Did anyone notice the tendency from some contractors to over charge after it is known that the customer is a Tesla owner ? I knew one business owner who was quoting a $80 for a visit 6 month ago, now he is charging 200. I can not help but making this connection. Maybe I should just say I need a xx-yy socket at location z and shut up about the purpose of the socket.
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Electric700
Active Member
It's not unheard of, unfortunately. I agree with you on conveying the essential requirements only. You can always question the price increase too, especially if it's exorbitant. Going from $80 to $200 is more than a 100% increase.
SW2Fiddler
We Are Cognitive Dissidents
Maybe they are learning skills from the car dealers.
Bad negotiators and non-negotiators average out the "lost" profits from the better negotiators.
Sad, if true.
Bad negotiators and non-negotiators average out the "lost" profits from the better negotiators.
Sad, if true.
ernies
Member
My goodness we have a different set of values. $200 is not out of line for a registered and insured contractor. Factor in travel time to and from and he better be working out of his garage at $200. I have been a contractor for almost 40 years so know costs of doing business and that they vary by area. I would not think $300 is out of line for most metro areas. They have to get permits, pull materials, travel to and from and do the work. Unfortunately unless you have owned a business...you will not agree and have minimal clue as to expenses not even associated with your one job.
That's pretty common in many areas of business. If you feel someone had money they try to charge more in some way or another. I remember reading an article how a websites for booking travelling services directed Mac users to more expensive offers than other visitors. I have definitely been treated differently when I show up in my Tesla. Sometimes the effect is positive, sometimes the effect in negative (people try to make me pay more).
ernies
Member
That is different, but still 20 minutes travel (to go both directions), 10 minutes to scope and discuss, and about $1.50 per mile for a truck plus all the General and Administrative costs. Please don't take this the wrong way, but if that is all he did he would be out of business as soon as he ran out of his original start up money. As a contractor we sometimes do a quote for $250 but usually $350...slightly larger jobs (around $4,000) but that is refundable if we do the work.
Remember that many if not most homeowners are asking 2-4 contractors for a bid meaning you will get 1/3 of the jobs if all prices are equal. Charge less and the close rate increases but profit decreases. Hmmm...kind of like cake, ice cream, topping and no calories. Does not work.
Good luck and have the job done correctly the first time. I had the HPWC installed and already had a 14-50 installed.
Enjoy your car and your dream as I am!
ernies
Member
@Birdcar...depending on time of day...maybe offer him a cup of coffee and ask him if he would be willing to discuss the criteria he uses when bidding and see how close my comments were. I remember when I first started out I was the sole employee and worked for wages factoring in no vehicle replacement or use of home for office. Another factor is whether or not the electrician is an employee of a company.
Most electricians whether union or non-union in the Seattle area make around $60-90,000 a year as an employee. To that, add FICA, Worker's Comp, other insurances, vacation and health and the real cost (with still no profit margin) is 1/3 more. So $90-120,000 per year. Then you add in General and Administration costs, amortization for depreciation and the residual is profit before taxes. Hence, most electricians are $90-to much more per hour, portal to portal plus materials. Most contractors are lucky to net 10% of gross revenue and if the electrician is the owner, unless he deducts all the alternative costs of paying an employee, there is no profit, only a JOB which is not technically profit.
By the way, we always tell the customer on the phone the minimum charge...no surprises. Do we sometimes charge more for very expensive homes? You better believe we take "exposure" into account. An unpainted garage floor is less of a concern than a freshly epoxy coating which you could chip.
We happen to work on Private Client's homes where we NEVER meet the homeowner. We work beneath light fixtures which exceed $1 mil and in rooms with irreplaceable items and where individual rooms have contents which greatly exceed our company insurance of $10 mil. We will bid more, not to "rip off" those who have more money, but bad things happen on occasion and you better have great insurance, extra cash and careful employees.
When I had our electrical work done I had 3-4 other things done so can't tell you exactly, but it took over an hour on site to look at electrical panels, decide on exact setup, pull the materials and install. We also use this electrical firm and ask them to come out night or day to set up emergency power with no notice. They perform. Please let us know how your experience goes as your situation is different from mine for sure.
Have been seeing blue MX's at the SC and find they have improved their paint quality. You will look flashy!!! You will also have more range than I do and still stunning acceleration...as much as you will ever need.
Electric700
Active Member
That background information is very interesting and gives me a different perspective. Thanks Ernies.
