it dozens of times to my A5 through the years and it's a simple five minute job if that.

I'd also make him watch closely to what I was doing so he could do it himself the next time.

View attachment 160632
Exactly.It would be like charging your 90 year old neighbor to change a light bulb on their porch.
 

mr ed

Sharpshooter
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
6,997
Reaction score
4,834
Location
Tulsa
I don't mind helping a buddy, but I have LOTS invested in my gunsmithing tools, license etc. If I can fix it right then and hand it back, there's no charge I don't care who you are. If it spends the night, it's gonna cost something.
I used to be that way for 20 years. But once, I thought that maybe I would close my smithing shop and find something else to do.
One day while I was contemplating it an A-Hole decided it for me.
He called and asked if I could fix his Ruger 22 auto pistol. I told him we closed at noon on saturdays so hurry up.
About 1pm he showed up as we were locking up to leave. He begged for me to fix it. He had put the mainspring housing in wrong as many people do. I popped it apart and back together correctly. Then I showed him what he had done wrong and made him do it a couple times just in case he had the problem again.
Told him NO CHARGE!
He lit into me. How dare I not charge him! What a lowlife S.O.B. I was for not charging, even though I showed him the sign on the wall that said there was no charge for this service. For 30 minutes we endured being polite to the idiot and his ranting. Finally my 2 friends who were waiting for me to go to the range spoke up and told him to get the hell out.
The next day I hung a sign "Out of Business" on the door.
While there may have been some butthurt there. It was a good thing overall that he pissed me off to finally make that decision.
Now almost 20 years later I still have a shop full of tools and gun parts. Thought when I retired I might get back into it.
Sorry to say there's just no interest in me anymore.
 

killerpigeon

Native off the Reservation
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
Sep 28, 2017
Messages
585
Reaction score
999
Location
US
I feel quality work deserves recognition. I'm a Sig Sauer armorer, most pistols I'll spend a couple hours on for a bottle of Jack or a case of beer. Rarely do I charge full gunsmith price or go by a set rate.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom