Losing Plumbing Jobs To Cut-Throat Quotes From Competition

[Paul Barker]

My work at the moment on the face of it to an idiot earns me £20/hr but after fixed costs and overheads and then variable costs (fuel and minor consumables) it comes down to £10.50/hr, but that is before you consider the time I spend in an administrative role. That would take me below £8/hr, which apparently the supermarkets pay for night time shelf stackers. But if while the customer is rabbiting on about unimportant things and I inside my head am ensuring I have covered all aspects of safety, I fail to soap a joint and leave it leaking I can raise a house to the ground; and the compensation I get for all the knowledge skill and responisbility? £8 an hour and no pension sick pay or holiday pay. And I am not struggling with the work I do, I am over capable working below my level, were I a new entrant I would find it an immense task, unless I was too thick to realise how much more I needed to know to do the job safely, then I would find it easy, but I would be like that drive who said "never caused an accident but seen a load in my rear view mirror".

 

[ColJack]

ColJack , you obviously don't run your own business. You allow for fuel, but leave out masses. What about financing the vehicle, for a start!?

and what about financing the car to get me to work? same thing but I don't get to charge my boss for it do I? it comes out of my wages..

Then there's no pension, no sickness pay,

same here, only statutory after so many days and that's government paid so you shoukd get that too..

and no holiday pay.

, ok you got me there..

 

[seco services]

ColJack , you obviously don't run your own business. You allow for fuel, but leave out masses. What about financing the vehicle, for a start!?

and what about financing the car to get me to work? same thing but I don't get to charge my boss for it do I? it comes out of my wages..

a cars your choice a luxury same as my car.

my vans aren't luxury they are needed for the job so comes out of your overheads not your wages.

why should we buy, service, insure vans out of our wages ?

 

[ColJack]

and how am I supposed to travel the 20miles a day to work without it?
it's a necessity just as much as yours is..
so you have a car in addition to your van? you personally, not as in "yes my wife has a car"..
I am a bachelor and have only one vehicle.

 

[Deleted member 105431]

and how am I supposed to travel the 20miles a day to work without it?
it's a necessity just as much as yours is..

ever heard of public transport?

buses, trains, taxi's etc or even a pushbike! Not practical when you have tools, materials etc to transport long distances.

A van in some jobs/trades is essential not a luxury! Tax is paid for any private use of the van anyway.

 

[seco services]

and how am I supposed to travel the 20miles a day to work without it?

as already said.

it's a necessity just as much as yours is..

mine isn't i don't really need it.

so you have a car in addition to your van? you personally, not as in "yes my wife has a car"..

my wife has a car i have a car and a van for my business.

not my choice id rather not have the van stuck outside the house but thats part of the business so i have to put up with it.

 

[ColJack]

ever heard of public transport?

yes but it's 2 buses and a 20min walk to the stop, or 2 trains and a 30 min walk to the station, and they don't start running early ehough to get me in for 6AM..

buses, trains, taxi's etc or even a pushbike! Not practical when you have tools, materials etc to transport long distances.

as I said, the buses don't run early enough, and a taxi is rediculous..
what makes you think that I don't take my tools home every night?
materials can be delivered to site and a backpack full of tools can be taken on the bus, train or on your bike..
and do you want to ride 20 miles a day in the pouring rain?

A van in some jobs/trades is essential not a luxury! Tax is paid for any private use of the van anyway.

oh boo hoo.. I have to pay tax on my fuel to get me to work everyday.. as well as tax on private use..

the fact of the matter is, you have to have a vehicle to get you to and from your job, so do I..

 

[Deleted member 105431]

public transport maybe crap but you chosing your car instead is a choice; using the van is the only practical option.

do you think a backpack of tools is sufficent for tradesmen?

a sign written van is an essential tool of the trade for some people, a car is a luxury-simple as that.

Btw I have a van for work, 2 cars (one for the mrs, one for me) and a motorbike.

The van is a tool just as a drill is. Both enable me to do my job and are essential. I could live without my cars and bike but not the van.

 

[ColJack]

not my choice id rather not have the van stuck outside the house but thats part of the business so i have to put up with it.

unless your "parts" are large such as sheets of plywood or plaster, then an estate car with a roofrack will suffice for most plumbers and electricians..

a tube rack on the roof for your pipes and the tools in the boot.

so you don't HAVE to have the van, you CHOOSE to because it's convenient to not have to empty an estate car every weekend and it portrays a more professional image..

most plumbers and sparkies have car derived or smaller vans anyway, such as the berlingo or the escort or astra vans..

 

[Deleted member 105431]

not my choice id rather not have the van stuck outside the house but thats part of the business so i have to put up with it.

unless your "parts" are large such as sheets of plywood or plaster, then an estate car with a roofrack will suffice for most plumbers and electricians..

a tube rack on the roof for your pipes and the tools in the boot.

so you don't HAVE to have the van, you CHOOSE to because it's convenient to not have to empty an estate car every weekend and it portrays a more professional image..

most plumbers and sparkies have car derived or smaller vans anyway, such as the berlingo or the escort or astra vans..

a works vehicle be it an estate or a long wheelbase transit is still not the same as you driving your car to work everyday. It's very simple.

Would you say a lorry driver choses to use his hgv instead of the family car?

 

[ColJack]

public transport maybe crap but you chosing your car instead is a choice; using the van is the only practical option.

yes I was CHOOSING to get to work on time and to try and keep my job..
it's nto just crap, but it's impractical, just s taking a load of tools is for you..

do you think a backpack of tools is sufficent for tradesmen?

It depends on the trade... for a plaster who has to take a table and hawks and straight edges and so on, then no, but for a domestic plumber I recon I could get all the tools in a decent backpack.. I bet most of your tools are in an 20inch tool bag anyway..

a sign written van is an essential tool of the trade for some people, a car is a luxury-simple as that.

see above, it's not essential unless you carry large "parts" and even then the sign writing isn't... it's a more professional appearance, but an estate will do the job of lugging you and your tools to the job just as well

Btw I have a van for work, 2 cars (one for the mrs, one for me) and a motorbike.

The van is a tool just as a drill is. Both enable me to do my job and are essential. I could live without my cars and bike but not the van.

well good for you, I have only one form of transport and have to empty the tools and bits out of it when I need the space for shopping or trips to the tip or holidays etc..

 

[fekarrs]

not my choice id rather not have the van stuck outside the house but thats part of the business so i have to put up with it.

unless your "parts" are large such as sheets of plywood or plaster, then an estate car with a roofrack will suffice for most plumbers and electricians..

By suggesting that a tradesman uses an estate car, you make it obvious that you don't have a clue.

How do you secure your valuable tools in an estate car, and keep them safe from prying eyes??

 

[ColJack]

a works vehicle be it an estate or a long wheelbase transit is still not the same as you driving your car to work everyday. It's very simple.

Would you say a lorry driver choses to use his hgv instead of the family car?

you can't use that analogy.. it's no where near the same. the HGV is designed to haul cargo and the person that drives it does so for a living. you don't drive stuff around for a living.
if he owns the HGV and hauls cargo for his own business , and not as an employee of a larger haulage firm who provide the HGV for him,and if he's only hauling a cars worth of cargo then yes he's chosing to use the HGV.. he could put it in his car and take it at probably a vastly reduced cost too..

 

[Stingray13]

do you think a backpack of tools is sufficent for tradesmen?
It depends on the trade... for a plaster who has to take a table and hawks and straight edges and so on, then no, but for a domestic plumber I recon I could get all the tools in a decent backpack.. I bet most of your tools are in an 20inch tool bag anyway..

This i Love i have 5 yes 5 BOXS 2 Small, 2 Large and My working box, i have my FGA to carry, My Digital Manometer, My Multimeter, My Drills and Cordless 6 Sorted Out Boxs of all diffrent sizes and types of fitting, My Bathroom and Kitchen Box (Ball Valves Etc).

I get myself from my house to my office on foot (takes 30 Secs) then i get into MY Companies Van to go to work i pay for the foot time it takes to get to my van, the company which i own pays for the van, and thats why i can claim the van because i need it to do my job, i don't claim to get there first thing in the morning as i start once i get to my van thats why your diffrent

 

[ColJack]

By suggesting that a tradesman uses an estate car, you make it obvious that you don't have a clue.

How do you secure your valuable tools in an estate car, and keep them safe from prying eyes??

you stay out of this, it's already 2 on 1..

you do it the same way you do for anything else you have in the car..
keep it out of sight..
there are covers for the load area and you don't put stuff on the back seat..

ok so the tube rack might be a give-away, but there's more likely tools in a van than in a car.. that's my you see the "no tools left in this van overnight" stickers..
you and your neighbour both work as plumbers. he has an estate with no tube rack and his load cover over the boot.
you have a sign written van.
some guy walks down the road looking to steal some tools.. which vehicle do you think he's going to go for?