How often if at all, do you do free extras?

[imago]

I had to run in a new cooker point as part of a kitchen refurb. The customer wanted to have the drop in surface trunking in a corner as it wouldn't be too noticeable and saved a few quid. I didn't as I thought it would look pants, so I chased it and gave the plasterer a few quid to make good. He was working on another wall anyway, so not too much hassle. He did comment on my sanity though!

Which got me thinking, from time to time I 'just do it' usually things which mean anyone following wouldn't say "who did that?" in a negative way, even though it wouldn't have been down to me. Cable runs to new CU say, appliance switches with neons, removing a spur and making it part of the ring. That sort of thing rather than doing it because not doing it is against the regs (earthing and bonding upgrade for example).

So, what sort of unpaid extras do you put in?

 

[londonlec]

Hardly ever, I earn tuppance as it is without charity work!

 

[imago]

Fair point. I don't get silly about it and I only do it now and again, it's just sometimes worth the extra bit IMHO. I get a fair bit of work from word of mouth where people have seen previous jobs. So I consider it as part of my advertising budget if I spend a few quid extra, or take a bit more time.

 

[pjcomp]

Chasing in the cable was fair enough as I presume there was a lot of other chasing going on. But slipping the plasterer a few quid? He probably used less on that chase than he'd have thrown away!

PJ

 

[imago]

It was the only chase in the room, and the plasterer was working in the knock through dining room. £20:00 to the plasterer, and an extra half hour for me. As a result my work looks better, I have another 'tame' plasterer to call on, the customer is a happy bunny and no one is going to look at the kitchen electrics and think the lone ranger has been in.

I take it I'm in the minority with this approach then?

 

[Plonker 3]

Depends really I was doing a EICR the other day one of the sockets was reverse polarity so a C1, took me 5 minutes to correct it and charged no extra.

 

[plugsandsparks]

I do it quite often. Depends what it is. Missing blanks, missing lables, wrong colours or as mentioned polarity when i am doing inspection reports.
Recently put some extra tray work in because as you have said it would have looked naff otherwise. You are right in that , the job you do is an advertisement for others, less concerned about a following sparky though

 

[Octopus]

Doing small "improvements" is not an issue, but chasing out walls and bunging the plasterer a feq quid is further than i'd gone!!

 

[Des 56]

Fair point. I don't get silly about it and I only do it now and again, it's just sometimes worth the extra bit IMHO. I get a fair bit of work from word of mouth where people have seen previous jobs. So I consider it as part of my advertising budget if I spend a few quid extra, or take a bit more time.

I would agree with your attitude
Anyone having work done in their home,to them its possibly a very important outlay and special,to the worker it could be treated as just another day,another job

I look after each customer as if they were extra special,they in turn usually mention my name when friends or relatives mention electrician or electrical work

This has worked for me for 30 years,during that time I have rarely, if ever, been without work, and have never advertised in papers on on a vehicle
I believe your attitude will more than pay for itself in the long term

 

[Hiddo]

I was working at a house yesterday and the little old lady asked me to change a light switch whilst I was there. When paying me for the original work she asked how much for the switch change. I didn't charge her as it was a 5 minute job.

She was astonished that I wasn't charging her!! Sometimes it just works out better not to charge for little things in the hope that the customer recommends you to others etc.

 

[Darkwood]

I once derated a plug top fuse without charge... the lost revenue had me on sleepless nights for weeks, il not do it again mind!

Yours Eb. Scrooge.

 

[TaffyDuck]

Just a little story, on the way home I called in on an elderly lady to replace a quick blow fuse in one of those daft 12V light fittings in the kitchen, She`s living on a very limited income so I accepted a cup of tea as payment. A week later her son called me and offered me a rewire of an 8 bedroomed property he had just bought. I asked him if he wanted me to quote and he said "No, you helped my mum out, thats good enough for me. My point being that the odd little freebie is great for PR on your business. People talk, especially older people at the Darby and Joan Club, and I get loads of good work from them. At the end of the day whats important is whats in your pocket at the end of the month, not the end of the day.

 

[mackers]

working the other week doing the electrics for a level access shower ,talking to the old fellow he says could u possibly change the 2 switches in the hallway for me,my grandson is an electrician but he says hes to busy all the time!
my reply ,of couse i could ,tell your grandson he should be ashamed of himself. 2 1g 2ways 5 minutes when i was ready to leave he comes out with £10 he said thats what i was gonna "pay my grandson" i told him to keep it and buy a few pints
i also told him to tell his grandson i charged him £50

 

[timo1]

Quite often when the customer just wants something clipped direct I will use some nice trunking or conduit to make it look neat and carry the cost myself, usually as I have some bits left over but just so I am happy with the install. I think it pays off in the long run through word of mouth etc.

 

[beatboaby924y]

I do thinks for nothing all the time if it's just a small thing that won't take long like changing over a switch or something like that especially if your there already doing other work anyway. Think it does make them think better of you and maybe recomend you to others.

If it was something that just looked better like mini trunking a cable I would suggest to them to cut it in the wall would look better but cost more then leave it up to them. Wouldn't bother me what others thought because you gave the option and they didn't want to pay for the better looking job. Defo wouldn't be paying plasters money to make someones kitchen look better cos the customer wouldn't. They live there and have to look at it, not me.

Well at least your ying and yang will be through the roof because of your kindness lol.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

i think you can sense when theres more work at a place......so a `sweetener`..little bit of a loss leader what ever you want to call it..can smooth the path to more work.....i also dont like trunking just stuck on walls.....i think its ugly, lazy and unhygenic in kitchens and food preparation areas.....Leigh n I see loads of it in houses thats been badly cut and dressed to fit......and i just hate it.....very cheap...very budgety.....

 

[Guest111]

2 maxims to live by, it,s nice to be important but it,s more important to be nice, and also if you wouldn,t do it in your own home don,t do it in someone else,s.

 

[Marvo]

I'll tend to go the extra mile for no extra charge if it makes for a better finished result. I'm not very sympathetic if the customer has a list of premeditated items they didn't mention at the quoting stage and they're hoping to get for nothing 'while you're here'.

 

[D80]

Depends on the customer amongst other things.

I wouldn't go the extra mile free because the customer is being a miser and doesn't want to pay for it to be done "right", eg they want something run surface as that's all they will pay for and won't pay for it to be tracked in and made good - then I'm not going to be the one paying for it to be tracked in and made good.

 

[tonycoysh]

I don't like giving away too much in the way of cost items but if I can do a little extra in the way of effort to make a job look good or like others have said change a socket front or light switch over while I am there, then I'm all for it.

I went to look at a night storage heater once, the women wanted to pay me for my time there and then. I didn't think to take some flex and a 13A plug to check in fired up and couldn't be sure it was working and told her not to worry and wait until she knew if it was working before paying me. I've since been back several times for different jobs.