This Jim guy seems like one heck of a nice guy.

"Jim,
Be careful doing business like this! You might find that MANY of your unknown patrons “conveniently” have a problem with “something” concerning your work and you end up with an epidemic of working for free! "

I agree. There is nothing wrong with receiving payment with the part.
Your reputation will work for you and you are the type of guy that will always work something out if a problem arises.
You can always send a refund.
Jules

Does not exist Dave.
It is the correct way of doing things simply because the business is in business to provide the service or part
so paying ahead of time will not make the business decide to opt out of providing the part.The chances are greater
that something may go wrong from the clients side simply because he is an individual and does not have a business
reputation at stake. It will still boil down to doing your homework when dealing with any business. If the feedback is good then
there is no danger in paying up front. IMO Jim is being too giving. Like you said Dave, he is risking at some point to
end up working for free.
Jules

Hey guys, I'll wade into the swamp with you. Jules is absolutely correct, sooner or later, we'll get stuck. Is it worth it to Dixie to take a chance? Yea, I think it is. Our entire business is based on trust. In the beginning I had a few folks who took a substantial risk to box up a valuable core or cores and trust that we were going to do what we said we would. We promised their alternator and starter would be properly restored and guaranteed it would work as originally intended. So far, only one client has refused his restored piece and Dixie paid his core fee from a competitor. After the fact, we found out it was timing issue with the customer not a quality issue with the restoration. Dave, ECS sells a defined product, be it d/cd glass or tire pressure decals. Folks look in the catalog, and order what they see. Apples and oranges, I guess. Jules, your business has served as a model for Dixie b/c of the outstanding value and quality of service you provide. I certainly don't fault anyone for asking for the money up front. Makes perfect sense and is reasonable. For the immediate future we'll stick with collecting after the fact and hopefully continue to grow the trust that y'all have already earned!

Jim,
and that is why there is more than one way to getting things done.
This will work for you and not for me. As long as both you and your client
are satisfied then all is well. The end result is what counts.
You're on the right track with a great product and service.
Thanks for the kind words.
I wish you much success.
Jules

Dave you know what a tremendous fan I am of what you and Steve have accomplished in the restoration arena. And, ECS is a company that has raised the bar for all of us. Your advice is always appreciated and respected. Don't worry about being PC - that's what got this great Nation of ours in the sinkhole it's in today!