who should pay for my time

[rickl]

thanks for all the input, i don't feel right charging the H.O. it wasn't here fault, i'll probably have to take the engineer & or the installer to court to get any money. so i'll just eat the 3 hours. fix the problem and let it go. next time this happens i'll be ready for it.

 

[in the wind]

There's only one person you can charge, That would be the person that you are in contract with to do the work all else will never hold up in court because you have no contractural agreement with the others.

 

[satcom]

There's only one person you can charge, That would be the person that you are in contract with to do the work all else will never hold up in court because you have no contractural agreement with the others.

That is the bottom line, if the contract was with the homeowner, then they get the bill, with a brief statement of the problems found, they are responsible for recovery of the money, from the company at fault.

By not biling them, they will for sure think you must be part of the problem, after all you din't bill for your time, you must of done something wrong.

Good will is not a business asset, it is a business liability.

I am one of those hardworking people myself, and I can't recall any company giving me a break for being a hardworking guy, heck sears came to look at my washer, spent 5 minutes here told me you need a new washer, billed my credit card for $90 even before they came to the house, I should of told them but you don't understand I am a hardworking guy, and don't have a lot of money.

I don't think a lot of guys on here are just concerned about the money, but I do think they are concerned about the survival of their business, and providing for their family.

You may try charging a $90 dispatch charge, with a brief statement of the problems found, rather then billing for the 3 hours. This will also give the customer a statement to use for recovery of their expense.

 

[bjp_ne_elec]

Rickl - I think you've made the right decision. If the power wasn't on, you must have planned another trip to check out your installation when you had power - is that a safe assessment. Or you could have connected power temporarily - as the installation isn't complete until it's installed, energized and proven fully operational. So there must have been some amount of time allocated for checking this out - something you couldn't do without applying power.

You never talked about it - but why was the power not on when you did the original install? Again, if that was a "known", then again, you had to have a return visit in the plan.

I really like Dennis' comments - it's not always about the money. I'd make sure you do explain the incorrect float switch - just so the HO doens't think you're a putz. Have you worked with this Engineering firm before? I'd definitely have a heart to heart with them for misleading you originally.

 

[satcom]

Rickl - I think you've made the right decision. If the power wasn't on, you must have planned another trip to check out your installation when you had power - is that a safe assessment.

Very good point, but he should still leave the homeowner a written statement of the problem.

 

[rickl]

(but why was the power not on when you did the original install?)
the house was under construction at that time, i was not involved in wiring the house.
(If the power wasn't on, you must have planned another trip to check out your installation)
no i was pretty confident in my work not being cocky but its 7 wires , & the engineer has to test the system & sign it off. i don't have a problem going out to fix my screw ups on my own time, the problem i got is the so called engineer that charges $700 to design the system, shows up turns the breaker on, the alarm goes on, he turns the breaker off and tells the homeowner the electrician wired it all wrong, then gets in his truck and drives off.
i talked to the installer today he doesn't know anything about N.O. or N.C. contacts he buys a kit that has all the floats, pump and misc stuff all packaged together & the engineer tells him this floats is for this and this float is for that.
i went there today and changed the float everything worked fine. so everybody's happy except my pocket book.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Boy, you did go beyond the call of duty. I just assumed you wired the house. I have never heard of "electrician A" wiring the septic pump on a job "electrician B" was doing. Around here that would fall under one permit and dam if I would have someone else wire on my permit. I guess you all get separate permits. It sort of changes my thinking a bit about the whole deal but we wont start that all over again.

 

[JohnE]

I agree with Dennis completely on this one. I would not charge to return. While it was a simple installation, you could have checked the operation of the floats with a meter. I'm not even saying I would have, but if it were done, you wouldn't have had that problem.

But to answer OP, if the homeowner hired you, you should charge him. He could then deal with the pump installer.

 

[Dennis O]

You only have a contract with one guy, either the general contractor or owner. You back charge them and they take care of it from there. Why should you fight when you don?t have a contract with other subcontractors on the job.

 

[satnad]

Thanks Lou



Obviously it's not. You know the manufactrer will not reimburse you and most people have a one year warranty (I do) on parts-- not light bulbs. This is why we mark up materials-- to make a profit and to cover those extra trips when we need to. Hopefully, we have very few call backs.

On Another Note
I have to be honest--this forum is a wonderful tool for me and I have learned a tremendous amount, however it concerns me with the attitude about money. It feels like many are saying grab the money from whomever you can without any concern for good will or the working relationship one has with others. It ain't about the money and screwing whoever is the easiest to screw. That thinking disgusts me. Maybe I am just naive.

Business is about making the right money and not screwing anyone. You are not naive if you are charging enough and not the one bidding at 50% of the real job value. If you would feel sorry for charging a certain amount, do others feel sorry for you charging $130.00 service call to clear your swer, or a furnace repair etc. If you just charge less, only what feels right, you will be bunkrupt very quickly. People may pay union dues and a couple of other things in order to work, but you and me , either now or later are paying about $22,000.00/year (one man operation) in order to have a job. It is called OVERHEAD.

 

[Foorsail]

Finish the Job

Finish the Job

Just take it on the chin. If your customer contact was as good as it should have been, you would have know ASAP and dealt with the problem or even been on site for the start-up. Also, the job was not finished until it was turned on.

It's not that I think you are not due some time, but pick and choose your battles. Your reputation is worth much more.

Sorry..

 

[Jps1006]

I wouldn't have a problem charging the owner, but I can tell you the owner would have a very clear understanding of where I was coming from before I submitted the bill, and I would make it very clear that they shouldn't be stuck holding the bag. I have had a much easier time getting respect from customers since I stopped settling for anything less than it.

I'm definately not the type to say "don't leave any of the customer's money on the table" or " jam them for every penny you can". But I do firmly believe in money paid for services rendered. If your customer can't respect or appreciate that, you don't need their repeat business or referals. Charging them suddenly becomes win-win.

 

[BossMan20]

I agree that the homeowner should pay you, give them a detailed invoice so they can try getting their money back from the plumber-- they're probaly at fault. Next time ask everyone involved who is going to pay the bill before going out and figuring out -their mess-. stick to your guns!

 

[BossMan20]

as soon as the ho called acting unhappy i would have explained that if i must come out and fix this there will be a charge, after all it sounds as though you were confident in your wiring.