200 amp upgrade bargain blowout sale.

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

Now who agrees with EC&M or Ed Hill that there's a shortage of electricians?

 

[mdshunk]

Now who agrees with EC&M or Ed Hill that there's a shortage of electricians?

There not only is a shortage, but a severe shortage predicted through at least 2014.

 

[aline]

Now who agrees with EC&M or Ed Hill that there's a shortage of electricians?

If there were only two electrical contractors in the entire world and neither one could keep up with all the work they currently had they would still keep trying to underbid each other. The don't want the other guy to get the work. They want it all wether or not they have the time to do it.

Some guys are so busy they can't keep up but they're still out low balling every job they can.

After the customer decides to go with them they find out it'll be a few months before they can get to it.

 

[76nemo]

I bid on a small basement job the other day.
2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a hall.

After I gave the guy a price he told me I was the 10th bid he had gotten.
He had been trying to get this wired for months. He told me he got prices ranging from $560 up to $3,000. He said only two were below $1,000 but he coudn't get either one to come out and do the work.

The guy is kind of flaky. When I was out giving him a price I noticed that he had already bought some boxes and started nailing them up. I don't think he had the money to pay for the job either. When I told him a down payment would be required and that payment for the rough wiring would be due as soon as it was completed he said he would have to hold off for a month or two.

I think he's really just having a hard time finding someone who will do the job without getting money upfront and without a written contract. I guess he'll keep looking until he finds someone.

I've seen plenty of that. I don't care what they've nailed up, it all comes down and I start over. If I stamp my name on a job, it's done solely by myself.

Agree???

 

[LarryFine]

I've seen plenty of that. I don't care what they've nailed up, it all comes down and I start over. If I stamp my name on a job, it's done solely by myself.

Agree???

Agreed! If your name is on it, you did it! :wink:

 

[Sparky555]

I bid on a small basement job the other day.
2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a hall.

After I gave the guy a price he told me I was the 10th bid he had gotten.
He had been trying to get this wired for months. He told me he got prices ranging from $560 up to $3,000. He said only two were below $1,000 but he coudn't get either one to come out and do the work.

The guy is kind of flaky. When I was out giving him a price I noticed that he had already bought some boxes and started nailing them up. I don't think he had the money to pay for the job either. When I told him a down payment would be required and that payment for the rough wiring would be due as soon as it was completed he said he would have to hold off for a month or two.

I think he's really just having a hard time finding someone who will do the job without getting money upfront and without a written contract. I guess he'll keep looking until he finds someone.

Sometimes it's a good idea to ask on the first phone call how many other contractors are bidding on the job. In my experience many people are more interested in getting 3 or more free estimates than checking on 3 references. The big EC in this area charges over $100 dispatch fee. They may lose some business on the phone, but I'll bet they have a great sales % to those that schedule with them. Do you want to get the spending customer who just wants it fixed, or the shopping customer who calls 10 other ECs?

Dave

 

[iaov]

I've seen plenty of that. I don't care what they've nailed up, it all comes down and I start over. If I stamp my name on a job, it's done solely by myself.

Agree???

I like the guys who bring out the box of forty year old gang boxes and switches and want me to install them "to save money". Just did a job at a Lodge where one of the lodge members started installing conduit and single gang boxes. What a mess and he was insulted that the first thing I did was take all his crap apart. :smile:

 

[Sparky555]

I like the guys who bring out the box of forty year old gang boxes and switches and want me to install them "to save money". Just did a job at a Lodge where one of the lodge members started installing conduit and single gang boxes. What a mess and he was insulted that the first thing I did was take all his crap apart. :smile:

I worked for a guy that installed all the bracket boxes in the wrong place, AND installed all the mudrings, outlets and covers (before any wiring). Later when he refused to pay for the additions he actually mentioned that he had helped me.

Dave

 

[Greg Swartz]

Most of the contractors in the phone book have in big bold letters "Free Estimates". Electricains love the word free.

Yes they do!

One guy had this in big bold letters under free estimates "Lowest Advertised Price Guaranteed".

Does this mean if I get 10 estimates, then call this guy out, he's going to beat the lowest bid?

We have a guy in the YP like that. I thought about getting some bids that I have won, getting the guy to bid directly to me, and then sending the job to Him, a licensed contractor, and just making the $$$ off the job.

Right now with new housing dead there seems to be a lot more electricians bidding on jobs they weren't bidding on before. I'm also getting more calls asking if I'm hiring.

I get those about 2 times a week now, whereas it was about 1 time a month.


Greg

 

[growler]

Now who agrees with EC&M or Ed Hill that there's a shortage of electricians?

The first time I read about the electrician shortage was over 30 years ago. They have never stopped saying that. Sure there is a shortage of electricians at certain places at certain times but over-all there has never been a shortage.

The way it should work in a free marker economy is that if there really were a shortage of electricians then wages would go up drastically and everyone would want to be an electrician and the shortage would solve itself.
There are actually plenty of trained electricians working at other jobs because they couldn't make a decent living in the electrical trade. If there really were a shortage this would not happen.

There is no shortage of any sort of labor in America only a shortage of people that want to work for minimum wage. If you are willing to pay enough you can find people willing to do anything.