Plumbers - just WTF is wrong with them?
Discussion
V8RX7 said:
It's a simple fact.
Followed by another simple fact.
Tradesmen generally don't have the same mindset as office workers - which is fortunate otherwise there'd be no Tradesmen because when you look at the risk V reward it rarely stacks up.
Correct. The basic problem is that to be a good tradesman in one of the technical trades requires intelligence and problem solving skills and more of a level that you'd be much better rewarded not to mention better working environment in many other jobs. Followed by another simple fact.
Tradesmen generally don't have the same mindset as office workers - which is fortunate otherwise there'd be no Tradesmen because when you look at the risk V reward it rarely stacks up.
The whole sole trader plumbers etc earning 50k+ is a myth, unless hes charging £100-150 just for walking through the door, do the math, and dont forget he'll be vat reg too. Then look at the real world where you have wallahs moaning that their doors not being broken down for £20 and you see the gulf. Peoples attitudes are the reason trades try to hide the real profit/earnings. Yeah sure you get the tasty job that scores you £2k for a week but thats far from every week. In fact a lot of my work these days is clearing up the horrors left behind by those wonderfull subservient supercheap "hard workers" everybody wants.
Trades is mugs game for anyone good enough to be great but a decent job for anyone poor at it. I do it cos my brain wont take the crap employers deem their priviledge to dish out; probably quite a common mindset.
scenario8 said:
He left within half an hour fifty pounds the richer.
(*) So that £100 per hour. I'm in a similar locale and have no problem getting hold of a plumber, albeit within a week, as long as I pay about that sort of money. * - yes i know whey won't actually earn that much because they have empty slots, sitting in traffic (especially London) or queuing in ScrewFix. As you say, always get the spares ready for them so you don't waste their time or your money.fido said:
scenario8 said:
He left within half an hour fifty pounds the richer.
(*) So that £100 per hour. I'm in a similar locale and have no problem getting hold of a plumber, albeit within a week, as long as I pay about that sort of money. * - yes i know whey won't actually earn that much because they have empty slots, sitting in traffic (especially London) or queuing in ScrewFix. As you say, always get the spares ready for them so you don't waste their time or your money.
fido said:
(*) So that £100 per hour. I'm in a similar locale and have no problem getting hold of a plumber, albeit within a week, as long as I pay about that sort of money. * - yes i know whey won't actually earn that much because they have empty slots, sitting in traffic (especially London) or queuing in ScrewFix. As you say, always get the spares ready for them so you don't waste their time or your money.
Nobody is earning £100 per hour 037 said:
Nobody is earning £100 per hour
I charge a flat fee of £125 for boiler 'main' part replacement (PCB, fan, pump etc) + the cost of the part. Very rarely does it take me more than an hour to change these parts. In the case of a fan it takes me usually about 10 minutes. So very, very often I earn more than £100 an hour. Doing combi swaps I can often earn around or more than that also. Of course that isn't every day, every week. But i'm sorry to tell you that many plumbers are earning that kind of cash on a regular basis. See my earlier post about how this is related to why they are hard to get hold of....
LookAtMyCat said:
I charge a flat fee of £125 for boiler 'main' part replacement (PCB, fan, pump etc) + the cost of the part. Very rarely does it take me more than an hour to change these parts. In the case of a fan it takes me usually about 10 minutes. So very, very often I earn more than £100 an hour. Doing combi swaps I can often earn around or more than that also.
Of course that isn't every day, every week. But i'm sorry to tell you that many plumbers are earning that kind of cash on a regular basis. See my earlier post about how this is related to why they are hard to get hold of....
What do you charge for the average combi change over or system boiler to combi? Where are you in the U.K.?Of course that isn't every day, every week. But i'm sorry to tell you that many plumbers are earning that kind of cash on a regular basis. See my earlier post about how this is related to why they are hard to get hold of....
No doubt you are worth your fee. Always thought we take our heating and hot water a little for granted.
I should have written that no one is earning £100 per hour x8 hrs x 8 days.
LookAtMyCat said:
I charge a flat fee of £125 for boiler 'main' part replacement (PCB, fan, pump etc) + the cost of the part. Very rarely does it take me more than an hour to change these parts. In the case of a fan it takes me usually about 10 minutes. So very, very often I earn more than £100 an hour. Doing combi swaps I can often earn around or more than that also.
Of course that isn't every day, every week. But i'm sorry to tell you that many plumbers are earning that kind of cash on a regular basis. See my earlier post about how this is related to why they are hard to get hold of....
You need to also include the time taken to drive to the house, maybe twice (diagnosis and fitting). Time taken to order the part, create the invoice, diesel for the van etc etc. Labour is only one part of the service provided.Of course that isn't every day, every week. But i'm sorry to tell you that many plumbers are earning that kind of cash on a regular basis. See my earlier post about how this is related to why they are hard to get hold of....
rustyuk said:
LookAtMyCat said:
I charge a flat fee of £125 for boiler 'main' part replacement (PCB, fan, pump etc) + the cost of the part. Very rarely does it take me more than an hour to change these parts. In the case of a fan it takes me usually about 10 minutes. So very, very often I earn more than £100 an hour. Doing combi swaps I can often earn around or more than that also.
Of course that isn't every day, every week. But i'm sorry to tell you that many plumbers are earning that kind of cash on a regular basis. See my earlier post about how this is related to why they are hard to get hold of....
You need to also include the time taken to drive to the house, maybe twice (diagnosis and fitting). Time taken to order the part, create the invoice, diesel for the van etc etc. Labour is only one part of the service provided.Of course that isn't every day, every week. But i'm sorry to tell you that many plumbers are earning that kind of cash on a regular basis. See my earlier post about how this is related to why they are hard to get hold of....
There's a gulf between an engineer and a fitter/technician.
I'd liken it to my old amazing local garage, I had a small lip on a set of very very expensive discs, other garages wanted to replace them, this garage said "i'll stick them in the lathe and take the lip off".
jason61c said:
I'd liken it to my old amazing local garage, I had a small lip on a set of very very expensive discs, other garages wanted to replace them, this garage said "i'll stick them in the lathe and take the lip off".
It's simply that parts have got cheaper and labour more expensive.I used to fit new pistons and seal kits to brake calipers - but a complete reconditioned caliper is typically only around £20 more - it just isn't worth it.
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Careful, I was lambasted by some on this thread a while for suggesting that less than 5 minutes work from a plumber on the same road as me was not fair value at £80
I missed that but IMO it's neither fair or unfair - stipulating a minimum charge (e.g. 1/2 hour or hour) is up to the individual plumber surely? He might turn up and it doesn't take 5 minutes to do the job. Or he just doesn't like small jobs.Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
fido said:
scenario8 said:
He left within half an hour fifty pounds the richer.
(*) So that £100 per hour. I'm in a similar locale and have no problem getting hold of a plumber, albeit within a week, as long as I pay about that sort of money. * - yes i know whey won't actually earn that much because they have empty slots, sitting in traffic (especially London) or queuing in ScrewFix. As you say, always get the spares ready for them so you don't waste their time or your money.GG89 said:
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
fido said:
scenario8 said:
He left within half an hour fifty pounds the richer.
(*) So that £100 per hour. I'm in a similar locale and have no problem getting hold of a plumber, albeit within a week, as long as I pay about that sort of money. * - yes i know whey won't actually earn that much because they have empty slots, sitting in traffic (especially London) or queuing in ScrewFix. As you say, always get the spares ready for them so you don't waste their time or your money.
t. I'd not run my business or speak to customers like he did me. Anyways, there's little less productive in life that arguing with strangers on the internet, so I'm off out for some Sunday lunch
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Well, you're entitled to your opinion, I'm entitled to mine. At the time those I mentioned it to (IRL) agreed with my opinion that he was a tt. I'd not run my business or speak to customers like he did me.
Anyways, there's little less productive in life that arguing with strangers on the internet, so I'm off out for some Sunday lunch
Why not make it yourself and save whatever ripoff markup the place wants over the ingredients cost?t. I'd not run my business or speak to customers like he did me. Anyways, there's little less productive in life that arguing with strangers on the internet, so I'm off out for some Sunday lunch
hairyben said:
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Well, you're entitled to your opinion, I'm entitled to mine. At the time those I mentioned it to (IRL) agreed with my opinion that he was a tt. I'd not run my business or speak to customers like he did me.
Anyways, there's little less productive in life that arguing with strangers on the internet, so I'm off out for some Sunday lunch
Why not make it yourself and save whatever ripoff markup the place wants over the ingredients cost?t. I'd not run my business or speak to customers like he did me. Anyways, there's little less productive in life that arguing with strangers on the internet, so I'm off out for some Sunday lunch
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