British Gas engineers.

[Bodd]

If in doubt, I’ll tell them percentages.
ie- I think it’s a 90% chance it’s this....... but could be this.....etc.

Not that's its happened more than once or twice but they can then shop around....

I had a fella call me once wanting a price to replace a 3 port.

I said hiw do you know it's thd 3 port that's the problem. He told me an engineer he had round told him... I said do the decent thing and get him to do it.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Well Harry slinging parts at a job is showing a lack of skill. I usually diagnose the fault, quote a price and everybody's happy.

I often get calls do you still fix ....... you called fifteen years ago and fixed my ...... 'whats your address,,? '

You are perhaps one of the exceptions, along with several more exceptions on here I would trust. My personal experience as a customer and professional experience is one of incompetence in industry. As professionals are so variable, I avoid them just as much as possible.

One of those extremely rare instances where I needed a mechanic for a simple job, was when I broke down in south Wales, far from home and far from my tools. I'd lost all pressure on my clutch pedal, meaning either the master cylinder had failed or the slave, so with no choice I called the breakdown out. A mechanic turned up and didn't have a clue and had to ring base for help to diagnose it, despite me explaining to him how to diagnose which had failed. There was a self sealing quick connect in the middle of the pipe, master was full of fluid, break the quick connect and press the pedal, if not pressure the master had failed simple.

The mechanics advisor back at base suggested there was an airlock - suggesting pumping fluid in at the bleed nipple down at the slave cylinder. The idiot pumped 2L of fluid in, trying to clear that 'airlock' in a system which only holds 1/4 litre, flooded my carpet with hydraulic oil in the process, before he gave up and took me in.

It took a further hour back at their base, to eventually get their base expert mechanic, to accept the master piston seal had split and get them to order up a replacement master, at £120. I had to leave the car with them for the night, whilst the part turned up and they could fit it. Given the part and the tools, I could have fitted it in 15 minutes at the side of the road - £460 I was charged for the repair alone. By then, I was loosing the will to live and just paid up.

 

[SirGalahad]

Plumbers are their own worst enemy, fleecing customers only for them to be undercut by more professinal Polish Plumbers and then complaining about competition.



Now it's a mess. Plunbers for ya.

 

[gasbanni]

Do you tell tgd customer your diagnosis?

No I do not usually, I learned not to the hard way. I don't charge a call out.

I diagnose the fault and say a sensor has failed and its going to cost whatever to fix it, if it's the pump or fan a simple diagnosis well I will say then the fans failed. After I've rung round to get the price and availability to price up the repair. It works for me.

To be fair I also specialise, for the repairs in that field I can give a fixed price once they give me the serial no.
and I've looked up the parts. From the fault and a couple of questions I know exactly what parts are needed. This is just down to familiarity and experiance, nothing to do with super powers !

 

[gasbanni]

You are perhaps one of the exceptions, along with several more exceptions on here I would trust. My personal experience as a customer and professional experience is one of incompetence in industry. As professionals are so variable, I avoid them just as much as possible.

One of those extremely rare instances where I needed a mechanic for a simple job, was when I broke down in south Wales, far from home and far from my tools. I'd lost all pressure on my clutch pedal, meaning either the master cylinder had failed or the slave, so with no choice I called the breakdown out. A mechanic turned up and didn't have a clue and had to ring base for help to diagnose it, despite me explaining to him how to diagnose which had failed. There was a self sealing quick connect in the middle of the pipe, master was full of fluid, break the quick connect and press the pedal, if not pressure the master had failed simple.

The mechanics advisor back at base suggested there was an airlock - suggesting pumping fluid in at the bleed nipple down at the slave cylinder. The idiot pumped 2L of fluid in, trying to clear that 'airlock' in a system which only holds 1/4 litre, flooded my carpet with hydraulic oil in the process, before he gave up and took me in.

It took a further hour back at their base, to eventually get their base expert mechanic, to accept the master piston seal had split and get them to order up a replacement master, at £120. I had to leave the car with them for the night, whilst the part turned up and they could fit it. Given the part and the tools, I could have fitted it in 15 minutes at the side of the road - £460 I was charged for the repair alone. By then, I was loosing the will to live and just paid up.

I would agree with you, I personally would put it down to a lack ( an old fashioned words these days ) conscienousnes and a lack of interest in the job.

When I can make an appliance that's worn and seen heavy service be transformed and work as good as new I get a sense of satisfaction from a job well done.

 

[securespark]

With modern electronics it can be difficult to diagnose a fault. Some faults could be caused by more than one component failure.

Sometimes you start with the cheapest and work your way up.

I had a fault on my Octavia.....the glow plug light would come on and flash randomly and there was a power loss, going into limp home mode.

You'd think there would be an issue with the glow plugs, no?

The issue was traced to a fault with the brake light switch.

That makes sense!

 

[Notch7]

If the valve cost me £100 I'd charge £120. Generally the customer is non of the wiser and I go and fix without a quibble

If you put on a margin, you are losing money.

You have to order it (admin time), you may have to collect it. If it's wrong part, you have to exchange it. If it fails you have to replace it.

Some customers think the mark up is profiteering - but it's not, it's covering your costs.

 

[Bodd]

And of course all this happens. I get a customer call me for say a new kitchen tap. They ask me to supply a cheap unit.

This happened to me earlier this year .. ended up putting s new tap in again as the cheap one failed. That's it now I only supply good quality brands or supply your own but I give no guarantee.

 

[bernardgreen]

With modern electronics it can be difficult to diagnose a fault.

That is true, built in diagnostic routines would help but then could a plumber cope with an oscilloscope or logic analyser ?

 

[Doug99]

That is true, built in diagnostic routines would help but then could a plumber cope with an oscilloscope or logic analyser ?

During the 70's I was trained to diagnose electronic defects down to component level, resulting in the change of a cheap resistor/capacitor/transistor type component. Today the technicians are taught how to press a button to self diagnose a failure to PEC/board level. No deep skills required!!!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

During the 70's I was trained to diagnose electronic defects down to component level, resulting in the change of a cheap resistor/capacitor/transistor type component. Today the technicians are taught how to press a button to self diagnose a failure to PEC/board level. No deep skills required!!!

Cheaper and quicker to change a PCB, than to employ someone with real skill.

 

[securespark]

I always remember the ECU in my Maestro VdP.

Went to the BL dealer with an engine running fault.
Dealer sucked air through his gnashers and said, "It's the ECU, guv. Gonna be £600+...”

A mate who was better at electronics than me prised it apart and found a dry joint on a resistor. 10p and a few moments with an iron and it was sorted!

Phew!

 

[CBW]

Cheaper and quicker to change a PCB, than to employ someone with real skill.

Obviously don’t know the cost if some pcb’s, Intergas one is £330 - that ain’t cheap

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I always remember the ECU in my Maestro VdP.

Went to the BL dealer with an engine running fault.
Dealer sucked air through his gnashers and said, "It's the ECU, guv. Gonna be £600+...”

A mate who was better at electronics than me prised it apart and found a dry joint on a resistor. 10p and a few moments with an iron and it was sorted!

Phew!

I often do that - I have lots of electronics here. Most frequent issue (9/10) is electrolytic capacitors, perhaps more in modern equipment than older items and quite easy to spot by the swelling / leakage.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Obviously don’t know the cost if some pcb’s, Intergas one is £330 - that ain’t cheap

That's what you pay, the manufacturers will get them for 1/10 that cost. The real cost is not manufacture, but design and development. Once you have the design they become cheap to manufacture.