Service Call?

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Probably different all over the country. Most of the non union contractors I worked for here in Kentucky charge a 1 hour minimum plus a service call fee.

In 1981 the company I worked for charged $25 per hour for the electrician plus a 20 truck trip. So $45 minimum.
They charged an extra $12.50 for the helper.

Now a friend of mine that used to work at that company charges $50 per hour plus $35 truck trip. So $85 minimum.

I'm a one man part time outfit and I charge $50 per hour plus $25 truck trip. So $75 minimum. That's so I can steel all my friend's jobs. :)
 
Service call...hell yes...

Service call...hell yes...

Some customer's question the service call fee ($110).
Normal procedure here is, $110 gets me there for max of 30 mins. Then it is hourly $110/hr for me, more for the technician(s) that are with me.
For repeat customers I allow a discount on the service call fee ($20-$40max) depending on the distance.
First time customers pay full rate.

For all day jobs I usually will simply amortize the $110 over the all the things we have done during the day to prevent the frown about the service call.
But the short 1 or 2 hr jobs, that service call charge is there and needed, that ain't fluff!
 
Electricians in my area seem to cut each others throats. Hourly prices vary anywhere from $75.00/hr (residential) to $175.00/hr (commercial). You can't get a plumber to change out a sink washer for less than $125.00 and they all stick together or are close on pricing. Why can't we do the same ?
 
goldstar said:
Electricians in my area seem to cut each others throats. Hourly prices vary anywhere from $75.00/hr (residential) to $175.00/hr (commercial). You can't get a plumber to change out a sink washer for less than $125.00 and they all stick together or are close on pricing. Why can't we do the same ?
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Because there are more people afraid of getting dirty and wet than there are people afraid to risk life, limb and structure while staying nice and clean.
 
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Why have a service call fee of $75 (example) then say a 2-hour minimum for a total of $150?
Why don't you just say the service call is $150 to start with?

Doesn't make sense to me, you will never charge just the $75, so just make the combined price your service call fee.
 
Little Bill said:
Why have a service call fee of $75 (example) then say a 2-hour minimum for a total of $150?
Why don't you just say the service call is $150 to start with?

Doesn't make sense to me, you will never charge just the $75, so just make the combined price your service call fee.
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If you were to say to the customer $150 and I were to say $75 with a 2 hour minimum, I would probably get the job. Because the customer hears and pays attention to the dollar amount. The $75 sounds a lot better (even though it is the same at the end).

It is like an item costing $10 or $9.89. The $10 sound expensive, even though they are both about the same.
 
edward said:
If you were to say to the customer $150 and I were to say $75 with a 2 hour minimum, I would probably get the job. Because the customer hears and pays attention to the dollar amount. The $75 sounds a lot better (even though it is the same at the end).

It is like an item costing $10 or $9.89. The $10 sound expensive, even though they are both about the same.
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Maybe so, but when you present the bill and it is more than the $75 they will think you are playing games or padding the bill.
That's if they only hear the dollar amount that you tell them before you arrive.
They won't be happy!:happyno:
 
over the years we track the service business in our area and when the big yellow and now the big google guys took over they have averaged 149 to 179 service rates they are flat, they never give an hourly rate, the service call allows them to give a flat rate estimate for the work required, customers tell me you can't get a service upgrade for less then 4,200 and they are alum service cable with cheap loadcenter
 
satcom said:
over the years we track the service business in our area and when the big yellow and now the big google guys took over they have averaged 149 to 179 service rates they are flat, they never give an hourly rate, the service call allows them to give a flat rate estimate for the work required, customers tell me you can't get a service upgrade for less then 4,200 and they are alum service cable with cheap loadcenter
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We are flat rate as well. I sure wish i get $4,200.00 for a service upgrade?

$2,000.00 to $2,200.00 is about as much as we can get for upgrade with new panel. Average.
No line side work.
 
we are a residential service company and we have a 69.00 dispatch fee then we have a 197.00 diagnostic fee once the problem is found then we charge according to our price guide. We switched from minimum times due to customer objections. We had a two hour minimum but most repairs were an hour or less so customers did not feel they owed for two hours.
 
Rewire said:
we are a residential service company and we have a 69.00 dispatch fee then we have a 197.00 diagnostic fee once the problem is found then we charge according to our price guide. We switched from minimum times due to customer objections. We had a two hour minimum but most repairs were an hour or less so customers did not feel they owed for two hours.
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That is pretty much how we work as well. we stopped the dispatch fee a while back but will be staring up again soon. we waive the fee if the work is done right then. The dispatch fee weeds out the tire kickers.
 
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