These people do us no favors

[electricmanscott]

This trade is doomed.

Bits form electricians on Todays Craigslist:

This one is listed under ? elecrtical?
$300 per day or $99 for small project out of lowell mass


If you would like to save money on your electrical needs Please feel free to contact me

Will provide Labor To Electrical Contractor in need of temporary Help Licenced Electricians Mechanics Exp Helpers I will Provide Workers comp and Liablity Insurance coverage Rates Start at 30 Per Hr


Thanks for looking,
I am a licenced contractor born and raised on the North Shore. I have worked in many higher end areas of the country....Laguna Hills CA, Denver CO, Naples FL and the Greater Boston areas. I have run my own small remodeling company for over 19 years. My rate is $37.50 per hour (half the cost of a MA electrician) with the same skill, knowledge and experience. I carter to and love the small jobs a larger crew is not needed for. Please feel free to contact me for your electrical needs.

Are you prepared for the next power outage? Yes, we do generators along with complete electrical services. We can install an inexpensive generator to take care of your critical circuits or a fully automatic system to power your entire home. We do 100amp service upgrades for less than a $1000 and 200 amp upgrades for less than $1500, why pay more? Call others for comparative prices


This is my kind of guy?

Quality electrical work done right should not be based on the lowest price.

I am a professional Master electrician with 20 years experience. I will not guarantee you the lowest price but my price will be fair honest and accurate. It will be based on the realities of what I need to charge to earn a living and keep my business healthy. It will be derived from my years of experience. It really is that simple.

I am fully licensed and insured. Though not required to, I carry workers comp insurance for your protection. Ask your insurance agent if they would let somebody work on their house without it.

I come with a fully stocked truck. I will respect your home and property. I lay down dropcloths, sweep, vacuum, and removed debris generated from your project

 

[peter d]

This trade is doomed.

I agree. There are way too many bottom dwellers out there.

And things like Craig's list, Home Depot, Lowes contribute to this problem. I'm not against Home Depot (I love the place!) but the easy methods of advertising and getting supplies certainly don't help.

 

[peter d]

T
This one is listed under ? elecrtical?
$300 per day or $99 for small project out of lowell mass

Lowell, huh? He can keep that one.

 

[JohnE]

The last ad sounds like an upstanding contractor.

Truth is, some customers will want the electrician from the first few ads, and some will want the one in the last ad. I think most users of craiglist will want the former, though. They think they are bargain shopping.

The trade is not doomed, though. There are always customers that want reputable contractors, and alway those who "want a deal". Then there are those in between. The recent economic turns are flooding the market with lowballers, which makes it that much more difficult. We weren't having discussions like this 3 years ago.

 

[peter d]

This is my kind of guy?

Quality electrical work done right should not be based on the lowest price.

I am a professional Master electrician with 20 years experience. I will not guarantee you the lowest price but my price will be fair honest and accurate. It will be based on the realities of what I need to charge to earn a living and keep my business healthy. It will be derived from my years of experience. It really is that simple.

I am fully licensed and insured. Though not required to, I carry workers comp insurance for your protection. Ask your insurance agent if they would let somebody work on their house without it.

I come with a fully stocked truck. I will respect your home and property. I lay down dropcloths, sweep, vacuum, and removed debris generated from your project

You forgot to add this: "And we will do a 200 amp service change for only $500." Then your phone won't stop ringing.

 

[electricmanscott]

Truth is, some customers will want the electrician from the first few ads, and some will want the one in the last ad. I think most users of craiglist will want the former, though. They think they are bargain shopping.
.

Agreed, and I certainly understand trying to save a buck but these guys are just an insult to the rest of us.

 

[jrannis]

Believe me, you dont want the customers these people attract!

 

[growler]

I am a professional Master electrician with 20 years experience. I will not guarantee you the lowest price but my price will be fair honest and accurate. It will be based on the realities of what I need to charge to earn a living and keep my business healthy. It will be derived from my years of experience. It really is that simple.

Looking at this from Mr. Cheap's perspective, the homeowner that shops from Craig's List

All I need is a ceiling fan installed which I bought at Home Depot for $60.00, didn't really want to pay that much but the wife had to have the good one ( the one still in the box ).

Let me see now, 20 years of experience, probably overkill and he may be a little long in the tooth for ladder work ( 20 foot ceilings ).

He states right up front that he's not the cheapest ( the guy I'm looking for ).

Wants to keep his business healthy, ( probably expect to make enough on this one job to feed his whole family).

There he is with that years of experience again, I'll bet he really is old, didn't start till he was 30 and he'll be over 50 an " slow".

Mable ( his wife ) do you still have the number of that retarded looking kid down the street, the one that rakes our leaves? I'll bet he'll do the job for $20.

 

[76nemo]

Certified technicians

Certified technicians

That's what you pay for and trust, right??? Here's a knee-slapper for ya'. I used to take care of all of the electrical for this private club. All of their kitchen equipment is 25+ years old. I got a call for the dishwasher, easy call, it runs even when the door is open. Sure enough, the safety latch was arc'd closed. Now this club normally operates on the weekends, so I told them to give me a few days to find the exact switch. The dishwasher was a Hobart, I knew I'd find one eventually. After two days of after hours searching, they decided it would be quicker to call an "authorized" repair shop. Here's comes a "certified" technician that told them there was no luck of finding the same switch. He pryed the switch open, dremeled out the arc, glued the switch back together and told them to leave the breaker off when it wasn't in use. Now there's some reassurance! He charged 5 something and drove away in his authorized van I got another call for the dishwasher since, want to guess what I told them?

 

[brantmacga]

My rate is $37.50 per hour (half the cost of a MA electrician) with the same skill, knowledge and experience.

if that were true, he wouldn't be charging $37.50, and probably wouldn't be living in a van down by the river.

 

[charlie b]

I lay down dropcloths, sweep, vacuum, and removed debris generated from your project

I wish the electrician who did my panel replacement had done the clean up. All he took away were the breakers from my old Zinsco panel (presumably so he would have spares for a future job). He left the panel and other debris. The job was done well, and the price was acceptable, but this left me with a sour feeling.

 

[growler]

I wish the electrician who did my panel replacement had done the clean up. All he took away were the breakers from my old Zinsco panel (presumably so he would have spares for a future job). He left the panel and other debris. The job was done well, and the price was acceptable, but this left me with a sour feeling.

How much would the removel of the panel and other debris have been work to you?

I clean up on every job but when I'm on the clock ( time & materials ) I often hear " just leave the scrap, we'll clean that up later". If it's a free service people are all for you cleaning up but if they think they are paying for it, well that's a different story.

If the price had been $300 more but very clean would you have been happier?

 

[charlie b]

I am confident that I only paid the T&M rate for the time the two persons were working on the job. But I had to drive 10 miles to the city dump, and pay their fee, in order to get rid of the panel. What bothered me more, however, is that (without discussing this or asking my permission) the contractor took away something of value: he removed all the breakers from the panel, while leaving me something that I had to pay to get rid of.

When the plumbers came by the next day (to install a new water heater and a new gas line), they took away the old water heater at no extra charge.

 

[growler]

I am confident that I only paid the T&M rate for the time the two persons were working on the job. But I had to drive 10 miles to the city dump, and pay their fee, in order to get rid of the panel. What bothered me more, however, is that (without discussing this or asking my permission) the contractor took away something of value: he removed all the breakers from the panel, while leaving me something that I had to pay to get rid of.

I agree that this is shoddy work and unprofessional but the question is this. You get two bids to change out a panel, one if from a very reputable company and you are sure that they will be very clean and neat and the other is from a not so good company but you think they are at least capable of doing the work ( simple job ). First bid is for $900 and the second bid is for $600, which would you choose?

 

[weressl]

I am confident that I only paid the T&M rate for the time the two persons were working on the job. But I had to drive 10 miles to the city dump, and pay their fee, in order to get rid of the panel. What bothered me more, however, is that (without discussing this or asking my permission) the contractor took away something of value: he removed all the breakers from the panel, while leaving me something that I had to pay to get rid of.

When the plumbers came by the next day (to install a new water heater and a new gas line), they took away the old water heater at no extra charge.

This is why written Contract is helpful. You spell out what you expect and payment upoin completion or as negotiated.

 

[charlie b]

You get two bids to change out a panel . . . which would you choose?

Money is not the only deciding factor, if that is what you are asking. More of any answer I cannot give, since it would be no more than a hypothetical decision in a hypothetical situation.

My point is this: If you could clean up the work area and take away at least the large pieces of debris, or you could leave it all, and if there were to be no difference in your fee, so that the only difference is the degree to which your customer would be happy with the job, would you do the clean up and removal? Also, do you think it is right for an EC to remove (from a panel) components that have resale value, and leave the scrap, without first getting the customer's permission?

 

[growler]

My point is this: If you could clean up the work area and take away at least the large pieces of debris, or you could leave it all, and if there were to be no difference in your fee, so that the only difference is the degree to which your customer would be happy with the job, would you do the clean up and removal? Also, do you think it is right for an EC to remove (from a panel) components that have resale value, and leave the scrap, without first getting the customer's permission?

All the real professional service type electricans clean up the job site. That's how you can tell you are not dealing with a hack. An amateur that may have a license but has no idea how to conduct real business. The reason that these people act like this is a lack of training. This same lack of training also shows up in other areas such as pricing.

If you take your car to a "shade tree" mechanic it may actually get repaired but will have grease stains on the paint. If you take the same car to a reputable shop it will be repaired with no grease stains and they may actually tighten all the bolts, change will still be in the ash tray.

There is a great deal of difference between being an electrician and knowing how to provide top quality service to a customer.

If you want top quality service you call a top quality company and that's the whole selling point. If these same services were available for half the price then no one and I mean no one would ever call the more high priced contractors.

When the only selling point is that we are the cheapest guy in town then don't expect much and check the liquor cabinet. :grin: :grin:

 

[izak]

speaking of cleaning up, what do you all think about throwing all the clean-up debris in the customer's residential trash can?

not things like wire strippings and peices of tape, but larger items such as an empty 1000 foot romex spool, or an old 200 amp panel.

I have always felt uneasy about it, even tho others i worked with had absolutely no problem with it....

due to my feelings about it, my van nearly always was full of crap from the cleanup of several jobs in a day

 

[growler]

not things like wire strippings and peices of tape, but larger items such as an empty 1000 foot romex spool, or an old 200 amp panel.

I have always felt uneasy about it, even tho others i worked with had absolutely no problem with it....

due to my feelings about it, my van nearly always was full of crap from the cleanup of several jobs in a day

If any of those jobs have a general contractor on site then he should have a dumpster. You should ask but many will let you deposit a panel.
Most GC's like the fact that you are the type that cleans up after themselves. There are times when you just end up with a van full of trash.

I hate going to a job site that's not clean so I can easily understand why a customer would be upset with construction trash left after the job is finished.

For remodels I make sure the GC is responsible for having a dumpster on site. If not you will end up wading in garbage.

 

[aline]

When the plumbers came by the next day (to install a new water heater and a new gas line), they took away the old water heater at no extra charge.

Nothing is free. I'm sure the plumbing contractor has the taking away and disposing of the water heater factored in his price or rates. The reason there wasn't an extra charge was because you already paid for it.

Just like all those free estimates contractors give. Someone has to pay for them. Guess what? The cutsomer pays for them when he hires a contractor. The free estimates are factored into the contractors pricing and rates. Free estimates are only free if you never hire a contractor. If a contractor is awarded one job in every four that he gives a free estimate on, then the one job has to cover the expenses for the other three estimates. The one customer is paying for the other so called free estimates.

Clean up, disposal of equipment, estimates etc. are all expenses a contractor has and the customer pays for these plus some or the company wouldn't make a profit.

The electrical contractor should have clean up and removal of old equipment factored into the price and should dispose of everything unless the customer specifies differently. If it's T&M customer's may request you don't clean up to save themselves a little money.

If I'm doing a T&M job I clean up and remove all old equipment unless the customer says otherwise. It's part of the job. Disposal of old equipment and scrap that isn't billed T&M is considered overhead and is factored into the hourly rate to cover that expense. Again the customer pays for it.