Another insulting customer

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ceb58

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
Got a call yesterday to price out a 800sqft cottage. Get there look it over nothing special basic code min. Give the owner a price. He calls back today wanting to know what I would charge to pull the permit, set the meter base and panel. He will then do the rough in and have me come back to check the work before inspection. Same with trim out. #1 If he thinks I am putting my license on the line for him to think he is saving money he must be drunk. #2 He cannot understand that I can come in and do the rough in 5 times faster that he can with all the correct material. And #3 I know what the inspector in that area will look at real hard at. He doesn't invent things but he will pull out the tape measure for the staples to box spacing, measure the boxes on the kitchen counter, things like that. When will the crap ever end?
 
iMuse97

iMuse97

Senior Member
Location
Chicagoland
It won't. Just develop a hard head and say this is my price, take it or not. :) Just did a job for a friend today; he thinks we'll fix his lamp post light in an hour or two. I know it will take six. I tell him the price and he's surprised. So what. It's the price.

BTW, I used to be one of those customers for any plumber I had do work for me. I'd stand over them, watch, and tell them how I'd do it myself only...blah, blah, blah! I'm sure I paid more than the going rate because of my stupid comments. We've got to ignore the unimportant.

The important items are:

This is my offer.
Will you take it?
If so, sign right here.
Payment schedule enclosed.
 
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LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
ceb58 said:
He calls back today wanting to know what I would charge to pull the permit, set the meter base and panel. He will then do the rough in and have me come back to check the work before inspection.
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Tell him that costs 50% higher than if you do the work.
 
jxofaltrds

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
ceb58 said:
Got a call yesterday to price out a 800sqft cottage. Get there look it over nothing special basic code min. Give the owner a price. He calls back today wanting to know what I would charge to pull the permit, set the meter base and panel. He will then do the rough in and have me come back to check the work before inspection. Same with trim out. #1 If he thinks I am putting my license on the line for him to think he is saving money he must be drunk. #2 He cannot understand that I can come in and do the rough in 5 times faster that he can with all the correct material. And #3 I know what the inspector in that area will look at real hard at. He doesn't invent things but he will pull out the tape measure for the staples to box spacing, measure the boxes on the kitchen counter, things like that. When will the crap ever end?
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Sounds fair to me.

800SF X $10.00SF for the permit.

What is unfair about that?
 
growler

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
ceb58 said:
Got a call yesterday to price out a 800sqft cottage. Get there look it over nothing special basic code min. Give the owner a price. He calls back today wanting to know what I would charge to pull the permit, set the meter base and panel. He will then do the rough in and have me come back to check the work before inspection.
Click to expand...


All you can do is to tell the truth. Your insurance will cover you and those employed by you but not anyone else. To permit work for those that are not licensed can get your license taken away. Tell him that if he wishes to wire his own house that there is a homeowner permit available. Let him know that you are not in the business of training electricians but if he already knows what he is doing then the homeowner permit would be the way to go.

In this area if a homeowner permits to wire his own house they will let an EC permit and install just the service seperate from the building wiring.

I have done this and if they have other problems then I'm on the clock at service call rates. It's better money than wiring houses anyway.
 
B

boboelectric

Senior Member
Location
Eighty Four,Pa.15330
ceb58 said:
Got a call yesterday to price out a 800sqft cottage. Get there look it over nothing special basic code min. Give the owner a price. He calls back today wanting to know what I would charge to pull the permit, set the meter base and panel. He will then do the rough in and have me come back to check the work before inspection. Same with trim out. #1 If he thinks I am putting my license on the line for him to think he is saving money he must be drunk. #2 He cannot understand that I can come in and do the rough in 5 times faster that he can with all the correct material. And #3 I know what the inspector in that area will look at real hard at. He doesn't invent things but he will pull out the tape measure for the staples to box spacing, measure the boxes on the kitchen counter, things like that. When will the crap ever end?
Click to expand...

Just say "Bye Bye Baby"
 
S

satcom

Senior Member
This guy is just going to be trouble, your lucky he raised the red flag, when he indicated he would do the wiring, let him get the homeowner permit, then quote him on the service only, or just say thank you, and good by.
 
MarkyMarkNC

MarkyMarkNC

Senior Member
Location
Raleigh NC
He may not be a cheapskate, he may just be one of those people that likes doing stuff themselves.

Like Satcom said, you could always give him a price for the service and have that under your permit, then have the homeowner pull a separate permit for the branch circuits, and charge him a consultation fee to look over his work. That way everybody wins. You get an easy money job, the homeowner gets to work on his project and in his own mind will "save money," and the inspector doesn't have to waste his time tearing apart a sub par job.
 
shermansfather

shermansfather

Member
Location
Northeast Ohio
MarkyMarkNC said:
He may not be a cheapskate, he may just be one of those people that likes doing stuff themselves.

Like Satcom said, you could always give him a price for the service and have that under your permit, then have the homeowner pull a separate permit for the branch circuits, and charge him a consultation fee to look over his work. That way everybody wins. You get an easy money job, the homeowner gets to work on his project and in his own mind will "save money," and the inspector doesn't have to waste his time tearing apart a sub par job.
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I've done exactly this more than once, honestly it worked out well. I would of been less receptive if I had to crunch the numbers for the whole job and then told "by the way I'm doin most of this myself"
 
K

Kdog76

Senior Member
Location
The Dairyland State
iMuse97 said:
It won't. Just develop a hard head and say this is my price, take it or not. :) Just did a job for a friend today; he thinks we'll fix his lamp post light in an hour or two. I know it will take six. I tell him the price and he's surprised. So what. It's the price.

BTW, I used to be one of those customers for any plumber I had do work for me. I'd stand over them, watch, and tell them how I'd do it myself only...blah, blah, blah! I'm sure I paid more than the going rate because of my stupid comments. We've got to ignore the unimportant.

The important items are:

This is my offer.
Will you take it?
If so, sign right here.
Payment schedule enclosed.
Click to expand...


Thank you sir. I couldn't have said it better myself.:)
 
RH1

RH1

Member
Location
Rick From Los Angeles
Here in California, simply pulling a permit does not put your "license on the line". There's no interaction between the building department and the licensing board.

Yeah, it's insulting, these people don't even believe that wiring houses requires skill or knowledge. They think that it's the male equivalent of being a waitress. How long could it take to learn electrical wiring? A day? Two days?

You can't really blame these people, like most people their perception of the world around them is shaped by the TV shows they watch. These DIY TV shows where the cute girl is wearing a brand new tool belt and safety glasses and can wire a kitchen in 22 minutes is why people believe our job is easy.

Someone here pointed out that yes, you can teach a monkey to rope a house in 2 days, but it takes much longer to learn electrical code and theory. The problem with the TV shows is THEY NEVER MENTION code or theory, therefore the average schmuck thinks our job is just nailing up boxes.

When people tell me they are going to wire their own houses I like to humiliate them with a few simple questions:

1. Do you plan on wiring the house according to code?
2. How many #14 wires can you put in a 20 cubic inch box?
3. What chapter in the code book deals with Romex?

If it were me, I'd pull the permit and let this guy wire his own house, just for the entertainment value alone. I'd point out the various deficiencies and code violations and in my most exasperated tone of voice keep saying "What were you thinking?"

This guy's obviously a dolt, don't let it get you down. If you can make a little money, do so.
 
cschmid

cschmid

Senior Member
Location
Northern cold country
ceb58 said:
Got a call yesterday to price out a 800sqft cottage. Get there look it over nothing special basic code min. Give the owner a price. He calls back today wanting to know what I would charge to pull the permit, set the meter base and panel. He will then do the rough in and have me come back to check the work before inspection. Same with trim out. #1 If he thinks I am putting my license on the line for him to think he is saving money he must be drunk. #2 He cannot understand that I can come in and do the rough in 5 times faster that he can with all the correct material. And #3 I know what the inspector in that area will look at real hard at. He doesn't invent things but he will pull out the tape measure for the staples to box spacing, measure the boxes on the kitchen counter, things like that. When will the crap ever end?
Click to expand...

Tell him it is his own place he can pull permit, he does not need you to do that.
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
Hows that saying go? 100 for the job as a bid, 150 estimated T&M, 175 if you want to be here, 200 if you want to watch - I guess a few more levels should be added for supervising the dope...
 
K

Kdog76

Senior Member
Location
The Dairyland State
Ah yes... Let the HO pull his or her own permit. Let them buy the materials. Let them drill the holes, pull the wire, nail the boxes, etc. Let you guide them all along the way correcting all the mistakes, answering all the questions, answering all the phone calls, be there for all the inspections, redoing the HO's work, taking twice as long as it should have. Maybe longer. Most likely a lot longer...Boy that sounds like fun, and a good way to make some money, right?:mad:
Instead, let them figure out what the inspector is going to look for. Let them figure out on one job what it took the rest of us years of training, dedication, and hard work for us to become. They must think our license is a joke. To be a licensed, insured professional in our trade and to have this happen makes me outraged.:mad:
I truly thank the members of this forum for turning me into the hardass that today I am proud to say I have become.:)
 
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