Electrician's pay ?

[phil d]

same here. i dont give quotes, estimates only

Oh yes the itemised quote, or as we know it, "I think I know how to do the job, but I,m not sure what bit's to buy, but you'll solve that by providing me with an itemised quote", maybe they'd like a set of written instructions too!

Not too long ago we were pricing jobs for a firm and not getting any of them, it turned out a certain person was passing the quotes to a friend, (no doubt for a backhander) who was incapable of working the job out properly, he was shaving a bit off our quote, and getting the work. The big one came when we lost a job to someone who'd quoted a different spec! We were asked to quote for a job using a certain type of light fitting, the bill for the lights alone was 5K, we could have shaved 4K off using an identical fitting made by a different firm, but no it had to be using kit as specified.

We didn't get the job, then found out that the person who did get it was using the cheaper fittings we'd been told we couldn't use!

 

[Andy™]

someone i work with had problems of not getting the job... so he put some slightly different details on the spec... A N other then arrived with the wrong size shutter / door etc...

 

[Evans Electric]

same here. i dont give quotes, estimates only

Same here  Andy .

Phrases such as :-

" Our price to adequately light your workshop would be ........."

or..

"  Having checked the power requirements of your proposed new machine ,  our quotation to install a suitable electric supply would be ...."

 

[phil d]

Where I used to live we had a lot of people who predominately owned corner shops, they'd want house rewires done, as always as cheap as possible. They'd insist on paying you in 2 parts, 1st fix, then 2nd fix, only trouble was you didn't get called back  to do the second fix a lot of the time. You'd ring them and they'd make excuses as to why it wasn't ready, then a few weeks later someone would be living in it.

Now this started to annoy me, I like people to be open about things, I also like to finish a job, now if they'd said they just wanted a 1st fix I'd have done it but charged a bit more. One day I was doing this house for one of them and decided to leave a little surprise, call it teaching someone a lesson. I wired everything as normal, however I left the 2 legs of the ring under the floor open, basically they came from the mains, up under the bedroom floor and ran into a couple of JB's, the other sides from the sockets were left alongside them, I also left a missing cable on a lighting circuit.

Several weeks later this guy rings me back to tell me his sockets don't work and neither do half of his upstairs lights! I said I was surprised that anything worked, considering that there was no CU or accessories fitted, at this point he blustered on about how a friend had offered to help him by finishing off the rewire, he made some excuse as to why he'd let him do it.

I pointed out that if his "friend" had done the proper tests, then he'd have realised there was an issue before powering up!

I went down and it was all complete, expensive carpets down, fully furnished, etc, I took great delight in making them empty an entire room so I could lift a floorboard at one edge, lol. I took even greater pleasure in massively overcharging him to locate and correct the "fault". Funnily enough they never bothered ringing me again, happy days.

 

[Murdoch]

same here. i dont give quotes, estimates only

Agree. I list the deliverables that they will see but never list or separate out the parts....

 

[Sharpend]

Why would you supply a list of parts in first place? 

All the customer needs to know is that you understand what it is they want, so a repeat back to them of the works to be done is sufficient followed by the important part - the total cost! 

 

[Adam W]

Callout including the first hour: £75

The working day is 9 to 5 so 8 hours in a day: 75x8= £600 per day

5 days in the working week so 5x600= £3000 per week

52 weeks in the year so 52x3000= £156 000 per year.

This doesn't account for:

Jobs lasting longer than an hour,

Travelling time,

Holiday,

Any gaps (of even a minute) between jobs,

Business expenses,

Tax.

The guy has done his sums wrong.

 

[rapparee]

Why would you supply a list of parts in first place? 

All the customer needs to know is that you understand what it is they want, so a repeat back to them of the works to be done is sufficient followed by the important part - the total cost! 

Exactly, two lines to the quote, one for materials, the other for labour.

 

[Murdoch]

Exactly, two lines to the quote, one for materials, the other for labour.

Disagree

1 line describing what you are providing

1 line giving the total.

 

[binky]

I don't separate parts and labour either, it's a price for the job and an outline description of works. Perhaps with mention of specific parts where appropriate, such as top notch expensive gear.

 

[ProDave]

I do a few new builds for the owners. I do labour only, I list the materials and the customer buys them.  This is because I am not VAT registered so I have no choice but pay VAT on materials and pass that on.  A new house should be VAT exempt so getting the owner to buy the parts enables him to reclaim the VAT at the end of the build.

 

[binky]

I've found customers will quibble labour but not parts, so I dislike listing labour separately. I am also VAT registered, so I can claim back VAT on new builds, which covers the extra bits and pieces I always seem to end up doing not included in the original price.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Just

Why would you supply a list of parts in first place? 

An accurate list of all parts, (including boxes/fixings/connectors/sleeve etc) would actually be a long list on anything but the smallest of jobs. You'd need to add extra labour just for the time writing the list. In my mind an "itemised" quote (or estimate) is a brief description of the work to be done, A total of the material costs and labour costs and Gross total. Then any payment terms, timescales penalties etc. No list of actual materials, unless as has be mentioned, there is some special order, high cost item that cannot be canceled or exchanged without penalty.

Out of interest, if anyone is on the other side of the transaction, purchasing some goods or services (e.g. car service or repair), how many here would just accept a single figure quote or invoice that does not itemise the labour and materials costs? Personally I wouldn't use or go back to any business that wont give a reasonable break down of its charges. A single figure bill with no basic cost breakdown explanation gives a bit of a cowboy'ish image in my opinion. 

Doc H. 

 

[Evans Electric]

No Doc , the point is  you are giving away information that can be used by  someone who  is incapable of quoting , or working out cable sizes /  how many circuits etc.  

Win the job .....THEN  ..submit a quote listing how many points , fans, light fittings supplied  or not , testing & notified. 

Even then I don't breakdown the cost to show labour  & materials .      I make a point of showing that the work will be tested , certified  &  Building Control notified  ....I hear many tales of jobs completed , sparks paid up  then it transpires he can't sign it off,    but by then he's galloped off into the sunset. 

 

[Sharpend]

Have you not noticed that many places will give you a quote often without a written copy or breakdown until they have done the job,  then you receive the invoice with breakdown. Why should we be any different? 

 

[binky]

something to do with 'doorstep selling' legislation. No domestic job should be done without a contract in place and 10 day cooling off period apart from emergency works.

 

[Sharpend]

Yes binks but realistically how many door step sellers really abide by this and how many customers really know about this?

 

[ProDave]

something to do with 'doorstep selling' legislation. No domestic job should be done without a contract in place and 10 day cooling off period apart from emergency works.

We have discussed this before. Has anyone ever failed to get payment because the customer said they didn't have a written quote and has "changed their mind"? We know in theory it could happen, but has anyone experienced it?

When I get work done on my car, it always itemises the parts cost and labour, but not in detail, e.g lists "brake pads" without giving an exact part number.

If asked for an estimate I will list parts, but I won't "give away" the design, e.g I don't say "10mm t&e for shower, 6mm t&e for cooker" I just say "cable"

 

[phil d]

We have discussed this before. Ha anyone ever failed to get payment because the customer said they didn't have a written quote and has "changed their mind"? We know in theory it could happen, but has anyone experienced it?

When I get work done on my car, it always itemised the parts cost and labour, but nor in detail, e.g lists "brale pads" without giving an exact part number.

If asked for an estimate I will list parts, but I won't "give away" the design, e.g I don't say "10mm t&e for shower, 6mm t&e for cooker" I just say "cable"

My car repair bills are easy something like this

Replace front disc pads on Citroen Xsara Picasso

1 set pads                          £20.00

1 pack 20 cigs                  £7.65

4 cans Guinness                   £ 5.00

Swearing and cursing        FOC

Total cost £ 32.65

What? A bloke has to have some pleasure when repairing his own car, and I know it's done properly.lol

 

[rapparee]

Out of interest, if anyone is on the other side of the transaction, purchasing some goods or services (e.g. car service or repair), how many here would just accept a single figure quote or invoice that does not itemise the labour and materials costs? 

I always get the two separate. I deal with lots of contractors, they always quote me parts and labour.

It could be painters, forklift mechanics, gas engineers, CCTV installers, robot programmers and a whole lot more.