Arlington catering to the hack?

[tonyou812]

I would much rather skip the extra splice. But either method I'm fine with.

I totally agree. From my experience why bother with another splice point? it just adds another chance for failure in the future. The best connection is factory fittings.

 

[stickboy1375]

Using the tv as the video switch will require a video cable for each and every input Thats a lot of cable in a wallmount

Good point, but I see it done this way all the time, My life on the other hand would only need a satellite input and a DVD input... :grin:

 

[quogueelectric]

Good point, but I see it done this way all the time, My life on the other hand would only need a satellite input and a DVD input... :grin:

Mine is too I have hdmi to cable and component to dvd/vcr only cause I am too cheap to buy a video switch. But when I first started doing these I ended up with a plasma harness as thick as an oak tree. Now that I have installed over 50 of them I know a lot of tricks to save ME time and money and at 500 an install I am half price of the big chains that sell them. I use about 50 bucks in material and have 50 happy customers for other work.

 

[Greg Swartz]

I agree...

I agree...

I do a lot of plasma tv installs and I really like it. Try pinning out an hdmi cable and you will be convinced too. I am certain this is what this was provided for.

HDMI cables... they can be fun fishing in a finished wall... I'd just rather not have to install a cover plate for them. Although they do make a cover for them...

I would have liked to use them on my last job... Cut a hole and put a 9x9 cover on the wall... This would have been much simpler...

Greg

 

[quogueelectric]

HDMI cables... they can be fun fishing in a finished wall... I'd just rather not have to install a cover plate for them. Although they do make a cover for them...

I would have liked to use them on my last job... Cut a hole and put a 9x9 cover on the wall... This would have been much simpler...

Greg

You need to put some sort of finish product on them. A 9x9 would not fit in a million years I usually go with a blank plate that I drill out a 1" chase nip w/bushing but itis hard to drill out the plates without cracking them and I stock 3 colors on the truck white ivory almond I am sometimes down to the last plate I worry. This work is totally precision measurements from the morn till done. Be sure lags are pre drilled and dead center of studs to support 200lb tv.

 

[bjp_ne_elec]

Questions

Questions

I'm going to play dumb and ask what HDMI cables and DB25's? I'm just getting back in to the EC business - been out 15 years - and so much is changed. I'm still playing catch up with you guys.

Thanks

 

[stickboy1375]

I'm going to play dumb and ask what HDMI cables and DB25's? I'm just getting back in to the EC business - been out 15 years - and so much is changed. I'm still playing catch up with you guys.

Thanks

HDMI cable is a digital cable for connecting a device (DVD, CATV/SATELLITE box to a Television.

A db25 is a connector, a parallel printer connection is a DB25.

 

[iwire]

I'm going to play dumb and ask what HDMI cables and DB25's? I'm just getting back in to the EC business - been out 15 years - and so much is changed. I'm still playing catch up with you guys.

Thanks

HDMI

DB25

 

[aline]

Now that I have installed over 50 of them I know a lot of tricks to save ME time and money and at 500 an install I am half price of the big chains that sell them. I use about 50 bucks in material and have 50 happy customers for other work.

Am I reading this correctly?
The big chains are getting a $1,000 per install and you're selling them for $500 per install?

Why not sell them for $900 per install or $1,100 per install and provide better service and a better installation?

Wouldn't you still have 50 happy customers for other work?

Seems to me you're leaving a lot of money on the table. Sounds like you've become better and more efficient at installing these and instead of making more profit you've lowered your price.

 

[quogueelectric]

Am I reading this correctly?
The big chains are getting a $1,000 per install and you're selling them for $500 per install?

Why not sell them for $900 per install or $1,100 per install and provide better service and a better installation?

Wouldn't you still have 50 happy customers for other work?

Seems to me you're leaving a lot of money on the table. Sounds like you've become better and more efficient at installing these and instead of making more profit you've lowered your price.

Because that is part of the sell they hide the total true cost of install when they sell you a 2000 lcd people dont really think about the install They have it listed at 399! Then when they get there they tell you you will need an hdmi cable with that about 200 bucks for a 4 meter Oh! and you need a tilt bracket with that about annother 200. Then they tell you you need to call your electrician OR! we can install a nice piece of wiremold to hide all the cables which looks terrible. What would you charge to add an outlet up at tv height along with adding a cable outlet at tv height? At least 250?? And when the chains are done with you they just kept piling on more money to the install and leaves the customer in shock at the total install price. I try to get them to call first and and then they are trying to get you to install it asap whith a big smile when they see the picture.

 

[aline]

Because that is part of the sell they hide the total true cost of install when they sell you a 2000 lcd people dont really think about the install They have it listed at 399! Then when they get there they tell you you will need an hdmi cable with that about 200 bucks for a 4 meter Oh! and you need a tilt bracket with that about annother 200. Then they tell you you need to call your electrician OR! we can install a nice piece of wiremold to hide all the cables which looks terrible. What would you charge to add an outlet up at tv height along with adding a cable outlet at tv height? At least 250?? And when the chains are done with you they just kept piling on more money to the install and leaves the customer in shock at the total install price. I try to get them to call first and and then they are trying to get you to install it asap whith a big smile when they see the picture.

When you say you try to get them to call first do you mean you try to get the customer to call the big box store first to get a estimate on the installation?

If so then wouldn't the cutsomer have a the quote for the thousand dollars plus the explenation that they would have to hire an electrician for the receptace?

If that's the case I would think you could give them a slightly lower price that includes the electrical and they would still be happy. You wouldn't need to cut the price by half.

If they call you first and you come out and quote a price wouldn't they think you're trying to overcharge them since they advertise the $399 install?

What do you do when you do the install and a couple of days later they see the advertised $399 install and call you up complaining about how much you charged when they could have gotten it done by the big box store for $399?

Why not play the same game the big box stores play and advertise your installation at the $399. You could say something like "Flat screen TV installations starting at $399." or you could put in the fine print, like the big box stores do, does not include the mount, cables or electrical power.

It just doesn't seem right to me to install these for half their price. I should be able to charge every bit as much as they do.

Notice how they say "Basic Install".
Customer supplied mounting bracket.
Customer supplied cables.
Existing power outlet.
Surface mount power cord only.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8464057&type=product&id=1186003679923

 

[stickboy1375]

HDMI

Just so everyone knows, the monster cables are NO way better than the cable that comes with the equipment you just bought, so save the 300 bucks for better equipment not these overpriced, taking advantage of misinformed customer cables.

 

[LarryFine]

Personal opinion: Monster brand cabling is decent, but way, way, way overpriced (and overrated), just like Bose.

 

[stickboy1375]

Personal opinion: Monster brand cabling is decent, but way, way, way overpriced (and overrated), just like Bose.

Decent to what? Its a digital cable, it either works or it doesn't.

 

[mivey]

Why not play the same game the big box stores play and advertise your installation at the $399. You could say something like "Flat screen TV installations starting at $399." or you could put in the fine print, like the big box stores do, does not include the mount, cables or electrical power.

Maybe cows don't like to play games. I don't either as I would rather be up-front about the costs.

It just doesn't seem right to me to install these for half their price.

If you have covered your time, material, overhead, and margin, why charge more?

 

[aline]

Maybe cows don't like to play games. I don't either as I would rather be up-front about the costs.

On the big box store's website they specifically state what they provide and what they don't provide for that price.

When they come out they also give you a price for the total job before they start.

How is that playing games?

I don't play games either I always give my customer's an upfront price in writing and stick to that price.

I bid on one the other day where they came out and gave her a price for the whole job. She thought it was kind of high so she called me to come out and give a bid. I was more so she had them do the low voltage stuff and I ran the dedicated circuits for the equipment and the TV.

If you have covered your time, material, overhead, and margin, why charge more?

Because I want to make more than the average 5% net profit that electrical contractors make.

You're right electricians are making way too much allready. Why should we charge more?

This is why electricians complain on these forums about how plumbers and HVAC contractors make more money.

 

[aline]

If you have covered your time, material, overhead, and margin, why charge more?

I've given this some thought and you're right.

The faster and more efficient I get at doing a job the less I'm going to charge.
After all I've covered my time, material, overhead, and can still maintain my same margin so why charge more?

Why should I benefit or reward myself for being more efficient than the competition?

Now that I have installed over 50 of them I know a lot of tricks to save ME time and money and at 500 an install I am half price of the big chains that sell them. I use about 50 bucks in material and have 50 happy customers for other work.

I hear complaints on these forums that you can't charge more than what the market will bear or more than the going rate. Here's a case where the market will bear twice whats being charged. I guess it's about time electricians started doing more A/V installations so we can bring the prices down to our level.

I got interested in doing A/V installs because I could see where they were making more money than I could with electrical installs. It sounds like this is going to change as more and more electricians start doing this type of work.

 

[aline]

If you have covered your time, material, overhead, and margin, why charge more?

If you're an employee being paid a salary of $50k a year and you have a co-worker that does the exact same work that you do, has the same job title, same level of performance, etc. and he's being paid $100k a year because he went to the boss and asked for it and all you had to do is go ask the boss for a $100k too and you would get it as well, you would not do it?

After all you make enough to cover your time, your expenses, your bills, and have some spending money left over.

Why shouldn't you be getting the $100k too?

I'm sure your family would appreciate the extra money.

If I could get an additional $500 per install you bet I would do it.

Again go to the big box store's websites. They not hiding anything. They tell you on the website what's include and what's not for the price that's posted.

They don't come out and do the job and then after it's all done hand you a bill for twice the amount that you were told.

I installed some A/V cable for a customer the other day. I gave him a firm price before I started and stuck with that price. He paid exactly what he was quoted. He told me about another electrician that did work for him. The electrician came out, looked at the job and told him he would do it on a T&M basis. He also quoted him a price of about how much it would cost so the homeowner said go ahead with the work. When it was done the electrician handed him a bill for about 3 times what he had originally quoted. Needless to say the homeowner wasn't very happy and he told me he would never hire this guy again.

 

[LarryFine]

I recently gave a price of $900 including materials (except the mount) for mounting a flat-panel TV on a wall with power and AV cabling in the wall, and wiring up the AV equipment.

They informed me that they had the cable-TV installer do the job for (who knows how much) less. I haven't seen the installation yet. I may be called back for whole-house protection.


I may even say yes.

 

[weressl]

Im am just wondering.

Many of the folks here been up in arms when they have another installer run a 110V outlet for their own use, such as a burglar alarm panel or such.

Yet I have been reading on this thread how they have been installing all sort of video and audio equipment and wiring, including mounting TV's on the wall, etc. What gives? What is yours is mine, but what is mine is mine only?