A guy at the Columbus camera show handed me a junk Nikon FTn and a $2 tip, and it changed how I price sensor work
He wanted the meter fixed but the shutter was also capping at 1/1000, and I ended up doing both for way less than my bench rate just because he stood there watching me the whole time. Now I quote every repair up front before touching a screwdriver, no exceptions. How do you all handle the guy who wants a deal while you work?
A written estimate before I touch anything solved that for me, even if it's just scribbled on the back of a receipt. I also stopped letting people hover, because once they watch every move the job turns into a lesson and the price turns into a favor. Fixing the meter and capping shutter on an FTn for less than bench rate sounds like you basically paid him to work, so what does your up-front quote look like now?