Should you pay for 2 plumbers when only one is required

[Wilts#Dave]

Some odd replies here.....a quote is exactly that, you don't have to take it, and then again whether or not two people turn up to carry out the job should be irrelevant to you (if you give them the job). I agree that not often will a small job will warrant having two qualified tradesman there (plumbing/electrics mainly) but when I quote for work it's up to me who I bring with me etc.

The guy obviously works with his son regardless of the job so yours may not be worth his while as a rule, hence his price being more expensive than a guy on his own.

Prices for all trades seem to be a minefield in my experience, so so varied.

[discobob]

 

 

I'm not sure you're doing the whole self employed thing right....

It is the market that I work in mate - not me doing it wrong, and 90% of the work is on a professional day rate - not hourly

 

I have to cover VAT, PAYE, NICS, travel costs (to client sites), accommodation costs if required, Accountants fees, Corporation Tax and on and on. I too have to attend places at my own cost in order to try and win work - trouble is I am lucky if this is within 1 hour travel time - eg 3 hours total. One I went to and got was 250 miles each way and a two hour interview.

 

Not nipping round on the way home from work - having a look for 10 minutes and then spend a few days deciding how much you chance your arm with a figure you come up with on the back of a fag packet

 

Admittedly though some are done over the telephone - especially if there is some previous contact there

[discobob]

Some odd replies here.....a quote is exactly that, you don't have to take it, and then again whether or not two people turn up to carry out the job should be irrelevant to you (if you give them the job). I agree that not often will a small job will warrant having two qualified tradesman there (plumbing/electrics mainly) but when I quote for work it's up to me who I bring with me etc.

The guy obviously works with his son regardless of the job so yours may not be worth his while as a rule, hence his price being more expensive than a guy on his own.

Prices for all trades seem to be a minefield in my experience, so so varied.

I think you are right - the job I think is too small as I have had a few out and have received 2 quotes out of 6 - one was low (sub £300)but the guy had talked himself out of the running by talking a load of rubbish - and this one.

 

I did have a guy who quoted for the whole lot (plastering,tiling, installation) - we waited 3 months for him and then he contacted us and said he would start a week on Monday - then he was overrunning and then nothing. Now I have a £100 worth of cement and grout that will be past the life soon and will end up at the tip :(

 

I don't mind paying a fair rate for the work - which I feel would be around the £3-400 mark (labour only)

 

It's just a shame that the guy we used to use passed away a couple of years ago :(

[LondonLuke]

It is the market that I work in mate - not me doing it wrong, and 90% of the work is on a professional day rate - not hourly

 

I have to cover VAT, PAYE, NICS, travel costs (to client sites), accommodation costs if required, Accountants fees, Corporation Tax and on and on. I too have to attend places at my own cost in order to try and win work - trouble is I am lucky if this is within 1 hour travel time - eg 3 hours total. One I went to and got was 250 miles each way and a two hour interview.

 

Not nipping round on the way home from work - having a look for 10 minutes and then spend a few days deciding how much you chance your arm with a figure you come up with on the back of a fag packet

 

Admittedly though some are done over the telephone - especially if there is some previous contact there

 

 

I completely understand, I own a property services company in West London and face the same (including the travel time of my guys - though covering much shorter distances in our one hour of travel!)

 

I more meant that if you are earning a standard day rate then surely its better to be on the books without the hassle?

[BattleFieldRelics]

You get what you pay for.

[vampire]

I always try to weed out customers on the phone, those just looking for a quote to check what there mate has quoted, those that live to far away, those that think you can start next month, etc .

Then, on the survey I would try to find out what exactly they have been quoted for and make sure its all like for like, so many people change minds between one contractor and the next and then I think do I really want to spend time in this place when I could fill this slot 10 fold with a much more pleasant customer.

I will on purpose, delay giving a quotation to see if they hassle me, then there gone, because they only want it to compare and they are just a load of hassle which I could inherit for the whole contract .

Then if its purely price they looking for, if you only want a cheap job rather than a professional one then jog on.

Then there's those that want the quote altered again and again, there gone and I will have already wasted my time, my suppliers, my contractors.

Acceptance is in writing then we work out a date, then they wait.

 

Customers don't help and don't buy materials, don't pay cash.

 

If you had six contractors out, one didn't want it the other might not be credible and then the other four didn't want anything to do with the job or possibly yourself, its called commercial awareness.

Always busy, always recommended and I quote the jobs value not how cheap I could do it or how much I can load it.

Cant understand why some people think a tradesman is to expensive when a hair dresser earns more, the woman that cuts my mother in laws nails earns twice as much as me and no one has ever said I am to cheap.

The cost of a job is 1 pence to turn the screw and 99 pence knowing which way to turn it out of which you take off all your overheads.

The bathroom I finish tomorrow just the pipework and sundries cost £400 +

[discobob]

I

The bathroom I finish tomorrow just the pipework and sundries cost £400 +

 

Is that 1p turning the screw and £399.99 knowing which way to turn it Vampire?? Or is it gold plated pipes

 

Seriously though - how many days have you spent and how much has your materials been.... For all we know you are quoting for doing a complete bathroom from scratch - a room that had no plumbing in - I am on about a like for like replacement - toilet, sink, radiator and shower cubicle in the same places with the same services.

 

Also - do you get the red carpet and rose petals every where you walk from your clients who are paying you for granting them your favour and hand feeding you peeled grapes while your pushing your PEX together or tightening a compression fitting??

 

Any way - a rhetorical question that has brought me way more flak and somewhat hurting comments than I thought it would from this forum - I may revisit this thread when the job is done and post some pictures up - hopefully it will past muster with some of the experts on here.

You get what you pay for.

But a lot of the time (around here anyway) - you don't !!

[discobob]

I completely understand, I own a property services company in West London and face the same (including the travel time of my guys - though covering much shorter distances in our one hour of travel!)

 

I more meant that if you are earning a standard day rate then surely its better to be on the books without the hassle?

I am looking as sick of going away - however not much in my line of work where I live and what there is pays peanuts - the ones that don't (I.e. Based from home) usually means travel so no change and also I won't have a choice on what and where I do go :(

[Flashman]

Reading some of the comments on here, both customers and suppliers need educating.

 

No doubt customers do things wrong - I look at my own experiences and the mistakes I made out of naivety.

 

However, some of the tradesmen who have posted on here come across as complete throbbers. Why would you purposely delay sending a quote? Why is it unreasonable for the customers to want to agree a start and end date for the job? We are all in service industries, whether we sell our trade expertise, tax or legal services and customer service is important.

 

If you treat your customer like a doormat, don't be surprised if they are equally rude to you.

[Cosd]

And someone suggesting to labour for them, if that was me the price would go up.

 

Why is that so unreasonable? Unless the second man is doing a "skilled" job, and you the plumber just needs another set of hands, why is the customer offering to labour so unreasonable that you would raise the price?

[Del T]

 

Why is that so unreasonable? Unless the second man is doing a "skilled" job, and you the plumber just needs another set of hands, why is the customer offering to labour so unreasonable that you would raise the price?

Because we'd spend all of our time explaining what we are doing and why. Whereas a plumbers mate would just get on with it as he's done it 100 times before.

Some customers expect you to train them whilst you're trying to get the job done. Next time you see them they've put in their own bathroom, kitchen sink etc.

 

Knocking a wall down, ,knocking tiles off etc etc then fair enough, a customer could help but putting fittings in the toilet cistern with putting the washers on the right way round or fitting a waste in a basin properly it would be quicker for the plumber to do it himself.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Del T

[bostonmick]

 

Why is that so unreasonable? Unless the second man is doing a "skilled" job, and you the plumber just needs another set of hands, why is the customer offering to labour so unreasonable that you would raise the price?

So if you let the customer help say putting the cistern together and it fails who would cover this as far as warranty goes.

[Winston72]

And someone suggesting to labour for them, if that was me the price would go up.

+1

[mowdy]

 

Why is that so unreasonable? Unless the second man is doing a "skilled" job, and you the plumber just needs another set of hands, why is the customer offering to labour so unreasonable that you would raise the price?

Because if the customer says they will do the labour they work for 10. Mins then have to go and just do this and are never seen again and the job takes twice as long 999 times out of a1000 and they complain because the Jobtook twice as long and cost twice the price of the estimate. Edited October 14, 2016 by mowdy

[sitsinhedges]

 

Why is that so unreasonable? Unless the second man is doing a "skilled" job, and you the plumber just needs another set of hands, why is the customer offering to labour so unreasonable that you would raise the price?

 

Having a customer in the way ******* about would just be slowing you down, and that's besides him just being a cheapskate.

[vampire]

Is that 1p turning the screw and £399.99 knowing which way to turn it Vampire?? Or is it gold plated pipes

 

Seriously though - how many days have you spent and how much has your materials been.... For all we know you are quoting for doing a complete bathroom from scratch - a room that had no plumbing in - I am on about a like for like replacement - toilet, sink, radiator and shower cubicle in the same places with the same services.

Also - do you get the red carpet and rose petals every where you walk from your clients who are paying you for granting them your favour and hand feeding you peeled grapes while your pushing your PEX together or tightening a compression fitting??

Any way - a rhetorical question that has brought me way more flak and somewhat hurting comments than I thought it would from this forum - I may revisit this thread when the job is done and post some pictures up - hopefully it will past muster with some of the experts on here.

 

But a lot of the time (around here anyway) - you don't !!

Contract is 12k ish and a complete remodel and extend into bedroom, completely replaced everything inc floor and wall covering ready to receive new large tiling and luxury bath suite and I do everything except electrics.They waited since beginning of may and I am one day over how long I quoted.

They, as most to be honest have given me the keys and stocked up on cakes and biscuits, never saw any grapes though I do pick who I work for and where I work, would you work for anyone/anywhere if its your money bank rolling the job or perhaps you would get selective i am, I don't need every job just the right ones

 

Reading some of the comments on here, both customers and suppliers need educating.

 

No doubt customers do things wrong - I look at my own experiences and the mistakes I made out of naivety.

 

However, some of the tradesmen who have posted on here come across as complete throbbers. Why would you purposely delay sending a quote? Why is it unreasonable for the customers to want to agree a start and end date for the job? We are all in service industries, whether we sell our trade expertise, tax or legal services and customer service is important.

 

If you treat your customer like a doormat, don't be surprised if they are equally rude to you.

Totally wrong, i go out of my way to look after my customers and that's why I don't want everyone of them or wrong ones as they only attract others.

As for delaying the quote, if I go out and do survey quickly then send quote quick turn around I have already worked overtime and bought no time for myself only stress, most of my new customers are willing to wait as they already know I am always busy,i give them an idea of when and confirm nearer their date.

Edited October 14, 2016 by vampire