Crooks...

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I admit my first-hour troubleshooting charge is higher than the good guy, but I have charged less when I found a simple problem that quickly.
 
LarryFine said:
I admit my first-hour troubleshooting charge is higher than the good guy, but I have charged less when I found a simple problem that quickly.
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I'm with you but a lot depends on how far I have to travel. If it was right in my town and I spent 5 minutes I probably would have charged less.
 
Or find something else you could help them with to fill out the minimum time. SOP with the EC that trained me. Check filters, change blown bulbs, clean vent hood filter, clean rain gutters, ...
 
ptonsparky said:
What I don’t like is being asked for an estimate or bid before I’ve seen the project.
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I don't either and I think the way this video was done was a set up.

If you call 8 electricians you will probably find a couple of crooks but most will find the problem in less than an hour. They didn't show any procedure of how these guys attempted to find the problem and only one guy seem to have tools.

No one even mentioned that the microwave shouldn't be one the same circuit as counter top receptacles.
 
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growler said:
I don't either and I think the way this video was done was a set up.

If you call 8 electricians you will probably find a couple of crooks but most will find the problem in less than an hour. They didn't show any procedure of how these guys attempted to find the problem and only one guy seem to have tools.

No one even mentioned that the microwave shouldn't be one the same circuit as counter top receptacles.
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Lol, yeah I caught that too and it made me think that something was more seriously miswired, so I don’t think I would have started with checking for a simple loose wire on one breaker. I would have assumed separate circuits, both not working, improper neutral wiring and a broken neutral connection at some unknown location.

It’s also a totally different thing to KNOW where a problem lies (because you created it on purpose) vs walking into an unknown problem with no clue but the outward symptoms. Makes me glad I only do residential work for family and a few select friends.

That said, my boss, who came up the sales ranks and has never worked with his hands, was telling me a coulple of days ago that during his kitchen remodel he was told by his electrician that his disposal and dishwasher outlet is illegal and he needs them to be on separate breakers going to separate outlets. So he wants $1,000 to add a breaker and mount a box, outlet and pull wires (by cutting into the wall) to the new circuit. The house is only 15 years old and I had a hard time believing the setup was wrong so I told him what to check for and sure enough, there’s nothing wrong; separate breakers feeding a duplex outlet where the pair are separated, two breakers with the handles clipped. That guy would have made it LOOK like he added a circuit, maybe cut and patched some drywall under the sink, and charged him $1k... luckily the electrician was done with everything else he was there to do and it passed inspection so he can leave, otherwise he should have been fired from the job.
 
A couple questions you ask when trouble shooting is this. "Has any body been here doing any work"? Second " How long has it not worked" What were you doing when it quit working''?

In this case the customer would have had to lie. Otherwise, 'tell you, yeah, some one just had the cover off the panel.
 
I always felt that many of Craig'slist services for trade people we're mostly shady rip off people.

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My impression was these guys were incompetent, not ripoff artists. My first step would have been to plug a self-powered toner into the outlet and then go to the panel to verify the breaker was good. I would have found the issue immediately and then wrote up a bill for my one hour minimum charge.
 
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