customer fuming at my price - different rates for plumbing and gas work?

[mike_s]

Today I was made to feel really awkward by a customer.

We have worked for them before so I assumed they were used to our prices. I had to re-fit a large, heavy basin which was siliconed and bolted to the wall. I replaced the leaking waste and had to scrape out loads of silicone from inside the waste hole before I could seal the new waste with plumbers putty and a small bead of silicone on the outside underneath.

It was an awkward job as the sink had been botch fitted.

It took me 2 and a half hours including chatting to the customer for a bit so I just charged for 2 hours. £45 per hour so that's £90. Not to mention the new silicone bottle I'd used to re-silicone the basin to the wall. It looked better than it did before I started and it wasn't leaking first time.

When I asked for £90 The customers wife was shouting around the house saying shes shocked like "90 quid for 2 hours work!!!" Her husband told me to ignore her and it's fine, she wouldn't look me i the eye again and just shoved the cash in my hand. I didn't even feel like taking it.

I used to charge less for plumbing only work when it's not gas which was £35 per hour but I didn't think it was worth it as there's 3 of us in the business and we advertise a lot, business overheads are around £2000 per month but there is always someone available 7 days a week evenings and weekends for no extra cost.

Anyway I'm re-considering charging slightly less for plumbing only work, do you? As I feel people may not be as willing to pay as much for plumbing as they are for gas work. I've never had a reaction like this after doing a gas job and I've been in this business 8 years, my dad started it 20 years ago and he used to do slightly less for plumbing work.

 

[Barry98]

She is a chancer , she was hoping you'd not take money or give some back

 

[mike_s]

I think you're right there bod as that is how she made me feel but I need not to be soft. I know a local pc repair one man band who charges £50 per hour, web designers that are around the same.

After all the travelling and work in do for free in the evenings, I'm not sure I'd want to charge less than £45 per hour when I'm actually plumbing.

The point is though how much they are willing to pay and wether it is more for gas work than plumbing.

I also recently gained commercial acs quals and come up with a higher rate for commercial work as there is less competition so I can get away with it.

When the iphone 4s came out everyone moaned about it being £550 but they still bought it, they don't care how much Apple is making, just wether it is worth it to them.

Same goes for plumbing really, if they don't think it's worth it they can do it themselves or call someone else.

 

[mike_s]

forgot to state that there is slightly more competition for small plumbing jobs perhaps so that may bring the price down. Although perhaps that is just silly as specialist gas/heating work is practically the same trade as plumbing. Where would you draw the line. I Couldn't charge less for fixing sinks, taps and toilets as I do for powerflushing or balancing rads.

 

[Nostrum]

I don't see where the logic in changing your rates would come from. Your overheads are fixed regardless if you do 75% plumbing 25% gas or vise versa (maybe with the exception of notifications) so you are basically saying one should be more profitable than the other.

In fact personally people may be put off if the rate changed for gas, as you could see it as a premium price being put onto gas work rather than a reduction in plumbing, surely you want to earn the same amount an hour (or hour) every day/week/month regardless of what job is being asked for.

 

[mike_s]

The logic is that if they are not willing to pay as much for small plumbing repairs then they will call someone else, so unless I'm absolutely snowed under then I would still be gaining money if I can fit the job in. I think there is a small argument for it but a big one against charging less for plumbing work that is not heating or gas work.

 

[Howsie]

Not a nice feeling at all. In those situations(as long as it doesn't owe me too much) I tell them to pay me the cost if materials and not to call me again.

Cust-turds I call those ones. Let them stick to someone else.

 

[SimonG]

Mechanics £75+ an hour.
Lawyer/Solicitor £120+ an hour.

Your price was right as far as I'm concerned.

Wrong time of the month?

 

[galaxy_plumbing]

made me laugh that one Simon

 

[mike_s]

To be honest my Dad said probably the menopause, she was around 50. No coincidence the top 5 biggest moaners I've come across have been middle aged women.

 

[SimonG]

No coincidence the top 5 biggest moaners I've come across have been middle aged women.

A mate of mine once said that there's many a good tune to be played on an old fiddle.

 

[stevetheplumber]

A mate of mine once said that there's many a good tune to be played on an old fiddle.

generally thats only true of borrowed fiddles your own tend to seem a bit worn and shabby

 

[stevetheplumber]

Pimlico Plumbers | Company Charges | 'Quality Service, Competitive Rates and | the fastest response time in London | - It’s why most people choose Pimlico first.'
i keep that bookmarked on my phone for difficult customers

 

[LeakFinder's]

I think people nowadays know we are in a recession and assume we will charge accordingly. The problem is overheads are stacking up year on year and they really don't care. I do leak detection I give them a price within 2 minutes on the phone and if i get the wrong vibes back the conversation quickly stops. If no one has complained and you do a good job stand your ground times may be hard but other wise the change could make you a busy fool. Turnover is vanity profit is sanity.

 

[Howsie]

Pimlico Plumbers | Company Charges | 'Quality Service, Competitive Rates and | the fastest response time in London | - It’s why most people choose Pimlico first.'
i keep that bookmarked on my phone for difficult customers

Ouch. VAT on top of those rates I believe.

 

[mike_s]

that is an amazing website, inspirational company! I think I will build my own transparent and fair charging policy like theirs, obviously with much lower rates. These also charge a slightly lower rate for plumbing only work but they probably pay their plumbers less than their gas engineers.