Yesterday I had a woman come in to have her taxes done. With all of her credits, exemptions and deductions, I was able to get her an $8,158 refund. It took about an hour to do her return, and when I finished, she objected to the $349.00 fee set by the company I work for. I was able to discount the cost $50.00, lowering the price down to $299.00 but she still refused to pay that much. I explained that there are costs involved in preparing her return, the cost of rent for the building, the cost of utilities, the cost of the computers and software, the desks and furniture, and the cost of paying staff. She wasn't having it, and walked out, stating she could do it herself for free.
Now as a frugal person, I understand that no one wants to pay anymore than they have to, and I actually do my own taxes, I have for years. That said, I would never dream of walking into any business and tell a trained professional; a lawyer, an accountant, a cosmotologist, a doctor, or any person who has just provided me a professional service and an hour of their time that I'm not going to pay because you are charging too much. I spent over 250 hours training, studying, practicing, and testing to be able to prepare taxes correctly, and I know many professionals have spent thousands of hours preparing for their professional careers. They are the specialist in their field, and their experience and knowledge is something I don't have, nor do I have the time or money to learn what they know. I think the value of their time and experience is worth whatever price I need to pay, in order to get the desired results.
So what do you think Frugal Friends? Was my customer being a bit too frugal? Is there any professional service you feel is not worth the time and experience of the person providing it?
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