“Professionals” ripping people off…

[Melloyellovector]

I don’t know why you are so worked up. There’s more shitty pool guys than honest. That’s nothing new. I grew up with Lindsay her dad owns baccarro pools her husband own dc pools. Went to school with Corynne her dad Jeff owns splash. Pools is a HUGE industry. 3 guys on my current street are pool guys. Curtis built my parents pool. They were a spin off of Malins

And then there’s GRADS

I’m really not that worked up about it. It may seem that way.
Just pointing out the obvious, if you need a repair, or diagnose a problem. Get a number for an actual guy that does that work. Most pool service guys DO NOT.
3 of the guys are all good companies. Ask Tony how many equipment repairs he does anymore. Lol
Curtis M. can eat a bag of dicks. He could be OCM’s twin

Shit when you had a problem in chino you called, I went by. We did something with water valve or main, or capped a broken line. I don’t remember now. I just recall we got your water back on for wifey and kids. From what I remember you got charged zero. No parts no labor. Where was bacarro, splash, dc, voodoownerbuilder pool man?
Your welcome lol

 

[BHC Vic]

I’m really not that worked up about it. It may seem that way.
Just pointing out the obvious, if you need a repair, or diagnose a problem. Get a number for an actual guy that does that work. Most pool service guys DO NOT.
3 of the guys are all good companies. Ask Tony how many equipment repairs he does anymore. Lol
Curtis M. can eat a bag of dicks. He could be OCM’s twin

Shit when you had a problem in chino you called, I went by. We did something with water valve or main, or capped a broken line. I don’t remember now. I just recall we got your water back on for wifey and kids. From what I remember you got charged zero. No parts no labor. Where was bacarro, splash, dc, voodoownerbuilder pool man?
Your welcome lol

It looks like Tony is building pools now I’m not too sure I just see what he posts on fb. Dc did a pump repair for my dad but Tony’s guys had to come finish it. I agree with Curtis can eat a bag of dicks. Jason still enjoys his pool and with prices now he actually did pretty good. Tony was actually one of the people that got me into boating. When I was dating Lindsay when we were kids Tony had a really nice Howard.

 

[traquer]

My pool pump went out last week... Called pool company and they said that sucks we'll order you a new pump it must have went out. We'll have it in 2 weeks. Didn't even wanna come out to look at it lol.

I go out with my multimeter and starting capacitor reads 0 microfarads instead of 30 or whatever it says it's supposed to be. Swap it with the capacitor from the spa pump and it's fine..

 

[rivermobster]

Friends, family, quotes that I’ve received…there are more parts hangers than technicians because industry standards and enforcement are lacking. On one hand, nobody wants more regulation….on the other hand, lack or regulation floods the field with idiots.
I don’t know the answer, aside from not getting involved and just doing things myself.

The answer is...

Build a relationship with your people!

Vendors or clients. Makes no difference.

Protip:

At Lexus, we got thousands of dollars to use as goodwill repairs. We could use it at our descrection. No questions asked.

Had a guy come in with his trans blown, out of warranty. He knew it. And he was bummed.

Pulled his file...

He had done every service with us. Good long time customer. Even bought the car from us.

I told him to come down cause I wanted to talk to him about his car, and told him he was getting a new trans at no cost.

He left one happy dude!! He couldn't thank me enough.

You and me? We can fix stuff ourselves.

Most people can't.

And that's ok! They are probably good at stuff I can't do as well. And I might need em for something I need done...

 

[530RL]

Another thing I’m bad at is firing people. I hate laying people off. That was in the field or in everyday life. I hate my gardener but I feel bad firing him. I don’t know why and I can’t figure it out. Never had a problem punching someone at the bar right in the mouth. But can’t fire the gardener I don’t like. I would suck as a business owner

Don’t take this the wrong way but I had the same problem in my early career.

So my partners made me the one who had to fire or lay off anyone.

Their view was that you are not truly there as a business person or a leader until you can fire someone or lay someone off and have them respect you and understand that you are doing the right thing. So I got the gig and it was a valuable lesson for life.

I suspect given your personality on here as well as mine that you like I have been fired before for whatever reason. And in every case I learned something from it that made me better, stronger and more equipped to succeed in life.

Learning to fire someone or being fired is part of being a better leader and more successful person. Learning to say no up front in a respectful manner is one of the most important parts of personal success.

 

[rivermobster]

Don’t take this the wrong way but I had the same problem in my early career.

So my partners made me the one who had to fire or lay off anyone.

Their view was that you are not truly there as a business person or a leader until you can fire someone or lay someone off and have them respect you and understand that you are doing the right thing. So I got the gig and it was a valuable lesson for life.

I suspect given your personality on here as well as mine that you like I have been fired before for whatever reason. And in every case I learned something from it that made me better, stronger and more equipped to succeed in life.

Learning to fire someone or being fired is part of being a better leader and more successful person.

No one ever told you, people fire themselves?

Here are the rules. Follow them, or your gone.

As shop foreman, I had to terminate a tech or two. They knew the rules and the consequences.

Down the road motors they went! No one to blame but themselves.

 

[Dan Lorenze]

I have trust issues with people, and I'm kind of cheap when it comes to fixing things around the house. I try my hardest to fix everything I can without calling a pro. With tools like a multi meter, code reader, YouTube and online shopping I get by pretty good. And yes, even changed out a capacitor in my AC unit. When things get serious with my pool, I have a great pool guy in my area that takes care of me, he's even dropped off parts on my porch to try, and yeah he's totally busy with big projects all the time but has always made time for me.

 

[nowski]

No one ever told you, people fire themselves?

Here are the rules. Follow them, or your gone.

As shop foreman, I had to terminate a tech or two. They knew the rules and the consequences.

Down the road motors they went! No one to blame but themselves.

Supervising 101

Terminating ones employment is the easy part of the job getting employee's to make the necessary improvements is the hard part of the job.

Write Up: An employee write up is a tool used to improve ones performance that hopefully prevents failures and lost revenue.

Firing: Is an action taken when an employee fails to make the necessary improvements as stated in the progressive steps of discipline that has led up to ones termination. In layman's terms you failed yourself, failed your terms of employment and simply fired yourself. It's all documented, have a nice day...

 

[BHC Vic]

In construction you don’t always lose your job because you did something wrong. Margaritaville finished right around Christmas time. Sucks to tell guys you don’t have a spot for them the week of Christmas. I’ve Laid 100’s of guys off. My mentor Larry always told me it would get easier, it never did. He’s the kind of guy that smiles when he’s walking around with checks in his pocket. I have a hard time with it

 

[hallett21]

This thread reminds me why I only try and do new construction or decent sized remodels lol.

The amount of stuff I’ve had to fix due to the expert DIYer, friend, uncle etc has been entertaining to down right lethal (120v pool light butt spliced under pavers outside of conduit). And I would bet 90% of the time when someone has tackled the job before I arrive, that it costs 50% more than if you had let me just fix it.

If you have the means to fix stuff on your own that’s great. I know my limitations and gladly pay the people I trust to fix the things that I can’t.


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[Daudioexpert]

I struggle with these scenarios. If I tell you it cost $200 an hour for me to diagnose the problem, I’m taking advantage in the eyes of the customer.

If I replace a broken part for $500 plus labor we are the hero. And we really took advantage.

What I really hate is charging someone an hourly rate to not fix anything.

Edit: perfect scenario.

I show up to a home and the garage power, garage fridge/freezer, HVAC FAU and garage openers are all dead.

I throw a meter on the panel and every circuit is good to go. I’m thinking a bad GFCI but every single one I look at is good to go.

Finally I see up in the corner a janky junction box with a door bell transformer. I ask if the Ring Doorbell is new? Of course our “friend” helped us install it.

Well they didn’t make up the box correctly and the hots arced and burned up the wire nut. A new wire nut and 3 turns with my linemans and the issue was fixed.

So what would you charge for roughly 30mins of diagnosis plus travel time?

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I've always set minimums so that they know up front . Your time is worth money and I'm sure most people respect that.
Sometimes Its hard enough to get someone to just show up.

 

[lbhsbz]

I struggle with these scenarios. If I tell you it cost $200 an hour for me to diagnose the problem, I’m taking advantage in the eyes of the customer.

If I replace a broken part for $500 plus labor we are the hero. And we really took advantage.

What I really hate is charging someone an hourly rate to not fix anything.

Edit: perfect scenario.

I show up to a home and the garage power, garage fridge/freezer, HVAC FAU and garage openers are all dead.

I throw a meter on the panel and every circuit is good to go. I’m thinking a bad GFCI but every single one I look at is good to go.

Finally I see up in the corner a janky junction box with a door bell transformer. I ask if the Ring Doorbell is new? Of course our “friend” helped us install it.

Well they didn’t make up the box correctly and the hots arced and burned up the wire nut. A new wire nut and 3 turns with my linemans and the issue was fixed.

So what would you charge for roughly 30mins of diagnosis plus travel time?

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what’s your rate? I would be happy with $4-500. What I wouldn’t be happy with is $7K for a new FAU and new electrical panel just because it was “old”.

 

[hallett21]

what’s your rate? I would be happy with $4-500. What I wouldn’t be happy with is $7K for a new FAU and new electrical panel just because it was “old”.

I charge $200 an hour 2 hour minimum with a $100 trip charge.

That’s to Joe blow who I’ve never met. If it’s a repeat customer/contractor I’ll come look for free, mainly because I’ll get the job.

On the flip side I can get a new 200amp panel swapped in 8 hours and charge material plus $1,600. The $1,600 doesn’t sound bad to most because the scope is well outside most DIY.

I prefer to do work that is large enough that I can present a line item bid and complete in a timely fashion.


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[rivermobster]

In construction you don’t always lose your job because you did something wrong. Margaritaville finished right around Christmas time. Sucks to tell guys you don’t have a spot for them the week of Christmas. I’ve Laid 100’s of guys off. My mentor Larry always told me it would get easier, it never did. He’s the kind of guy that smiles when he’s walking around with checks in his pocket. I have a hard time with it

I always accepted it as part of the job. Worked construction when I was a kid.

One company, that actually liked me, had me sweep floors around the wearhouse when there were no other jobs going on.

If I did get laid off, it was a nice vacation! I banked my money and paid cash for everything, so a week or two off was nice.

Never had trouble finding work when I was ready to work again.

SoCal and all that. Tons of jobs going on all the time.

 

[Sherpa]

just remember: we never threw out grandma just because she was old!

I learned most of my mechanic skills on my 1962 chevy pickup........ Dad taught me great skills for auto maintenance. home repairs also. you gotta keep your stuff working for you, that is unless you have dollars to piss out just buying new shit.........

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I charge $200 an hour 2 hour minimum with a $100 trip charge.

That’s to Joe blow who I’ve never met. If it’s a repeat customer/contractor I’ll come look for free, mainly because I’ll get the job.

On the flip side I can get a new 200amp panel swapped in 8 hours and charge material plus $1,600. The $1,600 doesn’t sound bad to most because the scope is well outside most DIY.

I prefer to do work that is large enough that I can present a line item bid and complete in a timely fashion.


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This is the detail that some don't understand. I get the entire point of this thread, however I see the other side. You'd rather do one of those larger set price jobs per day than 4 little repairs driving all over the area. The little jobs would sink you if there were not trip charges, and hourly minimums.

 

[BHC Vic]

This is the detail that some don't understand. I get the entire point of this thread, however I see the other side. You'd rather do one of those larger set price jobs per day than 4 little repairs driving all over the area. The little jobs would sink you if there were not trip charges, and hourly minimums.

We have a couple small union shops. Their bread and butter is the small jobs big companies turn their nose to. Little repairs and patches, little ti jobs with a couple new walls and touch ups. They don’t want all the over head and all the employees it takes to run the big jobs.

 

[lbhsbz]

I charge $200 an hour 2 hour minimum with a $100 trip charge.

That’s to Joe blow who I’ve never met. If it’s a repeat customer/contractor I’ll come look for free, mainly because I’ll get the job.

On the flip side I can get a new 200amp panel swapped in 8 hours and charge material plus $1,600. The $1,600 doesn’t sound bad to most because the scope is well outside most DIY.

I prefer to do work that is large enough that I can present a line item bid and complete in a timely fashion.


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come change my panel

 

[hallett21]

This one happened last week.

Get a call from repeat customer that they want 20 LED can lights installed in place of the existing LEDs. Existing fixtures are a one unit 6” can light with a diffuser. Tear out the old cans install the new ones. No big deal. They want it so bright you get a tan when you walk in.

Customer tells me that the 2 heat/exhaust fans in the bathrooms have no heat. Pull them apart and the heating element/heater blower soldering came undone/burned up.

Option 1 solder the leads (they are torched)

Option 2 order the assembly for $110 my cost and come back and pop them in.

Option 3 order entire new NuTone fans and change out the whole unit. This unit is bigger than most so you would have to install the same one.

Because they give me a bunch of work I’ll pop in the new ones when they arrive and charge them for my fuel and the parts.



But let’s say I only arrived for the heater and exhaust issue. I have no idea why the heater burned the leads. Maybe they ran the heat and no exhaust and moisture did it? Maybe the factory leads are barely large enough for the current? Maybe it’s a bad factory install?

I can solder the unit back together and give you no guarantee that it won’t happen again. $500

Change the assembly and at least have leverage with my supply house if it fails inside a year. 2 hour minimum and I need to make a profit on material or charge 2x for the trip.

So $500 + $200 a fan = $900

or

$500 + $220 for both fans + $100 to come back = $820. I’m going to round that to $900 either way.

Final choice. I can give you 2 brand new assemblies for $300ish a piece installed OTD for say $1,200. With a guarantee from Nutone for whatever their warranty is.

By the time I drive around, order parts and install I probably should be charging 2x the above.

Brand new bathroom in a remodel or new construction. I could do 3 LED can lights, GFCI, Dimmer and exhaust/heater for $1200-1500 .




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[LargeOrangeFont]

We have a couple small union shops. Their bread and butter is the small jobs big companies turn their nose to. Little repairs and patches, little ti jobs with a couple new walls and touch ups. They don’t want all the over head and all the employees it takes to run the big jobs.

That is exactly it - That business is structured to handle just that type of work. They don't want to really do anything else, and know how to maximize profits on small jobs like that.

 

[Your ad here]

Another thing I’m bad at is firing people. I hate laying people off. That was in the field or in everyday life. I hate my gardener but I feel bad firing him. I don’t know why and I can’t figure it out. Never had a problem punching someone at the bar right in the mouth. But can’t fire the gardener I don’t like. I would suck as a business owner

Sounds like you're torturing yourself not firing the gardener. Just make sure you have a replacement ready when you fire him or when you fire anyone.
Some things that come to mind about people. Can't make everyone happy, can't control anyone, and life isn't fair. Getting laid off is a part of life in the workforce and if you choose to be an employee that is something you as an employee have to accept. Business shouldn't be ran by emotions.

 

[lbhsbz]

This one happened last week.

Get a call from repeat customer that they want 20 LED can lights installed in place of the existing LEDs. Existing fixtures are a one unit 6” can light with a diffuser. Tear out the old cans install the new ones. No big deal. They want it so bright you get a tan when you walk in.

Customer tells me that the 2 heat/exhaust fans in the bathrooms have no heat. Pull them apart and the heating element/heater blower soldering came undone/burned up.

Option 1 solder the leads (they are torched)

Option 2 order the assembly for $110 my cost and come back and pop them in.

Option 3 order entire new NuTone fans and change out the whole unit. This unit is bigger than most so you would have to install the same one.

Because they give me a bunch of work I’ll pop in the new ones when they arrive and charge them for my fuel and the parts.



But let’s say I only arrived for the heater and exhaust issue. I have no idea why the heater burned the leads. Maybe they ran the heat and no exhaust and moisture did it? Maybe the factory leads are barely large enough for the current? Maybe it’s a bad factory install?

I can solder the unit back together and give you no guarantee that it won’t happen again. $500

Change the assembly and at least have leverage with my supply house if it fails inside a year. 2 hour minimum and I need to make a profit on material or charge 2x for the trip.

So $500 + $200 a fan = $900

or

$500 + $220 for both fans + $100 to come back = $820. I’m going to round that to $900 either way.

Final choice. I can give you 2 brand new assemblies for $300ish a piece installed OTD for say $1,200. With a guarantee from Nutone for whatever their warranty is.

By the time I drive around, order parts and install I probably should be charging 2x the above.

Brand new bathroom in a remodel or new construction. I could do 3 LED can lights, GFCI, Dimmer and exhaust/heater for $1200-1500 .




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that all makes sense, but this thread was not talking about a $200 bathroom fan…it was talking about a multi-thousand dollar pool heater. The difference would be more like $500 vs $4,000

 

[Icky]

This one happened last week.

Get a call from repeat customer that they want 20 LED can lights installed in place of the existing LEDs. Existing fixtures are a one unit 6” can light with a diffuser. Tear out the old cans install the new ones. No big deal. They want it so bright you get a tan when you walk in.

Customer tells me that the 2 heat/exhaust fans in the bathrooms have no heat. Pull them apart and the heating element/heater blower soldering came undone/burned up.

Option 1 solder the leads (they are torched)

Option 2 order the assembly for $110 my cost and come back and pop them in.

Option 3 order entire new NuTone fans and change out the whole unit. This unit is bigger than most so you would have to install the same one.

Because they give me a bunch of work I’ll pop in the new ones when they arrive and charge them for my fuel and the parts.



But let’s say I only arrived for the heater and exhaust issue. I have no idea why the heater burned the leads. Maybe they ran the heat and no exhaust and moisture did it? Maybe the factory leads are barely large enough for the current? Maybe it’s a bad factory install?

I can solder the unit back together and give you no guarantee that it won’t happen again. $500

Change the assembly and at least have leverage with my supply house if it fails inside a year. 2 hour minimum and I need to make a profit on material or charge 2x for the trip.

So $500 + $200 a fan = $900

or

$500 + $220 for both fans + $100 to come back = $820. I’m going to round that to $900 either way.

Final choice. I can give you 2 brand new assemblies for $300ish a piece installed OTD for say $1,200. With a guarantee from Nutone for whatever their warranty is.

By the time I drive around, order parts and install I probably should be charging 2x the above.

Brand new bathroom in a remodel or new construction. I could do 3 LED can lights, GFCI, Dimmer and exhaust/heater for $1200-1500 .




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How many states are you licensed in?

 

[Hermosa]

Nobody has any troubleshooting skills anymore. Sad. My neighbor didn't drive his car for a week and was taking uber everywhere. When I asked him what was up, he said he couldn't get the garage door open and the tech he called couldn't get there for another week or so. Fucking retards. so sad. Last month he had to call a window guy out to put his window screens in. The cleaning lasy removed them all, washed the windows and screens but didn't put the screens back in, assuming he could do it himself. Stupid fucking people. Trust fund stupid.

 

[rivermobster]

Nobody has any troubleshooting skills anymore. Sad. My neighbor didn't drive his car for a week and was taking uber everywhere. When I asked him what was up, he said he couldn't get the garage door open and the tech he called couldn't get there for another week or so. Fucking retards. so sad. Last month he had to call a window guy out to put his window screens in. The cleaning lasy removed them all, washed the windows and screens but didn't put the screens back in, assuming he could do it himself. Stupid fucking people. Trust fund stupid.

But...

What DOES he do for a living?? One of my good customers was a financial analyst. Retired before he turned 50. House in Vegas, house in SoCal, half a dozen nice 60's cars, including a 71 Bronco I built for him, that he probably dropped 50k on.

He doesn't need to get his hands dirty. He can afford a freaking limo driver if he wants.

Sometimes it's best not to judge.

 

[Daudioexpert]

what’s your rate? I would be happy with $4-500. What I wouldn’t be happy with is $7K for a new FAU and new electrical panel just because it was “old”.

I completely understand that .
No one should ever assume that it would be ok to do that . This should be a conversation with your contractor making suggestions if they feel it wouldn't be adequate and why it needs to be done .

 

[hallett21]

that all makes sense, but this thread was not talking about a $200 bathroom fan…it was talking about a multi-thousand dollar pool heater. The difference would be more like $500 vs $4,000

Totally get that. But I’m sure eventually someone will come on here and tell the story of how a contractor almost got them for $900 and they fixed it for $236.98


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[lbhsbz]

I completely understand that .
No one should ever assume that it would be ok to do that . This should be a conversation with your contractor making suggestions if they feel it wouldn't be adequate and why it needs to be done .

The problem is when that is the only option given. The customer doesn't know that the unit can be operational again for a few hundred dollars...since they were simply told it needs to be replaced for thousands. That's my definition of screwing people...not giving them an option or a choice.

 

[C-2]

Totally get that. But I’m sure eventually someone will come on here and tell the story of how a contractor almost got them for $900 and they fixed it for $236.98


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I'm just quoting you because your response laid down a good framework...

That's the problem. Homeowners are sophisticated since pricing and even contractor laws are only a few clicks away. There's nothing anybody can do about it - everybody has to adapt to the idea that nothing is private. Not profit margins, not wholesale pricing, nothing is thanks to the Internet.

I think the clear answer for contractors to protect themselves is having good (as in really good) communication skills.

The second a homeowner thinks a contractor tried to rip them off - it's game over.

Imagine if all contractors were upfront and honest about profit margins? Some of them are, especially on large projects, or public works projects.

But at contract signing, if you're upfront and honest and a homeowner balks at your profit margin, then that's the time to bail - before the project starts, not after you're a month into it. A low bid and then change order it out strategy may not work.

In the old days contractors could get away with omissions, but times have changed and successful contractors need to keep pace. As a side note, an omission is a form of lying.

 

[rivermobster]

The problem is when that is the only option given. The customer doesn't know that the unit can be operational again for a few hundred dollars...since they were simply told it needs to be replaced for thousands. That's my definition of screwing people...not giving them an option or a choice.

Agree 100%

The problem is the scum bags that say, you touched it last, so you need to make it right now! Seen it happen too many times to count.

The easy solution is a no warranty invoice, with a written est. of all the available options. All signed by the customer.

Documentation wins every time.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

The problem is when that is the only option given. The customer doesn't know that the unit can be operational again for a few hundred dollars...since they were simply told it needs to be replaced for thousands. That's my definition of screwing people...not giving them an option or a choice.

Good point here.

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

This one happened last week.

Get a call from repeat customer that they want 20 LED can lights installed in place of the existing LEDs. Existing fixtures are a one unit 6” can light with a diffuser. Tear out the old cans install the new ones. No big deal. They want it so bright you get a tan when you walk in.

Customer tells me that the 2 heat/exhaust fans in the bathrooms have no heat. Pull them apart and the heating element/heater blower soldering came undone/burned up.

Option 1 solder the leads (they are torched)

Option 2 order the assembly for $110 my cost and come back and pop them in.

Option 3 order entire new NuTone fans and change out the whole unit. This unit is bigger than most so you would have to install the same one.

Because they give me a bunch of work I’ll pop in the new ones when they arrive and charge them for my fuel and the parts.



But let’s say I only arrived for the heater and exhaust issue. I have no idea why the heater burned the leads. Maybe they ran the heat and no exhaust and moisture did it? Maybe the factory leads are barely large enough for the current? Maybe it’s a bad factory install?

I can solder the unit back together and give you no guarantee that it won’t happen again. $500

Change the assembly and at least have leverage with my supply house if it fails inside a year. 2 hour minimum and I need to make a profit on material or charge 2x for the trip.

So $500 + $200 a fan = $900

or

$500 + $220 for both fans + $100 to come back = $820. I’m going to round that to $900 either way.

Final choice. I can give you 2 brand new assemblies for $300ish a piece installed OTD for say $1,200. With a guarantee from Nutone for whatever their warranty is.

By the time I drive around, order parts and install I probably should be charging 2x the above.

Brand new bathroom in a remodel or new construction. I could do 3 LED can lights, GFCI, Dimmer and exhaust/heater for $1200-1500 .




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I gotta raise my rates!

 

[wishiknew]

I gotta raise my rates!

I thought we were up to 2200 for panel changes

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

I thought we were up to 2200 for panel changes

All I know is I used to know and have direct phone numbers to all the SCE planners. Now it's call the 800 number twice or three times with no call back.
Too much hassle for what was a good money maker.
Not to mention dealing with the City BS.
Eff that noise!

 

[Lumpy]

Mother in laws pool heater stopped working. They had a pool guy come out and his response was that it was old and needed replacing. Gave a $4000 quote to swap it out. They had neighbor come out who was an electrician and he couldn’t figure it out. I’m out here this weekend and so I was like “can I take a look? It can’t get more broken…”. Tore into it and I had my meter in my tool bag in the truck. Had power in all the right places but it wouldn’t turn on. I ended up giving the fan a little push and sure enough it started spinning, pilot came on, fired right up and made heat. Turns out it needs a new capacitor. $10 on amazon and it’ll be here tomorrow. Saved them like $3000 + labor for a new 400k btu heater.

View attachment 1046113

They are super relieved. So then they had me look at their riding mower. Wouldn’t start so they had their same electrician look at it. Also took it to a mower repair place. Same thing you need a whole new one. I took my meter and checked it all over. Ended up getting that working too with some magic.

Are people just really that bad at their jobs or are they just trying to make a quick buck? Both issues had multiple people look at it. They said they felt bad asking me because I usually come out and fix a bunch of things when I am here. I’m just an IT guy with some tools. It makes me furious to think of all the other people in the world being taken advantage of.

Year and model please.

 

[hallett21]

I gotta raise my rates!

I thought we were up to 2200 for panel changes[emoji15][emoji15]

Alright let’s be honest here. Assuming it’s residential. Show up at 7am and cut power or power has already been cut.

Rods, arc faults, new panel etc are already in the truck and being billed outside the $1,600 labor.

I’d say 2 guys could probably do an over head swap in 5 hours? But then where do you send them for the remaining 3?

Plus someone needs to show up tomorrow for the 10-2pm inspection window. That’s assuming you called it in on time.

So really it’s a 12 hour job if you don’t have you’re hands on it from start to finish.

And that doesn’t include the “hey while your guys are here can they throw in an outdoor plug and a security light for me?”

Edit: what are you charging to go pull the permit and talk with utility?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

No argument from me.
I charge more than my hourly because it's a PITA.

 

[Icky]

Good morning everyone, time to write some new quotes,to rip off some more people

 

[LuauLounge]

Me too, however, I lose money on every project, but make it up in volume.

 

[Your ad here]

Was there a 2nd and possibly a 3rd opinion from someone that specializes in pool equipment repair? Just settling on one quote like that goes over my head. Shop around and get other prices!

 

[bonesfab]

Overhead is a real cost. I pay my landlord more money a year than I pay myself. My garage keepers insurance went up 3000.00 this year for no reason. I hear from others, " He is expensive" But we get the job done and I stand behind it. I tell them up front. This is a guestimate as the car is 50-60 years old and god knows how many people have hacked it up previously. If we work on it we fix most of the bullshit so it doesn't come back. Then the customers always have the " well since it is there, how about we add this and that" I actually put up a sign that states there is a minimum 1/2 hour labor charge if I stop what I am doing to help someone out. Don't always charge it but it is stated.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Me too, however, I lose money on every project, but make it up in volume.

Seems this is how some boat builders operate

 

[WYRD]

Me too, however, I lose money on every project, but make it up in volume.

Cut it below cost and make it up in volume is what I always say

 

[ka0tyk]

Sigh another one. Been fighting with wife’s diesel Range Rover. The DEF filter failed and they ended up replacing the whole system under warranty. Fine. The dealership was sold to “envision motors” which has about the same google/Yelp rating as the worst Chinese food restaurant in town. So they fixed it and when we got it back there’s a rattle at startup. I don’t want to fix it myself it’s covered under warranty. Two weeks go by and suddenly “we can’t reproduce it”. Bullshit you didn’t even look at it, it sat in your lot the whole time getting passed up. When wife goes to pick it up they try to charge a “$250 diagnostic fee”. End up calling service manager and gave him and earful. Lots of four letter words. At this point we are four visits in for the DEF system. Another week goes by get it back “still can’t hear a sound” yet magically it’s fixed. Technician recommends brake pads they were at “four percent left.” Not wanting another can of worms shit job by their expert technicians I decline and they give me a big stink about “refusing service.” More four letter words used. Get it back home, order pads and pull the wheels and calipers off. Not even close to needing a brake job. Plus it has a sensor wire that would wear and trigger a dash warning. What a scam. They wanted like $1200 for pads and rotors for brakes that are near half. I call the service manager again and I’ll be taking all my service records and attempting to send them off to their corporate dept.

My wife always wanted a Range Rover and these interactions have completely ruined the entire brand for her. At this point it’s gonna be for sale and we are going to grab an Escalade like I wanted in the first place.

Absolute garbage “professionals” just ripping everyone off.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Sigh another one. Been fighting with wife’s diesel Range Rover. The DEF filter failed and they ended up replacing the whole system under warranty. Fine. The dealership was sold to “envision motors” which has about the same google/Yelp rating as the worst Chinese food restaurant in town. So they fixed it and when we got it back there’s a rattle at startup. I don’t want to fix it myself it’s covered under warranty. Two weeks go by and suddenly “we can’t reproduce it”. Bullshit you didn’t even look at it, it sat in your lot the whole time getting passed up. When wife goes to pick it up they try to charge a “$250 diagnostic fee”. End up calling service manager and gave him and earful. Lots of four letter words. At this point we are four visits in for the DEF system. Another week goes by get it back “still can’t hear a sound” yet magically it’s fixed. Technician recommends brake pads they were at “four percent left.” Not wanting another can of worms shit job by their expert technicians I decline and they give me a big stink about “refusing service.” More four letter words used. Get it back home, order pads and pull the wheels and calipers off. Not even close to needing a brake job. Plus it has a sensor wire that would wear and trigger a dash warning. What a scam. They wanted like $1200 for pads and rotors for brakes that are near half. I call the service manager again and I’ll be taking all my service records and attempting to send them off to their corporate dept.

My wife always wanted a Range Rover and these interactions have completely ruined the entire brand for her. At this point it’s gonna be for sale and we are going to grab an Escalade like I wanted in the first place.

Absolute garbage “professionals” just ripping everyone off

A certain BMW dealer in TX gave us a around a 12k estimate for DEF filter etc on an x-5...none of it was the cause. What was the cause? a brittle piss poor design rain seal that drained water onto the injector harness. 2 bad injectors and a harness later it was fine. created long term issues..but I fixed it for under a grand. If they had done their entire estimate it wouldn't have fixed it...for shits and giggles they quoted the injector repair..it was like 6k? if I remember right.. I deleted it, fixed and sold it.

We have a hybrid now..but damn techs are lazy and out to fuck ya. Once this one's warranty is up its gone...it'll be replaced with a Tahoe...

 

[Gonefishin5555]

Sigh another one. Been fighting with wife’s diesel Range Rover. The DEF filter failed and they ended up replacing the whole system under warranty. Fine. The dealership was sold to “envision motors” which has about the same google/Yelp rating as the worst Chinese food restaurant in town. So they fixed it and when we got it back there’s a rattle at startup. I don’t want to fix it myself it’s covered under warranty. Two weeks go by and suddenly “we can’t reproduce it”. Bullshit you didn’t even look at it, it sat in your lot the whole time getting passed up. When wife goes to pick it up they try to charge a “$250 diagnostic fee”. End up calling service manager and gave him and earful. Lots of four letter words. At this point we are four visits in for the DEF system. Another week goes by get it back “still can’t hear a sound” yet magically it’s fixed. Technician recommends brake pads they were at “four percent left.” Not wanting another can of worms shit job by their expert technicians I decline and they give me a big stink about “refusing service.” More four letter words used. Get it back home, order pads and pull the wheels and calipers off. Not even close to needing a brake job. Plus it has a sensor wire that would wear and trigger a dash warning. What a scam. They wanted like $1200 for pads and rotors for brakes that are near half. I call the service manager again and I’ll be taking all my service records and attempting to send them off to their corporate dept.

My wife always wanted a Range Rover and these interactions have completely ruined the entire brand for her. At this point it’s gonna be for sale and we are going to grab an Escalade like I wanted in the first place.

Absolute garbage “professionals” just ripping everyone off.

I paid about 2K to replace the fuel pumps after 1 stopped working. The frustrating thing is they automatically did both when only one failed based on the fact that the other one would probably fail soon. I have a charging fault code and its the alternator the reman part is $450 I don't know what it costs from the dealer prob 7-800. I had heard about the ridiculous price on the brakes I thinks its $2k at the dealer to do both front and back so I have had them done by independents and its half. My Range Rover has 100K miles I enjoy driving it but those error codes just keep coming. I am looking at Tahoes soon