connecting up a combi someone else started

[hammers4spanner]

If you are referring to my good self hammers, I do no more work for builders and never done any for developers. If a builder wants me to do any work (Have one booked for tomorrow and one in November), I ask them to pass my details to the customer, so I deal directly with the customer

Sorry bud was not referring to you not sure where the vi came from lol

 

[hammers4spanner]

My brother is a spark (I know I shouldn't admit that) he works evenings and weekends and charges about £18.50 an hour. He's doing this as he wants to go self employed and at the moment he is getting loads of work because he is cheap compared to other local sparks, so he thinks he is doing it right. When I said to him about people mainly using him because he is cheap and not because of the work he is doing and that when he finally jumps in how many customers are going to stay with him when his price goes up to £25-£30 per hour so that he can make a living, I said some will a lot won't. So I told him to start charging more. He didn't listen to me but when a bloke he works with said exactly the same he started to take note and has started putting his prices up. And guess what he has started losing jobs because of it but he is earning more for working less and when he does take that jump he will be in a better position as people won't just use him because he is cheap.

I set up last year and I got my dad to find out what the going rates were around me and I put myself in the same as them. It's less than what I want to charge but I don't want customers who only want me because I'm cheap.

As for builders they are a law to themselves. They pay when they want/ if they want and they want you there at short notice or yesterday. Ask yourself why is the other plumber not there anymore?

thats the problem if you start at 20 per hour then when you put prices up to a realistic level that original base will go elsewhere.

 

[firemant]

As I've said elsewhere, it is hard to get going. But £20 an hour is really not enough, when you are depending on it for your livelihood. Have you actually looked at your overheads? Work them out, then double the number. and you'll be somewhere close.
I don't live in a salubrious area, and there are plenty of £30 (or less) for a boiler or fire service guys around. I am over double that, but take my time, and get repeat business. I don't, though, work evenings or weekends. Have the confidence to make the proper charge - you will lose some jobs, but will be compensated by those you do get.

 

[village idiot]

I will put my hands up and admit that my prices ''may be high'. But as far as I am concerned, you get what you pay for. I may be wriong, but unfortunately, that is my belief.
I got a call yesterday saying: ''Pilot light won't stay on, please help, we are cold. Because it is a cutomer (merchant) I shop from, I attended. Well, boiler is over 35yrs old. Fault is a thermocouple, but I told her I will not be sorting it out.
WHY I hear you ask? Well, next to the faulty boiler was another newly fitted boiler (2wks old). I asked her why she didn't ask the person who fitted the new boiler to sort out the faulty boiler? Her answer? ''It took him over TWO wks to fit the boiloer and she doesn't want to go down that route again''. I left it at that but am convinced the bloke was charging peanuts, so had loads of work lined up. FFFTttt

 

[firemant]

Personally, VI, I much prefer TC changes to knocking my pan out fitting boilers and lugging rads around . So much so that I only quote for simple changeovers, and the odd rad swap. I make a decent living from repairs and servicing. But I don't charge peanuts.IMO.
I certainly would not have gone the effort of visiting, only to take a moody and £uck off with nowt!
But all to our own.