Is this even option....shoot me if not

[DaveS79]

Don’t want to state the obvious, but the wall is a solid wall? 

Yeah it is mate think only options to either take rad off temporarily or convince her to have some sort of trunking adaption. Give her price for all the other works and price for the sockets and said this might have to be adjusted if more to it. She's as good as gold in all honesty and going ahead with the works.

 

[Evans Electric]

. Coming upto first full year self employed now. Spent more time in evenings trying to find solutions to jobs than actually on them I think  bloody maze trying to plan works and stick within regs at times and still miss the obvious. All good though suppose each year goes by make a few less howlers.

As we always say on here , every day is learning day ...and we can all miss the bleedin' obvious,   often   by over thinking it .   

I'm guessing you are fairly young  ,  ( Most people are compared to some of us on here )  

I've noticed with some younger sparks , who are very capable , but have been exposed to this modern attitude of scary blame , must follow every page of the Regs  etc etc   .  Couple of guys I met seemed almost frightened to open their toolboxes without writing a Risk Assessment  & checking the Regs book. 

You obviously care about what you do or you wouldn't be thinking it out  & asking on here .  

Perhaps I can offer a few pointers and others may join in . 

1.  Look at every job before quoting .

2.  The quickest & simple way is usually the best . 

3.  Don't be talked into firing out a price off the top of your head , like a second hand car dealer.... make notes , take phone photo , get contact details , then sit down & work out a          a suitable  price   that covers your costs & gives a profit .  

4.   This trade must be the worst for over-regulation  (along with Gas)   but you are on the front line ,trying to earn a living , you need to decide upon your method of installation 

        and stick to it .... leave the over thinking & the umming & ahhing   to the shiny suit brigade with  their warm offices & their tools rusting away .  

You'll get loads of advice on here , don't be afraid to ask .  

 

[kerching]

I've been doing this job for a few weeks now. I NEVER give a rough verbal estimate on site AND I never send the estimate the same day as I price it.  If I sleep soundly , then I look at it again the following day , and unless anything leaps out at me th n I send it

remember if it looks like , sounds like , smells like , tastes like There is frick all likelihood of it being a chocolate brownie and you don't want to be left with it stuck to you

just saying

 

[Murdoch]

I've been doing this job for a few weeks now. I NEVER give a rough verbal estimate on site AND I never send the estimate the same day as I price it.  If I sleep soundly , then I look at it again the following day , and unless anything leaps out at me then I send it

Same here, except CU replacements - where I give an estimate face to face to see their reaction.........

 

[kerching]

I love it when customers want a fixed quote.....bearing in mind I don't ( or very rarely ) do 'normal' stuff

my XYZ machine wont work. How much to fx it? Fixed quote

£55k mate!...max price of new machine

eg it once took,me 2 days to locate a fault on a machine. Cost of parts ? 60p as I had to buy a pack of 10!!

second example

5 minutes to diagnose fault...cost of parts about £5k

 

[DaveS79]

As we always say on here , every day is learning day ...and we can all miss the bleedin' obvious,   often   by over thinking it .   

I'm guessing you are fairly young  ,  ( Most people are compared to some of us on here )  

I've noticed with some younger sparks , who are very capable , but have been exposed to this modern attitude of scary blame , must follow every page of the Regs  etc etc   .  Couple of guys I met seemed almost frightened to open their toolboxes without writing a Risk Assessment  & checking the Regs book. 

You obviously care about what you do or you wouldn't be thinking it out  & asking on here .  

Perhaps I can offer a few pointers and others may join in . 

1.  Look at every job before quoting .

2.  The quickest & simple way is usually the best . 

3.  Don't be talked into firing out a price off the top of your head , like a second hand car dealer.... make notes , take phone photo , get contact details , then sit down & work out a          a suitable  price   that covers your costs & gives a profit .  

4.   This trade must be the worst for over-regulation  (along with Gas)   but you are on the front line ,trying to earn a living , you need to decide upon your method of installation 

        and stick to it .... leave the over thinking & the umming & ahhing   to the shiny suit brigade with  their warm offices & their tools rusting away .  

You'll get loads of advice on here , don't be afraid to ask .  

Thanks Evans advice really appreciated mate. Unfortunately not as young as would like to be.....41. Been spark about 16 years but all mainly commercial. Can bend tube for England and make off armoured glands in record time : ) but learning the domestic game whole nuver kettle of fish. Wouldn't change it best decision ever made going it alone and got more work than can handle at minute but so many things having to learn in quick time from various smart home systems to fixing window actuators to jacuzzi pumps : ) the domestic field can throw up a different challenge every day and on top of that trying to stick with regs as close as possible to cover arse. Learning through mistakes especially like you say with trying to get pinned down on pricing there and then. Take time now and get back to them when clearer. If not sure on something they either get an estimate or hourly rate with capped day charge to cover the unforseen. 

 

[DaveS79]

Same here, except CU replacements - where I give an estimate face to face to see their reaction.........

It's not usually a pretty face I get when I drop the fuse board price in mate. They don't generally look happy lol. Got one at minute did EICR and just getting that arranged have had to deal with both the missus and the hubby via email. Got email tonight think they expecting report before payment of invoice....like any chance of that. I don't think their faces going to be a pretty one when get unsatisfactory rating and price to make good. A landlord with the gaff prob worth 700k so not one I'll lose sleep over

 

[Murdoch]

It's not usually a pretty face I get when I drop the fuse board price in mate. They don't generally look happy lol. Got one at minute did EICR and just getting that arranged have had to deal with both the missus and the hubby via email. Got email tonight think they expecting report before payment of invoice....like any chance of that. I don't think their faces going to be a pretty one when get unsatisfactory rating and price to make good. A landlord with the gaff prob worth 700k so not one I'll lose sleep over

I’ve never withheld a report or certificate until payment ...

 

[DaveS79]

I’ve never withheld a report or certificate until payment ...

You give unsatisfactory reports to people you've never met before payment?

 

[Murdoch]

You give unsatisfactory reports to people you've never met before payment?

yup, but most of the time I’ve met them 

 

[OnOff]

Isn't it that the EICR is actually incomplete until the certs are issued?

 

[DaveS79]

yup, but most of the time I’ve met them 

Most of mine come direct through email. Never speak to them don't know them from Adam. Most if do have any conversation just assume they are going to get a satisfactory rating. Conversations like oh it's worked fine for years and what do you mean it might take 3-5 hours. For the work I do and preparation of report I think it's justified I get paid every time and not have to wait for it either.

 

[DaveS79]

Isn't it that the EICR is actually incomplete until the certs are issued?

Not in my book. The agreement is to pay for the inspection regardless of the findings. You pay for the inspection I give you my findings.

 

[Murdoch]

Not in my book. The agreement is to pay for the inspection regardless of the findings. You pay for the inspection I give you my findings.

wow

 

[OnOff]

wow

As I alluded to, providing the cert is part and parcel of the EICR (I'll happily be corrected on that). People are in effect paying you, THEN you are completing the work. 

 

[DaveS79]

As I alluded to, providing the cert is part and parcel of the EICR (I'll happily be corrected on that). People are in effect paying you, THEN you are completing the work. 

wow

People amaze me. Why should you not be ensured of payment or have to wait weeks on end wondering if so and so is going to pay you. If I have made a commitment of time and in some circumstances financial ones by paying for materials. I do job. I have shown enough commitment thank you very much. Customer makes payment. Cert is issued. It's a two way street in my book. It works for me anyway and I haven't not been paid yet.

 

[OnOff]

People amaze me. Why should you not be ensured of payment or have to wait weeks on end wondering if so and so is going to pay you. If I have made a commitment of time and in some circumstances financial ones by paying for materials. I do job. I have shown enough commitment thank you very much. Customer makes payment. Cert is issued. It's a two way street in my book. It works for me anyway and I haven't not been paid yet.

Not knocking you at all. Kudos to you and all that.

You'd love me, I've just paid BEFORE the EICR's been done on a let!   Just had the letting agent arrange it. Being done possibly "after 4pm today" or tomorrow. 

Please don't think all landlords are minted btw. Do it by the book then get a tenant default and end up owing you over £7K and it's hilarious, trust me. 

 

[Murdoch]

People amaze me. Why should you not be ensured of payment or have to wait weeks on end wondering if so and so is going to pay you. If I have made a commitment of time and in some circumstances financial ones by paying for materials. I do job. I have shown enough commitment thank you very much. Customer makes payment. Cert is issued. It's a two way street in my book. It works for me anyway and I haven't not been paid yet.

I simply don't believe that somebody should pay for a report before seeing it? 

If you have the customer request in writing and they don't pay, take them to court for non payment.

So do you expect to pay for your mot and not know if it's passed Orr failed?

 

[DaveS79]

Not knocking you at all. Kudos to you and all that.

You'd love me, I've just paid BEFORE the EICR's been done on a let!   Just had the letting agent arrange it. Being done possibly "after 4pm today" or tomorrow. 

Please don't think all landlords are minted btw. Do it by the book then get a tenant default and end up owing you over £7K and it's hilarious, trust me. 

I hear you onoff if come across like very little respect for landlords not the case but deal with alot of landlords/agents whose views of what an EICR actually is varies widely. Hard not to develop some sort of attitude towards them when alot clearly only care about getting the satisfactory rating rather than the safety of tenants. At same time deal with clients/landlords that developed level of trust with and not so rigid. 

 

[OnOff]

Had my EICR done yesterday by the letting agent's favoured sparks (NICEIC AC). Didn't know him from Adam. Seemed over the Moon when the wife spoke to him that I'd left the previous EICR in a pocket next to the cu.

I went through everything beforehand mind.

Satisfactory with just a C3 ref the insulated ("combustable" ) cu and a comment noting a new cu fitted 7 years ago to the 17th.