Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

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Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

Originally posted by apauling:
by the way 250k and 1400 hours is over 8 hours a day for average year and only a bit over 100 an hour, not 400 an hour.
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1400 hours divided by 52 weeks divided by 5 days = 5.38 hours a day, or 50 weeks x 40 hours = 2000hours

250k/1400hours=178.57 per hour

I never realized how full of s*** you were till you spewed that last nonsense.

seems you have no desire to play devils advocate, just be heard.

I had a mechanical engineer want me to wire his club basement. I gave him an extremely good price, and he wanted to cut my price apart. I just asked him if he wanted me to do it or not. I was about to ask him what he charges for his paper. That's what he sells right?
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

Sounds fair if not cheap.
1) I'm a lumberjack creates emergency.
2) You break down and will need to set up again at the other job , the one he left. (lost time).
3) You have power back on in almost the time it takes to do just the job let alone the phone calls/run for parts etc.
4)Bill today bill tomorrow? Did he think it was free to drop and run to fix his mistake? I have $1.27 in my pocket think I'll call and get a new truck, must be close to the cost cus thats what I got in my pocket?? This is the same mind set that has customers saying "my brother knows a guy that said you are too high!, Oh is he an electrician ? No he repairs golf carts".
5) You are paying for my brain not my back.
Great job and quality service that person should look to do more with you.
Keep on plugin.
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

Since I am full of it, I would at least like to point out that you are less than capable of simple reasoning.

250,000 divided by 52 weeks is about 4807+ a week, divided by 40 hours is about 120 per hour. 120 is a little over 100 an hour compared to 400 an hour. It seems that you are the one who is full of **** , to quote you. Are you a rip-of like coopertree? ... with no integrity, can't stand a different opinion since there is no real worth to you, just what you can get away with. If you disappeared from the world, no one would miss you, maybe your money, but not you.

Ask for opinions and then attack those that don't slap you on the back and say "well done"!!? I don't have to use profanity to point out that you are less than used kitty-litter. May you reap what you sow, bless your empty little heart.

paul :p :p :cool:
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

Originally posted by apauling:
Since I am full of it, I would at least like to point out that you are less than capable of simple reasoning.

250,000 divided by 52 weeks is about 4807+ a week, divided by 40 hours is about 120 per hour. 120 is a little over 100 an hour compared to 400 an hour. It seems that you are the one who is full of **** , to quote you. Are you a rip-of like coopertree? ... with no integrity, can't stand a different opinion since there is no real worth to you, just what you can get away with. If you disappeared from the world, no one would miss you, maybe your money, but not you.

Ask for opinions and then attack those that don't slap you on the back and say "well done"!!? I don't have to use profanity to point out that you are less than used kitty-litter. May you reap what you sow, bless your empty little heart.

paul :p :p :cool:
Click to expand...
Looks like you got me pretty much figured out. Due to the fact that I charge enough to actually stay in business, pay my business expenses, have enough left to pay my mortgage and put food on the table, I must be a heart and soulless rip-off.
I'd like to apologize for my attack on you. That is not how Jesus would have wanted me to handle that situation.

PS. your addition looks better this time. The numbers are different than the ones you used last time though.

[ April 26, 2005, 06:14 PM: Message edited by: bradleyelectric ]
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

Paul Ive got to ask when you were a contractor did you always charge by the hour? I do several side jobs a month and I always do them bid style now doing fhis I bust *** to get the job done as fast correctly and to code as possible. If I can make $400 an hour then hey more power to me. If I was the da who cut down a tree and I was only out of power for 2-3 hours Id gladly pay the amount cooper charged. when Ivan hit we were charging 600 for a 200a powerpack changeout and doing 2 a day. now there was another guy who was doing the same thing but charging 2000-4000 per powerpack that and only that in my opinion is true price gouging?
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

Southernboys - I hope this is just a difference in regional terminology and that I'm not just showing my ignorance, but...

What does changing a 200A powerpack mean? What exactly are you doing?

If you are changing out a 200A main panel and meter loop, then charging just $600 sounds too low.
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

tx a powerpack consists of a meter and main house breaker plus sometimes your range dryer grinder pump and maybe some other 240 breakers. these were usually bottom fed from poco and all we did was take connector off and slide new pqack on and put in new breakers is 600 really that low?
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

Southern boys: I think you may be misreading my intent. When CT asked i was trying to find out exactly what he did, and how much he spent. He didn't go to the parts house, as he had whatever in the truck. He may have had a replacement panel, but it souned like all he did was a repair the existing installation. maybe he pulled new wires. But he charged for a full upgrade, and two surcharges. I kept asking him what his out of pocket was and he never responded with a direct answer. A bid price is not an out of pocket. Bid prices almost never have to do with service calls, which are normally time and materials plus.

I did by the hour and straight bids and combo bids. I have been around construction since my father built his house after the war and i followed him around. In all that time, the legitamate service guys who advertise for emergency work have standard rates. Plumbers usually get more than electricians for emergency work, and in my area where the homes are getting pricier and pricier, the rate for plumbers is over a hundred an hour, including driving time.

to explain my point using a plumbing repair as an analogy so that it doesn't automatically become identified with some electrical practice: the plumbing guy comes out to the house for an emergency repair of the toilet. He happens to have a toilet in the big truck he drives, white, oval not round. It turns out that the water running out of the toilet is because of a crack in the base and he tells the homeowner that he has this style with him if it is okay, otherwise tomorrow. Guy goes okay, only toilet in house. Two hours later (longer than actual) what does he bill for. Does he bill for his time plus parts? does he bill for his time plus parts, profit on parts and time to replace parts? does he bill for the price he would bid on replacing a toilet sight unseen, plus his travel time plus a surcharge for being an "emergency" service call plus a surcharge because he was forced to skip dinner, or work late? I know that all the actual service guys from whatever trade that advertise in the yellow pages charge alot, but do not use the last example as a billing practice, as they would slowly get weeded out of the business. They make good money but they don't gouge for every possible charge they can think of.

That is my opinion.

paul :cool:
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

paul I hate to tell ya but if im at the house and I get a service call after 5pm im going to inform that customer that this is an after hour call thuslu I have a surcharge of $75 for responding my time will start as soon as I start driving to the job which I do for a regular hour job. After arriving at customers house I assess situation and hope I have the parts in the truck if not that means Ive got to go get them now withy me living in the country i will cut a customer a break on my travel time usually charge one way now weve got the material with a normal 10% surcharge and and finally my hourly rate which I will usually keep constant however there is the customer that I will charge an extra $10 per hour oh yeah there is a minimum of 2 hour charge which is standard day or night now where is your problem with the way I charge. this is the way every company around here does it
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

paul thats a typical service call ie breakers tripping bad gfi lights not working now if you factor in a service changeout in which I charge 600 for one and I can do in 2-3 hours during the day now add in my afterhours charge forget my hourly rate and my price goes up once again if customer is *** he can expect to pay more sound fair and thats what I see ct doing
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

your just looking for an argument, not clarification
 
Re: Second opinion: Emergency 100 Amp service lateral repair

I had a situation like the original service call awhile ago. This is what I learned:
Communication, Communication, Communication. On every job I ever do, I sit down the owner and explain to him the scope of work, what the cost are going to be roughly and what is expected of him and of course me. He at that point has the option of declining my service. If its something that is going to included travel time, over the phone I describe charges ect. before I ever venture out. I live in a small area, and a unhappy customer it seems is the best form of negative advertisement you could ever get. I would rather not do the work and lose the job then to have the customer beat me up at the coffee shop!

[ April 28, 2005, 02:47 AM: Message edited by: copper123 ]
 
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