What are your hours of operation?
I work days, nights, weekends, and holidays to meet your needs once my family obligations are covered. Estimates are by appointment and I respond to phone calls between 9-5p, M-F as I am available to do so.
Established clients with questions or concerns about their project or emergencies should feel free to contact me immediately at any time.
Do you charge for estimates?
Estimates are almost always free. Circumstances under which I might charge for an estimate include: A significant amount of travel to the site or repeatedly being called out but not hired. (To date, I have never charged anyone for an estimate)
Do you charge by the hour or the job?
98%+ of the time I charge by the job and in all cases where the scope of the job isn’t significantly altered, my labor and material prices won’t change. Once in a great while someone has a job that has too many unknowns for me to quote a straight price (for example, a water leak behind a wall). In those cases, I charge by the hour until I can properly define the problem and then quote a firm number.
Why do I have to give all my information on your contact form?
It’s strictly for my safety. I know it’s hard to believe, but there are people out there in the world who will do just about anything to get over on another person. You’ve come to me for help- I assume you’ve done your homework and know I’m legit. But unfortunately, through experience, I’ve found some of the people who contact me are not so legit- and I’ve been left holding the bag financially as a best case and narrowly escaping a beating and a robbery as the worst. So, yeah, I’m going to throw your name and address into the Google machine and make sure you are who you say you are and the address isn’t an empty lot or abandoned warehouse. I hope you see this as the reasonable precaution that I do. If you are concerned about your information, see the next item down…
What do you do with my information?
For a full disclosure, please see the Privacy Policy here. In short, I collect basic contact info from you and sometimes photos on site for use on the web or as a demonstration of my work. I don’t sell, distribute or otherwise disseminate your info to anyone without your prior approval or a warrant from a government agency authorized to serve such a document.
Can I buy my own materials?
Yes you can. But here’s the rub- If your materials hold up or prevent me from continuing or completing the work, you are on the hook for my time, above and beyond the estimate provided, to correct the situation. In addition, if you purchase materials that I don’t approve of, I may reduce, or rescind entirely, your warranty. The best way to handle this is to let me buy the materials or for us to have clear communication about what you’re buying so your project goes as smoothly as possible.
Do you offer a warranty or guarantee?
Please see the warranty page for full details. In short, unless otherwise documented I offer 12 a month on my workmanship and a satisfaction guarantee.
Are you insured?
Fix n’ Do Handyman Services LLC carries $2 million in liability insurance and full commercial auto insurance for its vehicles. Because FnD does not have any employees, it is not obligated to carry worker’s comp. A CoI can be provided upon request.
How far are you willing to travel?
I don’t have a hard limit. I’m willing to provide an estimate for almost anything but obviously I have to weigh the time of travel against the cost of the job. If you live in Carbondale, you probably won’t want to pay me for 12 hours of travel to change a light bulb. But if you have a full-on home rehab that may last several weeks…different story. Best answer: contact me and let’s discuss. I hate wasting my time. I promise not to waste yours.
How do you determine your pricing?
My pricing is based on a myriad of variables, but the biggest factors are project complexity, travel distance/time, and current business volume.
Do you offer a cash discount?
The pricing I provide on the estimate is the cash price. There is a transaction fee for credit or debit card payments that fluctuates between 2.5-5.0% of the purchase price depending on my current service provider. Unfortunately, I don’t see the volume of swipes of a retail store or restaurants, so I don’t ever qualify for better rates.
What methods of payment do you accept?
I can accept cash or check at face value. Currently I do not accept credit, debit, cryptocurrencies, or direct pay apps.
Do you need a down payment for my project?
For small jobs, I collect only after the project is completed. For larger projects and remodels, I may ask for a down payment to hold the time in my schedule or to fund procurement of materials. The amount is determined on a case by case basis.
I contacted you but you never got back to me. Why?
I’m sorry if that happened. I do my best to touch base with everyone who contacts me for help. As a new client, the best way to contact me is through the service button on the main page. It’s the quickest and most reliable method. As an established client, texting works great. If I did miss your communication, here are some possible reasons for it (based on my experience):
- My emails are going to your spam or junk folder
- The voicemail you left me was unintelligible
- You initiated contact via text- I don’t accept new clients via text since 90% of texts that I don’t recognize turn out to be scams.
- Business volume is extremely high and I haven’t been able to get back to you. Current clients, clients that have made down payments and emergencies get my priority during high volume periods.
Don’t feel bad sending me a reminder or a follow up. I appreciate it. I’m just one person and I do my best, but sometimes things slip by the best of us.
Do you offer credit or payment plans?
As a general rule, I do not offer either option. On rare occasions, with established clients that have an exemplary track record for trustworthiness, I may make an exception to get a project off the ground. Feel free to ask, but don’t be disappointed with a “no.”
I paid you. Where's my receipt?
If you’ve paid by CC/debit or Cash, you will receive your “paid in full” invoice via email within 48 hours. If you paid by check, it will be sent to you within 24 hours of clearance with the bank.
Your price is too high. Can you lower it?
I base my pricing on several factors (already noted in FAQs), including the details of the project as you provided them to me. Occasionally there is some wiggle room and sometimes there may be alternatives to your preferred plan that can help lower the price. My experience has shown me that I’m almost never the lowest bid, nor the highest. I believe my pricing is representative of all the elements that should be considered in a project- showing up when I say I will, providing clear communication and quality work, never taking shortcuts or using substandard materials, always giving my honest opinion and never trying to B.S. or up-sell you on things you don’t need, standing behind my work once complete and being adequately insured should the unthinkable happen. If you do happen to find someone who is providing all of this AND has a lower price, send me their info. I want to hire them and learn their secrets!!
