A quote for my mate SOFTUS!

[gremlin16]

Not a hope in hell of the post arriving on time.

Or are the poor sods that get their cards in January accustomed to having early xmas cards

 

[happyskyper]

If only it was up to me Id have it sorted in no time!

 

[gremlin16]

Just like you've sorted THE MAIL, AFTER XMAS

It will be after xmas though as I will have to save for it!

 

[Deluks]

Now, looking at it from his point of view.

Were a tradesman to buy a 'Phangle Bracket' for £400, and sell it to his customer at £400, then integrate the time taken to collect, cost of phone etc, to the overall labour charge, then the customer would be a lot less confused as to where all the money's going, and less likely to be worried that the builder in question was adding on bits 'here and there'

The tradesman needn't be out of pocket by not charging a markup on materials, as he should take into account the costs involved in acquiring the materials when pricing up the job.

Example: builder A. Quotes for labour, £3000, mats £1000

builder B. Charges labour £3300, mats £700

Same price, but look at it from clients perspective...

Client of builder A, sees that he's been charged £500 for a phangle bracket, goes online to check the price , and sees that it can be had for less. Client feels ripped off.

Client of builder B sees the receipt for £400, knows that he's been charged £400, and extremely happy that he's found himself an honest tradesperson.

Point is, they can check the cost of goods, but the price for labour varies wildly, and they don't have a reference point that they can pull you up on.

Of course this doesn't happen in the real world as everyone knows, builders are builders not experts in marketing.

 

[chr15]

225 quid which I think is very decent.. 175 quid saving on the previous lowest quote, 625 quid saving on the previous highest quote and 375 quid saving on the average of previous quotes.

If the job is spot on I will give the guy an extra 50 quid.

You obviously know that cheapest definiitely isn't always the best although I don't think you will have even considered that fact....

How very kind of you to give the guy an extra £50.00, whats the betting that the job will not be 'spot on' when it's been given your most thorough inspection ?
I would give it you back because I would just be so relieved to get away from you and your job, I bet you would be standing there with the manufacturers instructions in your hand looking over the plumbers shoulder telling him where he is going wrong.....definitely would be giving you a wide berth, or a sky high price, maybe thats what it is, the quotes you've been getting reflect the way you are coming across to the tradesmen who have quoted, another rogue customer who wants everything doing for next to nothing

When you have plumbing and heating guys telling you how and when to post your letters , then maybe you can start telling us small business owners how to run our affairs.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Deluks,

because life doesn't work like that...

 

[Deluks]

Deluks,

because life doesn't work like that...

I am aware of this, I was merely presenting what would happen in a world without disease, war, famine etc.

Happyskyper is in many ways, the John Lennon of DIYnot.

 

[Bahco]

Softus is not too impressed with this thread I see!

 

[Norcon]

Happyskyper wrote

and I guarantee you that I will find it on the open market cheaper!!

Your a postman FFS. And you think you can source concrete at a lower price than a contractor spending an average £10K every week on the stuff.
What planet are you on?

 

[Shutpa]

A song. "I'm postman prat, postman prat, postman prat and....................."

£50 if you do a good job finishing it off!

 

[kevplumb]

aah ok! that would be that then pettylad..I mean mattylad..

The difference between all the businesses you have mentioned (well for starters they employ thousands of people who need a wage at the end of the month to support their families) and our hypothetical "KEV and SON TREV" establishmetn is that their business is manufacturing, buying and selling products and supplying those to the public whereas our Kev and Trev's business is paying themselves a wage and solely working with their hands (of course engaging brains would be of tangible benefit too) and they are hired to mend/fix/install/test..

However I concede that supplying materials at a premium could be considered justified if they made this clear and precise to their customers. That would satisfy the moral standpoint and the code of conduct requirements I mentioned. They usually dont.

I am sure you have all seen the bank adverts on TV where the fat bloke is hooking unsuspecting customers with a one off hooking rate... you get the gist.

Minimum wage for all would not be good for myriad of reasons. It certainly wouldnt do anything to create a better society for which we are all striving I am sure. Another topic/ another forum/ another day/ another crowd.


Finally since everyone is so keen to educate me and put me in my place I would be genuinely interested to know how many of you traders belong to an UNION.. How does that work for you and if you think there is something that can be done better/ fairer where your interests are concerned?

oy yow

 

[Paul Barker]

Hi Paul, why does it do that when the customers are on conracts, or are you working on installs?

Must admit I am quite surprised to learn that all suppliers bar domestic trades supply parts a cost though.

Not installing.

There are so many different contracts which customers are on it sends my head in a spin. some and I forget what this one is called, pay a lesser fee for basically an anual service, and can have three breakdowns a year at a cost of £50 each, even if it requires a fan. but covers one part only.

However it is more a quirk of the system that parts charging to the job takes place on the computerised field system. It doesn't mean that the actual customer is charged. It is basically a means of cost and management accountants determining which parts of the business are making what.

That doesn't mean to say that in some cases customers aren't charged.

The contract and charging schemes are complexed to say the least. i certainly don't begin to understand them, I just go and fix the boiler and keep pressing buttons until the computer lets me go.

it is in my view a large mistake to put control of the business into the hands of the engineer. (S)he should simply do his/her job office umper lumpers should concsern themselves with the rest.

 

[Atilla]

supply chains ain't skypers strong point are they.
Come to think of it, i'm not sure what is.

 

[AtoZ]

225 quid which I think is very decent.. 175 quid saving on the previous lowest quote, 625 quid saving on the previous highest quote and 375 quid saving on the average of previous quotes.

If the job is spot on I will give the guy an extra 50 quid.

You obviously know that cheapest definiitely isn't always the best although I don't think you will have even considered that fact....

How very kind of you to give the guy an extra £50.00, whats the betting that the job will not be 'spot on' when it's been given your most thorough inspection ?
I would give it you back because I would just be so relieved to get away from you and your job, I bet you would be standing there with the manufacturers instructions in your hand looking over the plumbers shoulder telling him where he is going wrong.....definitely would be giving you a wide berth, or a sky high price, maybe thats what it is, the quotes you've been getting reflect the way you are coming across to the tradesmen who have quoted, another rogue customer who wants everything doing for next to nothing

When you have plumbing and heating guys telling you how and when to post your letters , then maybe you can start telling us small business owners how to run our affairs.

lots of plumbers have been telling him how to post his letters... read the thread..

cheapest isnt always best...... so you dont use the cheapest supplier?
ok, maybe you dont always do that but that only because you dont pay for materials, the customer does!

cheapest isnt always best cos it takes a brain surgeon to spin on a union and plug in a boiler a brain surgeon could do it, same as a dustman a soldier or a convict.

you are nothing special!!! get over yourself.

happy wants utopia (ask the electrician ) but you have the option not to do the job! exercise that right and dont do it!


happy, you are wasting your time!
some of these lads can see your point but they dare not admit it.
most can just about breath in and out because they are so dim.

go to a college course for trainees, you will be shocked that after 12 yrs at school, they still so poor.
so much for the elite!

yeah yeah!
my turn now

heard it all before........... and it was just as boring then!

amazing how all the plumbers seem to 'struggle' to make ends meet!
why is that i wonder... der rrrrrrrrr

 

[happyskyper]

We dont want to go down that road again AtoZ.. even though it works up a healthy temper on both sides.

I have come to the conclusion that it is best to know your enemy than to make another one. Carefully structured arguments respectfully put across might yield some result somewhere and conscientious people might take a note.

I know that the easiest thing in the world would be to go and knock down the pyramids but try figuring out how they were built..

Two or three guys have tried to see my point of view which is not bad for starters.

I remember when G Dubya won the 1st but even more so the 2nd term.. I couldnt figure it out.. How did 50 million people vote for this arsewipe?..

An economy in tatters two lost wars and an overwhelming support for the 1st black president only 4 years later says it all.. It just takes a little time for things to click into place. Same will apply with this microcosm of egos and opinions. You will see!

I certainly appreciate the support comrade hahaha (this will get them going)