Is it right to make BIG mark up's on parts ?? Think I'm being had off by the spark.

[tedmagnum]

Feeling a bit had off.......

Got a spark in to do some lighting at my mum's house. Never used him before but he does a lot of work with my old company.

The property is a big place and with recent local break in's I wanted it lit up.

He quoted me £650 for lights, cabling, bit's and bobs etc and £300 for two days work. So £950 for six security lights...

I don't have a problem paying for labour but I thought the parts price was too high. He said the lights were £100 each. Top of the range LED's. Best you can get.

He showed up and fitted them. He's coming back tomorrow to finish off and get paid.

Well, he left the boxes behind. Out of curiosity, I googled them and they are less than HALF of what he's charging me. So on six lights he's charging me £300 extra I can buy them myself. 50% more. And he got them at trade too so cheaper again.

Should I contest this with him ???? He gave me a price before he started but I thought I was getting high end stuff.

 

[brightspark]

dunno the labour price is ok but he must be slow2 days 50 qud a pop for the lights it depends on what type ?? was it a fixed quote or an estimate . led with pir are about 70 quid

 

[tedmagnum]

I don't begrudge paying anyone the labour they charge if they're good. Two guys. Father and son. Father just stands around and doesn't lift a tool.

Other lad works hard to be fair. Lights are up high.


These are the lights. Got them on photocells so no PIR needed. He's charging me £100 each for these.

Is it right to confront him on the price knowing what they cost ?

http://blueseel.com/product/hsfled30/

And you can actually find them for £30 if you shop around.



Quote was just a text message "£650 on parts, £300 on labour"

 

[brightspark]

[

I don't begrudge paying anyone the labour they charge if they're good. Two guys. Father and son. Father just stands around and doesn't lift a tool.

Other lad works hard to be fair. Lights are up high.


These are the lights. Got them on photocells so no PIR needed. He's charging me £100 each for these.

Is it right to confront him on the price knowing what they cost ?

http://blueseel.com/product/hsfled30/

And you can actually find them for £30 if you shop around.



Quote was just a text message "£650 on parts, £300 on labour"

plus vat and delivery about 50 quid

 

[tedmagnum]

[/QUOTE]

There can be quite a lot of hidden costs:
You've got (off the top of my head): cost of finding suitable lights (takes time reading specs, reviews etc, getting the lights from the supplier, returning them if they are found to be DOA, returning to replace / troubleshoot them if they fail under warranty, test them, certify them, notify the works to LABC/Scheme provider.
Sometimes trade prices aren't that great, though the returns can be a lot easier if there are any problems with them. For example Newey and Eyre might have multiples in stock but charge twice as much as an online retailer does, however neweys can do a same day exchange and you get to deal with someone face to face. Order online and theres the faff of waiting in for it (10 hours possibly at a potential loss of £25-£30+ per hour so £300 there), mailing it back if theres a fault, filling out returns paperwork, waiting in for the replacement etc...

When I was a working spark (long story why i walked away) I used to add on ~30% to cover collection costs etc..

(on a sidenote, the margin for engine oils in some cases is 600+%, job I had when I was a student a few moons ago was in a petrol station, checked the invoice for premium branded oil - MSRP £40+ Cost price £5-7)

Yeah.. True.... But I know he just nipped into the wholesaler to pick them up on the way to mine. They didn't show up until 10.30 and left at 5pm

 

[mike 109444]

You could try asking him if the place he got the lights from do a price promise namely "if you can find it cheaper else where we will match the price", then show him the price you found and see THEN if he will knock a bit off.

 

[awemawson]

All a bit late to start querying it after the event. He quoted you a price for parts and labour and you accepted it. The time to challenge it was before you accepted it!

 

[tedmagnum]

Yeah... You're right. But that price was meant include over ride switches, other work etc... None of which they're doing now. No written quote. Again, my fault for thinking they were 'mates' as I used to know them from my old workplace.

That's not what I'm asking though. I'm enquiring on opinions of whether it's acceptable to try and make such an excessive mark up on lighting that I could of bought from my local screwfix for HALF the price. It adds up to an extra £300 on the job.

When I asked "Are these really £100" each. He said "Oh yeah, if you tried to buy these yourself they've be £130 each"...

In fact they're about £40 each from EVERYWHERE....

 

[piman]

Hello Ted,

learn from experience and I guess he won't have any more jobs from you?

Alec

 

[tedmagnum]

That's a given....

But I wonder if I should contest the price considering they're not doing all of what I agreed and the lights are £40 eacah and not the £100 each that they told me.

I'll happily pay for time and expertise. I'll happily pay a good price for honest, hard working people.

I just think it's a very cheap trick....

 

[brightspark]

all u can realy do is if your not happy is point out the over price of the fittings and the work he hasnt done and see what he says . he might reduce the price ?? ive never overcharged anyone but once ive given a fixed price and they have acepted i wont budge on it . some ive lost out on some ive scored . its swings and roundabouts

 

[DanielW]

So you know the place he got the stuff,why not phone em up and ask the prices for being in the trade,bearing in mind some trades have to have an account with the places they buy from and as such usually some discount is given for paying their bills on time and in full payment.

but you will get a general idea how much he paid if they give you a trade price over the phone?

 

[tedmagnum]

I've searched the internet for the HIGHEST price I can find for these lights. The highest I can find is £60. He bought them from a wholesaler. On his trade account. Not in his own time. In MY time...

I've text asking for a proper invoice and a copy of the bill for the materials (For the guarantees etc)... He said he will bring it. We'll see.

I'm not paying £600 for £300 security lights... Like I said, not trying to wriggle out of bill. Just not prepared to be worked over ... There's nothing special about them. They're not rare or exclusive, hard to source or anything special. Just LED lamps. If they were top draw stuff and cost him £100, fair enough......But they're not !



I totally accept that I should have got multiple written quotes. That's what I usually do. But the circumstances are difficult. Had to be done THIS week and other sparks couldn't get round etc. Not asking for sympathy. Just advice...

 

[ajlelectronics]

The time to be shopping around is BEFORE the work is carried out. The price he is charging depends on many factors, not least what his supplier is asking, his time and expertise, plus the fact that he has given you his recommendation that these are right for you. He also has to make a living and pay his overheads, which can be ridiculous. Have you any idea what Public liability insurance costs? I think you are being unreasonable and should take it on the chin. If he hasn't done all the work agreed, then hold back 30% of the bill until it is.

 

[DanielW]

I remember when doing video work for engagements,21'st ec ectera I had a standard price but based my true price on the person that was hiring me for the evening.
I'd visit them at their house and that would then set me the price,turned up at some house that was worth about 350K....that put another hundred pound on the standard price.

 

[tedmagnum]

Noted..

I just dont like being lied to. Being told they couldn't be sourced for under £120 each and he was doing my a favour getting them at £100 trade.

I won't be nasty or withhold payment. But I will ask them why they're so much..

 

[daleyd]

I think it would be reasonable to ask him for a copy of the invoice, given the difference in the price you have seen and the price he has told you.

Maybe he genuinely did pay that much for them - if he did then it sounds like he has been ripped off, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility?

 

[Richard.]

I would say this is pretty much the way of the world. I did my first apprenticeship In vehicle mechanics and a set of pads for example that can be bought from most major suppliers for £20 were charged at £40. But you had the choice. If you did not want the hassle of cross referencing part numbers and going out to get them then you paid the premium of having that done for you. If you wanted to keep the bill as low as poss you supplied the parts yourself and just paid labor. You should of asked him for a broken down quote before committing then done your research on what you could buy them for.
Then the ball is in your court

 

[MattF]

If you do start questioning him over the affair, make sure the work is finished before you say anything. People do have to make a living though. Some merely have a bit more brass neck than others with regard to pricing.

 

[cumbriasteve]

The lights you link to are identical lights to what I bought for the garden and paid £19 for complete with PIR, I bought one without PIR for my welding area and that was about £12 I think

To say they are top quality is a bit of an overstatement, if they are the same units, they are imported from China in their millions and are widely available on ebay in various guises.

The are ok and mine is working fine, once I corrected the internal wiring to the correct standard.