Serious question, are we overcharging for diagnostic fees or underselling ourselves?

I've been doing this trade for 8 years in Cleveland, and I keep seeing guys slap a flat $75 diagnostic fee on everything from a bad door switch to a dead control board. Last month I did a call where the customer had already paid two other techs $60 each just to tell her the washer needed a $12 belt. She was furious, and honestly I can't blame her. But at the same time, I've got bills to pay and travel time eats my day, so I charge $85 and I know that's on the high end for this area. The part that gets me is when a new guy charges $50 just to open the door, finds nothing, and leaves the customer stranded with a worse taste in their mouth. So which is it, are we pricing like car dealerships and scaring people off, or are we finally charging what our time is worth? Has anyone here tested raising their fee and seen call volume drop, or do customers just stop calling the cheap guys first and respect you more?

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williams9018d ago

How many hours do you actually spend diagnosing vs. swapping parts? I raised my fee to $95 last year and the only thing that changed was I stopped getting calls from people looking for the cheapest option. The ones who call the $50 guy first are never gonna be happy with us anyway.