Electricity 100

[Energize]

If you pay low wages and provide few bennifits you still end up ahead even after going back and fixing the glaring mistakes.

Testify, Brother Bob!

That is exactly why I have to "press 1 for English" now.

 

[brian john]

If you pay low wages and provide few bennifits you still end up ahead even after going back and fixing the glaring mistakes.

And the minor issues hide till the arranty period is up.

Myself I could not sleep at night operating this way. I worry about the mistakes my guys* may make.

*I'd like to think (and know) my LICENSED electricians are good workers productive and quality electricians.

 

[wirebender]

All we need now is some bird and some fish and we have a great cook out going..

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Around the area I work/play in, I get to see just about all of the ECs.

What I see as the more/less successful contractors is something like this.

The "production" type companies are constantly running. Their men are underpaid, the work is substandard, the trucks/tools are a mess and the jobs rarely pass on the first walkthru. Some of the owners may be making money, but I see high rates of turnover from company to company on these types of jobs. It is not the norm to see the first company finish these projects (some do, most don't).

The ECs I see as the most financially successful are the ones who have found a niche and train their men, have quality people on the job - including Supervisors, good tools, clean work and usually can teach me a thing or two.


Of course this is a generalization, but an educated one at that.

 

[iwire]

And the minor issues hide till the warranty period is up.

Yes, or many times forever. Poor work is nothing new, I find it all the time, some of it quite old.

Myself I could not sleep at night operating this way.

I have no doubt of that whatsoever ... none

.... I am sure that is why your successful at the type of work you do.

*I'd like to think (and know) my LICENSED electricians are good workers productive and quality electricians.

I have no doubt of that either, you also take care of them so that you can hang onto top notch workers. :smile:

But when was the last time you built an office building out of the ground for a developer or wired a chain type store?

Neither of those customers give a darn about codes, or even quality, it's all about speed and price. Does it work? Can we open on schedule?


Here is a real example, we bid on a remodel of a Super market the GC picked us, we had a letter of intent. We where 30K above the lowest bid (our bid was about 170K) The GC picked us for our experience, we had successfully done a number of these remodels for this chain. Well the super market chain stepped in and told the GC to take the lowest bid.

So the lowest bider got the job, they had zero experience with this type of work, they muddled through it. 3 months later the job was done. They made many mistakes causing a lot of lost food. As we are also the service electricians for this chain we were asked to fix the mistakes. We spent about a week and half at T&M fixing all that we could find, the chain applied our bill to the other ECs retainage.

As far as the chain was concerned they saved 30K .... and they pretty much did.

It's a sad state of affairs but it is what I see over and over.

 

[POWER_PIG]

Perfect spot for the COW to jump in and take the heat off the pig. Hey you want a piece of me??

LMBO!!!
Thx for jumping on the coals brother, I was certainly feeling the heat and in need of some relief!!! LOL! :smile:

 

[cschmid]

All right let the grilling beging bird and fish in one sweet little stroke..lets see maybe a litle lemon pepper and...........

 

[BryanMD]

All right let the grilling beging bird and fish in one sweet little stroke..lets see maybe a litle lemon pepper and...........

Orioles don't have enough meat on them to be worried

 

[brian john]

Orioles don't have enough meat on them to be worried

Tell that to the Yankees or the Red Sox for that matter.

 

[cschmid]

Orioles don't have enough meat on them to be worried

Little beer bater and in the deep fryer kind of like a oriole popper...

 

[peter d]

But when was the last time you built an office building out of the ground for a developer or wired a chain type store?

Neither of those customers give a darn about codes, or even quality, it's all about speed and price. Does it work? Can we open on schedule?

I agree with everything you said regarding the speed/price factors.

But let me ask this....does the wiring systems in these kind of building really matter so long as they are safe (code compliant) and functional? Do these building owners need to spend top dollar for a wiring system that only electricians will appreciate?


I agree its a sad state of affairs, but I also don't know that there's much we can do about it.

 

[iwire]

I'm the darling off all the moderators. I bring them coffee and donuts.

Yeah and your slacking lately, it's a plain jelly stick not powered...try to get it right! :grin:

 

[iwire]

But let me ask this....does the wiring systems in these kind of building really matter so long as they are safe (code compliant) and functional? Do these building owners need to spend top dollar for a wiring system that only electricians will appreciate?

In some respects I agree, assuming the job at least meets the applicable codes I have no issue at all with the customer going cheap, it's their money.

What I was really trying to point out is that because it's all about money for these chains you are not going to be able to say 'Hire us, we cost more but we have top notch help and the job, even if done to code minimum will be a good one' They will not care.

Brian John had said:

Seems to me that if you won the bid legitimately bidding against other contractors, in the long run a properly paid experienced foreman would SAVE money?

I don't think that is true with customers that really do not care about the end result.

Sure when it complicated / technical work I think it is true but my examples, chain stores or office buildings built by developers, 99% of the work is cut and dry 'lites and plugs'.

 

[peter d]

What I was really trying to point out is that because it's all about money for these chains you are not going to be able to say 'Hire us, we cost more but we have top notch help and the job, even if done to code minimum will be a good one' They will not care.

True, and as long as this type of work is lowest-price driven it will further encourage the "race to the bottom." Furthermore, like you said, even when the job is done they can send in the good electricians to fix the screw-ups and still make money.