Appliance Delivery

I did this for several weeks for Exel Direct back in 07. I think they have completely gone to contractors now. They have ads every month for it now. No one stays. I honestly liked doing appliances, But never really made any money,but Homeowners were just impossible to deal with. Nothing was ever ready and they never had any clue as to what services they actually purchased, nor given any thought as to whether the new appliances actually fit in the #### house!

"What do you mean it won't fit? You have to make it fit! *Glares*"
"Ma'am, this new refrigerator is a foot wider and 5 inches taller than your old one. You built your kitchen cabinets around that old refrigerator dimesions."
"You have to make it fit!! *stamps foot*"
"Ma'am, We do not do custom installs and We most certainly aren't going to be removing an entire wall of cabinets. This. Will. Not. Fit"
"You stay right there and don't move until my husband gets home! *Folds arms, lifts nose and sniffs, stands triumphantly"
"Ok, We're charging you $200 an hour to stand here"
"*Sulks*"

 

When residential customers tell me " we will never use your outfit agian", i always reply with Is that a promise?

A freind of mine works for ABF. Its in their contract to perform that work if the DR calls for it. ABF has some first class crap for residential deliveries. He had to deliver a washer and dryer and put it in the basement. Dryers are easy, they are really light and easy to man handle.Washers are another issue. He was not able to do the washer. Next day they sent 2 younger drivers to do it
just to pacify the customer. customers can throw the biggest temper tantrum and it doesnt phase me abit. When sears or best buy delivered appliances to my home, there was 3 guys in the truck. I'm by myself and weigh a wopping 150lbs. Off the truck and into the garage is the most i will do.

 

I don't know how some homeowners think they can verbally abuse someone like they do.

I know the general rule is "the customer's always right" but come on lady!

Do you treat your kids like this? Your parents?
Is this how you get results at your place of business?

Sometimes I feel like there was some job opening somewhere where bitter middle-aged women get paid the high side of $50k where their only responsibility is to revert to a Jr. High level of cliquishness and just sit around all day and be catty, and discuss Sex & The City reruns. (Sorry it's Kardashians now)

 

The rates are too low. Way too low. Want to know the secret to short haul? It's $100/hr. That's a good rule-of-thumb number for ONE driver in a tractor trailer. If that truck is earning a C-note an hour she's in the black.

If you average 14 stops a day @ $28.35 each you're getting about $40/hr if you work 10 hours a day. Now pay your helper and his payroll taxes out of that - that's going to cost you at least $15/hr. $25/hr. is all that's left for you, the truck, and the taxman to eat out of. Penske @ $700/wk works out to $14 out of that. So you're basically working for $11 / hr - but not really because this scenario is overly-simplistic. You'll have insurance, you'll have the whiskey dents you put in the truck to pay for, mileage on the truck, and on and on.