am i getting ripped off by electrician ?
I call electrician they tell me theirs a 40 dollar service charge for coming out plus 40 the first hour which would be 80 , so the guy tells me its 3 hours and a half im like you got here at 10 hes like i left my shop at 9:30 ?? why is their a service charge then if im paying a guy before he even starts work ? come on now you charge service charge and then charge me for when you said you started the job hell u coulda been at burger king line waiting for an order this isnt right to me. and then on top of that he had to go get a junction box at hardware , what kind of electrician doesnt carry junction boxes??? wth
which took 20 minutes to go get a box from store . man this is bs
either im lost or dumb as hell cause i thought the service charge was what I pay for him to come out , not to cover him getting out of bed i pay for work done and the 40 dollars should have covered that imo
and then he was 61 years old and didnt have a helper so who you think ran in the attic, cut off the breakers, carry tools up the ladder which i provided then he had the nerve to say well your uncle will pay , my uncle one of them avoid drama type people. and then on top of that he gets in attic i go up there 5 minutes later he hollas he got to take a shit, he wasnt up there 5 minutes , maybe i better go spray my toilet seat brb .
you get what u pay for all i can say
If you weren’t happy with the rate then you didn’t have to hire him. Not trying to be crass, just straight. I’m very up front with my charge. $45 an hour then $35 every additional (I have very little overhead).
In the future, it’s always better to get an estimate for a job in writing, and sign a contract first. That way the contractor can take bathroom trips as often as he wants and it doesn’t effect the price. As an electrician, I would never hire one on a per hour basis.
Talk soon,
Joe Beaven
P.S. To get a free report that tells you exactly how to make sure you hire the best electrician for your needs in the UK, please enter your details below:
SECURE & CONFIDENTIAL
DAN THE AC MAN Says:
he might be overcharginbg a little on the time but the rate itself sounds cheap…around here the service charge is $89 or more and $100 / hr after the initial 1/2 hr….you can compare to others in your area but overall doesnt sound like a rip-off to me,,,,,,,dan
References :
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
T.J. Says:
Your right the service charge is for him to come out the hourly charge starts when he get there. $40 an hour is a good rate. I recently spent $80 and hour + $40 service charge. I think I got ripped off too.
References :
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
iluvcountrystuff Says:
Ok, where I am (P.A., USA) $40 an hour is cheap for an electrician.
He should not have charged you for the half hour from the shop to your home. You are right, he should have had the junction box with him. My husband is an electrician, and his company charges $65 an hour. He would have all of the supplies needed on his truck, and if not he would run out for them or order them, but you would not be charged for either.
References :
My husband has been an electrician for 8 years.
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
rdoan71 Says:
If you weren’t happy with the rate then you didn’t have to hire him. Not trying to be crass, just straight. I’m very up front with my charge. $45 an hour then $35 every additional (I have very little overhead).
In the future, it’s always better to get an estimate for a job in writing, and sign a contract first. That way the contractor can take bathroom trips as often as he wants and it doesn’t effect the price. As an electrician, I would never hire one on a per hour basis.
References :
Master/Licensed Electrician
http://www.rickdoan.com
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Fred S Says:
except for the junction box that’s normal
References :
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
iluv2tradestks Says:
Your concern is : Are you getting ripped off. Answer “no” his rates are very reasonable, his service charge is dirt cheap. You are buying his time, same as when you work somewhere. Getting the part is his time servicing you. Any service call hurts.
References :
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 6:02 pm