Raised my HVAC service call fee from $65 to $85 and lost half my regulars

I've been running my own HVAC business out of Portland for about 4 years now. Last month I bumped my trip fee from $65 to $85 because parts and gas just kept going up. Three of my weekly repeat customers said they found someone cheaper, which stung because I've been fixing their units for years. One lady told me straight up that $85 was too much just to have me walk through her door. I'm now stuck wondering if I should go back down or just wait it out. Has anyone else had a rate hike backfire like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_hall55d ago

I mean, calling them back after a month feels a little desperate to me... like you're chasing people who already made up their minds. That lady who said $85 was too much probably would have complained about $65 too if she had a bad day. And honestly, half your regulars leaving over $20? That seems like they weren't that loyal to begin with, or maybe they were just looking for an excuse to bounce. Sometimes a rate hike just weeds out the people who were never gonna stick around long term anyway.

owens.laura5d ago

Losing regulars over a $20 increase sounds rough, but $85 is still pretty standard in most markets. Just something to keep in mind: that lady who said it was too much might have been looking for a reason to switch anyway, and the fee was just an easy excuse. It could be worth calling those lost customers after a month or two to see if the cheaper guy actually worked out.

faith275d ago

Calling them back after a month is actually a solid idea. You're right too, some people just need an excuse to leave.