What's your hourly cash rate? Just had a grumbling customer!

[LlandrilloSpark]

Happy Xmas fellas

What's your hourly cash rate?
I've just had a customer grumble on me when I charged him £15 an hour cash, I wouldn't mind but the guy has plenty of money.

I got the job by him seeing my van , I went to look at the job pretty much as soon as I parked up on a Friday at 3pm, I asked him when do you want me start and he said tommorow ad the plasterer wants to board it!
So I missed being with my kids and worked the first fix on Saturday.
I worked late to do the second fix and did some extras for him.
When it comes to invoice time ge tells me that he has had several "electricians" work for him at a max of £12-£14 an hour

My response was that they are not qualified sparks

Sad thing is there is a bit of work there and I now may not get it

 

[DaveyD]

Round here (south west) a day rate starts at £160 sub to a builder. Obv more on own work.
Regards
David

 

[telectrix]

£15 is very reasonable. £12-£14 /hour is a decent rate for employed sparks-- you have your vehicle, insurances, scam fees, own tools, paperwork to do in your own time.etc.etc. all on top. was the guy's name scrooge? charge him £20 next time, and tell him myou'll work for £12 when he can't get hold of you. why did he not call in the previous guy/s for£!2. probably coz. they won't answer their phone to him.

 

[DurhamSparky]

1 Rate = £25 cash cheque or bacs... no discount for cash!

if he wants to pay peanuts let him..
so why could his "sparks" not do this job then..! i think he is full of BULL..!

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

I did some sums last night based on 12000 miles year, the mpg of my van and the cost of diesel, added to that service, mot, insurance, road tax, advertising and business fees
I totalled it and divided by my average hours worked per year and I need £2 an hour just to run the business, then there is my stamp and taxes, so if you charge 15 you could end up pocketing about 11 an hour....poo for all the effort

 

[accordfire]

Happy Xmas fellas

What's your hourly cash rate?
I've just had a customer grumble on me when I charged him £15 an hour cash, I wouldn't mind but the guy has plenty of money.

I got the job by him seeing my van , I went to look at the job pretty much as soon as I parked up on a Friday at 3pm, I asked him when do you want me start and he said tommorow ad the plasterer wants to board it!
So I missed being with my kids and worked the first fix on Saturday.
I worked late to do the second fix and did some extras for him.
When it comes to invoice time ge tells me that he has had several "electricians" work for him at a max of £12-£14 an hour

My response was that they are not qualified sparks

Sad thing is there is a bit of work there and I now may not get it

IMO - he got a damn good deal for a Saturday, and he knows it!

£15 an hour is lad's money round here. I'd lay odds he'll call you before you ever have to call him again too.

There is a point when it simply just isn't worth having work - and this guy is mighty close to being that point. So, you end up with a little less work, but more time with your family - I know which I'd choose - and I know too, that soon enough your rate will look sensible to him too - he's a bully, and a chancer, that's all.

Stand your ground, my friend, and if he doesn't like it, of course he's free to go elsewhere. You may have lost out on what, £120 - but there'll be another job along shortly which offers better than that for sure.

You set your rates mate - not your customers.

You have to stop and think why this guy, with all these "electricians" he knows is suddenly reduced to ringing up guys from the numbers on the side of their van.......and for a rush job too......sounds like a fairly major tools away fall out with the last "12-£14" sparks who got wise mate.

Better off without it!

 

[leolec]

£25 - on the border - I let them know up front when I'm making the appointment and have never not booked the appt

 

[spsparks]

I reckon your too cheap and he is a chump. Next time dont mention hr rate and charge him 20 quid ph

 

[John Bunning]

i charge £29 per hr take it or leave it .propper job costs dosh .any problems i will allway return .had one guy knock me be back to £25 after the job was done and dusted .no problems re invoiced at 25.
next time he called told him what to do with his work .£14 not worth getting out of the van 4

 

[telectrix]

i charge £29 per hr take it or leave it .propper job costs dosh .any problems i will allway return .had one guy knock me be back to £25 after the job was done and dusted .no problems re invoiced at 25.
next time he called told him what to do with his work .£14 not worth getting out of the van 4

£14, not even worth starting the van, let alone going out

 

[BluSparx]

My rate is £25 + Vat per hour you either like it or lump it I don't work for nothing I aint a charity and set this up front with all customers so they know what they are paying in advance.

If then they want to try and knock me down I just return to the signed contract and say "This is what we agreed and as such all my side is complete and done as agreed now you just need to pay to complete your side of the agreement"

Only ever had 1 person try and knock me down and believe it or not was for a job I had been contracted to do by a landscape garden who said the customer hadn't paid him properly so he couldnt pay me full rate - Bull

Stick to your guns mate

 

[Sparky Ninja]

Saturday cash work I would charge minimum £25 per hour, £200 day rate.

Sometimes I charge £20 per hour depending on the client etc


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[multicore]

Hi all, i would say about twice that for some firms

 

[zedess]

Exactly!! and on a Saturday!....he would have passed out with my invoice,plenty of them about, there called WxxKxxS.........stay clear..

 

[gpz900jim]

i think he is trying it on, if he had other people who could work for him, why would he want to give an (to him) unknown quantity a start? it doesnt make sense, try to keep it at 150 a day and that covers all of your overheads too.. it can be demoralising to sell yourself too cheap.