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

[derby]

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).

KMFDM is an initialism for the nonsensical and grammatically incorrect German phrase "Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid", which literally translates as "no majority for the pity" but is typically given the loose translation of "no pity for the majority" or "no mercy for the masses".

[ZLTFUL]

Derby makes me feel as if my Trvial Pursuit Regional crown is at risk...

[ducpainter]

Derby makes me feel as if my Trvial Pursuit Regional crown is at risk...

the guy just knows everything.

it's easier to deal with it if you just give in.

[angler]

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.

Mr I's post reminds me of a story I found in the book I based the creation of my consulting business on......it goes something like this.

ACME Widget Company's main widget stamping line goes down.  They call a prominent widget stamping engineer.  He says it will cost ACME $125/hour plus travel expenses with a one day minimum charge.  He shows up at the ACME factory, walks right up the the widget stamping machine, pokes and prods for 15 minutes and hits it with a hammer in one very particular location and the stamping presses jumps back to life.  The ACME bean counters are furious and don't want to pay $1000 plus travel for something so simple.  To this the consultant replies that he will change his bill to read $31.25 for hitting the machine with the hammer and $968.75 for knowing where to hit the machine with the hammer. If they don't want to pay he'll gladly shut the machine back off and let production stop again.

That is how I run my pricing and the exact story I tell clients when the ask "why so much."  You are paying for expertise......

[angler]

KMFDM is an initialism for the nonsensical and grammatically incorrect German phrase "Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid", which literally translates as "no majority for the pity" but is typically given the loose translation of "no pity for the majority" or "no mercy for the masses".

Awww come on!  I didn't think anyone would call me out on that.......we always thought of them as Kill MF'ing DM (most 'mericans did).

[vwboomer]

around here, to install a service (and almost every thing else) you have to be certified by the city. So they charge around 1800 for switching  a service. We had an electrician at work from a city a few hours north. He did services there for about $700 but couldn't do it in this city.
I do everything else in my houses except for that service. It's not rocket science but it does take knowledge and care to make sure it's right. I have the code books and access to masters and journeymen at work if I have a question.
There are codes for a reason (tho some don't make sense): some idiot did somethign stupid and killed someone or burned down the house. If it's YOUR house no one cares. But when someone moves into your house and it burns down or kills someone.....

[hbliam]

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.  

Are you being quoted a bit much for the job you want done? Yes. Can you do it yourself? Seems like you think so. So why are you wasting all these guys time having them come to your house to give you a quote? You don't seem to realize there are costs involved with owning/running a business and those have been listed by others, but they also include the time it may take them to warranty or stand behind a job.

I have bid roof installations for about 12 years now. I'm pretty good at reading a cold call. If I see the need, I add a bunch of money for what I call the PITA (pain in the ass) factor. It's usually for engineer type guys. You know, the ones that tell me the best way to do the installation and then ask me to itemize each individual part and the time it will take to install it.  

Not to mention you don't get to dictate what the market price for the job is. The market does. I bid and sold a roof last Friday. I spent an hour there and will spend maybe another hour in the future dealing with the job. I made over $2,000. Why? Because that's what the market will bear, that's what other companies charge, and lastly, I have a sweet commission structure that I can demand because I have brought in millions of dollars worth of business. Should I make over $1,000 an hour selling a roof and less then $40 an hour risking my life working the graveyard shift as a cop in LA County? Hell no. But that's the way things are.

If you don't want to pay the price for the qualified, licensed professional and are able to do the work yourself , more power to you (no pun intended  )

[Bun-bun]

Trying to upgrade my meter base/service.

This type of work involves having the poco come out, turn off the power to the meter from the transformer, remove and replace the cabinet on the outside of the house, run wire from the meter base through the existing hole in the wall to the panel in the basement.

These people coming by to give me quotes are sofa king we todd ed it ain't even funny.  $1800 was the cheapest, $2700 was the most expensive.

Meter base = supplied FREE by Poco
150 amp disconnects $109 x 2 = 218
40' of 2/0 wire $1.98/ft = $~$80
Permit fee $50 includes inspector fee
Poco turning power on/off = free

So....for a grand total of $300, these "experts" want to make $1500-2400 off me IN A DAY, with about 3 actual hours of labor....MAYBE 3 hours.  Bolting a cabinet to the wall, pretty simple task.  Stripping the end of a wire, and feeding it to the lugs, a monkey can do.  Pulling wire inside the house, again...monkey.  Stripping other end of with and going to the panel, pretty easy again.  Call inspector, comes out, tells you it's good (or if you screwed up what to fix).  Fix it, Poco comes out, you've got power.

It's no damn wonder America is going to shit.  It's such EASY work, yet people want to get paid for doing very little, and they want to make 3-400$ an hour to do it.

Had someone come out, gave me a quote at 1k or under, I'd have probably done it to a: support the locals, and b: no hassle aggravation for me.

Instead, I'll support the local electric supply place, do it myself, and probably buy that video camera that we've wanted for about a year.

Having done meter replacements for people with the same attitude that you seem to have, I can only say

Good luck, and don't forget the wire lube.

[Speedbag]

My work is not art.

Oh, I disagree. 

I've done enough body/paint work in my past life to know that it is an art of sorts.

[ducpainter]

Oh, I disagree. 

I've done enough body/paint work in my past life to know that it is an art of sorts.

smoke and mirrors...

[Popeye the Sailor]

smoke and mirrors...

I tried CRG lanesplitters and a cohiba.


My paint still looks like it was applied by an epileptic ferret.

[ducpainter]

My paint still looks like it was applied by an epileptic ferret.

keep at it...

you'll figure it out...

..

[Popeye the Sailor]

keep at it...

you'll figure it out...

Maybe a pipe and the bathroom mirror.

[ducpainter]

Maybe a pipe and the bathroom mirror.

what's in the pipe?

[Scottish]

what's in the pipe?