Every situation is different, so how do you stay consistent in your pricing?

[jaylectricity]

Is it better to just have a set price and take the good with the bad? Or should you realize that fishing a wire out of a metal switch box behind drywall with MC/AC is much different than fishing a wire out of a plastic box with lathe and horse hair plaster?

 

[satcom]

Is it better to just have a set price and take the good with the bad? Or should you realize that fishing a wire out of a metal switch box behind drywall with MC/AC is much different than fishing a wire out of a plastic box with lathe and horse hair plaster?

The guys that use flat rates do not use the price in the book to bill with, they only use that book price as a base price, the job conditions are used to come up with the actual price, and the current material prices auto update, so any increases in material will be adjusted.
That is why you can't use the book prices to quote a job, you need to look at the job first to understand the conditions of everything.

 

[electricmanscott]

I'd have to say experience plays a role. The more situations you've encountered through the years the better equipped you'll be to know how to account for different conditions.

 

[rt66electric]

I give them a over the phone price range!!

I give them a over the phone price range!!

When I get a odd caller demanding a price, I give them my best over-the-phone pricerange... They normally are astounded when they here the price for anything is over $100 and usually go away quietly. Other times I quote my show-up fee and hourly rate, and inform them the job will "probably" take "at-least" between two to four hours.

I try to ask

when was your house built??
Location??
Attic acesss?
What brand of ELECT panel???

Before setting aprice range.

 

[jmsbrush]

Over a period of time lets say you install 100 receptacles. Sometimes you open the box the wires are short. Sometimes the metal boxes are not grounded. Sometimes they are just perfect.
Lets say the average time is 20 minutes. For us to change a receptacle no matter what the condition is it cost $49.00 Plus the dispatch fee.

The concept is the same for the different types of circuits.

 

[okeefe]

I'd have to say experience plays a role. The more situations you've encountered through the years the better equipped you'll be to know how to account for different conditions.

Experience does play a role, you get a feel for it and account for diffrent conditions, I use a flat rate book, and make changes to my books as needed sometimes you just have to adjust to the field conditions.

 

[Kdog76]

Is it better to just have a set price and take the good with the bad? Or should you realize that fishing a wire out of a metal switch box behind drywall with MC/AC is much different than fishing a wire out of a plastic box with lathe and horse hair plaster?

Who says you have to stay consistent? Give a price, roll with the punches and after the dust settles on that one if needed, adjust your price. The only constant should be change.