Was this quote unreasonable?

[HappyHippyDad]

I have recently been turned down for a quote which is unusual.

- Quote was to fit 3 seperate bathroom lights, cable already there
- Fit outside socket ( very easy access to power supply)
- Fit additional socket in house (bit of trunking, fairly simple route through 2 walls)
- Fit a light under stairs (nearby power supply easy to utilise)

I quoted for labour £30 per bathroom light, £40 for the understairs light, £40 for outside socket and £60 for the extra indoor socket .

Total for labour £230.

I thought that a fair price? Was I too high?

Cant remember the material cost but it was only about £40.

 

[telectrix]

assuming it's 1 full day's work, your quote is maybe £30-£40 over, if you have to go back next day for a couple of hours, it's spot-on.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

assuming it's 1 full day's work, your quote is maybe £30-£40 over, if you have to go back next day for a couple of hours, it's spot-on.

Cheers Tel, reckon it was perhaps it bit too much. I did it in a hurry and should have thought a bit more about it.

 

[oldtimer]

Yep looks fine to me remember though some customers will spend £800 on a new TV but will not pay £450 for a CU

 

[wade88]

I'd say perfect. £200 - £250 a day is a perfectly reasonable fee for the time of a quality spark who will deliver quality work (assuming that to be the case )

As oldtimer has poignantly mentioned, people will have zero issue with spending a fortune on consumables and desirable electronics, ironically showing total disregard for the essential commodity that powers them. Get bad work done and end up with a power cut, damaged house or damaged appliance as a result..... that £1200 3D TV with built in foot massager is as about as much use as Anne Frank's drum kit isnt it.

 

[HandySparks]

Sounds about right to me (not having seen the jobs). Do you know whether they are getting someone cheaper in or not bothering at all.

I rarely find out the reason I've lost a quote. On one occasion when I enquired (this was for some friends) I quoted for the job and was told that I was too expensive. Then they had a quote from someone else, which was even more, so they abandoned the job altogether.

 

[RWJ]

Looks ok to me.


Remember you need to be getting 70 - 80% of quotes any higher and your too cheap!

 

[MDJ]

Depends on the going rate for Domestic work in the area your in, as far as I'm aware Stroud is around £160.00 a day as work is tight in that area at the moment, normally your price would be fine, the job sounds around 220 ish to me, your not far away.

 

[markc123]

Least you've priced it fairly...wouldn't suprise me (as it seems to be the growing tend atm) is that people undercut price's, then once the job has been completed they charge top wack because of 'unforseen circumstances'

What im saying is, i bet whoever has undercut you has 'rough quoted' £50-70 less only to charge the exact amount you were charging on completion. Life's a bitch sometimes.

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Depends on the going rate for Domestic work in the area your in, as far as I'm aware Stroud is around £160.00 a day as work is tight in that area at the moment, normally your price would be fine, the job sounds around 220 ish to me, your not far away.

How's the 3000+ club coming along Mike? Is it highly active now you've become an illustrious member? Or, isit still the graveyard Geordie talks about?

 

[MDJ]

Least you've priced it fairly...wouldn't suprise me (as it seems to be the growing tend atm) is that people undercut price's, then once the job has been completed they charge top wack because of 'unforseen circumstances'

What im saying is, i bet whoever has undercut you has 'rough quoted' £50-70 less only to charge the exact amount you were charging on completion. Life's a bitch sometimes.

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How's the 3000+ club coming along Mike? Is it highly active now you've become an illustrious member? Or, isit still the graveyard Geordie talks about?

Still cannot see it fella, the admins have abandoned the site LOL

 

[markc123]

They've abandoned? Like, they've stopped coming on, or, they've stopped doing there jobs properly lol?

Asif, that was a soruce of achievement / the reason to keep posting & replying strongly to the chancers. Pitty.

 

[Spoon]

I'm sure this is going to pee lots of people off but if I was quoted that I wouldn't go for it.
You say that your are charging £230 for a days labour, then there are the material costs on top of this?
I see lots of posts about people with their BMW's and 3D TV's so you should charge them more. I have a car that's 10 years old and a CRT TV. I cant afford all the things you guys mention. £230 is a lot of money, just for the labour, to me. As MDJ says in post 8, £160 seems more reasonable.
If you can charge the rich more then my all means do, but also remember that they are usually the tight fisted ones and that's why they are rich.
I'll wait for all the name calling now.....

 

[davethsparky]

To be honest £30 just to fit a light fitting sounds a bit steep.

 

[MDJ]

They've abandoned? Like, they've stopped coming on, or, they've stopped doing there jobs properly lol?

Both haha

 

[markc123]

To be honest £30 just to fit a light fitting sounds a bit steep.

If it's the sort of argos bought tat i fitted last week then it's not lol.

Had to put 32 sequin like hooks on it around the lampholder, took me ages :/ it looks fancy but my god its crap lol.

 

[telectrix]

i usually fit the light. bang the lamps in, then.... " that's working, love. now you get your glasses on and fit all the silly baubles."

 

[wade88]

Ebeneezer Spoon

 

[Spoon]

Ebeneezer Spoon

haha... he was rich. all the spare money I have goes on the kids...

 

[wade88]

haha... he was rich. all the spare money I have goes on the kids...

Same here mate. I'd sooner see my boy with a big smile on his face then sit behind an obscene TV. Hands down, every time.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Depends on the going rate for Domestic work in the area your in, as far as I'm aware Stroud is around £160.00 a day as work is tight in that area at the moment, normally your price would be fine, the job sounds around 220 ish to me, your not far away.

Cheers guys, sounds like one or two of you think it was too much but the majority about right. I have been charging £160 for a days labour and one or two customers mentioned that they thought £20 p/hr was quite low to what they were used to with regards an electrician, so I bumped it up a little.. £25p/hr. I think you're probably right about Stroud MDJ but I think I'm going to stick with £200 a day for a while and not change just because of one declined quote, I'll see how it goes over the next few months ....... and then perhaps put it up to £35 p/hr :wink_smile: