Cheap cooker fitting jobs

[firemant]

Why is it customers want engineers to undercut each other? I know the norm is to obtain 3 quotes, but saying someone is £5 cheaper or whatever I see no logic in. If they want to dice around with gas or incompetence, maybe that’s the message we should be sending. Funny how engineers get a bad write up, but very rarely get “use him, knows what he’s talking about”.

Why is the £5 cheaper guy necessarily dangerous. ?

 

[firemant]

Don’t know how you can have a guide price as prices vary up and down the country but to have something to show a customer and say will your other fitter be doing this. This is why there is a cost and my trained skill required

To be honest, it is down to how you run YOUR business. I am employed now, but I had every job set up on my PC. My quote specified what was included, and sometimes what was not. Heating jobs carried a list of options with prices: the client struck out yes or no. It also carried the price of that option if it was deemed required during the course of the works.

The forms were adapted over time, reacting to real life scenarios- such as the first time an apparently okay cylinder split while I was working on it.

 

[firemant]

But this once again comes down to the complete lack of presence by Gas Safe, one week a year they advertise themselves and the rest of the time I still get asked if I’m Corgi. Says it all

Again, it is down to us. Taxi drivers wear their badge. We should automatically show it to punters - they will get the message eventually.

 

[Riley]

But they don’t care mate. I have it round my neck on a lanyard and the badge twice on my work shirts and it’s still corgi this corgi that. I have been asked for my ID once in all the time I’ve been doing this and that was for ID not to see if I was qualified. Yes we should be promoting GS but when they do nothing to promote themselves you lose interest if I’m honest. We approached Gas Safe to have an interest in what we are doing on this site. Contacted their social media and on line expert and we received nothing. Now if that’s not showing interest other than when money is involved I don’t know what is

 

[Burger]

Why is the £5 cheaper guy necessarily dangerous. ?

I didn’t say he was. It was more if the customer wanted to do it themselves or have a friend do it. Like has been said, and I have it said to me, it’s just plugging the hose in isn’t it? When I say “no it’s a bit more than that” i get told it’s a load of bollards and health and safety gone mad.

 

[kasser]

Do you think there should be a guide price and list of tests/checks that should be completed for standard jobs such as boiler service, fitting a cooker, safety checks.
Set out by gas safe and available for the public

That's a good idea but when people still think it's Corgi as Riley said, you now want to confuse them with a list of checks?

To be fair, it's customers who have their head in the sand: the Gas Safe Register logo is on all these vans. When was the last time Joe Public saw the Corgi logo?

 

[kasser]

I didn’t say he was. It was more if the customer wanted to do it themselves or have a friend do it. Like has been said, and I have it said to me, it’s just plugging the hose in isn’t it? When I say “no it’s a bit more than that” i get told it’s a load of bollards and health and safety gone mad.

That's the bit I don't understand. If they think it's just plugging the hose, why do they want to pay someone to do it?

 

[Burger]

That's a good idea but when people still think it's Corgi as Riley said, you now want to confuse them with a list of checks?

To be fair, it's customers who have their head in the sand: the Gas Safe Register logo is on all these vans. When was the last time Joe Public saw the Corgi logo?

Probably not all that long ago, the thing is Corgi still exist as a technical services and home plan -I get mail off them trying to sell me their cover.
Best value boiler cover & insurance

 

[Burger]

That's the bit I don't understand. If they think it's just plugging the hose, why do they want to pay someone to do it?

Dunno.

 

[Steve weightman]

I just tell go on connect if up but will you really know if you've left a gas leak and is it worth it for safeties sake

 

[billski]

I have the same calls all the time. Now I just tell them its £65 for the first hour plus the cost of a new hose. If it goes over an hour it's £50 per hour after that plus any extra materials. I'd say 7 out of 10 go for it.
On another not I fitted a brand new Zanussi cooker a couple of weeks ago and the safety shut off valve didn't work when the lid was shut down. I id'd it and disconnected as you would. Zanussi and the supplier have refused to replace it and have suggested it was installed incorrectly! The elderly client hasn't had a cooker for 2 weeks and there is no number to contact Zanussi direct. I see the review rating for them is 0.8 out of 10 on a 168 reviews,9 so avoid them!

 

[billski]

I have the same calls all the time. Now I just tell them its £65 for the first hour plus the cost of a new hose. If it goes over an hour it's £50 per hour after that plus any extra materials. I'd say 7 out of 10 go for it.
On another not I fitted a brand new Zanussi cooker a couple of weeks ago and the safety shut off valve didn't work when the lid was shut down. I id'd it and disconnected as you would. Zanussi and the supplier have refused to replace it and have suggested it was installed incorrectly! The elderly client hasn't had a cooker for 2 weeks and there is no number to contact Zanussi direct. I see the review rating for them is 0.8 out of 10 on a 168 reviews, so avoid them!

 

[Captain.rick]

People think £20 cash in your pocket is a good payment.
They don’t realise you would struggle to earn £80 a day at that rate and then have to deduct fuel, materials and overheads

I did a boiler service (ideal vogue combi) for a family friend. As her husband just died of the big C I felt sorry for her so did it half price at £30. When she asked (again) at the end and I told her, her response was "blimey £30 for an hours work, I'm in the wrong job!"
The nicer you are the less you are thought of now days

 

[Captain.rick]

People think £20 cash in your pocket is a good payment.
They don’t realise you would struggle to earn £80 a day at that rate and then have to deduct fuel, materials and overheads

I did a boiler service (ideal vogue combi) for a family friend. As her husband just died of the big C I felt sorry for her so did it half price at £30. When she asked (again) at the end and I told her, her response was "blimey £30 for an hours work, I'm in the wrong job!"
The nicer you are the less you are thought of now days

 

[Scott_D]

I did a boiler service (ideal vogue combi) for a family friend. As her husband just died of the big C I felt sorry for her so did it half price at £30. When she asked (again) at the end and I told her, her response was "blimey £30 for an hours work, I'm in the wrong job!"
The nicer you are the less you are thought of now days

You cant win sometimes, best not working for friends/not immediate family

 

[Captain.rick]

You cant win sometimes, best not working for friends/not immediate family

Yeah I think you are right. Awkward to say no sometimes though

 

[Millsy 82]

I did a boiler service (ideal vogue combi) for a family friend. As her husband just died of the big C I felt sorry for her so did it half price at £30. When she asked (again) at the end and I told her, her response was "blimey £30 for an hours work, I'm in the wrong job!"
The nicer you are the less you are thought of now days

I like it when someone like a solicitor says that. I just smile and take the money.

 

[kasser]

You cant win sometimes, best not working for friends/not immediate family

unless you're prepared to work for free...

 

[Steve weightman]

You cant win sometimes, best not working for friends/not immediate family

It can be a thankless task some times