Parts and labour costs

[Andy4444]

It does seem our industry is depressingly targeted. Not helped by big company plc offering service contracts and because they are big companies consumers think they must be good. It's all over-promise and under-delivery. Further, lead gathering parasites do not help.

I mainly repair/maintain oil boilers and I find broadly that customers have a different attitude when they are off the grid. By this I mean a better attitude generally than customers in gas world who like to commoditise everything.

If I get a call from a prospective new customer a lot of them fail at the first fence. They have to pass my own screening before I take them on.

Questions I ask (politely) are:

1 How did you get my number?
2 Who is your regular service engineer?
3 What type of boiler do you have?
4 When was it last serviced and did your engineer leave a service history?

Those who are cagey/vague do not get taken on. Those who tell me they are phoning around for a quote for a service similarly get the same treatment. When I give my price (I am not the cheapest) sometimes the response is "You're expensive there's someone else that will do it £10 cheaper can you match that?" My response is "Am I expensive?. Fair enough you better use the other guy".

Cheapskate customers will find the Engineers they deserve.

I have a great set of customers some of whom get freebies/discounts/special rates etc. That's all part of the "relationship" we have. Relationship is something that the Internet is destroying.......

The OP would not be one of my customers in a million years

 

[Corgigrouch]

Oh for Petes sake you lot, you guys charge way too much for what you do.... All you have to do is press the connect pipes to radiators button, press the connect pipes to boiler button, press the fit flue button and then enter to commision..... The OP has done all of the hard work... Sheesh! I really don't understand you guys.

 

[longdogs]

Wow! There seems to be a lot of anger directed at my naieve post, I only wanted to know if it was good value for money as a friend of mine told me it was not. My mate had a new combi and 10 rads supplied and fitted for £2500, that is the reason I thought £1700 was pricey considering I only have 4 rads and they are already in, he doesn't have to supply them. Please excuse my ignorance of such matters, I am a systems analyst by trade so am totally in the dark with plumbing etc. could anyone tell me if the boiler, a main 24 is actually any good or should I cancel that and obtain one myself, once again, thank you.

The reason trades persons get annoyed is that there is always this suspicion that they are ripping off the customer, sometimes that is the case but most of the time it is not. Why not get a couple of separate quotes and compare. I think you will see that you have been given a good price.

 

[Nozzle]

Why not get a couple of separate quotes and compare. I think you will see that you have been given a good price.

So it's okay to waste the time of other tradesmen just to find out if he's been ripped off or has landed a veritable bargain?

Nozzle

 

[longdogs]

Why not get a couple of separate quotes and compare. I think you will see that you have been given a good price.

So it's okay to waste the time of other tradesmen just to find out if he's been ripped off or has landed a veritable bargain?

Nozzle

No you are right, it's not ok. I retract that statement. Just trying to get a point across.

 

[Nozzle]

I thank you for re-considering your point of view. I would suggest to all the other angered tradesmen that have jumped on the OP, that they could have been the victim of such a "comfort quote"; wasting their own time.

I hope they agree, asking this question on an open forum is the lesser of two evils, what a shame the OP was crucified for doing so.

Nozzle

 

[holty]

I'm sorry I asked you miserable lot! Keep your bloody advice because your are not as knowledgeable as I assumed!

alot of very knowledgeable guys on here, more so they can do a job you cant. that will help out with advice on matters that count on this forum from posters that need help. e.g blocked drain etc. you post doesnt matter what so ever to anyone except yourself and your penny pinching tight fisted attitude. this isnt a site like go compare.

 

[longdogs]

I thank you for re-considering your point of view. I would suggest to all the other angered tradesmen that have jumped on the OP, that they could have been the victim of such a "comfort quote"; wasting their own time.

I hope they agree, asking this question on an open forum is the lesser of two evils, what a shame the OP was crucified for doing so.

Nozzle

I agree. he obviously had no idea what it should cost and should have got quotes originally if he was not happy with the price. Obviously he now knows that the price is good. I'm sure I have given plenty of quotes in the past where they had no intention of using me.

But there is this belief that trades always rip you off.

 

[Agile]

He has not told us where he is.

My fear would be that he has chosen a way too cheap person who may not be properly qualified and do the job badly!

Tony

 

[holty]

My fear would be that he has chosen a way too cheap person who may not be properly qualified and do the job badly!

who cares. with any luck you might be right. and the op gets what he/she deserves.

 

[Norcon]

Hi all, firstly I hope this is being posted in the correct forum? i'm really hoping to get some valuable advice from you knowledgeable folk. I have a 1 bedroom open plan house, upstairs bedroom and bathroom and downstairs living room and kitchen. I have had a quote from a friend of a friend to fit a new combi boiler etc. I have had the old system removed, along with the old hot water tank and the airing cupboard, and all the old pipe work. There are only 4 radiators in my house which I have had fitted onto the walls but not yet plumbed in. I have Been quoted £600 pounds to do the work plus obviously the cost of the boiler and the necessary extras to go with it. Somewhere in the region of £1700 all in which to me seems rather a lot considering all he has to do is put in the new boiler and connect it up to the rads. I have left the boiler and other parts to be purchased to him and he has gone for a boiler which is a main 24, whatever that is. I thank you in advance for any replies.

Sounds extortionate.
And sounds like you should be talking to the Polish installers!

 

[ALEC1]

and then pay some one well trained and knowledgeable to sort it out..its a lucrative but frustrating business sorting out the work of others..