Pricing

[newcomers]

Hi guys,

just done a job (im new to the industry btw) and dont know how much to charge. Job was to find and repair gas leak, plus fix leaking boiler. Anyway, ended being in there for 1 hour and 30 mins and left with everything working (gas leak was from supply to hob and had to change a prv on a potterton combi 80).

How much should I charge (im from north London / enfield)

Also, how much should I charge for a landlords cert and common breakdowns? Should I be charging for call outs etc etc?

Also, if you did a landlords but a service aswell, how much extra would the service be, say for a back boiler and also normal system and combi boilers?

Thanks guys
__________________________________
lynda, moderator

please note forum rule 9

 

[corgiman]

carry out at survey of local lads near you

ie pick up the phone as a customer and ask for their charges, and price yourselve accordingly

 

[Paul Barker]

For a new landlord service is essential if they can't prove service ocnducted last year. £60 for service of two appliances includes safety cert, but if it's a back boiler or etype full of soot that takes all morning and means you have to go home for a change of clothes and a bath before you change a radiator for a house proud obsessive £150. I always do a full service for new landlord checks if they don't want one they don't get a certificate. On the whole I am not interested in that end of the market, the other part of the market I hate is the caravan park landlord check. I help out a m8 during his busy period mainly because he is certain that I hate it so much thee is no way I would ever try to take his territory. Holiday camp work is an anathema. Always try to put landlords off, never do anything cheap for them, and avoid mobile homes like the plague if you have any choice in the matter. If you go on holliday in one never use the gas fire. How they have ever been granted apporval baffles me.

Common breakdowns? £45 minimum to include first hour parts on top, your hourly rate afterwards. If it's a Landlord don't do it any cheaper, they are a pain in the arse and they and their tenants fight each other through you, mostly to your great cost, if you can avoid tenants and landlords forever you will be a happy man. Unfortunately we do have to suffer both once in a while.
Any landlord who promises you loads of work (you know Mr BIG) get your fast running shoes on and get you out of there.

 

[Paul Barker]

I hasten to add, a tenant with no heating or hot water phoning you out of the blue can sound very convincing, but trust me YOU WILL NEVER BE PAYED. Don't fall for it.

The only tenant I ever do a job for without being sent by the landlord is if the tenant pays and gets it back for themselves from the landlord.

On the whole mistrust both the tenant and the landlord.

Also totally mistrust any company who rings up offering you loads of work.

Actually mistrust anyone who on asking you to do one job mentions loads of work, get out while you can.

Never take over from another plumber, either he got out for a good reason, or he was so bad they kicked him out. Option 1 you have just started work for the customer from Hell, option 2 when you fill up it will leak like a sieve and you will be there until midnight getting all the water out to resolder the many problem areas. After you get home another leak will spring.

 

[ChrisR]

One thing I never know how to charge for is travelling time. It always feels inappropriate whatever scheme I come up with.

2 days ago went 35 miles to see a boiler, had to drive another 35 and back to get part, then home so 140 miles. Traffic was bad so I was out of the house from 10 am to 5 pm, with only about 75 mins on the boiler!
House was the country retreat of a genuine rock star.

Maintenance company I know charges 43p/mile + £40/hour travel. Which is getting on for £300 for travel, seems a bit much.

Today, Central London 95 mins each way. £8 for an hour's parking, £8 congestion charge. Changed a themocouple , but the only real problem was that the tenant had left her water heater knob on "ignite pilot" so it wouldn't come on with the tap...
She was the daughter of a well known comedian. "A" list only, me.

 

[Paul Barker]

Yes I know what you mean, I went to Pocklington Wed. morning I think it was, took a wrong turn on the road to Malton and ended up back at the 1079 a64 junction to join a64 at 5 miles an our to next junction, where I went off to Macky Dees at Clifton Moore and for fuel as I was about to run out. Had a burger and a coffee by which time hold up was over and progressed home to Scarborough. Result, took over half a day to do a 1/2 hour job.

But we are making fortunes in the eyes of most people.

Saw a Worcester engineer in parts centre today, actually caught tail end of his moaning about the new trackers that tell his bosses whee he is, understand BG have same system.

GOOD THING TOO is what I said, they shouldn't be doing Govvy jobs anyway, they are payed well for the work they are supposed to be doing for their employer. Independent gas work should be left to those who are registered in their own right. We have it tough enough without company workers doing unregistered govy's.

The guys in there looked at me like I was mad.

Sorry, but no sympathy, either you get a cuchy company job or you tough it out with us, you can't have both.

 

[ChrisR]

But do you have a radius after which you charge extra for a £60 job? I'm thinking 20 minutes, which would be about 7 miles round here.

 

[Nige F]

Liza Tarbuck Nice Lady

 

[Paul Barker]

That one was for an unregistered plumber who uses me quite a bit so no. If someone phones from that far away who I don't know I prepare them for a £100 minimum, explaining it is half a days work for me.

 

[ChrisR]

Not Liza T. Same homeland though. Anybody wanna guess about my rock star?

 

[corgiman]

Not Liza T. Same homeland though. Anybody wanna guess about my rock star?

its it a comic or a rock star chrisr

wow the life you live

i once worked for avon off of blakes seven once, NOW thats show bizz

 

[Agile]

I have noticed that Chris will do jobs in totally uneconomic areas like central Londod whereas he does not want to go to other areas like Croydon in his own county.

We go to anywhere based on access time from NW London, not distance. We will go to Watford, Reading, Slough etc because thats quick motorway access.

But we dont go south of the River Thames or to the East End.

We only go into the charging zone when we have a good idea of the problem and then go on PT with the required parts.

We dont charge travelling time but do charge parking costs and £10 travel to central London.

Tony

 

[Paul Barker]

I would say Tony that only £10 surcharge for central London was very reasonable indeed. Surely it costs you 2 hours travel in total and no end of hasstle trying to park the van not to mension the chance of a wheel clamp.

 

[Agile]

Its quicker to go on PT and no parking or CC to pay.

The £10 is to cover fares etc. and the possibility that even with the expected parts a second visit may be needed if we got the telephone diagnosis wrong!

Tony

 

[chr15]

OK- give us a clue about the rock star-something to go on!