Self employed charging to do a call out ?

[8ob]

I was called out last week to an elderly customer , she could hear water running in the kitchen but taps were off ! she was worried because she is on a meter , i was there within half an hour before entering the house i lifted the meter cover to find it still not turning at all , proceeded into the house into the kitchen and could hear the water running , turned the taps on and off then put my ear closer and closer only to find her battery radio was making the noise , she was so embarrassed , I didnt charge her but thats just me !

generally you should charge if called out !

I have lost track of the amount of OAP`s I have conveniently forgotten to invoice. Just sometimes its not about the money, not very often though

Bob

 

[Pete.]

I was called out last week to an elderly customer , she could hear water running in the kitchen but taps were off ! she was worried because she is on a meter , i was there within half an hour before entering the house i lifted the meter cover to find it still not turning at all , proceeded into the house into the kitchen and could hear the water running , turned the taps on and off then put my ear closer and closer only to find her battery radio was making the noise , she was so embarrassed , I didnt charge her but thats just me !

generally you should charge if called out !

That's just decency on your part, anyone with a conscience would have done the same. Fair play to you.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I had a customer complaining of squealing noises from the TV. No fault found but the squealing was definitely there in the room. Turned out to be a hearing aid still switched on, in a drawer singing to itself.

 

[zx9]

I have lost track of the amount of OAP`s I have conveniently forgotten to invoice. Just sometimes its not about the money, not very often though

Bob

I don't do work for OAPs but if I did I might give them more lee way than I do multi million pound advertising agencies.

 

[owas]

the general public is thick as ... when it comes to understanding how being self employed works.

 

[rtbcomp]

I had a customer complaining of squealing noises from the TV. No fault found but the squealing was definitely there in the room. Turned out to be a hearing aid still switched on, in a drawer singing to itself.

My Grandad had an old fashioned hearing aid, big earpiece, amplifier in one waistcoat pocket, battery in the other. It used to feed-back, Grandad couldn't hear the howling so we all had to shout "Turn your hearing aid down!" "Eh? Half past four".

 

[brightspark]

If I expect to pay a mate for something I'll say "How much do I owe you?" if I'm not expecting to pay I'll say "Do I owe you anything?" Either way I can't be accused of not offering to pay.

I went and did a job for a punter and he said do I owe you anything err well yes it was £100

 

[voipio]

When I worked for ABB in the 80's I got called to a robot fault, about 30 mins to get there and as soon as I opened the control panel I could see a switch was in the wrong position so flicked it and problem sorted. Apparently the robot was working fine at the start of shift and no one had been in the control panel they got a standard call out bill for £400+.

Just say it was a logic issue, and that a line of code had stuck at address 1D 10T.

 

[ukracer]

I'd love to see your response.

"I can do it for 30 quid maybe??

 

[ajlelectronics]

"I can do it for 30 quid maybe??

I am still considering my response. Needs to be clever, to the point and not rude.

Something like " I was hoping to charge you £500 but will settle for our standard charge of £x plus parts."

 

[brightspark]

I once done a job for a bloke replaced a socket front. he asked me what I charged 20 quid an hour. he gave me 5 quid and 2 for the socket err 22 quid mate . he replied you have only been here quarter of an hour so that's a fiver . reply was I haven't got a helicopter and I didn't fly here so hand over. the price starts from when I leave home and get back there

 

[rtbcomp]

"I can do it for 30 quid maybe??

A customer owed me the thick end of £1000, he offered me £30 cash in hand, no income tax, no VAT. Plonker.

 

[ibrooks]

I am still considering my response. Needs to be clever, to the point and not rude.

Something like " I was hoping to charge you £500 but will settle for our standard charge of £x plus parts."

Maybe "I'd love to be able to do it for £40 but unfortunately the parts will cost £x and the labour will cost £y"

 

[MattF]

A customer owed me the thick end of £1000, he offered me £30 cash in hand, no income tax, no VAT. Plonker.

Some people are beyond belief.

 

[gaz1]

I think as you get older you can recognise people for what they are and it helps you decide which way to go, if a neighbour asked me to make a small item there would be a charge but not for the neighbour who has an allotment and supplies me with veg...swings and roundabouts.

my mum gets that and we get to share it both neighbours watch my mums house and also we do the same

i just cant charge certain neighbours for doing things for my mum
the last time i wired his celler up for free he did wiring i connected them up for he was happy as hell with it but i liked his led lights so he said hed get me some

there going in my mums house as well

 

[pcwizme]

I do an annual tidy up of a friends aunts garden (aunt is 87), I always charge 100 (its a full day job with a second person) but it would be double that easy for anyone else but she always always over pays. This year it was £140, I would say something but you know that look some old people have that tells you not to mention it.... yeah she has that one.

 

[Keith 66]

This thread reminds me of why i stopped being a self unemployed boatbuilder, all this talk of call out charges & £35 per hour. No yachtsman would ever dream of paying that, they are too bloody tight. Im now a part time technician in a school, well paid it isnt but im richer than i was in the boat trade!

 

[carbon]

I did have one potential customer that expected me to drive half hour each way to repair there machine and didn’t want to pay more than £10. They kept phoning me but couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t go and repair it for them.

 

[Paulbarrett]

I used to be soft with people when I first set up on my own.
But now regardless of who they are and where they live it’s all the same for callouts
£60 then £25per hour there after plus vat.
And I’m putting that rate up in the new year.
(Sparky)
I’m not well off or anything just a normal bloke. Hell when a solicitor is charging me £250 an hour for their time I feel no guilt whatsoever!!

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I used to be soft with people when I first set up on my own.
But now regardless of who they are and where they live it’s all the same for callouts
£60 then £25per hour there after plus vat.
And I’m putting that rate up in the new year.
(Sparky)
I’m not well off or anything just a normal bloke. Hell when a solicitor is charging me £250 an hour for their time I feel no guilt whatsoever!!

Coming to a similar conclusion 18 months in and jacking the rates up too.
Don't have to deal with call outs thankfully and in my trade I bill by the half day. Before 12 half anything over I'm booking a day.