Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[FarmerChick]

Quail
you need to treat this as a business.

you must do the homework and charge appropriately for your time, expense etc

and be careful cause in that other thread, when your income EXCEEDS a certain amt. per year 'for your side job you created' you do become subject to IRS etc


so if that person hires you for travel---and they report you as an expense and write you off on their deductions,,,,,, next thing ya know you are a biz so be aware.


oh yea....it is all a round about game in this life LOL

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I just don't want to do it anymore.

We have been keeping track of the $ from driving, but the Amish don't want us to report that we drive for them.

So I just want to be done with the whole thing, stick to my farming stuff.

 

[Wifezilla]

Sounds like you guys need to get one of those tire repair kits with the plugs. They are around $10 last time I picked one up.

 

[FarmerChick]

I hear you Quail
find an easier and less stressful way to make a dollar LOL

been there

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Sounds like you guys need to get one of those tire repair kits with the plugs. They are around $10 last time I picked one up.

Good idea! don't know why i didn't think of that.

FC - yep, the animals don't talk back or complain about prices (ok, roos get an attitude sometimes - but soups the remedy, right?)

 

[FarmerChick]

LOL roo stew if it gets too bad

 

[emilosevich]

we keep a plug kit around and DH has gotten really good at using it and slime to repair tires. I'm constantly picking stuff up over and K's house and down at Rogers.
I have a friend who has been driving Amish too and she says like you it can get a little tedious at time. For her it may be a little less haring probably because she is a retired school teacher and doesn't have but a couple of animals to tend to. She told me the one shopping trip day turned into a 10hr day. I couldn't imagine a 10hr day of driving people around. WOW!

 

[freemotion]

If it were me, there would be a per mile charge AND a per hour charge, with that price going WAY up over a certain number of hours. Period. No negotiating. I'd have a contract that they sign before they get in the car, and a deposit. The rest due when they get back in the car to go home, or they can call a taxi to get home. If they don't like it, they can go elsewhere.

When I started out as a massage therapist, people asked me to take my table to their houses. I did. I resented it, for many, many reasons. I raised my prices. They still asked. I still did it. I still resented it.

So I raised my price to $225 to take my table out, for two one hour massages. The requests stopped.....except for one client who has a standing appointment every other week. At that price, I look forward to an easy day!

If anyone complains about the price, I calmly offer to give them the names and phone numbers of licensed therapists who are willing to take their table to homes for much less. People can only push you around if you let them....but there sure is a learning curve!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

They grumble every time we raise our rates, and we usually only raise it by a nickel.

I'm actually looking forward to NOt picking up the guy in the morning - flat tire, ya know

But yea, they all grumble about the price. And when we told them we're thinking of charging X amount for gas, plus mileage on top of that, we got less calls for work.

I didn't even tell ya'll about this one:

When we got back from Mount Hope on Friday, before hightailing it to Rogers, I checked the machine. 14 messages, and all but 2 were Amish! Not only Amish, but the SAME Amish man! He called every 30 minutes! To top that off, my mom said he then hires a driver to bring him to my house to see if we were home because he wanted to go to Carrollton that evening.

On Saturday, again at Mount Hope but E was home, he said the same thing happened. Nearly 20 calls and all were Amish.

If I tell them I'm staying home because I want to be there when my kids get home, or we have company etc. they get a tone that implies they are really put out with us.

It's a no win for us. We feel like they expect us to put our lives on hold for them. One guy even got upset that a round trip to Rogers with us driving would cost him $65 where another local guy was already going up, so he got to ride for free. He thinks he should get to ride for free with us, too, just because he knows I frequent the Auction.

I don't think so. If I have to drive Amish up and can't leave when I want to, they's better plan to pay!

Oh, and free, we had thought about the by the hour charge, but one Amish guy flat out said, "Good luck getting anyone to pay for both miles and by the hour."

Then we thought $10 a person - because if it's a $30 trip (just example) they'll get 2 or 3 others to go with them and split the cost. You might haul 6 and get paid $30, but they each only pay $5. Doesn't feel like you made much.

And then they want to smoke in the vehicle! I nearly put one out of the car halfway to their destination over that one. Another got mad because I told him I didn't allow tobacco products of any kind in my car. Including snuff/chew. Oh well.

And half of them leave their trash!! I told one guy I'm going to start charging a clean up fee if they don't pick up after themselves.

It's just too much headache. We've already had one guy call here 3 times this morning. We said No, I have a dr. appointment we're going to town - and he got disgusted.

And really, they don't allow their wives to work outside the home if there are children in the home, so why should I drive them while I have children in the home?

And then there are a couple who think because we're "friends" they shouldn't have to pay as much. :/

 

[ksalvagno]

Cute goats!

Sounds like it is time to stop driving for the Amish. Isn't worth the time, money and energy. Not to mention if you got into a car accident or something with them in it. Plus while it is nice not to report income, you could always get caught and then there are fines and everything. If you are going to do a business, stick to what you love. A business is too much work not to enjoy what you are doing. I know. That is why I have decided that this is my last year for alpacas. I just don't enjoy them anymore and the time isn't worth it.