Disturbing findings...

[Welder]

As you all know, I was at PlumbExpo at Alexandra Palace Wed & Thursday. It went brilliantly so that was good.

However, over the two days I became increasing disturbed at the deeply shockingly bad level of business acumen demonstrated by those attending and as a consequence many obviously lived hand to mouth.

So, a poll please. It'll run for a week.

 

[Scott_D]

When fitting a boiler for example I would struggle to win if you add say 10% could be over £200 easily

 

[Chalked]

Too general
Boiler 15%
Fittings for a small job could be 200%
Complete house 30% if I’m busy, 15% if I need it

 

[SimonG]

30% across the board. I'm running a business, not a charity.

 

[townfanjon]

You have to be very clever at what you add on as a mark up IMO , blame the internet!!

 

[Welder]

You have to be very clever at what you add on as a mark up IMO , blame the internet!!

Very interesting comment Jon. More on that later

 

[SimonG]

You have to be very clever at what you add on as a mark up IMO , blame the internet!!

Don't agree.

Customer can look on the internet. Do agree. But everybody with half a brain knows that Tesco don't sell milk for the same price they buy it at.

Hounsfield oil boilers. Trade price is 20% less than what Joe bloggs can buy it for.

Had it with a diverter valve on an oil combi. Called out, had part on van. Give customer bill. They found the part 30 quid cheaper on the internet whilst I was changing the part. I said fine. I'll take the part off, time and diagnosis today is x, let me know when the part comes and I'll let you know when I can come back for y. In the meantime enjoy having no heating or hot water.

But Then everybody's business model is different.

 

[SimonG]

Go on then @scott_d explain what you dislike.

 

[SimonG]

Ah you have the same problem as me. Sometimes my fingers are too fat

 

[townfanjon]

I went to price a boiler swap on Monday I mentioned a 050 Viessmann over the phone , I walked in to start discussing the job and she told me how much the boiler was , somebody please tell me how I put 10% on top of the boiler .

 

[Scott_D]

Go on then @scott_d explain what you dislike.

Clicked the wrong thumb.
Some people are prepared to pay a premium for a faster service.
My garage door cables snapped last Saturday.
Phoned a guy who would come and do it immediately £95 or I could have phoned around and got it cheaper. I snapped his hand off

 

[Scott_D]

I went to price a boiler swap on Monday I mentioned a 050 Viessmann over the phone , I walked in to start discussing the job and she told me how much the boiler was , somebody please tell me how I put 10% on top of the boiler .

Did she know about all the other bits required?

 

[townfanjon]

Did she know about all the other bits required?

Yes , but they aint going to add up to a grand or so , she will have googled the filter no doubt.
Again , bloody internet

 

[Welder]

I went to price a boiler swap on Monday I mentioned a 050 Viessmann over the phone , I walked in to start discussing the job and she told me how much the boiler was , somebody please tell me how I put 10% on top of the boiler .

Easy. Genuinely.

Well Mrs my price for the boiler is x plus 10-15%. I will not buy off tinterweb because I cannot guarantee they are not fake. In addition, i need to be able to offer you the warranty you want.

I'll happily fit the boiler you supply but please understand that my role is to pipe it up only. Yo7 take full responsibility for its fitness for purpose or subsequen5 breakdowns. If it not correct, you will have to pay me to remove it, you pack it up & organise its return and when its fixed, you pay again to reinstall.

In all the years I was doing bathroom installs not one person chose to supply. The potential hassle wasnt worth it.

 

[townfanjon]

Easy. Genuinely.

Well Mrs my price for the boiler is x plus 10-15%. I will not buy off tinterweb because I cannot guarantee they are not fake. In addition, i need to be able to offer you the warranty you want.

I'll happily fit the boiler you supply but please understand that my role is to pipe it up only. Yo7 take full responsibility for its fitness for purpose or subsequen5 breakdowns. If it not correct, you will have to pay me to remove it, you pack it up & organise its return and when its fixed, you pay again to reinstall.

In all the years I was doing bathroom installs not one person chose to supply. The potential hassle wasnt worth it.

Lol , erm . Get ready, she would be buying it from the same place as me, she works half a mile down the road lol .

 

[Scott_D]

Lol , erm . Get ready, she would be buying it from the same place as me, she works half a mile down the road lol .

Charge for extending the warranty?

 

[townfanjon]

Charge for extending the warranty?

Would work on some Scott yes , but 050’s 7 years out if the box , so cant even do that .

 

[king of pipes]

Some you win some you loose 20% across the board is not over the top but I often find myself getting the customer to pay for their materials on the bigger jobs so they end up getting my terms, I stay under the vat thresh hold and only risk the labour cost . Kop

 

[townfanjon]

Some you win some you loose 20% across the board is not over the top but I often find myself getting the customer to pay for their materials on the bigger jobs so they end up getting my terms, I stay under the vat thresh hold and only risk the labour cost . Kop

Exactly what I do pal

 

[SimonG]

For bathrooms I tend to get the customer to go to a very good local independent. Very good customer service, big showroom and I get a cheque off of them for 10% of what the customer spends.

 

[townfanjon]

For bathrooms I tend to get the customer to go to a very good local independent. Very good customer service, big showroom and I get a cheque off of them for 10% of what the customer spends.

Yes thats what I meant yesterday about being clever , some customers would suss that, but not many .

 

[sammathias]

I agree with town. Any customer can get a boiler for practically trade price over the internet. Hard to add a % to it. I just add a % on top of fittings pipe etc.

 

[Best]

I know my merchants will sell to the public at same cost, or very little more than I pay.
Also, what do you answer to a customer when they ask you how much discount you get on radiators, or a bathroom?
If you don’t tell them the truth, they can easily find out, or perhaps already know and are testing you.
My customers mainly think they are entitled to the full discount, even if I supply materials on my account with merchants.

 

[Ric2013]

I just tend to be honest and say if the customer wants to supply materials, that might save money, but, as Dave has said, the parts they supply become the customer's responsibility not mine, and any issues with the reliability or longevity of the materials are not for me to deal with.

If they want to buy them at the same place and take the risk, they are welcome to do so, so entirely up to them.

 

[townfanjon]

This earning money out of parts / materials is always an interesting one , as I have said you have to be clever ...
A lot of my “ younger” pals plumbers and heating engineers, to be honest just “ take the Sod” on what they mark up , and the next time I see them they are moaning they have no work !!!
I think they assume their customers are idiots.