Labor rate study
 

What State do you live in and what is your Labor rate or the rate at your favorate shop ?

I am not trying to discourage a thread, but if shops discuss rates, this could be a violation of the Federal Anti-trust Law.

Huh,
Its been discussed here many times before.
americansupercarinc you should do a search.

Maybe we should ask what's the going shop rate in your given area...and not mention the names of the shops.....Bill would that work?

Thanks for the heads up Bill! We don't need issues!

I think Kentucky has the biggest labor rate as far as inbreed family members, but Missouri and Arkansas are closing in on that. :P

what kind of law is that? seems archaic

I may be wrong, but since we are not the shops it does not matter. and I only think that it violates any laws if we (shops) decide to set a price across the board. you see this alot with realtors, they can not say the everyone charges a 6% commission but we all know most everyone does cahrge 6%

It may be old, but truss me, it is alive and well. Has to do with price setting. NO competing companies can ever get together and talk about prices or what they charge, or what they think is a good price for services rendered, huge NO NO with the Feds. Any type trade association, regardless of business will make this very clear at any meetings. If you ever attend one and they don't, get up and RUN, not walk to leave.
Anyway, what raised a flag to me with the OP looks like a shop and was asking shops their prices.
As long as we as customers can state prices we have paid or what we know to be a rate at somewhere we do business at, that is fine,just not shops themselves. Personally, if I was a shop here, I would not even post in this thread. Most shops are well aware of this but I just posted in case someone wasn't.
No problem here, just did not want anyone to get their A$$ in a sling.:thumbsup:

Exactly, being a Realtor, I am keenly aware of discussing commissions with other real estate companys. Same with labor rates, I would hate for some agent with an axe to grind come in and say that bunch on the internet "set" and discussed labor rates.

Wow I was not trying to start any trouble, I had someone ask me about labor rates so. I said lets see and made this post.No matter what the responce was I would not change mine anyway.next time I will tell him to check himself.Did not mean to start something Sorry,

Only major league baseball has a Anti Trust Hall Pass!

Less than the local car dealers rates.

Well hell in that case I have this little rust bucket I would like to turn into a show stopper!! :lol:

Trading....thats even more illegal, "insert some act here." Selling stuff, I thought there was a war on stuff down there?:_paranoid

I was a service manger for a pretty large GM/Chrysler dealer for several years and attended MANY meetings/conferences held by both all over the country and this was NEVER mentioned. I'm not sure where you're getting your info or what you're basing this statement on but from my experience it does not hold up.

If you're at a GM dealer conference, everyone "works" for GM. It is one company talking about prices "within" the company. Not GM talking to Ford or Chrysler trying to determine how to price something. :thumbsup:

Many of the meetings were to discuss sales strategies for customer pay work and not warranty work. When it comes to customer pay work, no one works for the same company, everyone is competition.

However...still within the "envelope" of GM.

So the law reads that competing businesses can discuss prices as long as they sell the same brand of product? I get it now. Thanks.

These laws are in place to protect us from price fixing, like buying, 70cents of grain in a paper box and calling it Shedded Wheat for the price of $3 a box. For years companies have been challenged but justify the price based on advertising costs. Unless we launch a communist plot to fix shop rates, nationwide I think we are safe talking about this subject. The biggest anti-trust issue I see is the right is of a third party to set what you are paid to perform a estimated service. Last year we trained more disgruntled body shop owners that took their investments and quit doing Insurance repairs jumping into Fabrication, Powder Coating, Restoration. We made the switch in 1982, and oppurtunities are stronger now than ever before, the time in takes to build a car is the same as 1988 but a 72 chevelle in 88 was a $1800 auto that same piece is $75000 today. We see shop rates all over the country, most are based on overhead/location,equipment and talent. Right now based on the Performance Fabrication, Assembly,and Custom Finishing shops it's not uncommon to see shops charge between $1 to $2 a minute, alot more than the $40 an hour average for insurance repairs thoughout the southeast.

.....is this a good spot to put in a few lawyer jokes?

price fix, what the hell are the oil companies doing

great plan jay!!.

We locally have a collision shop (chain) that decided to change and cater to the customer and not the insurance co.'s any longer...all the other shops thought it was the worse thing they could do (business wise)...without the insurance co.'s on their side, it would be the end of the business for sure! Well, the exact opposite happened and they are now one, if not the, leading shop simply because customers know they are working for them and looking out for them first...not the insurace co.

When you stop letting the third party run your business it allows you to make proper /safe repairs using quality parts.