Electrical help

[ToxicBunny]

I think that charging a call-out fee is reasonable.

It takes them (often times more than one person) a while to drive to your house, a while to assess and quote you, and a while to drive back to their shop. All of this can easily take two hours or more. So you are paying them for their time and petrol.

Its called the cost of doing business..

They are competing for business.... to charge for the priviledge of trying to get my business is complete BS...

 

[Goobie]

20 plugs!!! Holy ****, how big is this kitchen? How many trip switches will you need for these?

 

[Freaksta]

I think that charging a call-out fee is reasonable.

It takes them (often times more than one person) a while to drive to your house, a while to assess and quote you, and a while to drive back to their shop. All of this can easily take two hours or more. So you are paying them for their time and petrol.

Okay, then it's saying that when you phone a business for a quote they may charge you because you waste the time of the person answering the phone as well as the telephone line.

 

[Nick333]

Its called the cost of doing business..

They are competing for business.... to charge for the priviledge of trying to get my business is complete BS...

^ This. It's a bit like any business sending you a bill for the cost of their marketing and advertising regardless of whether you choose to do business or buy from them or not.

A tradesman who can get away with charging for quotes is a tradesman who doesn't need to do anything but do quotes.

 

[DigitalSoldier]

Its called the cost of doing business..

They are competing for business.... to charge for the priviledge of trying to get my business is complete BS...

Agreed!

We recently redid our kitchen and had an electrician come out for a quote for the stove. He asked R5000.00 for the wiring of the stove as we moved the stove's location further away from the power point.

We did not use the guy, but he continued to harass me asking his R500.00 because he came out to give me a quote. Later on he started phoning at odd hours and swearing at me because I didn't want to pay his call out fee. Also he never mentioned that there will be a call out fee.

When a mine wants us to do business with them we have to send out a sales rep and afterwards we quote them on the work to be done.

I can just imagine the amount of business we would lose if we had to charge the mines each time we send out a rep for a quote.

 

[surface]

Its called the cost of doing business..
They are competing for business.... to charge for the priviledge of trying to get my business is complete BS...

One would think so, isn't it? however I am yet to find a electrician/plumber who does not charge a call-out fee less than 400 rands. We had one socket replaced recently and was charged 1100 rands - apparently 450 rands was call out fee and rest labor + material. It was about 20 minute task in total. We paid 800 after making lot of fuss about this as we were not told about this call out fee earlier. However, this seems to be the norm. One of the plumbers we used in the past is insanely rich - we know where he lives - came across by coincidence - I sometimes wonder why I choose IT