legal verbage for invoices & estimates

[rholman 14]

What do you guys have as far as legal disclaimers on your invoices and/or estimates. I replied to some old posts from 2 years ago regarding the topic, but I haven't heard from anyone yet. I ran a pressure wash business for 12 years and took a 2 year break from it, BUT I missed the biz so much...I'm making a comeback! 95% of my business before was cleaning cars at car dealerships(not detailing)... now I want to specialize in the deck restoration market. I want to avoid as many issues as possible from the very first job so I am seeking counsel from the veterans. I would appreciate your help on this topic....thanks!

[rholman 14]

oh yeah, my email address is rickholmanamd@yahoo.com

[Degraffreed 21]

rolhman, I am looking to get into the private car dealership to wash the cars. I heard thur the "vine", that the going rate is anywhere from $2.00-$6.00 to spray and dry. Any Ideas on what I should price?

[rholman 14]

i can tell you car salesmen and especially sales managers are cheap and not the most loyal customers even if quality is consistent....SO, I started in 1995 at $1.00 per car and as of 2004, when I got bought out by my business partner, we were only able to raise the price to $1.50....now keep in mind we were in GM country...Lansing, MI, and there were plenty of dealerships out there to take care of. We used DI water...hooked up to their water...had a buffer tank of at least 110 gallons....1 guy washes...2nd guy rinses....every summer the 'weekend warriors' would come out of nowhere and undercut us...In the winter we would be able to raise the price to $1.75-$2.00, but of course the days are short and hit and miss with the temp. I'm making a comeback, BUT I have NO interest in doing cars again....to make real money you have to wash 600 cars per day and that is not realistic anymore...i'm too old. It was fun while it lasted, but deck restoration is my new baby. Bottom line it's short-lived even if you do get $2.00-$3.00 because you are basing your livelihood on disloyal customers. If there is no one in your area then you might be able to get away with those prices for awhile, but as soon as a sales manager figures out that his 16 year old son could make good money doing the same thing then it's time to lower the prices or at least lose that account for the summer. If you can get it...go for it!!