Am I overpricing?

[rocketmanbkk]

Friends,

Can you tell me what you think please?

Got a call from a woman, toilet not filling or flushing. So, want estimate over phone, said parts maybe £20 plus ish plus labour £40 ish to fix.

Woman says I'm very expensive.

Chap calls to change his bathroom mixer taps, old, no iso valves and he's a nightmare. Did job for him before. Told him £30 to change, he buys new taps. He says £20!

I am not getting many calls or jobs but still not 100% going for it until end April when I'm officially out if work.

Am I getting it so wrong? I live in Berkshire.

Cheers All

Rocket.

 

[on31ll]

No doesnt sound it atall ! Theres customers like that everywhere ! Just do a good job and be trustworthy ! And the people will come

 

[Masood]

That is seriously cheap rates.

 

[rocketmanbkk]

Thanks and yes, I though the prices were good, just as a start up and build a customer base.

Thanks for your replies chaps.

Settled my mind!

 

[Rickster123]

Not expensive mate. Too cheap. One thing I learnt from working or myself is its no good having a big customer base if you aren't making a decent living.

 

[rocketmanbkk]

Yes, agreed. Any customer base would be a bonus but as I say not going for it yet as still employed.

I'll start to crack the whip in 3 odd weeks time and go for it. Hopefully got some work with a plumber on a barn conversion and would also like to stick around to learn a bit of building and see how some things are actually done!

I am sure all will be OK.

Cheers

 

[hammers4spanner]

my work has drtied up rapidly and been sat around for last two weeks so have been back pricing work for custs. Thus far have recieved no work and all i get told by them is 'i want cheap boiler change' etc etc. Does your head in as a cust has no consideration of hassle and costs of business so why return a favour as cheap work??

Can be very frustrating at times

 

[on31ll]

I kmow a kitchen fitter works for £100 a day very very good standard busy but nothing major where my mrs dad charges £240 a day for him and labourer i know he pays the labourer £40 a day so hes £200 a day and he has months and months of people in waiting list for him !

 

[plumber0808]

To cheap IMO I try to be competitive to a extent, if I don't make x amount I think its not worth the hassle and I might as work on the books for a company.
Maybe then I could stop work at 5pm and work normal hours.

I can't go round charging £20 for jobs unless its something silly like open a valve or re pressurise a system.

 

[SimonG]

Too cheap Rocket. You'll find customers like that. I wouldn't worry.

 

[cr0ft]

Friends,

Can you tell me what you think please?

Got a call from a woman, toilet not filling or flushing. So, want estimate over phone, said parts maybe £20 plus ish plus labour £40 ish to fix.

Woman says I'm very expensive.

Chap calls to change his bathroom mixer taps, old, no iso valves and he's a nightmare. Did job for him before. Told him £30 to change, he buys new taps. He says £20!

I am not getting many calls or jobs but still not 100% going for it until end April when I'm officially out if work.

Am I getting it so wrong? I live in Berkshire.

Cheers All

Rocket.

You sound very cheap to me. In my honest opinion these jobs aren't worth bothering with as people will inevitably think you are too expensive for a one hour job. The same people don't have a clue about the actual costs of running a business and just think that they should be able to call a skilled tradesman on the odd occasion and get them out for £20. Always seems to be old people, I know that seems a bit ageist but maybe they should have saved a bit better for their retirement 🙂

That said, I'm working for a lovely old couple at the moment, but that's a different story.

 

[cr0ft]

PS We charge £60+VAT for the first hour which is in line with what the VAT registered gas fitters here are charging.

 

[mfgs]

You are too cheap, I wouldn't even consider doing the jobs for the prices you quoted.

I did the same as you though when I started out on my own 18 months ago. I went in cheap to build a client base, it has worked to an extent as I am now busier than I imagined I would be when I started out. About 6 months ago though when looking over the books, I realised I was working a lot of hours and not earning much. I didn't actually realise the cost of running a business, van, advertising, tools, insurance etc etc. I was astonished at what I was spending. I have since adjusted my prices and I am earning more for doing less work. I have not lost any customers due to a price increase and only a couple have commented that prices have gone up.

 

[REDSAW]

i leave cheap customers like that to the others who charge £20 and argue the price!!

double the price and you get better customers and half the work load?

 

[stevetheplumber]

my first accountant toild me work cheap qand you can work 24/7 but who wants to work 24 /7

 

[SafeGasInstall]

must be 50/h

 

[AWheating]

customers like that can get bent.

your prices seem low.

 

[PlumbersMate]

Anyone can be a busy fool. Too cheap IMO

 

[nicro3]

When you quote for a job, if you dont get it, ring the customer back and ask for feed back.
I am suprised at what a the low cost work is being knocked out for at this time.

 

[Keefy]

Far too cheap. If you're concerned about maintaining your customer base it might be worth offering those prices to them for follow up jobs of a similar nature but for their initial jobs I'd up the prices.