24/06/2021
The below was posted on FB and I just felt I needed to share as I could not agree more. Very well written.
This from a local business. I really think worth sharing and reading
Shared with permission from Author Andrea Van Geems Penrose
I don’t accept payment in limbs
So often, particularly on social media, I see people asking for contractors to supply quotes that don’t cost an arm and a leg and I can tell you as a small business owner, nothing is more annoying. Granted, nobody wants to be ripped off, but I can promise you that never in my life have I accepted payment in limbs and I don’t ever intend to.
Your limbs don’t feed my family. My creditors don’t accept your limbs in payment. Paying me with your limbs is pretty gross at the end of the day and the bottom line is it’s just not really a socially acceptable method of payment.
Yes, I say this tongue in cheek but behind the sarcasm is the reality and the reality is this. Small businesses don’t have the massive buying power of the corporates – who mind you wouldn’t accept payment in limbs either. And hey, if the price is too high, it’s your right as a consumer to decline the quote.
But the affordability of the consumer doesn’t determine the cost of an item and I promise you that any corporate doesn’t care if you think their price is higher than you can afford. They are not in the business of negotiation.
When you buy from a small business, you’re paying for someones personal time (which in this day and age is pretty valuable), you’re making the difference between putting food on a table as opposed to enriching a massive corporate. You are the difference between their child being able to attend that dance class or art lesson or whatever or not and very often, you are what helps keep the wolves from the door.
A request for a recommendation that starts with “that doesn’t cost an arm or a leg” in my world is an insult to my skill, my expertise and my time and I’m sure to others like me. When I dedicate hours to create the perfect cake for you, I can assure you that the marginal percentage I make on the bottom-line price you pay takes a whole lot of cakes to make it sustainable.
The service fee I charge you on a travel booking becomes invaluable when you’re phoning me at 2am because you’ve been denied entry into a country due to a new COVID restriction that nobody knows about. You don’t see the hours of behind the scenes work that goes into making sure your travel is as seamless as possible and that all that’s required of you is to pack your bag and arrive at the airport. But you do take the time to question why a fee is being charged. Call me naïve but it defeats me.
You don’t question the price of the stylish clothes you’re wearing or the great car you’re driving – or even the not so great. My point is, when a Corporate sets a price, nobody questions it. When the small guy is trying to make a living, suddenly it’s a rip off. When you’re locked out of your house or car and a locksmith’s call out fee is questioned, I ask myself what value you place on being able to get into your house?
When men like my husband sometimes leave home while the rest of the world has hours of sleep ahead of them, believe me when I tell you the call out fee should be a whole lot more than it is. And still, daily it’s questioned. When last did you negotiate a consultation fee with a doctor or any other professional? But somehow, it’s ok to question the “small guy.”
Don’t get me wrong, some people do take the mickey and nobody is forcing you to accept their quote, but most of us out there are just trying to make an honest living. One that involves payment in cash and not body parts.
And while you’re it at, if you chose to do business with a friend – which often isn’t a fab idea – don’t ask them to discount their prices. It simply isn’t cool. If you choose to do business with a friend, pay their price. Don’t be the mate that’s asks for a hand out. Don’t be the mate that takes advantage. Be the mate in their corner, supporting them and paying their price. Bottom line – “just be lekker”
And at the end of the day, if you can’t afford the service, I beg you, don’t pay in limbs.
Journey with Evi Evi Moller
