Originally Posted by
Panthers007
Some guy brought me a beat-up old bike that he'd left in his yard for who-knows-how long. His curt command to me was: "Make it shine." Well - yessir! I did have to call this guy back on the phone to indicate various things needed replacement (as you might imagine of a 'yard-bike'). His reply was the same: "Make it shine."
Mr. Shine came to fetch his terrarium, and wasn't too pleased at what I charged him. It was perfectly reasonable. No extra. When he snarled over the bill, I explained calmly: "Well, I had to really work the bugs out." He paid.
It's a little off topic but I've learned to either get AT LEAST half of the money up front or simply refuse the job. Guys like this don't have an attachment to the bike and will often simply leave the bike and stiff you after you've invested your time and replacement parts.