A new start

Hi All

Starting my very own business as a PAT tester after a lifetime in sales. Nice to meet you all.

R

Welcome mate.

Most of us on here avoid PAT testing as its tedious and the rewards are very slim!

What test gear do you have, and do you have a reasonable electrical knowledge?  It sometimes isn't as straightforward as may appear.

I second Murdo's comment .  I only do it for what has reduced to one  regular customer now  , an old customer who visits  schools delivering science lectures , he now only has  about 20 items  ....no one will come out to PAT test  20 items,    we usually sit drinking coffee in the sun , chatting for half a day  @ £50        All the others found someone cheaper .   

To compete with others unknown , I did it for some customers but I wasn't earning a week's wages . 

I felt it necessary  to open the plug tops  & certainly found a few loose connections  & oversized fuses.

I third it!

 I do the communal areas for a large property management company.....usually about 40 items per development.

one customers kitchenettes and hospitality area in an office block and that's it.. I don't do 'per item'.     It costs what it costs plus travel

its not for me although crawling under the desks on 'short skirt Friday ' would be a diversion

I do it occasionally.  I make it clear I am not going to do a per item silly low cost, it's just my hourly rate.

I PAT tested a brand new fridge last week (how ridiculous is it to have to test a brand new appliance just delivered from the shop) and charged £20 for it.

Munce said:

Hi All

Starting my very own business as a PAT tester after a lifetime in sales. Nice to meet you all.

R

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(with tongue in cheek I have to ask)  A Portable Appliance Testing Tester eh?  are you testing the people who do PAT or are you really just a contractor doing PAT?

I never understand why so many people call it PAT testing?  That aside, welcome to the forum, and on a more serious note I would also point out that a huge bulk of customers have no understanding of the real purpose, function or frequency of Portable Appliance Testing. They just seem to work to a misguided perception that everything with a wire on it needs a little sticker every 12months.  For this reason a vast swathe of money grabbing companies have set up little empires employing unskilled button pushers, paid a pittance to go out with a single button tester using "Plug-Press-Print" technology that just auto generates a Pass or Fail sticker in a couple of seconds. (which may or may not always be the be correct result!). Typically they need to be doing over 200 items per hour to possibly scrape the minimum wage. Or as Murdoch said, It is tedious, repetitive, boring for minimal return. I honestly cannot see how anyone could earn a living wage from pure PAT work. if you were a small company with an apprentice/trainee then you could delegate it out to the lowest paid member on you team and maybe make a small amount off it. But very few real electricians will touch it with a barge-pole, unless they have a customer who is expecting to pay real money for a proper test.  I wish you well with your venture but I do hope you have not been duped by one of the many training providers promising gold after a 2-day course + on-line 30minute multi-choice exam.  As a pocket-money earning exercise, for someone winding down into retirement, it could be a workable little project to keep you up and active, getting out of the house to meet customer for a chat & a coffee. But as a main wage earning revenue source it is going to be one almighty hard graft to just about afford a pint & a packet of crisps each day.

Doc H. 

PAT testing was our company’s version of “punishment detail”. Screw up on a job and you were on PAT testing for a month.

Why would anyone want to do it?

ProDave said:

I PAT tested a brand new fridge last week (how ridiculous is it to have to test a brand new appliance just delivered from the shop)

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ive failed brand new stuff before. and more than once

Andy™ said:

ive failed brand new stuff before. and more than once

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Yep, I came across a new extension lead that only had 2 cores once.

It's great to get comments on this thread, my knees are hardy and am mostly looking forward to working with new types of customers (trust me I have thought long and hard about whether it's for me) - I have invested in a Fluke 6500-2 and got my C&Gs in PAT (testing) 

This career is not necessarily 'it' for me, but as a means to bring some extra money in over a three to four day week is pretty ideal. Was thinking of a 90p an item offering with a call out charge of a minimum of £40. Surprisingly I have customers (several offices, schools theatres and charities) lined up already and am just going through business write up to get some start-up funding help.

Keep the advice and comments coming though - all input welcomed.

I know someone who PA tests as a buisness, he reckons some schools are now only paying 75p per item - hardly worth turing up for. Good luck with it anyway, the nice thing about this work is you can book customers in for a return visit every year. 

binky said:

the nice thing about this work is you can book customers in for a return visit every year. 

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6 month for some of my customers

OP have you worked out all your business overheads, and what you want to earn to come up with you charges? And remember you won’t be working 40 hours per week, 48 weeks a year and there is no holiday or sick pay

Beware you you don’t become a very busy, poor, fool

FWIW I have a minimum charge of £60 and that gets 20 items tested. My only exception is that if I’m doing and EICR for a landlord I’ll do it for less as I’m onsite.

@Murdoch - All thought through yes. My wife is already self employed and we have no illusions about rate of income.

On a plus note one of the local schools has booked me in already and have said they will add my name to the local school managers forum. It's a start and time will tell how successful I'll be