A customer in Boise told me my cleaning quote was way too low for the job.

They said, 'You're not charging for the time it takes to set up and clean up the mess.' I started adding a flat $50 setup fee to every estimate after that. Do you think a separate fee is fair, or should it just be baked into the total price?

4 comments

4 Comments

sean_green442mo ago

Has the flat fee worked out for you? Do customers ever push back on seeing it as a separate line item?

jamieb801mo ago

Honestly I've had way less pushback than I expected, @the_sam had the right idea making it clear. A separate line item just feels honest to most people even if a few grumble about it. Bundling it hides the cost but then they wonder why the price is higher.

the_sam2mo ago

Man, that customer did you a solid. Seriously, good on them for pointing that out. I see that separate fee as totally fair because it makes the actual work time super clear. If you just bake it in, some folks might still think you're overcharging for the "easy" part. The line item shows you're not hiding anything.

jakewhite2mo ago

Actually, that separate line item can backfire. It makes people focus on the fee itself instead of the total price. Sean_green44 is right to ask about pushback because that's exactly what happens. Customers start questioning each charge instead of seeing the overall value. I tried it for a while and it just created more conversations about why the fee existed. Now I bundle it all into one clear price. Less arguing, same money.