My rant on electricians... and why America is going down the shitter...

[Triple J]

How many quotes did you get, and were they from the places with the big ads in the phone book?

I had a similar experience when I first moved into my house. 1st guy cam out and said I needed a new box and breakers...$3K total. He was from a place that advertises al the time and had a giant ad in the phone book.

Second guy from a small place down the road just switched out the breaker causing the problem...<$75. problem fixed.

The 1st guy just thought I was a sucker...plus they have to pay for all that expensive advertising.

I agree with you though...home electrical work is fairly easy. My dad and I re-wired my whole basement when we remodeled it. Got a book from Home Depot...the concepts in your house are pretty simple.

Large scale electrical work on the other hand is some weird shit that I wouldn't touch. I saw the wiring for the tunnel boring machine we're using...NO THANKS!!

[ducpainter]

I thought that quote related to revolutions......

Where did you get that quote?  I know it is a KMFDM lyric, but I'm guessing your not a KMFDM fan.......

years ago...like...maybe before you were born

my friend and I, who were working for $7.50/flat rate hour wrenching on bikes, would contemplate our lot in life.

That was his line....his name was R. Fairbairn

Who's KMFDM?

[GAAN]

German industrial rock band


find a friend who is an electrician

buy him beer

job done for 24 bucks

[ZLTFUL]

Nate, maybe if you didn't look so much like said monkey... I keed I keed...

I am an ASE (er was) certified diesel mechanic. I am a union certified journeyman electrician (IBEW Local 347).
I maintain computer networks and systems for a living because I couldn't afford to live how I wanted in either of those trades. The pay just didn't allow it. I took a severe pay cut to enter my electricians apprenticeship and even working for a family member's very LARGE electrical and communications installation firm, was still way underpaid.

I think it's the sense of entitlement that has been the downturn of America. People feel like they are OWED things.
I will stop the line of thought here because if I express my feelings about how the government is perpetuating this, it WILL go political.

As for the costs...Union dues (if it's a small company with just a few employees), insurance, wages (not just for the electrician but for the office person(s) who prepare your bill and send it to you), materials (around here there is usually a slight markup for parts/materials), incidentals, paying for that inspection fee, fuel for the vehicle, etc.

All of that adds up. Granted, the cost for such a job is pretty prohibitive especially if you do have the knowledge and skill to do it yourself.
One time, I was out wiring a friend's garage. It was summer, the doors were open. His neighbor comes semi storming over and begins lecturing me about how I should have a certified electrician doing this and how he hated people like me for not supporting their local businesses and unions. He then hands me a IBEW local 347 business card and tells me I NEED to call them. I pull out my union card and hand it to him. The look was priceless as he realized how big of an ass he had just made out of himself.
But this is the type of mentality unions try to instill in their members. That if you aren't unionized then you have no clue what you are doing and I HATE that.

Anyway, rant over.
Do it yourself. Small projects are rarely cost effective when contracting them out. ESPECIALLY if you have a firm grasp of the principles involved in doing the job right. It definitely is NOT rocket science.

[ducpainter]

Nate, maybe if you didn't look so much like said monkey... I keed I keed...

<snip>It definitely is NOT rocet science.

couldn't agree more.

(pm MrI on the spelling of rocket)

[ZLTFUL]

Actually, what IS rocket science is keeping a keyboard free of debris when eating at your desk so the keys don't work and make your spelling look like hell... 

[GAAN]

the job costs 100 bucks

you pay the 2500 bucks extra for recourse

[angler]

years ago...like...maybe before you were born

my friend and I, who were working for $7.50/flat rate hour wrenching on bikes, would contemplate our lot in life.

That was his line....his name was R. Fairbairn

Who's KMFDM?

In the 80's there was this incredibly fey synthesizer band called Depeche Mode.  Then this really hard and anarchistic industrial band thought it would be cool to name their band Kill Mother make the beast with two backsing Depeche Mode (KMFDM).  It comes out of their song "Back in the USSA."  I'm not trying to provoke, just an odd coinkydink that this quote generates a lot of talk about nationalistic/libertarian/anti-consumer/anti-nanny state rhetoric.

Vid
KMFDM - Back In The U.S.S.A. (Live 2004)

[TAftonomos]

I called about 15 people, all said they would come.  3 showed up, 2 gave quotes, one walked away when I asked him about using a free meter base that the poco would provide.  Told me that would be too much work and end up costing more than it I just bought a cabinet complete with disconnects.

Lets see....wire up 2 disconnects to a meter panel with 4' max of wire....about 20 mins.  $200 for the disconnects, $20 worth of wire, free meter base.

or

Buy the premade cabinet $600 so we didn't have to wire 2 disconnects.  

I said "So you are telling me the labor to wire up 2 disconnects from a meter base will be $400?"  his reply "probably".  My reply "have a nice day".


Work will be permitted and licenses by the county, and the work I'll be doing will require an inspection before the poco will turn it back on. It's simple work, I'm not doing some crazy load calculation for a high rise here....


The thing that is SOOO aggravating.  I don't mind paying a fair rate for someone to do work for me.  Why wouldn't someone jump at the chance to come make 3-400 to do 2-3 hours MAX of work, I don't know. 

I do know something though...the weather here is 55, and my new dirtbike gear from EVS just arrived.  I'm going ridin'  [moto]

[ducpainter]

Actually, what IS rocket science is keeping a keyboard free of debris when eating at your desk so the keys don't work and make your spelling look like hell... 

Try it with a 3 yr old around.

I have a logitech hardwired usb that's outlasted 'em all.

In the 80's there was this incredibly fey synthesizer band called Depeche Mode.  Then this really hard and anarchistic industrial band thought it would be cool to name their band Kill Mother make the beast with two backsing Depeche Mode (KMFDM).  It comes out of their song "Back in the USSA."  I'm not trying to provoke, just an odd coinkydink that this quote generates a lot of talk about nationalistic/libertarian/anti-consumer/anti-nanny state rhetoric.

Vid
KMFDM - Back In The U.S.S.A. (Live 2004)

We said it because we were broke and in a dead end job.

It was humor.

[He Man]

Taft, how much do you feel like you should pay for this job?

[TAftonomos]

$250-$300 seems fair for about 2-3 hours of labor, know now.

That for labor, not parts.

[wbeck257]

Working at the power company that you are probably dealing with I'll go ahead and say this:
I've seen my fair share of (crispy) metercans from people who thought "it can't be that hard..".

Your mileage may vary. Good luck! 

[mdriver]

FWIW

I think it's the sense of entitlement that has been the downturn of America. People feel like they are OWED things.
I will stop the line of thought here because if I express my feelings about how the government is perpetuating this, it WILL go political.

But this is the type of mentality unions try to instill in their members. That if you aren't unionized then you have no clue what you are doing and I HATE that.

Do it yourself. Small projects are rarely cost effective when contracting them out. ESPECIALLY if you have a firm grasp of the principles involved in doing the job right. It definitely is NOT rocket science.

+1


Doesn't really matter what kind of job a person has. We all just need to be more secure with ourselves and stop treating people like crap.

[Popeye the Sailor]

couldn't agree more.

(pm MrI on the spelling of rocket)

Pointy end goes up. 

As for a monkey could do it....


IMO, any job is easy if you know how. My job is easy if you ask me. Nate might have a different opinion.


He might tell me painting it's easy-but I congratulate myself if I remember to mask off the windows.


Shadowchaser probably thinks his job is cake, but I ain't getting no 18 wheeler out of a driveway, or around the first corner I find.



You only think those quotes are rediculous because you know what they actually need to do. If it was a secret box of mystery that delivers power, you wouldn't be so quick to rant about it.