Is this guy too expensive or am I too cheap?

[WaterTight]

Roughly same area covered

Ethical Plumbing Brighton

 

[stevetheplumber]

about right i would say i would think brighton is more or less london prices

 

[townfanjon]

Says “likely cost “ its just a guide line really

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Most of them are just a call out (first hour or so)

 

[WaterTight]

£95 labour only to change a kitchen tap, £110 labour to change a bar mixer.

30-45 mins jobs normally. Just don't think I could charge that.

 

[WaterTight]

But since I charge around half that I think it might be time I had a price increase. Been charging roughly same amounts for past 7 years.

 

[Ric2013]

I think £90 to cause a pipe to leak is a rip-off. I'd do it for a tenner!

 

[Last Plumber]

Looks reasonable !
Some things look cheap to be honest.

 

[WaterTight]

Excellent. Well I know from experience that - for whatever combination of reasons - if I charge those amounts I will lose too much work/too many customers. But I think I def need to raise my rates..

The problem I think I'll find is labour charges above £50-£60 (where it's obvious it's just labour because little or no parts supplied) for jobs that couldn't take more than 30-60 mins if tried. They make up 90% of my work and so it would be very beneficial to make more on them. I guess I could try never less than £65 or something.

 

[mfgs]

You just need to decide on an hourly rate and stick to it, minimum charge of 1 hour whether the job takes 5 mins or the full hour. That then covers travel time etc. If you haven't changed your prices in 7 years then I think its time you did. Brighton is a very wealthy area and you can charge good money for doing a good job.

His bath taps price seems cheap! I hate bath taps, they can tuck you up easily.

 

[hammers4spanner]

I had some lino laid other day only small area took them longer to park the van on the drive.
Done dusted in minutes 40 quid and that's from what most call a lesser trade.

If your plumbing and not charging at least 50 first hour then either up prices or go on the cards.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I had some lino laid other day only small area took them longer to park the van on the drive.
Done dusted in minutes 40 quid and that's from what most call a lesser trade.

If your plumbing and not charging at least 50 first hour then either up prices or go on the cards.

I think there is quite a small line between being expensive and cheap. I believe it is about supply and demand. Everyone is value for money when they first go self employed. (As work is slow) But once you have a good client base and the demand is there, the prices should go up. Otherwise you spend your day chasing your tail for next to nothing.

 

[brum]

£380 labour for a bath blimey that's what I would charge for 12.5 hours work could easy fit three baths inc removal of Old ones in that time .....brum

 

[Ric2013]

£380 labour for a bath blimey that's what I would charge for 12.5 hours work could easy fit three baths inc removal of Old ones in that time ...brum

Depends on what's involved. If you're working in a tight space, perhaps having to move large items of furniture, removing and refitting panelling, removing and refitting a shower screen, supporting the new bath properly where the old one wasn't, and sealing to a wall that isn't anywhere near square and where the tiling finishes below the bath, and clearing up, then it can take a couple of days.

I know the website just says 'replace bath', but I see very few straightforward bath installations in Essex.

 

[Ant Parkes]

Depends on what's involved. If you're working in a tight space, perhaps having to move large items of furniture, removing and refitting panelling, removing and refitting a shower screen, supporting the new bath properly where the old one wasn't, and sealing to a wall that isn't anywhere near square and where the tiling finishes below the bath, and clearing up, then it can take a couple of days.

I know the website just says 'replace bath', but I see very few straightforward bath installations in Essex.

This raises a great point in that websites should always dumb everything down. "Replace Bath" to a customer is exactly how Brum mentioned it. If it were my website i'd definitely be explaining what can be involved, exactly how you say it Ric2013. They would be better off stating a 1st hour charge and an hourly thereafter.

Not that this is anyones website on here, but yeah. It's actually made me think twice on some wording on my website!

 

[Last Plumber]

Excellent. Well I know from experience that - for whatever combination of reasons - if I charge those amounts I will lose too much work/too many customers. But I think I def need to raise my rates..

The problem I think I'll find is labour charges above £50-£60 (where it's obvious it's just labour because little or no parts supplied) for jobs that couldn't take more than 30-60 mins if tried. They make up 90% of my work and so it would be very beneficial to make more on them. I guess I could try never less than £65 or something.

Your customers are paying for your time, skill, knowledge, qualifications and experience.
I know some small jobs seem easy to us but they are generally things that the customer has no hope in hell of attempting.

I would definitely recommend having a minimum charge and sticking to it.
Do you charge the customer there and then or do you send an invoice?

 

[Ric2013]

Your customers are paying for your time, skill, knowledge, qualifications and experience.
I know some small jobs seem easy to us but they are generally things that the customer has no hope in hell of attempting.

Agree. I remember being about 14 and changing the washer on a 1960s BS1010 bath tap. The stuck capstan head, the stuck shroud, getting the main tap body nut undone. Everything was seized. But we hadn't money for a plumber and the tap was annoying me.

When I went to do one for someone recently, I said she was lucky to have called me as we aren't actually taught in college how to do these in real life as everything in college has already been serviced several times. Full tap overhaul, cleaned up and invoiced within the hour. Took me all weekend the first time round.

 

[Best]

Agree. I remember being about 14 and changing the washer on a 1960s BS1010 bath tap. The stuck capstan head, the stuck shroud, getting the main tap body nut undone. Everything was seized. But we hadn't money for a plumber and the tap was annoying me.

When I went to do one for someone recently, I said she was lucky to have called me as we aren't actually taught in college how to do these in real life as everything in college has already been serviced several times. Full tap overhaul, cleaned up and invoiced within the hour. Took me all weekend the first time round.

I remember a customer who had a white basin, but rest of bathroom suite, bath and toilet, were coloured. Customer explained that he had in the past attempted to replace a washer on his basin tap. He hadn't realised the basin had the square tap holes and the tap had lugs. He used a spanner on the tap and it spun and split the basin.