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DAE deal with crazy long waits for city permits after alarm installs? | Alarm System Installers - Opinions Matter

DAE deal with crazy long waits for city permits after alarm installs?

I just finished a job in an old brick building from the 1950s. Running wires through those solid walls was a pain and took me two full days. Once done, I submitted for the required city permit. That was over three weeks ago, and I still haven't heard back. My client is getting antsy, and I've got other jobs stacking up. This happens every time I work in certain parts of town. How do you guys handle these permit delays? Do you charge more for the wait time, or just build it into your schedule from the start?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavink957mo ago

Wait times are just part of the job in some areas, so I always quote with that buffer. It keeps clients calm because they know the deal from day one. Do you really want to stress over things you can't control?

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grant.hugo7mo ago

Exactly how I run things too. Building a realistic wait time right into the first quote saves so many headaches later. Gavink95 is spot on about managing client expectations from the very start. The few times I tried being overly optimistic, clients just got angry over delays I warned might happen. Setting that clear buffer means they trust the timeline instead of questioning every update. Have you found certain clients still push back even with full transparency up front?

joel_wilson7mo ago

Yeah the part about clients still pushing back even with full transparency is so real. I read a blog post about client psychology that said some people just hear the first date you say and ignore the caveats. It's like @gavink95 said, it keeps calm people calm, but the rush types will always be rushing. I've had clients agree to a six week timeline and then start asking for updates after week two. You just have to point back to the original quote and hold the line.