for small jobs i tell the customer over the phone my minimum charge, they either take it or leave it. Your minimum charge should be at least time and a half, or mostly double time for emergencies
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Just been accused of being a rip-off merchant.
- Thread starter WaterTight
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View the thread, titled "Just been accused of being a rip-off merchant." which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.
S
so-solar
I would of charged 120 for that emergency call out! I work for a couple of insurance companies and they would have paid me 100 for that!
G
gaspastemania
I get loads of customers like that !!! they would be lucky to get any form of call out under £50 from most plumbers or companies i know would say call outs for emergencies are £80 plus .
anyone got cantact details for getting on insurers lists?
£50........you highwayman, at least Dick Turpin wore a mask when he robbed people!!!!
Haa haa....just kidding, that was for nowt, what the hell do customers want ???? cash back????
Seriously though, that was more than fair, most of us would have charged more.
Bob
Haa haa....just kidding, that was for nowt, what the hell do customers want ???? cash back????
Seriously though, that was more than fair, most of us would have charged more.
Bob
See I know I could ask for more but I'm still at the stage where I'd rather secure every job and make what I can then ask for £100 and lose out. I don't charge silly cheap prices or undercut people by ridiculous margins but if I'm at the bottom end of the reasonable scale that's fine. But I am stupid enough (nice enough?) that when an emergency comes in where I'm not actually doing anything else - I don't charge more. On this occassion I had to re-schedule 2 quotes to attend this so I really was cheap.
I usually (90% of the time) remember to give the minimum likely charge over the phone for jobs but it would happne to be the one I forgot to turned out to be a couple who expected what I did for....well, who knows what they'd have been happy with. They didn't ask "What do we owe you?" when I finished. Perhaps they expected it for free?
I usually (90% of the time) remember to give the minimum likely charge over the phone for jobs but it would happne to be the one I forgot to turned out to be a couple who expected what I did for....well, who knows what they'd have been happy with. They didn't ask "What do we owe you?" when I finished. Perhaps they expected it for free?
Infact, now I think about it..... he said "What, £50 and then finishing the job on TOP of that?" To which I obviously, bemused, said yes.
Surely the only thing he could be implying was that this visit would be free. The more I think about it the more I feel instead of being apologetic for having not mentioned the price first I should have had a rant.
Surely the only thing he could be implying was that this visit would be free. The more I think about it the more I feel instead of being apologetic for having not mentioned the price first I should have had a rant.
R
Resolute
No point having a rant. Put in a quote for replacing and see if you get the job - if you do then you know they didn't think you were too expensive.
To see it from the other guys perspective he may have expected one bill for the completed works at the end. Or he may have been shocked at how cheap you are! Another thing I find with older people is they also aren't quite aware of how little a £ is worth these days and he's probably looking back 50 years.
To see it from the other guys perspective he may have expected one bill for the completed works at the end. Or he may have been shocked at how cheap you are! Another thing I find with older people is they also aren't quite aware of how little a £ is worth these days and he's probably looking back 50 years.
M
Mrs Tara Plumbi
I agree it is easy to be out of touch with prices.
I am in my 40's and see invoices for plumbing stuff every day but I also live in the past and am shocked at how dear everything is. I am expecting some of these toilet seats and shower doors to be trimmed with gold!
And yes £50 goes no where. Not even a load of Tesco shopping for my family and doesn't fill car car with petrol.
He could be making general complaint about the cost of everything and still thought your were reasonable within the context of everything being too high. Or more a comment on his own limited funds.
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Ive just been out and sorted out a leak for amate who had screwed through one of the pipes in his bathroom,and charged him a slice of cake and a cup of tea and i to over priced 🙂
you have not charge enough, please go back around and request more money!!
The bloke just phoned me up to have another go. I left a message on his answerphone on friday asking him to phone me if he wanted a price for finishing job but saying I might need to order a tank to fit the space. He phoned me specifically to ask me to repeat my message to him, which I did and then told me he'd bought one himself, done it himself and then said bye and hung up. The guy must genuinely think I'm a con-man and is still reeling from my £50 charge. And now he's done it himself without getting any quotes and seeing how much plumbing work costs he will go on thinking this. Wonderful. I've half a mind to print this thread off and post it through his letterbox.
I had a call from a mate yesterday who asked me how much I would charge for fitting a new float valve to toilet cistern. He had to have a new one fitted whilst I was away on holiday. A local company charged him £160, I would have charged about £30 even if he wasn't a mate.
You undervalue yourself mate, you did the job for a low price. The guy is a waste of space and you're lucky to lose him as a customer.
You undervalue yourself mate, you did the job for a low price. The guy is a waste of space and you're lucky to lose him as a customer.
spot on - it's frustrating but just put it down to experience.
R
Resolute
Ignore it, he'd probably be a nightmare customer to work for anyway.
I'm surprised he called you out though if he's capable of fitting a new one himself!
What a tool, your well out of that one watertight. Bask in the light of the fact he thinks you ripped him off, even though your charge was more than reasonable.
Spread the word to all the tradesmen you know about customer x, that if he ever rings its at least 1.5 a normal job but I would go double and have the camera ready on the mobile.
I'd then just forget about it, it's obviously keeping him up at night if he feels the need to phone you up and go on like a prize plank.
Spread the word to all the tradesmen you know about customer x, that if he ever rings its at least 1.5 a normal job but I would go double and have the camera ready on the mobile.
I'd then just forget about it, it's obviously keeping him up at night if he feels the need to phone you up and go on like a prize plank.
sounds like a tight arsed old git
R
Resolute
Straight to the point!
B
baronwills
You are well rid of customers like that. They think that the 50quid he just paid you goes straight in your back pocket, tax free, and you'll be off down the pub having a laugh at his expense. They dont seem to understand that, yes, you do pay tax, keep a van on the road, pay for insurances, tools, gsr etc.
Even though times are tough for a lot of us, its just not worth getting involved with tossers like that.
Even though times are tough for a lot of us, its just not worth getting involved with tossers like that.
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glenno1
50 for job id be happy i didnt have to pay for ceiling carpets and treasured possessions and still have to get the job done
Just talking to a woman in the street where we been working and she just asked me for a price to fit a cooker, tells her £45 if its one in one out and you would have thought I'd just asked her for a blowie!! "It'll only take you 5 minutes!" she says. I said "Have a phone round love and get some prices then pop back along and tell me what they said" Saw her an hour later and she wanted to book the job in so I said "It's gonna be £60 cos I'll have to come all the way back tomorrow just for 5 minutes!"
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