Why Do We Charge So Little?

[Blue Duck]

Had a plumber round to put on a new rad and sort out a couple of minor issues and he wanted £65/hr! I nearly fell over laughing and agreed a day rate.

Man in van services £35/hr

Gardening services £35/hr

Rubbish clearance £25/hr

:C

 

[Phoenix]

That is on the high side, round here a large mechanical contractor charges out at £35/hour. If they are charged the same rate for electrical work, they kick up a bit of a fuss

 

[Blue Duck]

These are London rates

 

[Sharpend]

You can see why there are so many poor people compared to rich in London at those prices!

 

[pewter]

I think compared to plumbers and mechanics we do not charge enough.

Compared to some other professional services like opticians/ dentists, we realy are the bottom of the pile.

I'm sure my mate who is a decorator does better then us sparks do sometimes. He doesn't drive, has very little expenses, except for being in the pub by 3 every afternoon.

 

[kerching]

Decorator...

Couple of pairs of steps

Plank

Sandpaper

Filler

Big roller

Tampax roller

Filling knife

Dustsheet

A few brushes

Pair o scissors

Knife

Ruler

Attitude problem

Electrician.....does not even bear thinking about the plant/tools/test kit i have got

Mind you....I am reassuringly expensive

Just clarifying

Just saying

 

[binky]

I work on £30/ hour these days, which is about as much as I can get away with. Smaller jobs get charged a bit more ie first hour £50

 

[ProDave]

£25 per hour up here. Even my mechanic that fixes my cars is only £27 per hour. Plumbers about the same.

Occasionally I still get "how much?" usually from an old lady expecting me to charge £5 to fix a broken light switch. And even more occasionally I get "are you sure that's enough" in which case a quick look of deep thought and "oh I forgot to include materials" increases the bill a little :innocent

 

[Blue Duck]

Not sure what decorators charge but my mate used to do it £500 a room, basicly 2.5 days. Mechanics... Mine charges £45/hr a specialist £60/hr and a stealer well the sky's the limit.

There are the like of pimlico who charge £85/hr but generally sparkies round here charge the same as a man in van

Had a customer wanting me to do some private work for her I said she wasn't going to like paying me £45/hr to fix old table lamps and she declined :lol: probably the richest old bint I ever did see!

 

[Blue Duck]

Today I tried to find someone to clear some waste thats building up in the garden. 

7 rubble bags

timber from an old window

some MDF and plasterboard

an old table and 3 chairs

1/4 a transit van?

First company £170

second company £180

I got it out of one of the guys that they pay £80/tonne to the dump 

They can get up to £720 a van load!!!

Finally found someone to do it for £90 which is too much IMO!

I should just do it myself but don't have the time!  I could pay those with no fixed abode £50 to dump it on a dual carriageway.

 

[kerching]

Mick the Muck around here does half a high top long wheelbase Iveco Van load for £60

Him and his lad load it AND if you have it in tubs or bins or half Decent bags then they return them the next day

Just not worth my time going to the tip

 

[ProDave]

I always take my own rubbish to the local tip recycling centre. It's only 3 miles away.  They even let you take your private rubbish in a sign written van as long as you sign a form to declare it is your personal waste from your own house.

Of course scrap waste from the job, old CU's etc goes in the bottom of the wheelie bin at home   :run