Had My Combi Changed And Fees

[ChloeRadshaw1]

I replaced a main 24 HE with a Mains 30KW eco compact last week - I arranged to have (1) The boiler and flue delivered, thermostat open boiler, scale inhibitor and magnatec filter

The cost of replacing the boiler (labour only) was £500.... Thats in london mind you

The work was done from 9AM and the gas engineer finished at 4PM exactly - He also went out to have lunch for an hour

I have written about this before but it makes me angry - £500 for a short day is frankly outrageous. Yes I know he has a van and insurance and pencils to buy but me in an office also has school fees, butlers, live in chefs, nannies and chauffers but that does not allow me to increase my salary or get anywhere close to £500 a day...

So please tell me how I can become a boiler installer? Do I have to go to university for 4 years and take out a student loan? Do I have to work 80 hours a week as a junior analyst to climb the corporate ladder which even now in my 40s does not translate to 500 a day or 120K a year salary....

 

[ianmcd]

And how much do you charge a month renting the place out ? your constant bleating about charges is becoming tiresome, if you dont want to pay it then find someone cheaper

 

[ianmcd]

duplicate post

 

[johnny2007]

Next time do it yourself.
That's what I used to say to people moaning about my quotes.
Then inevitably the wife would call me to fix the mess done by the husband or one of his mates.
It would then cost more to dismantle the mess and clear it.
Overall, a £500 short day for me would become a 6-8 weeks of mess by the husband and friends + £750/£1000 for me to put things right.
Do you still wanna have a go yourself?

 

[just pumps]

120K a year salary? Clearly a business woman you aint!

 

[ChloeRadshaw1]

He cut four pipes and screwed four nails in the wall .... Would like to hear how I can become a gas engineer and charge 500 a day (which I am told is cheap) for a combi boiler swap

 

[just pumps]

He cut four pipes and screwed four nails in the wall .... Would like to hear how I can become a gas engineer and charge 500 a day (which I am told is cheap) for a combi boiler swap

Well you could start by learning how to screw a nail in a wall.

 

[ajstoneservices]

Why did you agree to the price he gave you only to bitch about it later

 

[blup]

9 till 4 is not a short day.

Blup

 

[opps]

He cut four pipes and screwed four nails in the wall .... Would like to hear how I can become a gas engineer and charge 500 a day (which I am told is cheap) for a combi boiler swap

You don't screw nails, you nail nails and screw screws...

I am a decorator rather than a plumber but even I know that he had to drain down the whole system, including the radiators, isolate the gas and electricity. Then remove the old combi, fit the Magnaflow, possibly run a new condensate pipe.

Additionally, the plumber needs to sign off on the boiler. Is it really worth £500? I dunno but you can not legally do it yourself unless you decide to train to be a Gas Safe plumber and purchase a shed loads of tools.

Apropos your own income... my sister has just retired at the age of 53. Her income was about £500k per year working for a tv channel coordinating "selling" slots for advertising. My income is 10 times less than hers but I appreciate that her income is a function of her skill set and years of networking.

 

[opps]

BTW....

I do not know any self employed plumbers who earn £120k a year, even if they occasionally make £500 in one day.

 

[just pumps]

You don't screw nails, you nail nails and screw screws...

Which sized hammer do you use, S, M, L, XL or XXL to nail nails.

 

[opps]

Which sized hammer do you use, S, M, L or XL?

Whichever I have to hand. Often I just whack in the nails with the end of my screwdriver...

 

[opps]

Having looked through some of your earlier posts, you previously maligned plumbers for earning a grand a day

https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/rip-off-or-great-value.556508/

You bemoan the fact that your husband "only" earns £600 a day. Which, when I was at university, was more than £500 a day- and yes, I am a lowly decorator who read economics and geography at university (oh, and I studied advanced calculus and partial derivatives).

Sorry, I don't want to single you out, that is not my intention. I appreciate your questioning prices but there is an element of "us and them"- by which I mean that you do seem to have an air of questioning why the "trades" can earn as much as some of the people whom work in offices.

For what it is worth- I am one of many tradesmen who are happy to spend our spare time trying to help DIYers on this site. I earn nothing from doing so but I am appreciative of the fact that other trades people here have helped me in the past. I hope my criticism of you does not prevent you from asking for advice in the future but I want you to understand that the people/trades that you have criticised are the very people that you are asking for advice.

 

[muggles]

He cut four pipes and screwed four nails in the wall .... Would like to hear how I can become a gas engineer and charge 500 a day (which I am told is cheap) for a combi boiler swap

There are more than 4 pipes on a combi. Want to become a gas engineer? Get an apprenticeship, spend 4 years doing day release at college being paid £4.20 an hour (most of which you'll need to spend on tools because most employers won't provide you with them). Pass your exams, pay your registration fees, pass your probationary inspection, and away you go