Wow some people have nerve

[Volta]

I'm COMPLETELY astonished that anyone would EVEN HINT to the fact that was should model our company financial habits after the very company that has single handedly ruined our economy and homeland production as we know it.

Thank you.

We do work for Walmart so I love them, pay fast and well. Low prices are a byproduct of how walmart operates...

No, the low prices are the prime model of their operation. But they don't charge enough to support the real cost of the goods. They, and many of the manufacturers they use, leave waste in their path, not rhetorical waste, but real, actual problems that have not been charged or paid for yet, and will cost at a later date.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

If you want to compete with WalMart Electric, you'll need to cut your rates. But not by simply giving your work away, or working for less..... find ways to lower your overhead. That's how WalMart does it.

WM does not have the lowest price on things. They do have the lowest price on the lowest end items, but if you want to upgrade to a better quality item in their store you will probably pay more for it than you will somewhere else.

They (WM) are masters of information processing, business operations and consumer psychology.

A lot of electricians start businesses with only a Master Electrician license (or contractors license or whatever your State calls it) and no business training or selling skills. If you want to compete with WalMart Electric, you need to have low cost material providers (beat up your suppliers), low cost workers (pay wages and benefits just enough to keep employees), and cut your prices to get in the door then make it up on extras. ......... Oh, yea, a lot of us do that now.

 

[readydave8]

WM does not have the lowest price on things. They do have the lowest price on the lowest end items, but if you want to upgrade to a better quality item in their store you will probably pay more for it than you will somewhere else.

They (WM) are masters of information processing, business operations and consumer psychology.

A lot of electricians start businesses with only a Master Electrician license (or contractors license or whatever your State calls it) and no business training or selling skills. If you want to compete with WalMart Electric, you need to have low cost material providers (beat up your suppliers), low cost workers (pay wages and benefits just enough to keep employees), and cut your prices to get in the door then make it up on extras. ......... Oh, yea, a lot of us do that now.

How about Walmart's policy on returns--its way easier to return merchandise to Walmart than it used to be to our local merchants (here-may not be the same everywhere).

 

[cadpoint]

HEY OP

Did You take the Job ? > :grin:

Or should I say, did you choose to the deal with them, did you get a contract?

 

[ishium 80439]

I did. I told them I would do it for the $1910 and not charge them for the GFI. This lead came from a deck contractor that feeds me a ton of work and although he generally has me work my billing through the HO he does whatever he can to sell me to them. I told the HO that I would do it as a favor to the contractor.

Good, bad or indifferent that was the choice I made. For jobs like this I'm usually pretty slack on job tracking but I want to eye this one like a hawk to see really where I come out.

 

[electricmanscott]

I did. I told them I would do it for the $1910 and not charge them for the GFI. This lead came from a deck contractor that feeds me a ton of work and although he generally has me work my billing through the HO he does whatever he can to sell me to them. I told the HO that I would do it as a favor to the contractor.

Good, bad or indifferent that was the choice I made. For jobs like this I'm usually pretty slack on job tracking but I want to eye this one like a hawk to see really where I come out.

Seems like a good choice to me.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

How about Walmart's policy on returns--its way easier to return merchandise to Walmart than it used to be to our local merchants (here-may not be the same everywhere).

That's a business decision I understand.

The company I spent the most time with started a policy in the service department of "Satisfaction Guarantee". The policy stated if you (the customer) were not satisfied for any reason, you pay the materials part of the invoice and we would write off the labor. I thought they were crazy....... until.... I really considered it. Turned out to be pretty good.

When I worked for them, I was an installation manager for a while. We had this one job where we installed new dispensers, piping, electrical at an existing location. We did it very quickly and just beat out a snow storm. Everyone was happy. Well, a couple of months later the concrete over the tanks started cracking (actually pretty badly). The customer would accept a bunch of cutting out and patching (since we were good business associates, he was trying to be accommodating). I told him thanks for his cooperation, but it would end up looking like a quilt (patchwork). We tore out the whole pad and re-poured it (as a warranty item). The customer was amazed. That kind of reputation got around and actually allowed us to charge more than our competition.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Seems like a good choice to me.

I agree with Scott.

Did you get the job (if I missed a previous response, sorry)?

 

[arits74]

i own a small electrical business,3 employees,and do mainly residential and light commercial,one builder that we have worked for since 92 and have probably wired 80 houses for started using another electrician because he was $3000 cheaper on the same size home we were doing,well after he done 2 houses they started calling me again. turns out his work was sloppy,he could not make any of the 3 way switches work,he would not come back for minor things and it took him a week to rough in a 4000 sf house,and longer to finish it out.long story short you get what you pay for,i never found out but i highly doubt he was $3000 cheaper.they have never said anything about price since,and we even went to the 2 houses he wired and fixed all the 3 way switches and some other minor things for FREE,just for laughs.now every time we see him at the supply house we have a good laugh about the 3 ways

 

[LarryFine]

now every time we see him at the supply house we have a good laugh about the 3 ways

I'm sure he's laughing inside. :roll:

 

[arits74]

any electrician with a license of any kind should be able to make a set of three ways work,lol

 

[Mgraw]

WOW 80 houses in 18 years. When I was doing houses with three employees I thought 80 houses a year was slow.

 

[growler]

i own a small electrical business,3 employees,and do mainly residential and light commercial,one builder that we have worked for since 92 and have probably wired 80 houses for started using another electrician because he was $3000 cheaper on the same size home we were doing,well after he done 2 houses they started calling me again. turns out his work was sloppy,he could not make any of the 3 way switches work,he would not come back for minor things and it took him a week to rough in a 4000 sf house,and longer to finish it out.long story short you get what you pay for,i never found out but I highly doubt that he was $3000 cheaper. they have never said anything about price since,and we even went to the 2 houses he wired and fixed all the 3 way switches and some other minor things for Free,just for laughs.now every time we see him at the supply house we have a good laugh about the 3 ways

Free is a four letter word. These people are trying to screw you and then you repair the work of others for Free?


Being a nice guy is one thing but bending over a barrel is another.

 

[kwired]

Free is a four letter word. These people are trying to screw you and then you repair the work of others for Free?


Being a nice guy is one thing but bending over a barrel is another.

Belitteling a competetor over something simple is priceless.

plus he showed the GC what 3000 gives up.

 

[growler]

he could not make any of the 3 way switches work,we even went to the 2 houses he wired and fixed all the 3 way switches and some other minor things for FREE,just for laughs.now every time we see him at the supply house we have a good laugh about the 3 ways

Belitteling a competetor over something simple is priceless.

I can put a price on it. If this guys can't get 3-way switches to work he is not the competition, evolution already took him out of the game.

To repair the work of another contractor it would be a better lesson to charge for the repairs and let the GC back-charge the other contractor. That way they both learn a lesson. The most important lesson is that you don't work for Free.

 

[arits74]

well, i make a good chunk of my total income from these builders and since their one try with another electrician they have never strayed again,lol,and to the poster who said 80 houses a year was slow,remember im just a small company owner

 

[kwired]

I can put a price on it. If this guys can't get 3-way switches to work he is not the competition, evolution already took him out of the game.

To repair the work of another contractor it would be a better lesson to charge for the repairs and let the GC back-charge the other contractor. That way they both learn a lesson. The most important lesson is that you don't work for Free.

Important thing is for customer to think it is free. You may actually add it on to something else you do for the customer and they do not even know about it. Then you both are happy.

 

[mcclary's electrical]

well, i make a good chunk of my total income from these builders and since their one try with another electrician they have never strayed again,lol,and to the poster who said 80 houses a year was slow,remember im just a small company owner

80 houses a year is not slow. It depends on the size of the company. I did a house that for a guy who owns 1/6th of a large plumbing outfit. They rough in around 300 homes per month.

My uncle contracts electrical (like most of my family) and they do around 400-500 houses per year.

Me personally, I don't want quite that much going on. I wouldn't be able to keep my eye on everything.

 

[ishium 80439]

I agree with Scott.

Did you get the job (if I missed a previous response, sorry)?

I did get the job. Honestly I don't even know if he was talking to anyone else. I mentioned earlier that the GC does a great job of selling his product and over the years I've become part of that. I generally contract directly w/ the HO but the GC sells as if I don't do the job, anyone else is gross buckets.

 

[jmellc]

I'll do whatever it takes for a customer having a hard time. I've been there too & $ is hard to come by for all of us. What kills me most is the guy living much higher than me to start with; 60,000 car, 250,000 house, John Deere mower, golf cart or trail vehicle (the $7,000 Subaru at Home Depot), etc, etc. He picks my price and job to pieces, can't do all at once, is that my best price, etc. He could buy cheaper toys, do without 1 or 2, still have nice stuff, pay my price and have $ left over. But I'm supposed to cut him all the breaks and cheat my family out of a living for his economy & ego? Snowball's chance. These are the guys too, that are experts at slipping in little extras as you are finishing the job. "I just noticed the doorbell button is broken & I have a new one. Will you include that?" "You don't mind swapping out the smoke detector do you?" I've been suckered a lot that way and need to state up front that extra work is charged at so much per hour with a half hour minimum.