cschmid
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern cold country
edited for double entry..gotta love high speed internet and new puter..
Geek Squad Services More Valuable Than Electrical Services?
- Thread starter aline
- Start date
- Status
M
mkoloj
Guest
ceb said:
Here they have the VW's, full-size vans and even box trucks, they are outfitted better than some of the EC's I see driving around in their beat up old vans.
The people they are targeting would probably not let someone in their house if they pulled up in a rickety old van.
Hats off to the Geek Squad and Starbucks marketing depts.
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
aline said:
Look in your phone book and see how many computer repair companies that do home service calls and offer free estimates. There are not that many companies that provide this service ( I don't know of any ). Now look and see how many electrical companies are offering free estimates.
It's the old law of supply and demand. If there were not a 100 electrical contractors in this area alone I think things would be different. That's a 100 legitimate contractors and every Tom, Dick and Harry doing small side jobs not to mention all the handyman services.
They're also the type that will spend $150 for an electrical receptacle.GilbeSpark said:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=110-439
For that price you would think it would at least come with surge protection.
Last edited:
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
If you guys who charge for estimates get the job does the estimate cost go away or do you apply it towards the work being done?
If a homeowner gets three bids, like everyone tells them they should, by the time he get's the third bid he may have already spent $300 and not even had any work done yet. Seems kind of silly that the poor guy could get a bid for $500 bucks and then tell you he was gonna have you do the work but he already spent $300 on bids and will have to wait until he saves up enough again to have the work done.
If I called you up today and asked you for a bid and you tell me it's $100 and then I tell you it's for a new WalMart, is it still $100? or do only the homeowners, who everyone thinks is wasting their time istead of thinking of them as their bread and butter, have to pay to have you come by?
There is a plumbing company out here, and I believe they are just local, that charges $45 to come out and snake your drains, sight unseen. The big guys with the fancy trucks charge you $80 just to show up. The $45 dollar guy is booked a couple of weeks out. The big guy will be there in an hour.
If a homeowner gets three bids, like everyone tells them they should, by the time he get's the third bid he may have already spent $300 and not even had any work done yet. Seems kind of silly that the poor guy could get a bid for $500 bucks and then tell you he was gonna have you do the work but he already spent $300 on bids and will have to wait until he saves up enough again to have the work done.
If I called you up today and asked you for a bid and you tell me it's $100 and then I tell you it's for a new WalMart, is it still $100? or do only the homeowners, who everyone thinks is wasting their time istead of thinking of them as their bread and butter, have to pay to have you come by?
There is a plumbing company out here, and I believe they are just local, that charges $45 to come out and snake your drains, sight unseen. The big guys with the fancy trucks charge you $80 just to show up. The $45 dollar guy is booked a couple of weeks out. The big guy will be there in an hour.
Minuteman
Senior Member
- Location
- The Sooner Nation
Free estimate = measure, count new openings, determine path of new circuit, ask questions about locations, suggest (up sale) if possible, decide if electric service is adequate, etc.
Trip Charge = Test, trace, troubleshoot, remove devices, observe operation, etc.
Trip Charge = Test, trace, troubleshoot, remove devices, observe operation, etc.
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
cowboyjwc said:
Sounds like a bait and switch to me because you can't snake drains for $45 and stay in business. To hire a journeyman plumber would cost at least $30 an hours for every hour on the clock then add in overhead and they would be working at a loss.
I'll bet they don't leave many homes with a check for $45 dollars.
If you are working for yourself and only charge $45 an hour then you are better off to throw your license away and go get a job ( at least you will get a pay check and you can get $45 an hour doing side work, cash with no overhead ). :grin: :grin:
macmikeman
Senior Member
- Location
- Planet macmikeman
growler said:
Evan that approach entails overhead, and ends up a looser to the fool doing it.
GilbeSpark
Senior Member
- Location
- NC
aline said:They're also the type that will spend $150 for an electrical receptacle.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=110-439
For that price you would think it would at least come with surge protection.
Wow, I've got to get one of those. I mean, it's got a GOLD PLATED MOUNTING STRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
an estimates costs, in actual dollars, between $45 abd $100+ ( depending on what you pay the guy giving the estimate)....i don't know where the 3 estimate rule came from, but i wish it would go back...there is not enough margin in your avg $500 job to make 1 trip to give a free estimate and a second trip to do the work...and people who get 3+ estimates for a $500 job are not our bread an butter, they are a drain on our resources and time.
plus..being busy is a bad business goal...making a profit is more important....i know a lot of contractors who are busy, but not making money.
as for the $45 drain guy....i'll do it for $35 -but i won't be able to get there for 6 months.....
lady walks into a butcher shop and asks "how much for pork chops?"
butcher says "$3.99 lb"....lady says "$3.99? the other butcher is only $1.99."
butcher says "so why don't you buy them there?"....lady says "because he doesn't have any"
butcher say "shoot, i only charge $0.99/lb when i don't have any....he's a rip off"
as for the $45 drain guy....i'll do it for $35 -but i won't be able to get there for 6 months.....
lady walks into a butcher shop and asks "how much for pork chops?"
butcher says "$3.99 lb"....lady says "$3.99? the other butcher is only $1.99."
butcher says "so why don't you buy them there?"....lady says "because he doesn't have any"
butcher say "shoot, i only charge $0.99/lb when i don't have any....he's a rip off"
electricmanscott
Senior Member
- Location
- Boston, MA
cschmid said:
A fad? I highly doubt that.
A more active society? That is just nonsense.
BryanMD
Senior Member
Estimating (work to be done in the future) comes in two flavors.
1) Real work with plans and specs you can do in the office with your coffee.
2) Weeding through the tire kickers and the clueless.
An upfront fee for your professional advice and assessment is cheap money for the clueless and the best way to weed through the tire kickers to find those who will actually pay for competent work.
If you present well when you meet them they'll probably bite and not bother to call anyone else. If they pass... so be it. (You still got the $100.)
1) Real work with plans and specs you can do in the office with your coffee.
2) Weeding through the tire kickers and the clueless.
An upfront fee for your professional advice and assessment is cheap money for the clueless and the best way to weed through the tire kickers to find those who will actually pay for competent work.
If you present well when you meet them they'll probably bite and not bother to call anyone else. If they pass... so be it. (You still got the $100.)
brantmacga
Señor Member
- Location
- Georgia
- Occupation
- Former Child
No. They don't say that at all. If you keep reading on their site, you'll find in the "high end" installation package they will fish the wires in the walls, install boxes, plates, etc. . .
mkgrady
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
aline said:
Those are the prices I see here in MA
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
growler said:
And it may be and if you fall for it you deserve it, but no different than telling someone that they should get a service change since you're there anyways.
And he just left my house with a check for $45 dollars, of course I always let them know that I'm an inspector. They tend not to come up with the, "it's a good thing you called me when you did" stories.:grin:
and "e" he doesn't know it's a $500 job until you come out and tell him.
What happened to the days when $500 was $500 and you would never turn it down hoping something better was coming up.
Well you guys have a Merry Christmas and I will see you all next year.:smile:
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
I guess I just see a new bowling ball for me or a deer rifle for my son and it only took me a few hours to get it.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Actually I'm repulsed by most geeks and IT "professionals". There is one company around here that charges $300 just to walk in the door and they get it. How much overhead can a company like that have?
The reason I'm repulsed is that these guys (and the computer industry in general) are preditory in nature. They have pretty much decimated the telephone industry. Thanks to IP and VoIP, telecom is now the responsibility of the geeks. Microsoft is about to introduce a system that they hope will make the traditional telephone sitting on a desk a thing of the past.
I don't see them taking over the electrical industry any time soon but you can be sure that the day will come when ECs will have to have a geek or two on staff to handle things like LV control systems that will all be connected to computer networks.
-Hal
The reason I'm repulsed is that these guys (and the computer industry in general) are preditory in nature. They have pretty much decimated the telephone industry. Thanks to IP and VoIP, telecom is now the responsibility of the geeks. Microsoft is about to introduce a system that they hope will make the traditional telephone sitting on a desk a thing of the past.
I don't see them taking over the electrical industry any time soon but you can be sure that the day will come when ECs will have to have a geek or two on staff to handle things like LV control systems that will all be connected to computer networks.
-Hal
Tiger Electrical
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern Illinois
Contractor A is working at a loss. He might be very busy, but he isn't going to be in business long. Sorry, no warranty.
Contractor B is working at cost. He has good times & bad, but isn't getting anywhere. Service quality and warranty might be there.
Contractor C is making a profit. He has money in the bank. He knows he's not the cheapest and is probably looking for ways to provide a better service. Warranty work is part of his business. If he accidentally does $1,000 damage he's much more likely than Contractor A or B to cut a quick check for it. He's also much more likely to provide same-day service, have the parts on a decent truck, etc, etc.
Personally, I have better things to do with my time than spend half my time running free estimates for anyone. I still do them occasionally for existing clients. I did my time with free estimates for a couple decades. It didn't get me where I wanted to go. I like my business better now. If only half the callers will pay a service charge, those are the people I'll work for. Don't sell yourself short. There are many people that will pay a decent price for good quality service.
Dave
Contractor B is working at cost. He has good times & bad, but isn't getting anywhere. Service quality and warranty might be there.
Contractor C is making a profit. He has money in the bank. He knows he's not the cheapest and is probably looking for ways to provide a better service. Warranty work is part of his business. If he accidentally does $1,000 damage he's much more likely than Contractor A or B to cut a quick check for it. He's also much more likely to provide same-day service, have the parts on a decent truck, etc, etc.
Personally, I have better things to do with my time than spend half my time running free estimates for anyone. I still do them occasionally for existing clients. I did my time with free estimates for a couple decades. It didn't get me where I wanted to go. I like my business better now. If only half the callers will pay a service charge, those are the people I'll work for. Don't sell yourself short. There are many people that will pay a decent price for good quality service.
Dave
- Status