Reduction in electrical work

[Midwest]

you guys help create this problem by allowing unskilled and semi skilled people to do electrical work. It should be only fully qualified electricians allowed to do any type of wiring

How do ‘we’ create this problem?

 

[peterhyper]

de-registering isn't the answer, he will still have to drop his prices to compete.


you guys help create this problem by allowing unskilled and semi skilled people to do electrical work. It should be only fully qualified electricians allowed to do any type of wiring

I'm not sure if you are on a wind up, but if not then it's rather silly to suggest "he will have to drop his prices." Isn't that the very issue that some short sighted people think that sparks reducing their prices is the answer to getting more work (as they say a fool can always be busy). Why should he drop his prices if he can make a better living from doing something else. I absolutely refuse to drop my prices because I'm still earning less than most other trades, and in real terms I have probably already cut my prices by not increasing them to keep up with inflation.

In answer to your second statement (again it's probably another wind up). I have never employed anyone, let alone employed unskilled/unqualified people. I see rubbish electrical work all the time, and often it's done by qualified/registered sparks. I certainly don't condone such work, but perhaps they are doing exactly as you suggest and lowering their prices to the point that is how they can make a living (as they say people get what they pay pay for).

 

[Kidsolo]

but perhaps they are doing exactly as you suggest and lowering their prices to the point that is how they can make a living

The O.P. isn't going to magicaly get work by lowering his overheads, he will need to lower his prices if he wants to compete. His solution to deregister and only do "
minor electrical work that did not need certification" sounds kind of like he is choosing to join these quote hijacking cowboys. I am not suggesting lowering prices is what i would do, just what the O.P. needs to do in his scenario.

Serioius question... you U.K guys seem to quote by the hour, is this standard? why aren't you quoting by the outlet/fitting?
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How do ‘we’ create this problem?

Like I said, You not only allow but encourage "unskilled and semi skilled people to do electrical work."

 

[Midwest]

Like I said, You not only allow but encourage "unskilled and semi skilled people to do electrical work."

No I don’t

 

[DPG]

Serioius question... you U.K guys seem to quote by the hour, is this standard? why aren't you quoting by the outlet/fitting?
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Because not every job is the same.

 

[peterhyper]

The O.P. isn't going to magicaly get work by lowering his overheads, he will need to lower his prices if he wants to compete. His solution to deregister and only do "
minor electrical work that did not need certification" sounds kind of like he is choosing to join these quote hijacking cowboys. I am not suggesting lowering prices is what i would do, just what the O.P. needs to do in his scenario.

Serioius question... you U.K guys seem to quote by the hour, is this standard? why aren't you quoting by the outlet/fitting?
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Like I said, You not only allow but encourage "unskilled and semi skilled people to do electrical work."

Not being registered doesn't make somone a cowboy. Most of my work doesn't even require me to be registered.

I charge by the hour for jobs such as replacing light fittings and fault finding, but most jobs I give an actual quote for. If for instance someone asks for extra sockets, I don't charge by the point because there are many factors such as where the power is comng from for each new socket and then I take into account moving furniture, lifting carpets/underlay and floorboards. Plus is it a brick wall or a nice easy plasterboard wall where the new sockets are going etc.

 

[5544]

Many thanks for all the responses. I spoke to Elecsa today. Have not renewed. Very sad about it since i have done electrical work for 30yrs, but as previously stated, any Tom Dick or Harry is happy to shove some wire in a socket, and as long as it works no one cares. Not many people really want to play around with gas. Thanks for all the support.

 

[davesparks]

Serioius question... you U.K guys seem to quote by the hour, is this standard? why aren't you quoting by the outlet/fitting?

Dayworks are charged per hour or per day.
Big jobs like new builds would normally be priced per point.
Small jobs, alterations, adding an extra socket etc would normally be priced on a job by job basis.

 

[peterhyper]

Many thanks for all the responses. I spoke to Elecsa today. Have not renewed. Very sad about it since i have done electrical work for 30yrs, but as previously stated, any Tom Dick or Harry is happy to shove some wire in a socket, and as long as it works no one cares. Not many people really want to play around with gas. Thanks for all the support.

I agree that most people just want to pay the cheapest person to do their electrics because as long as it works why should they pay more (from their perspective). I will do almost any job on my house with the absolute of exception of touching gas.

Isn't it disappointing that around 15 years ago they introduced Part Pee to stop the cowboys, and its been a complete waste of time.

At least you have the gas trade to keep you busy, and from my experience that certainly pays better than doing domestic electrical work.

 

[Midwest]

I agree that most people just want to pay the cheapest person to do their electrics because as long as it works why should they pay more (from their perspective). I will do almost any job on my house with the absolute of exception of touching gas.

Isn't it disappointing that around 15 years ago they introduced Part Pee to stop the cowboys, and its been a complete waste of time.

At least you have the gas trade to keep you busy, and from my experience that certainly pays better than doing domestic electrical work.

It is a conundrum that people accept that gas shouldn’t be messed around with, but think electrics are fair game?

 

[Andy78]

It is a conundrum that people accept that gas shouldn’t be messed around with, but think electrics are fair game?

I think it stems from gas being regulated from ages ago and it being visibly very dangerous when things go wrong.

AFAIK when domestic gas distribution started out in this country it was done by private companies with no regulation and whole terraces of Victorian houses tended to blow up with alarming frequency, so the whole game was regulated. People have long understood they can't mess about with it whereas electrics has been included in DIY books since forever. I even once had a B&Q diy book given to me about 14 years ago that had full instructions on how to fully wire your house.

When people watch the news about gas explosions, they see gas explosions dramatically sending buildings flying apart. People like drama and easily understood causes. When people watch the news about electrically ignited fires the story is about a fire with a footnote it was started by an electrical fault. They can't always easily relate to how an electrical fault can become a thermal hazard though.

 

[peterhyper]

It is a conundrum that people accept that gas shouldn’t be messed around with, but think electrics are fair game?

I completely agree with you, but clearly too many people see electrics as easy to do, and don't appreciate the potential danger. I am clueless to the statistics, but I would guess about 99% of those people without sufficient knowledge who play with electrics wouldn't risk touching gas.

 

[mattg4321]

Where are you guys all based?

Maybe I'm too cheap or born lucky or whatever but I've had constant work for over 10 years now. Had I think 2 or 3 days of scratching around at the start of this year but otherwise been regularly turning work down as I'm too busy.

I'm in Sussex.

 

[Kidsolo]

Dayworks are charged per hour or per day.

This is fine if you just want to plod along and survive, but you will never get ahead on hourly rate. If you are a half decent electrician you should be resonably fast to complete a job. Quoting per outlet will allow you to make more money if you knock the job over quick, your costs are always covered and the client is more accepting of the quote because they know exactly what they are up for. Your quote also stands out from the rest of the other guys.

 

[peterhyper]

This is fine if you just want to plod along and survive, but you will never get ahead on hourly rate. If you are a half decent electrician you should be resonably fast to complete a job. Quoting per outlet will allow you to make more money if you knock the job over quick, your costs are always covered and the client is more accepting of the quote because they know exactly what they are up for. Your quote also stands out from the rest of the other guys.

When someone calls me with a fault which could take me 10 minutes or over 10 hours to find and fix, how many much should I quote them?

 

[Kidsolo]

how many much should I quote them?

You quote them what is fair and reasonable for the job.... If you lose out on this job you will get it back on the next job.
All I read on here is guys saying that they are getting under cut on quotes and adding up every penny that the job will cost. quote what is fair and reasonable to the client and you will have so much work you will be knocking it back.

All you guys that are giving me negative feedback, prove me wrong. Show me how you make bank on hourly rate

 

[peterhyper]

You quote them what is fair and reasonable for the job.... If you lose out on this job you will get it back on the next job.
All I read on here is guys saying that they are getting under cut on quotes and adding up every penny that the job will cost. quote what is fair and reasonable to the client and you will have so much work you will be knocking it back.

All you guys that are giving me negative feedback, prove me wrong. Show me how you make bank on hourly rate

I'm hoping to learn from you. I'm based inside the M25 near Feltham, so how much should I quote the customer who tells me their ring circuit keeps tripping?

 

[Kidsolo]

so how much should I quote the customer who tells me their ring circuit keeps tripping?

faulty finding ISN'T domestic wiring.... I hope you just learnt from me, my friend

 

[westward10]

faulty finding ISN'T domestic wiring.... I hope you just learnt from me, my friend

@Kidsolo I am not sure where you are heading with all this but you are verging on trolling. Unless you can give positive posts then do not post.

 

[davesparks]

This is fine if you just want to plod along and survive, but you will never get ahead on hourly rate. If you are a half decent electrician you should be resonably fast to complete a job. Quoting per outlet will allow you to make more money if you knock the job over quick, your costs are always covered and the client is more accepting of the quote because they know exactly what they are up for. Your quote also stands out from the rest of the other guys.

Nonsense, quoting per outlet just does not work for every job.
As I said earlier it works well for new builds and big jobs, but quiting per outlet for small jobs, alterations and additions just doesn't work because every job is different.
Other jobs can only realistically be done on an hourly rate if you want to be fair to the customer.
Fault finding and urgent repairs are best done on an hourly rate.
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faulty finding ISN'T domestic wiring.... I hope you just learnt from me, my friend

Fault finding in a domestic installation is domestic work.