I got a call from a customer that had chipped the pencil edge sink cutout of her granite countertop again. The previous chip repairs still looked pretty good, but the new one was like a stain on her favorite party dress that she couldn’t wear until it was removed.

At our initial meeting, I explained that the best option was to remove the faucet and re-profile the sink edge, replacing the pencil style with a more rounded edge that is much more likely to survive a dropped pan. The chips wouldn’t be repaired; they’d be eliminated. Of course this is more work, and subsequently more money than a topical chip repair. She declined.

Well, here I am again, and fixing another chip just like I predicted I would be, only this time when I’m finished and she pays the second bill she will have paid more totally than she would have if she had hired me to re-profile the first time. So, she’s paid to have the edge re-profiled, but hasn’t had it done. She’s paying more for repairs than needed.

I’ve got a friend Lenny who’s a cabinetmaker. For 30 years, he’s had the lower-paid guys in his shop apply edging to doors and drawer fronts by hand as compared to purchasing an edgebander. One guy pushing parts through an edgebanding machine can do the work of four guys working by hand. Since labor is the largest expense of running a shop, it doesn’t take a mathematician to calculate the cost effectiveness of modern machinery. Even though an edgebander never calls in sick, Luddite Lenny only knows that if work slows down, he can lay his guys off, but he can’t stop making payments on the edgebander. This irrational fear has cost him tens of thousands of dollars over the years. He’s paid for several edgebanders by now and has never taken delivery of a single machine.

I recently repaired a failed seam in a raised granite bar. The problems began with the builder using partition, instead of structural steel studs, to build the supporting wall and were exacerbated by the granite fabricator not designing and utilizing a proper steel frame for support. Of course, these things cost money and that makes the price of the home less competitive, so, in typical short-term thinking, corners get cut and the eventual homebuyer pays the price. With the cost of the repairs, the homeowner has paid for a custom steel frame, but hasn’t gotten one.

Is this a lack of salesmanship on my part and on the part of the edgebander salesman and granite fabricator? Is it our fault our customers are setting their money on fire because we were unable to persuade them of the value we offered by spending a little more up front?

You know how you don’t need to consult with your spouse over a Starbucks purchase? I’m wondering if that isn’t going on here somewhat. My lady with the chips probably doesn’t have to consult with her husband to get them fixed, but a more substantial and permanent repair would require an approval that she’s not in the mood to seek. In the meantime, I’ll continue to push the value of comprehensive repairs.