Which tradesmen tell the most tall tales to consumers before fixing something? One common statement is "I am giving you the best deal?

When I was 8 years old, I learned a phrase that's carried me through many careers well: "Never bulls**t a bulls**tter. " I don't know that "I'm giving you the best deal" is necessarily a tall tale. It could be true.

I recently had trouble with my desktop PC and called my repair guy. In 15 minutes he was standing in my living room. He couldn't figure out what was wrong, s he took it.

The next day he called me to tell me that the motherboard was fried. We take about replacement options--It's not a big-name PC and I could have replaced it. Budgetary concerns made that impossible.

He offered me a board from one of his computers. He installed it, saved all of my files from my old drive and installed them on a new drive. Same case, brand new guts, delivered:-$185.00.

Having been a salesperson myself and having negotiated deals as both seller and buyer, I can tell you that selling to a salesperson is an exercise in who can BS who more. That includes selling services to a salesman. Having been a sales manager, buyer and co-owner for a retail store, and previously a property owner and manager, I expected to hear "It needs to be replaced" or some other BS from anyone who provided a service, including but not limited to: Plumber Electrician Handyman/contractor Paving company Roofer Car repair person Appliance repair person Elevator Mechanic Telephone company repair person.

Retail salesperson in an independent, local store In any case, it comes down to the seller knowing the actual cost--not the price--of the item--and how much latitude that person has in setting the price. An actual example: If I had an item priced at $3299 but it only cost me $500 to get, if a customer walked in with my competitor's ad for the same item at $2800, I'd have no problem not only matching it, but beating it by 10%, selling the item for $2520. That's a discount of about 24%.

I'd still have made $2020 on it. I'd be thrilled if I made it a package deal and said "You know what--I'll beat the price on that AN...oh what the hell... I'll give you 20% off on anything else you purchase today. ".

Merchandise sitting on the shelf needs to have its rent paid, its utilities paid, the salaries for its salespersons paid, etc. But once it's sold, those expenses--for that item--disappear. It's a judgment call, and not everyone has the power to make that decision. I referred to myself as "the walking, talking coupon.

" We gave our salespersons some latitude but if there was a big deal they just couldn't close, I came in and said "Well,listen. He gave you a really good deal, but I'm one of the the owners, and the only one who's here today. You won't get a better deal out of this store than what I'm going to give you.

" It all depends on COGS (Cost of Goods Sold--what I paid fur it, to transport it to the store, plus all the other things I mentioned, such as what it's costing me to house it. ) I could take a full third (33%) off the entire order and still make a lot of money. I could take half off some items and still make money.

I made even more money on the customer I gave the competition-matching price and the 20% off everything else to. === The phone company is a funny one for me: They kept telling me, "Nothing's wrong." I had a problem with my office phone in DC--but it was intermittent.

I tried to single out the source--I tried a new phone, a new cord...it still happened. The phone company came out and everything tested fine. I told them it wasn't fine.

Three times they sent someone out, and on my fourth call, the repairman called me and said "Man, your phone is fine. I'm not coming down there." I called the repair nymber again and eventually spoke to a supervisor.

"If my phone is fine, you get down here yourself, listen to the crossed signals, the 30-second wait for a dial tone, etc and you tell me it's okay. " He showed up a few days later. He picked up my phone.

No problem. "Hang it up and wait ten seconds, andpick it up again." Still nothing.

On the third attempt, he stood there, holding my phone, he looked at me and he said "Sonofabitch, something IS wrong. " My phone was fine. The wires in the phone closet in the basement of this large office building that they had re-wired three times was fine.

My jack was fine. The wires from my building to the telco's office were fine. The phone company found damaged equipment within their own switching equipment--at their local office--and had to replace it.

No problems after that, and an apologetic call from the supervisor.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.