Why so big a difference in price?

[steve_jones]

Hi All,

Just wanted anyone's views on why electricians prices are so different, had a few quotes for wiring in a kitchen, quotes came in at:

£1200
£950 (reduced to £850 when I questioned it)
£460

Went with the £460, did a great job, safety certificate the lot. I know none of you will have seen the job in question but how do people quote up for jobs and why the vast difference?

 

[westward10]

I don't reckon the OP has had the work done at all, he is still fishing.

 

[peterhyper]

The Doctor is probably bashing the bishop on his estate as we speak.

 

[Andy78]

I think you misread my post mate. I did not say they are 'on par with a time served electrician'.
What I said was "they are electricians, but just at a different knowledge base"

Go on then, I'll be the awkward one that says "They are not electricians in the eyes of the JIB which is the unofficial standard by which the industry at large grades and employs workers. Just because the advent of part P encouraged the short course qualified worker enabled by the schemes does not mean that the traditional definition of electrician has been broadened or diluted"

 

[Spoon]

Go on then, I'll be the awkward one that says "They are not electricians in the eyes of the JIB which is the unofficial standard by which the industry at large grades and employs workers. Just because the advent of part P encouraged the short course qualified worker enabled by the schemes does not mean that the traditional definition of electrician has been broadened or diluted"

Interesting... So you are suggesting you have to have a JIB card to be an electrician?
If that's the case then I don't have one..
How many people on here don't have one?

 

[Andy78]

Interesting... So you are suggesting you have to have a JIB card to be an electrician?
If that's the case then I don't have one..
How many people on here don't have one?

No I'm not. There is no legal definition of "electrician".

I'm saying that the JIB only regard an electrician as having reached a certain educational standard.
I'm saying that most of the wider industry regard that JIB grading as their standard also.
I'm saying that the standard held by the JIB was also held by most employers and educational institutions until recent times.

 

[Spoon]

I suppose everyone has their own interpretation of "electrician"..
I work in an office an as far as I know, no one in the office has a JIB card.. I class the electrical guys as "electricians" and the mechanical guys as 'metal bolters...'

 

[Andy78]

I suppose everyone has their own interpretation of "electrician"..
I work in an office an as far as I know, no one in the office has a JIB card.. I class the electrical guys as "electricians" and the mechanical guys as 'metal bolters...'

Like I said, I'm not saying membership of the JIB defines an electrician, just that the standard held by the JIB to define an electrician is generally in line with the traditional industry definition of an electrician.

 

[ipf]

I think the most effective,thorough and complete job,is the one the OP has done on this thread.

Just looking, it seems there's been more time spent on it than doing the bleedin' job...

 

[Anthony S]

I suppose everyone has their own interpretation of "electrician"..
I work in an office an as far as I know, no one in the office has a JIB card.. I class the electrical guys as "electricians" and the mechanical guys as 'metal bolters...'

If you was working on the tools and wanted to work on say an Airport, Hospital, Industrial Water Treatment Site etc etc as an Electrician your be lucky to set foot on site with out one.

There's a big world out there apart from working around someones house and that where the JIB card plays its part.

 

[Spoon]

If you was working on the tools and wanted to work on say an Airport, Hospital, Industrial Water Treatment Site etc etc as an Electrician your be lucky to set foot on site with out one.

There's a big world out there apart from working around someones house and that where the JIB card plays its part.

I know what you and Andy are getting at and I know you need a JIB card to get on certain sites.
I know there is a big world out there, you have to know this as well.... That's why we have electricians with different knowledge bases. (As I have mentioned before)... Again, at the end of the day "There is no legal definition of 'electrician'." everyone has their own opinion. Mine is more open minded..

 

[Andy78]

I know what you and Andy are getting at and I know you need a JIB card to get on certain sites.
I know there is a big world out there, you have to know this as well.... That's why we have electricians with different knowledge bases. (As I have mentioned before)... Again, at the end of the day "There is no legal definition of 'electrician'." everyone has their own opinion. Mine is more open minded..

I suppose I too am open minded but my definition is also very flexible. For example whether I would regard a short course guy as an electrician or not would depend on whether they actually knew what they were doing or not and the standard of their work. That said, I wouldn't regard a diyer that had done a good standard compliant installation as an electrician.

In general I stick to the industry accepted definition of electrician as it is clear and easy.
In the world of short courses none are made equal in terms of qualification so where do you draw the line of definition ? Do we say an Aldi shelf stacker that has just sat their 2382 is now an electrician with a different knowledge base ? How about if we chuck a 3 day building regs course on top ? electrician yet ?

My problem here is that in this more open minded definition everybody in the world is an electrician with a different knowledge base, just some with a knowledge base of zero. So where do we draw the line ? My line gets drawn where the industry chose to draw it many many years ago as it is still the most meaningful level of requirements we have.
I am aware that there are plenty more highly qualified and less qualified people than this level that reject this yardstick though.

 

[Spoon]

I suppose I too am open minded but my definition is also very flexible. For example whether I would regard a short course guy as an electrician or not would depend on whether they actually knew what they were doing or not and the standard of their work. That said, I wouldn't regard a diyer that had done a good standard compliant installation as an electrician.

In general I stick to the industry accepted definition of electrician as it is clear and easy.
In the world of short courses none are made equal in terms of qualification so where do you draw the line of definition ? Do we say an Aldi shelf stacker that has just sat their 2382 is now an electrician with a different knowledge base ? How about if we chuck a 3 day building regs course on top ? electrician yet ?

My problem here is that in this more open minded definition everybody in the world is an electrician with a different knowledge base, just some with a knowledge base of zero. So where do we draw the line ? My line gets drawn where the industry chose to draw it many many years ago as it is still the most meaningful level of requirements we have.
I am aware that there are plenty more highly qualified and less qualified people than this level that reject this yardstick though.

So according to your definition I am not an electrician.... I can live with that.
Also, out of interest, according to the Oxford Dictionary I am not an electrician. (A person who installs and maintains electrical equipment)
Everyone has a different opinion. We will not agree on all things. I think that people who do these short courses can call themselves 'electricians'... My opinion....... If you don't agree with that then that's fine.

 

[Andy78]

So according to your definition I am not an electrician.... I can live with that.
Also, out of interest, according to the Oxford Dictionary I am not an electrician. (A person who installs and maintains electrical equipment)
Everyone has a different opinion. We will not agree on all things. I think that people who do these short courses can call themselves 'electricians'... My opinion....... If you don't agree with that then that's fine.

Ha ha, like I said I prefer to judge people on their merits, just saying that for industry an exact definition is more useful than a sliding scale all the way up from zero.
By the way, no offence meant at all.

 

[Spoon]

Ha ha, like I said I prefer to judge people on their merits, just saying that for industry an exact definition is more useful than a sliding scale all the way up from zero.
By the way, no offence meant at all.

No offence taken mate... It's just people having a discussion.... Which is always good.


By the way.... DAN: We need more loving emojis... Where are the hearts... We even have 'bad spelling' and 'dumb' buttons, which are useless..... How about more happy stuff, or are you after a grumpy site...
Your loving "electrician"
Spoon
---

 

[Pete E]

Me thinks a plumber is having fun with the electricians again!