Quality of work

[Teaspoon]

It seems that in these bad economic times Quality of work has flown out the window. In building my small Business I have always strived for Quality workmanship. Useing the best materials on my jobs.
Trying to provide good workmanship on every job.
This has worked well for me over the years.
Seems that in todays market it is all about Cheap!
Of coarse to some degree price has always been a big factor in being awarded the Bid.
To me we are dealing with the safety of human life.
I feel that Electricians should consider this more & Price of doing the job safely. Not the Cheapest way to Get by the Inspector.

I am looking foward to seeing your comments.

 

[480sparky]

I've always heard there are four facets to every job.

Speed, quality, price, and safety.


In todays' economy, you get to pick three.

 

[Rewire]

I've always heard there are four facets to every job.

Speed, quality, price, and safety.


In todays' economy, you get to pick three.

Why? I cannot grasp the concept of dropping your price or lowering the quality of the work or ignoring safety just to get a job.
We plan on being in business for many years to come and geting a bad reputation would hinder that effort.

 

[hillbilly1]

Quality went out the window years ago when customers wanted it done faster and cheaper, at least in the commercial sector. Were building shopping centers in a third of the time that it took 20 years ago, and it hasn't been technology that made it that much faster.

 

[Mule]

Got a recent customer that wants us to install some custom upscale lighting in his home. Every thing about this guy is upscale, I was impressed. While doing the walk thru I found out he was also a builder, so I asked him about the chance to do some of his resi-construction. His reply was that he uses a out of town contractor that will cheapen up his quality for $2.60/ft. I said no thanks..Our pride in our work is more important to us ...Then I thought comment would cost me the job, but it didnt....So any way I thought the contrast between what he wanted for himself, to what he wanted for the consumer's was typical.

It's a jungle out there, we hold on to our quality, and customer satifaction, and often its what keeps us busy in these economic times.

 

[nunu161]

Quality went out the window years ago when customers wanted it done faster and cheaper, at least in the commercial sector. Were building shopping centers in a third of the time that it took 20 years ago, and it hasn't been technology that made it that much faster.

i think technology was a huge advancement in the speed it takes to do a job. just factor mc cable and a roto-split vs. ac cable and a hacksaw seems like it would be 3 times faster to me?

 

[Mule]

I've always heard there are four facets to every job.

Speed, quality, price, and safety.


In todays' economy, you get to pick three.

That's the truth, very well spoken, for me I'd rather give a little on speed or price, but not quality or safety. This economy will turn around eventually, and things will be back to some sort of normal.....

 

[Rewire]

It comes down to how you define "quality" work.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I've always heard there are four facets to every job.

Speed, quality, price, and safety.


In todays' economy, you get to pick three.

I would agree with that. It used to be when I wrote a correction notice the complaint was about how long it would hold up the job. More and more the complaint is about the cost of doing the correction.

 

[LarryFine]

... I thought the contrast between what he wanted for himself, to what he wanted for the consumer's was typical.

So, ask him who built his house, and get in contact with that builder.

 

[480sparky]

Why? I cannot grasp the concept of dropping your price or lowering the quality of the work or ignoring safety just to get a job.
We plan on being in business for many years to come and geting a bad reputation would hinder that effort.

OK, then you may not get to do the choosing. Sometimes, it's the customer.

 

[ohmhead]

Well how about four more Reputation, Consistency ,Performance,Attitude do it on every job and never say no to any project !

Install your work per code but neat & clean looking no exceptions !
Sometimes if you give a little you can benefit from that giving that little extra effort can mean a new or better project even today .

Good electrical work is just good planing ahead do it the first time do your job and its a better job you will make money every time on every job proper planing is the key its saves us and them dollars they will always remember a dollar saved but not the one thats spent .

 

[iwire]

I am looking foward to seeing your comments.

Why concern yourself about what others do?

Personally I have see no problem at all keeping it low buck (within the rules, Specs, NEC etc.) if that is what the customer wants or what the job had been negotiated to with 'value engineering'.

 

[khixxx]

For me, I do work to Code/Spec and pleasing to the eye. My foreman told me to pick up the pace one day. So I just picked up my tool bag and went home never to return to that job again. Well until PM asked me.

I walked into the switch gear room and I said "Who did this pile of crap" Pipes were leaning, had running threads etc. My buddy said I did. Then gave me a reason why. Just one of those things.

 

[khixxx]

Why concern yourself about what others do?

Because you never know when you have to work in a "Death Trap Panel" that some clown wired up in a hurry or what ever reason.

 

[iwire]

Because you never know when you have to work in a "Death Trap Panel" that some clown wired up in a hurry or what ever reason.

Your not supposed to be working live.

 

[gra electric]

Sometimes you have to know who's dime you're working on. Its all fine if you own the company to take whatever time you feel necessary. Construction work is a compromise. You take the time to make it nice when its going to be seen. All the other time, if you stand back and it doesn't make you cringe, and its going behind a cover, than you have to keep production in mind. Gentlemen, i am sorry to say that production trumps all. If the man who signs your check doesn't make a profit, then you both will be out of a dime. Just use your best judgment and keep in mind your production levels, and make it meet the specs and NEC requirements.
Be safe gentlemen...

 

[hillbilly1]

i think technology was a huge advancement in the speed it takes to do a job. just factor mc cable and a roto-split vs. ac cable and a hacksaw seems like it would be 3 times faster to me?

Rotosplits have been around a long time, at least 20 years or more. Reloc was just starting to catch on 20 years ago, prefab electric rooms were being used as far back as that also. MC cable also has been around that long too. Only Union contractors were still using AC cable back then.

 

[Riograndeelectric]

blame this also on the Architects who tell the customer what he/she thinks the job should run and then have the GC and subs trying to match or beat the price that is not even realistic. blame it on the GC who have you walk thru a job where the owner and the GC are trying to put together a bid for budget pricing to see if the price is with reach of what the customer wants and then have the GC turn around and have you bid the job a second time and awarding the job but not to the subs they used to get the job.

I had a job once for a law office for a bunch of construction lawyers . The job was bid 2 times once for budgeting and determine which fixture package to use the primary or alternate due to prices. GC has me bid the job a second time because this is what the lawyers wanted. the fact the the GC was award the job should dictate who the subs are. and whos price the GC used to get the job

the price of safety goes out the window with the cheapest price. it is all about the cheapest price and the low baller Win's and then has no concern about Safety.
drive by any construction site and most of the time you see the roofer with no fall protection or scaffolding not tied off or missing cross braces.
the construction industry needs to go belly up and then start over again weeding out the garbage contractors.

I am so tired of hearing the customer tell me I lost the job because some one else was couple hundred dollars cheaper than me.or even a couple of dollars on a ceilng fan install.
I know a lot of guys around here that have the motto if no permit than omit ARC Fault breakers on new installation because they will not get the job if the figure in the price of ARC faults.

 

[Leestarkweather]

Every Recession Narrows Down Who I Will Work For

Every Recession Narrows Down Who I Will Work For

80-81 Quit doing any residential work. Narrowed down to comm/indust. only.

90-91: Quit working for all but 1 GC on industrial/commercial jobs. He was the only GC (in over 30 years of doing this) who never had any paper contract between us, just a hand shake and look in each other's eyes.
Focused on penetrating the "direct to corporation" market, never lost a corporate client since (although some tried other EC's and came back after finding out that lower price = lower quality, unscheduled outages, lost time to correction notices).

2001: Remaining GC client retired. So I only work for corporate clients. No
AIA or ASCA contract--just purchase orders. No retention, and paid in 30-45 days, which is as fast as GC/progress billing/bank voucher process. Several Corporate Clients even have bank transfer arrangements to pay us directly without a check being cut.

Have targeted Generator and UPS System reps as conduits to obtain new corp. business. My project manager obtained his General Contractor's License, so now we control the ancillary subs (concrete foundations, HVAC, even walls and roofs on small "hubsite" builds for telcom and IT clients. Most of our projects are 100% electrical or at least 80% electrical. We can mark up the subs (1-20%) of the project, and not mark up (like a GC would) our portion of the work, and beat every GC that bids against us.

Present recession: Pursue Solar Installations, acting as EC and GC.

I've never looked back and regretted leaving the residential market.

BTW--Hi John Childress. Haven't had a project in your area for about 2 years--hope all is well.