How Are You Finding It

[northernspark]

Did an oven last Saturday, Galley kitchen only just as wide as the oven and it was a double aswell lol

Flat out with my subby work hopefully til March on this one job, got a good size rewire starting in 3 weeks time and my weekends are currently spent doing an occupied business rewire where we can only get in for a few hours a day and it's cut to the bone price wise too

 

[thewiz]

it seem like a most ppl are sub contracting to to other sparks? 

if you dont mind me asking how much do they pay you on an hourly basis? 

We only use sparks on the books atm but will need to sub some work out (maybe) OR do most of you do price work for them?

 

[steptoe]

all my work is price,

I very seldom sub to other sparks, they generally want top notch work for crap money,

thats why they sub it out usually because their own guys cant[or wont] deliver for the money on offer.

if I sub at an hourly rate its my rate, not theirs, thats why its all price for me.

 

[Apache]

Steps, what happens when you come across something you hadn't foreseen and the job takes twice as long?

I charge what I think I am worth and if everything goes swimmingly the client pays less, if the job is harder they pay more.

 

[steptoe]

Steps, what happens when you come across something you hadn't foreseen and the job takes twice as long?

I charge what I think I am worth and if everything goes swimmingly the client pays less, if the job is harder they pay more.

for the 99.99999% of my sub work I have the price for what Im doing, anything unforseen hasnt yet happened,

that I am liable for in my price anyway,

Im in a bit of a unique situation in a way the way my subby work is set up,

anything non standard I come across is usually negotiated with the site manager with no issues so far in almost 2years of getting variations signed off.

 

[Sharpend]

Similar to steps, all price work, anything unforeseen (ie not my doing) is charged for at what I think it's worth to me. Similarly no problems with payment for the past 10 years. People get too hung up on price, you charge what you think you're worth, anything less you're selling yourself short!

Reality is no one is going to tell you you're charging too little, so keep charging because they'll soon tell you when you're charging too much!! Then if you believe that you're not over milking it then find other people to work for.

 

[BlueFlashAsh]

if any of you are based near me id be more than happy to help get the work out on the weekends or even full time

 

[thewiz]

my misses is a vet. but they dont do that. they quote and if it gets complicated they dont charge any more. 

 

[Evans Electric]

One thing I'd say with quoting a job......never let people bully a price out of you ...... you know the senario, they rattle off a great long list of things to be done , propelling you from room to room at great speed then its...right !  How much will that cost me ?   

I think some guys try to be the "Smart Arse"  and snap a figure back at them .   No way ....go back to the office with your list and notes ( and specially your phone pics)   sit down with cuppa , light a fag (if you must)   and go through it section by section .  

For smaller jobs , if you look at the final figure and say ..."  Do I mind doing that job for that amount ...seems fair enough ...I covered everything ...worst situation ...I'm there for an extra day ..so what .. is it important in the great scheme of things ... next job you could finish a day early ...Right type it up !!!

You can win and lose with your quote .    We were moving a print works 1/2 mile to new premises , old one to be demolished .     Based on past experience I factored in 2 weeks for 1 man ,  to keep going to old premises to disconnect machines ready for moving  and at the end  to shut everything down ready for demolition .

We never went there ......  machines kept appearing at the new premises  when we were ready for them ...just never went up there again ..didn't ask what was happening ..just knew we were 2 weeks wages in front .  :innocent   :coat        

 

[kerching]

Personally speaking, and I have been doing this for a long time.

My quote ( i prefer estimates but will,give a fixed quote if pushed really really hard) lists everything that WILL be done and more importantly everything that WILL not be done and has not been allowed for.

Also I NEVER send a quote the same day and I always sleep on it!

Works for me

 

[batty]

Wise words.

 

[thewiz]

i dont do quotes only estimates, but always hit the estimate price. only additions to cost is the extra work they add on 

 

[kerching]

Less than 1% of my work is quotes.......there are a very few that insist on it, but. They have to so they can satisfy the bean counters, I just get them to agree to paying the extras as Day work. Apparently the payments come out of different budgets, never had a problem yet

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Whether you are doing  quotes or estimates..

Excluding the very smallest of jobs...

I think a written schedule of agreed work is an essential item....

So everyone knows if any extra work is added it clearly was not in the original agreed works so additional charges will be due.

Prevents the customer saying "oh I thought I told you about that at the beginning and you said you would do it!"

opcorn

 

[Steve3948]

90% of our work is tender, so no estimates accepted.

 

[Jono Pashley]

Cant complain busy enough with more work coming in.

 

[ProDave]

Well I CAN complain.

I've said before, this is "silly season"

I'm 9-5 5 days a week. I refuse to work weekends, I get little enough time to do my own stuff as it is.

New customers who phone are simply getting told I can't do anything until after Christmas.

What does pain me, is regular, reliable customers are having to be told to wait, and I'll try and re schedule some stuff to fit you in. then I'm having to re schedule stuff to square the circle and let someone else down.

I'm really looking forward to January, when it should quieten down and I will finally get more time for my own stuff, and won't have to let people down.

How anyone manages (to keep sane) if you work at that workload all year beats me.