British Gas engineers.

[charliegolf]

Do you think all installers working with gas are registered?

Are you suggesting that pre-strike, BG were illegally using unqualified fitters to install boilers?

 

[Deleted member 267285]

Tbh I think a lot has boiled down to th general public not wanting to pay for skilled engineers, and bad engineers tarring us all with the same brush, so you have a catch 22 situation. There is also a 3rd part to it, whereby companies, including BG are sales and KPI based, so tightening purse strings etc.

 

[Deleted member 267285]

Lol, not a hill of beans if the mat's were £1950.

Depends on what boilers they fit, engineers usually get a good rate from merchants and will tend to push certain boilers. Some lads who I work with have set-up their own gas safe registered business,get materials from work at a decent reduction, and make their money that way

 

[bernardgreen]

Tbh I think a lot has boiled down to th general public not wanting to pay for skilled engineers,

Most I am sure will be OK with paying for a person who is genuinely skilled and who applies that skill in carrying out his work.

Gas safe and G3 "training" tends to be aimed solely at preventing incidents where people and/or buildings suffer harm. Training for how to carry out installations in a neat and tidy fashion and developing the skill of fault finding has to come from somewhere else. ( such as an apprenticeship )

And there are two levels of fault finding. One is finding faults that are mentioned in the manufacturer's documentation. The ubiquitous fault finding flow chart. The second and higher level is being able to find those faults which are not mentioned in the fault finding flow chart. These faults tend to be a combination of two or more faults. Or something the manufacturer considers cannot happen.

"If in any doubt about what the fault is then change the PCB " i

This attitude is not a sensible way to fault find, but it is used too often and invariably at significant cost to the customer.

 

[noseall]

get materials from work at a decent reduction, and make their money that way

I guess that's what happens in an industry where profit is largely based upon materials sales rather then skill. The exact opposite in my (hands-on) trade.

 

[Deleted member 267285]

I guess that's what happens in an industry where profit is largely based upon materials sales rather then skill. The exact opposite in my (hands-on) trade.

I don’t know what it is you do, but I never mentioned a lack of skill. Are you insinuating our industry isn’t a skilled one?

Are you also saying, that you would work for hardly any profit, because you’re skilled? You do it for the love?

 

[Bodd]

Lol, not a hill of beans if the mat's were £1950.

Shameful.. I don't mind if he did decent job.... . Mats or no mats

 

[noseall]

Shameful..

Paying peanuts? Correct.

 

[noseall]

I never mentioned a lack of skill.

Me neither.

Are you insinuating our industry isn’t a skilled one?

I'm saying that if an industry relies upon selling materials for profits, rather than skill, then any old failed taxi driver can and will, jump on board.

Are you also saying, that you would work for hardly any profit, because you’re skilled?

No. My profits don't rely upon materials sales. The customer could buy the mat's themselves for all I care.

 

[Deleted member 267285]

Me neither.

Ahh, I obviously misconstrued the following:

rather then skill.

 

[Dangee]

I don’t make money on materials. Who said the industry was based on marking up costs? Rubbish.
If there is an industry based on that it would be carpets etc. (Free fitting my arse)
You don’t see plumbing & heating companies saying free installation with every purchase.
Nosey talking tosh again.

 

[Bodd]

I don’t make money on materials. Who

I put 20% on materials. Less on boilers

 

[Bodd]

Paying peanuts? Correct.

Over a grand for a sub standard job is hardly peanuts. You need to make up your mind what side of thd argument your on...

 

[securespark]

In the early days, some sparks were getting away with 33% mark-up, but that's dropped over the decades.

 

[Bodd]

In the early days, some sparks were getting away with 33% mark-up, but that's dropped over the decades.

Easy to to check prices on the Internet. I just mark up and add it to the total price. If asked I'll tell customer that I mark up.