Flat-rate book

Definition

The priced task list a technician quotes from at the door, in place of hours and parts.

Why It Matters

A shop on flat rate sells a repair at a published price, so its gross margin is set in the office and not at the kitchen table, and two technicians of different speed earn the shop the same money on the same job. A shop still on time and materials is exposed to whoever is holding the wrench. Ask which book the shop prices from, when those prices were last updated, and whether a technician may discount without a manager. A book three years stale is a margin problem wearing a pricing policy.