just quoted a job, 2 visits after re_spec and re price, guys come in £500 under me on a £4000 job, client offered me first refusal to beat it, was happy to let the job go, no malice towards the customer, just not willing to race to the bottom just to work for a few days. brush it off and carry on Nick. there's always the next phone call that leads to a more prosperous job anyway.
100% that - we quote our prices (not electricians) as the price we’re prepared to do something for. If I start cutting money I was either fleecing the customer in the first place, or I’m cutting out my profit - or in other words, I’m screwing myself over as I’m not doing the job for any gain if I do that. So we just quote the price we’re happy with to do a good job and give good service. That’s really all there is to it.
If they offer to throw the other spark under the bus, what's to say they won't do the same to you? It reminds me of when I bought a car for my girlfriend last year. Saw a car on AutoTrader, rang up, they had someone already coming to view it at 1pm that day but if we put down a deposit over the phone they'd let us have it instead, shafting the one who's already booked to see it.
I am guessing that most self employed trades me included are charging nothing like the proper rate. If you work out the proper cost allowing for pension, holidays, running cost of a vehicle, insurance,all the tools we need etc. I think most of the times in reality the customers are getting way more than they are paying for especially if you are professional and good at your job. If a customer says to me can I drop the price I fire straight back with if your boss said in order for us to keep your job this week we’ve dropped your wage by a few hundred quid you would tell them to piss off. Find another muppet to do the job I’m not interested. A decent tradesman comes at a price end of.
@@tracer1127 This is the best comment here. I don't think there are many self employed tradesmen who should be on less than around £400 a day at this point.
It’s frustrating, as a spark it’s like winning the lottery when the customer says yes but crushing when they’ve gone elsewhere. I’m 58 and now have the same customers I’ve had for 30 years, they keep me busy all week. Honestly, reliability and quality will win over every time soon. Live long and prosper
Well said young man, remember Jordan is a slick salesman, so he understands the need for top quality presentations. Naturally Artisan’s work will usually be good,.I looked a a DIY rewire recently where the man told me he got his inspiration from watching Artisans videos. The installation was much better than many done by professional electrician’s . Of course the job won’t be signed off or building control notified. But we are not yet living in a police state, so does it really matter ? A niceic registered spark tested the installation for him and everything was found to be correct. Thanks to all the TH-cam sparks, the DIY folk are doing much better and safer work. As for the big price difference between the South & North, we all have to pay the same price to keep our homes warm, food on the table & fuel in our vehicles, so I’m not convinced by the big differences in rates , most of the folk I worked for would never be able to afford the likes of Artisan. It’s difficult to understand how the job you quoted for was given to someone so much lower than you, perhaps he will utilise labour who are “ on the dole” ? obviously Artisan’s “ Reassuringly expensive” never worked for you. It
I think Jordan is quite fair with his price as are you. I was an electrical apprentice many many years ago so have a rough idea. I now work for a german main dealer group in the automotive industry, yeah we are expensive however you have the warranty, the guarantee, the quality, the expertise the training courses the manufacturer approval and the customer always has a recourse. Jordans video the other day showed he went back to a customer who had gone with another quote for a rewire and the electrician had disappeared and customer couldnt get hold of him and were getting artisan in to fix it... pay cheap pay twice! The older you get the more you realise this, if its expensive save up and still go with someone who stands by there work.
London price will be £5.000 materials £8,700 labour plus VAT. Materials from a walk in electrical supplier. Labour includes Certificate of Compliance, Electrical Certificate and Testing Results and the work is done by electricians. This is how he/she got the job: If you buy from the online electrical shop the price for materials will be £3500, 14 way split board, no EV Ultra cable Labour and certification £3500, £1500 for labour electricians, Connections for equipment is done nowadays by push connections and colour coded. Labour electricians are used across UK in residential and commercial buildings, so do not be surprised. £2,000 for electrician/company. Electrician job will be supervise labour electricians job, consumer unit, bonding connections, testing, certification. Company is not VAT registered
My Stepson is 4 years own electrical business in Nottingham and let's say 14 years in the trade and as a parent I have to absorb the 'pain' of this, like parents do. He wants to move away from domestic and just stick to commercial and industrial because domestic just don't want to pay. It's just wire and a plug socket to them. He has a base quote of one ceiling rose and 2-3 sockets per room for a rewire and anything else is an add on. The trouble is 80% of the people in this country haven't got a clue about anything except the price of something. And we have got the bloody internet now so they could get a ballpark figure for the bits at least. I feel for him and I feel for you Nick.👍
Its a pity you have been so drastically undercut but to be honest I wonder what the customer is going to get for such a low price. I last employed our local electrician 18 months ago. This was a kitchen rewire and rcbo cu upgrade. He was at our house for two days, and the total bill was about 2 grand, he's not vat registered. I thought that was quite fair, for a quality tradesman. 7 sockets, 4 isolators, 6 downright, all paperwork.
@@ChrisLee-yr7tz I'm sorry you feel that way. I was happy with my choice, the quality of the work, the person and the certification. At the end of the day it's got to be fair to both sides. He was comparable with the plumber and the plasterer btw, so come to cheshire and get paid fairly with added tea and biscuits
@@ChrisLee-yr7tz It's totally fair. A gas engineer will charge you 2500 to put a boiler in. Why shouldn't we charge 4 figures to change a consumer unit?
@electricalstuff259 Not 2.5k labour for a combi swap. I've just paid £500 for a combi swap in the SE because I get everything at day rate, but would expect to pay around £700 in Nottingham ordinarily. A national boiler Co would normally charge around £1200 Labour for a combi swap. Of course, anyone can charge whatever they like and whatever the market will stand. I get that. But it really isn't worth it. Same for 4 figures to change a consumer unit. It just doesn't warrant it. At all. The thing that really baffles me is why aren't more people entering the market. Trades are on good money. £000s on labour for a rewire is ridiculous. The technical challenge really isn't hard enough. But like I said...it's whatever the market will stand and I understand it.
I have the same thing happen at our work place, a colleague keeps saying we are charging too much and losing jobs. When I was speaking with my dad over a coffee who has been in the building trade 30 years self-employed (i am in the marine side). He told me to think of your worth how much you value yourself and knowledge. You could charge less be busy all the time but still only taking home the same each year. You would just be a busy fool running yourself into the ground. He also said to never drop your rates. it's not worth it. Hopefully everything will be fine for the customer but I expect a phone call in the future about one thing or another.
Solid video again big lad, really eye opening these sit down chats are! Really personal and a great addition! Don’t worry about the price or having to go back focus on being honest and true to yourself and you will get enough work!❤
It's happening on a daily basis even though it's an accessory replacement or a full rewire. Keep doing what you're doing it's great and you're putting good information out there for a good, well informed community.
When I had an extension quoted. The guys who low balled were working for big house builders and they were doing it on days off. Let's just say it was clear they weren't paying much for materials !
The problem with Jordan's quote is that it was clearly priced according to what he thought the customer could afford, not what the job would cost. that's why he got so much stick for it. He saw a big house that would sell today for £1.5million or whatever, so assumed the person living there wouldn't think anything of £30k. Reality, they probably bought the house for 50p in the 1960s, were not wealthy, & called out the 'pricing according to the car on the drive'. I'd do exactly the same.
I quoted for a bathroom, good spec, all tiled floor and walls lots of little niches in the tiling like little pockets for soaps etc, all new pipework etc etc I came to around £5k (customer supplying suite and tiles) I did the same, waiting for the tradify notification, a couple days go by, I follow up on the quote, they went with someone that quoted £650 for the labour and pipe, fittings etc, I was then called a rip-off merchant, plastered all over social media etc. Anyway a few weeks go by, I get a phone call from the same customer, could tell they felt awkward as hell, anyway, this guy they got in was there for 3 weeks, all the pipework was on show, not level, no clips, the grout was all over the place, tiles were cracked and suite damaged. They said it was 'finished' but wouldn't connect the water supply to the bathroom til they paid the 'additional cost' of about 4k so customer called me and asked if I could 'just pop over' and connect the water supply for them cause they weren't going to pay the other guy. As much as I wanted to help them as they were distraught, there is no way I was putting my name to that mess and said no chance. Why people accept quotes 4.5k cheaper and expect the same result baffles me 🤣
Hi Nick. I've just retired after 50years in the trade, 42 as a contractor, and what you're experiencing is what used to be called 'buying the job', If a contractor is slack, they will do the job at a loss just to keep them ticking over, also in the hope that they will get some extras which will make up a bit of the loss. Better to walk away from that sort of situation.
I used to drop prices for customers. not any more. Thats a mugs game. If the customer can't afford you & you do the work, they usually try to screw you at the end of the job!! Just not worthh the hassel. I now keep my prices high & get less work, but less stress, but the SAME pay :-)
@@mixit2413 I subbied to NWP on a few of their PBSA’s. Good jobs and made some good money. Wasn’t surprised when I heard what happened to them in the end though after how I saw things were run
You are definitely not too expensive, Know your worth. I'm a fellow sparkie and that price that the company came in with is a joke. If anyone competes with these companies then it is a race to the bottom for these people concerned. How they still managed to win the job considering you got the material's for free is mind-blowing. Some people want to train and gain experience for years and still work for peanuts. Keep up the good work and always great content 👍🏾
This is the flip side to doing stuff on TH-cam etc. You could find that some other outfits could easily undercut, slate you and rubbish your work. This is where you have to have balls and not be bothered about what other people think of your prices etc because your price is your price end of. I’m a kitchen fitter, have been self employed for almost 30years and I don’t give a damn what someone else prices a job at because I know I have pride in my work, go over and above what I have quoted to do and it is of great importance to me that the customer is happy with the job. I don’t have any interest in Joe Blogs doing it cheaper because he ain’t me, having pride and the know how of how to turn out a decent job comes at a cost and that cost is yours.
Was just about to say... it definitely wasn't a 2 bed flat. I know because I've worked in that house about 4 years ago when I worked for another local Cambridge company (clearly the customer likes to shop around). But you corrected 👍
Nick. Don't be worried about your quotes. I am not VAT registered and have had quotes for less than yours turned down for someone else who quoted cheaper. I'm going to try quoting another way in the future. I will ask the prospective client what sort of budget they have in mind and try to come as close to that as possible without loosing income or proffit. The people know what they want to pay and as I read in one comment, " as far as they are concerned it's just some wire and sockets to them " This is perfectly true. They don't seem to be able to see the bigger picture of how much work and how many man hours actually goes into doing a re-wire, as well as paying adam and all of your utilities, at home and at work. Keep on doing the quotes the way you are. You must obviously be winning more than you are loosing or you would not be able to sustain the business. Good luck and thanks for another great Vid.
This is the problem with rewires, I’m lucky if I win one a year since I have stopped doing the pricing myself. To be honest I don’t miss them. Your price was spot on for your business model. That’s why you are where you are. Great content as always.
Cheers from Canada, love the vids mate! I went to a job 3years ago big manor home that was be converted into 3 full apartments. Contractor told me they had a quote of 13k ish from there normal electrician and told him to piss off. They got another quote for less and wanted third. I called the guy couple days later and told him I wasn’t going to give him a price I was already more than lowest quote in material and I would be 20k. Funny thing was when I went to job he told me I was only contractor to bring out a tape and measure/map they place out. I get priced out all the time but my quotes are pretty accurate and never have any “extra” charges.
Like the content mate. We do 4 full Rewires a week…only supply white PVC. We fit any accessories people supply themselves. I’ve found over the years it’s the path of least resistance
I would expect that they went with someone that isn't rewiring the house - they're tagging onto the existing wiring and just upgrading the board. There's no other way to do it and be that cheap but sadly that's how people get stung by "extras" or end up with an unfinished job because the company went in too low and bankrupted themselves. Seen it happen before and I'll see it again.
Interesting video dude. What you failed to mention is that it would have cost Artisan 20K just to get the VW Electric van on site...... 🤣You are a very honest guy with excellent values and exceptional standards. As long as you are busy doing what you enjoy then crack on mate. Keep 'chasing' those dreams Bundy....
Can you do a follow up video and see if the customer will let you inspect it after would be an amazing opportunity for a video I’d be really interested.
Regarding about copying the spec...a customer doesn't want to compare apples with pears. A customer wants something done they seriously need the detail because they need to know how many days are charged for the work, the quality of materials and if they are overcharging for them. If they don't have the exact spec from an electrician you can't shop around. Many tradesmen don't give a fully detailed quote which makes it difficult for the customer to decide what they are paying for. You know why it's done but we all know that it is the customer who is going to pay.
You know full well that the people doing that job are going to bodge it. I look forward to the "I told you so " vid. As for other people watching your vids and undercutting you, the simple answer is to not post everything live or almost live. Wait till you get the job in the bag, THEN tell the tale of how you came to win it. You can still run an informative channel a couple of weeks behind the actual events, especially the commercially sensitive parts.
Mate, I've been in business for nearly 20 years now. Totally different industry to you guys and very niche, but now and again we loose a job to another company, and I'd say 50% of the time this happens, the customer will come back to us and say they didn't get what they expected and could we come and do the job properly. The sad fact is we often have to charge more to fix someone else's poor work, than we'd of quoted in the first place and what's even sadder is some jobs we simply cannot rectify because that previous company removed what we needed to do the job correctly. Unfortunately in modern business, price often trumps quality and we all know this, but I'm glad to see you don't do yourself an injustice by trying to compete in these situations.
I've just paid 5k plus 2.5k for a full rewire in Birmingham. The job was spot on and I sources all the materials for 2.5k. There is too much profiteering in this game.
The standard of work you are putting out id put your prices up by 15/20%. Potential customers that are currently going with you will pay the additional amount because they appreciate quality and the ones your not getting now you still won’t be getting
Hello Nick. It is tough out there especially with the cost of living crisis, peoples disposable income under pressure even for small jobs. There will always be someone who will do a job cheaper, so there is little point in attempting to compete on price. Use all your strongest points - local tradesman, excellent workmanship, great warranty - perhaps consider increasing the guarantee length, quick customer service, reputation.... everything in your arsenal and use it even sell/brag about it if you have to ! Certainly in the south there are customers who are prepared to pay proper rates for a job that will give them peace of mind and little stress. Try to engage with local businesses that will have continual work, that way you develop relationships and they will prefer calling you as they are used to having you around and trust you. In my opinion your suppliers shouldn't be subsidising supplies for the customer benefit. This is extra money you personally should benefit from, unless that is the You Tube thing compensates you in some way ? Finally, and I know this is difficult, keep your long term business and personal overheads as tight/low as possible until you have a decent buffer in the bank. This takes the pressure off you personally, frees the mind, less stress/pressure to secure a job. I wish you well.
wont go in to details, but a friend of mine quoted a rewire. he was the most expensive, but the client went with him for the following reasons. he was friendly, knowledgeable, spoke to the kids, stroked the cat and played with the family dog. True fact. everyone was happy at the end too. all clients are different ......
I think the worst is when they undercut you and then throughout the project add bits back on as it wasn't included in the spec and end up charging more.
Variations. You see this with large commercial builders and massive jobs. Want an extra PowerPoint? Well that will cost you $250. Wanna swap a single PowerPoint for a double? Well that’s $150….
@@sniperfi4532 we made about a 2million from variations on one job can't get away with that now the buggers lock you down now often you have to give money back. (commercial builds)
It will be the new faceplates, pendants and some new drops to the new consumer unit job. They won’t bother actually rewiring the house in the loft or under the floor.
Its always interesting to listen to other tradesmen about how they quote for a job - and I agree that when I have done a full spec for the work and that spec is used by another firm to get the job cheaper - its very annoying especially if I know the other firm and how they work. My advice would be when a quote is lost to contact the customer a day or so after the job should have started to see how its going. I love to here 'Glad you called - he hasn't turned up - come and see me'
Be interesting to reprice the job with only the essential materials and cheap sockets and lights. Then you can see what they are charging for labour etc. I'm sure you will be back to do an Eicr on a duel RCD BG board and to replace a shed load of halogen gu10's 😅.
I’m a decorator and been running my business 30 plus years and I have the exact same issues , some come in so cheap , I stick to my guns on my price . They normally come back as they are not happy with the job
Alright Nick, Working in Greater London doing similar work to you for a similar amount of time and Iv seen this a hundred times, I predict that that part of the contract for the new contractor will be a 60-70% deposit They will get 60% through the first fix and then start second fixing areas to make it look finished, they will then start to try and find ways to get more money from the customer and if that’s not successful then someone will fall ill, they won’t turn up for weeks/ months then they will explain the hard times they fallen on get the rest of the money out of sympathy and the job won’t get finished. your original price was fine, what people need to recognise is that they are paying for a premium service at reasonable rate. The minute you said outside lights etc etc I knew that’s not a 6k job
Yep I understand the pain Nick and completely understand your stance over it, its not the first and it wont be the last. What I would suggest to you is that future quotes are a lot less detailed than you appear to be giving, it could be classed as a first quote and more detail given once the initial quote is accepted ( or verbally accepted pre final details submitted). As to the undercutting, thats something the customer is going to have to live with plus not having your good will gestures if called out to remediate the work someone else has done. Just to add to what others have said, its the reputation you are buiulding and the standard of workmanship that will bring good customers in not a race to the bottom of the price scale.
Lad am on the gas so not a spark but .. doesn’t matter if you live on the moon no one should be paying £30,000 for a bit of cable and light fittings , your materials are peanuts compared to boilers and UFH , copper , press fitting etc .
Thats a batshit crazy price! As a consumer, i just paid 2k for a board change, and a set of radials and smaller additional consumer unit for my utility room. No lighting, no chasing, all surface mount in the roof space, straight through the wall into the board. And that was 80% materials and vat, the rest was for a spark for a day and a half. I was very happy with that. Paying £6k for a full rewire with all the spec, i’d immediately have serious concerns - you get what you pay for and i’d be really concerned about the quality of parts and work.
Price, Speed, Quality, you can only ever have 2. If someone is THAT much cheaper then either it will take 3 times as long or the quality will be 3 times worse
The only way I can see that person coming in so cheap, is if he works for a big company and is stealing materials and doing it as a pj with him and his mate.
I feel your pain but when you miss that badly its not you its them. I doubt they saw your quote if they undercut you that much. either they are hacking the job, honestly missed something, or will take the money and run. Thx for the content and hello from the usa
when i started college in 2004, one of the way jobs got done cheap was a few of the lads doing alot of the donkey 1st fix was either at college like me or was just a mate who did some cable laying for £50 cash in hand a day. was able to get alot of 1st fix rewires boxed up quickyl and cheaply.
Well a fully qualified electrician has better things to do than the donkey work, that's why you employ "improvers" or an electrician's mate to do the knuckle-dragger work whilst you do the maths.
I live near Cambridge and have to say while I think Jordan’s boys do a real nice job, I’ve seen plenty of videos where they stab at ceilings or walls looking for joists. I’d be furious if I was paying £600 a day for sparks who uses the old hit n hope method - they have improved of late on that however. There certainly is a market for someone like Jordan here. Plenty of wealthy people. But, not enough to sustain multiple companies with the same ethos. It’s hard to measure your quote. If the house is empty, walls clear and you can hit it, that becomes and easier job. To use what looked like standard pricing is again less than ideal. If you charge say £70 to supply and fit a socket. You will be factoring in various things. Not the least getting set up and getting there. If you’re doing 40-50 sockets you’re already on site and you could most likely wire 5 sockets in the time it takes you to load the van and square off the invoice with the customer. Someone who has half an idea what they’re doing would question your price I feel. Then there is making good, how far you going with that? For 15k I’d expect it turn key, as in fully made good and painted. I’ve had loads of electrical work done at mine and my sparks is £280p/d (+vat if not done cash).
I've been in sales for over 2 decades. sometimes you lose the business because someone buys the business. you also learn that most likely there will be changes down the line, unforeseen things that end up bridging the gap between their quote and yours. It happens and you need to stick to your guns quoting correctly and ethically for yourself and your customer knowing if they went with you, 99% of the time you build enough fat to cover eventualities and delays. The other party most likely will not, have not and that'll be a learning for the customer. I firmly believe that if you do good work, add value and delivery of promises and expectations then always dare to be expensive. you're better off being known for being trusted and reliable than cheap.
It’s always going to be a tough one as it may have been a company that has multiple electricians that are on a hourly wage. So just an example if they are paying their staff £15 p/h and they quote 4 days work it would most likely be cheaper that an self employed person quoting for a 4 day job. The difference would be in the customers personal experience as we all would say you get a better service and better job from someone like yourself doing the work.
I am industrial electrician and instrumentation mechanic and I have had heaps of people ask me to do jobs in their houses that I always decline. When they ask its almost like they think they are doing you a favour, which they are not. So my question is, if they are not VAT registered, have no business, may or may not be an electrician and you aren't getting a receipt or test certificate if anything goes wrong and your house burns down what happens next? Will your house insurance pay out or do these people just disappear into the night with your money. Personally I would want a decent job doing and a completion certificate at the end of it with a registered company.
You'll be back to fix guaranteed. My firm lost a refurb quoted at 12k. 18 months later, sparks kicked off the job, we're needed for the certificate. 23k and 3 months later, they got their certificate...
As an experienced professional and business owner you know your costs, margins, what you need to make and allow for some worst case / unforeseen aspects. There's also different standards of quotes, as you say. I've seen many examples of people and business that undercut, to gain more work / or in theory get better jobs in future, etc. You end up busy, but often with painful and low / no profit jobs. I've also seen many quite expensive established businesses (with high overheads) often get called for the big jobs, even when a smaller or mid size business has done a lot of great value work and looked after that same client. Psychology and other aspects re relationships are hard to know, not just price and what end result, quality of work and support will actually be.
I got price pointed on a mansion which would have been a 30k job so now I don’t send written estimates I just message the price and once agreed I send them a written invoice as I am sick of getting price pointed and under cut
Mate I’ve worked with some guys before I went on my own, they would win the job by giving cheap then add extras during the job to the actual price or leave the job half done as they can’t afford to finish, not to mention cheap materials and half assed jobs.
Obviously every part of the country is different but I've used the same electrician now for over 20 years, here in Berkshire, and he recently gave me a guide price of around £500 per room (not including hallways) for a full rewire. So for a 4 bed house, living room, dining room, kitchen and 2 bathrooms I was looking at around £5-6k. All I know is that I've used this electrician many times and his work is top notch and his prices have always been reasonable.
Ive been getting quotes in for an EV charger. 4 local firms all in the 2.5-3k range, and one national firm who quoted 1.5K... I went with the 2.5k local firm... :)
Not slagging, but 30k, 12k for a rewire?! Come on!! Materials are the same cost in the uk (or within 5/10%) standard 3 bed re-wire should cost no more than 6k
Sounds like a customer might well come crawling back when it all goes wrong. That quote just doesn't seem possible to include the materials and to be done well, safely, to regulations and with a neat and tidy finish. That customer is definitely going to regret taking someone who is 50% cheaper - buy cheap, buy twice. But that's their prerogative and it might well be a painful lesson for them. Never mind Nick, you do you and the work will keep coming.
You can’t go that much lower without compromising on the quality of the materials and ripping one self off… I always knew that I could end up working for a low as hell hourly wage when I was self employed but doing it to often would be just stupid. A customer has to realize that a set price has to cover contingencies and that they probably wouldn’t accept a pay cut just because their boss made a mistake with the calculator
Just focus on you, don’t be concerned by people quoting above or below you, especially when the details are not clear as it will become frustrating. Just be the best version of yourself… 👍
Could be more to that than it seems, the fault was extremely simple despite an initial description that implied there were multiple issues and the description of the customer came across as someone likely to be difficult to deal with and potentially not telling the full story so there may be good reasons why they were no longer responding to her assuming she was telling the truth. Also if Jordan is as good as he claims then why does he need to charge so much of a premium for warranties? Surely if the job is done properly then there should be little need for such a warranty. He also turned what should have been a 30 minute job into a 1.5 hour job.
@@mfx1 The customer regretted it and said they would have gone with Jordan, so there does seem to be more than the video shows. As for the 30-minute part, does that include diagnosing the issue, driving to the suppliers to get parts, driving back to the property, and completing the work?
@mfx1 parts can fail even with the best work. Warranty allows you to ensure you can check for these faults without 1 going out of pocket and 2 ignoring customers
The saying "you get what you pay for" is generally correct. That said, there are always exceptions - both ways: expensive bodgers and cheap artisans. For example, there maybe tradespeople with very little overheads who can afford to price very low. Maybe they work on their own or with their sons and they can do a great job. But generally, you do get what you pay for. So my concern would be how can those elctricians undercut you by more than a half (with respect to your original quote)? Are they using b-rate materials? Will they cut corners? If I were the client, I'd be asking these questions.
Hi Nick, this mentality has always been the case. A person can have exactly what they want - if they pay for it. But they don’t, and then think you are over priced. What was asked in this case was correctly costed - well done.
This was many years ago now but a work colleague once had a bunch of work done by someone who *didn't* "notify" (and charged less as a result) as they claimed insider knowledge that part P was being dropped soon and there would be no need. Needless to say its now some 16 years later and Part P while changed is still firmly in place! Equally I've heard many tales of work being done by non qualified electricians with a qualified electrician doing a final test and then "notifying" to get the cert. Its less dodgy than not notifying but still not allowed! Obviously the various requirements for qualifications/competency cost money and makes me wonder with some if they're pulling tricks like this to be able to be so cheap?
You was bang on with the price and them other people are 100% going to rough it in or use Apprentices for the labour as seen that all too much :(. Yes he a lot but thats his selling point and rich people will go to it for that reason. Like people who buy posh water 💧
Artisan have a niche. One that is being diminished week by week. As many train and diversity. I personally love commercial. I do domestic minor works because I cannot stand the scam like CPS schemes. But my money is in reactive callouts to commercial kitchens. Working 8 hours on a site on my day rate is just a standby for the next callout.
I can't believe my comment made it on screen. BTW, it wasn't an outright dig at Jordan, or anyone at Artisan. My comment was to find out what they would charge for the same job in Cambridge. I hope the people don't get ripped off, either with shoddy work or additional costs that were not covered at the outset.
Everyone ones that job that’s makes them 1000s. To me 12k seems expensive but cost of fittings will make a massive impact you can fit a £2 light switch or a £60 light switch. Let’s say 6 days first fix at £250 a day £1500 plus 2 days for second and test £2000 labour. 500 quid cable, 300 consumer unit plus bits. Lights £2000 sockets 50x £400 other bits £300 quid add another £500 on top to give margin that’s £6000, you did mention outside and quality enclosures don’t come cheap so maybe adding another day and £750 materials. I think lots of people have delusions of grandeur which leads to lots of overheads
Your quote seems extremely reasonable (I’m a layman - electricity is black magic to me 🤣). If I was the customer I’d be asking the other company why they are able to quote 50% of your figure? I would be extremely suspicious of them.
With that price different I wouldn’t give it much thought. Not much to worry about. If your constantly not conversing then you may want to have a look at your pricing or offering.
Customers (I am one) don't always go only by price. Personalities come into it (some people just get on); customers may not want their property on You Tube; timing may have worked out better for the other sparks; maybe that other sparks had some ideas that appealed to the customer; maybe they wanted it more. The point I am making is that customers will rarely say all this.
I guess I’m fairly lucky in I very rarely do quotes , customers trust me and the builders I work for know the ballpark I charge,so I just do the work and submit my invoices,job done.
Jordan has always felt like the Gold Standard service, a very premium price tag and from the face of it, seems to have the talent and resource behind to justify it. Especially with his recent focus on EV/Solar. That's not to say he is not infallible, despite the price tag they make mistakes too *cough* drilling through the structure of the roof. I don't think your average person in a small terraced house semi-detached is going to use him. I also have to bear in mind his market is closer to London with the overheads. I don't want the cheapest, I don't want the most expensive. I want the competent person who isn't going to rush the job for the sake of it and has charged and amount that is worth their time doing the job.
Parts are going to be roughly the same cost for everyone so to undercut your quote by that much means they are probably not charging much for labour but i guess Labour charge is down to what you value your time and experience to be worth based on how much you need money, for example if you are working to pay mortgage and bills and food your going to want to charge more so you make a big profit, if you dont have payments to make you can work for less and still have the same amount of profit
@Nick Your price is correct for you as a small company. The quality of your work is excellent. The care amd attention of your work is second to none. For someone to quote/estimate for half the price sounds iffy. I know there is a difference between quote and estimate. Will the materials be the same spec? How will the customer know the materials will be the same spec? On the flip side the firm that quoted/estimated. Several questions New firm or established business How big is the company Are they doing it for cash flow and not for much profit Are they an electrician or a builder that dabbles in electrics Don't compromise your money or skills or wealth of experience to get the work. That is a race to the bottom. Time will tell what happens at that rewire. As for the 100K subs What about a 100K giveaway. Maybe some tools or bags or kit
As a Joiner I feel your pain. I know I've lost jobs to guys working from farm buildings not even registered for business rates or even Industrial. Quite often they don't even quote like for like with the same spec as I do. Personally I believe everyone who runs a business should be registered for VAT. That would help level the playing field.
It would maybe be someone who has a salaried job who is doing homers at the weekend and evening and doesn't have to charge VAT. A couple years back I asking for quotes for a new boiler and the person who was the cheapest was a plumber who had a salaried job for a local housing association but was earning extra money on evenings and weekends. It will be the same for electricians. Probably a guy who has a salary but is just topping it up with jobs on the weekend (maybe even using the same tools etc. so they don't have to pay for tools)
Being given someone else's quote is always a warning that you might get put up against a silly quote, generally mucked around and tells you a lot about how you might be treated. I'd always prefer to work with the customer on ways to change the spec/materials to reduce the price. And yes a more local firm or one with better discounts might beat you, which is fair enough. Appreciate that you don't always have the choice, of course!
Thank goodness for companies offering good value trading, don’t forget many people are earning £11 an hour and you want them to pay a years wages for a weeks work.
Prices vary massively, down here in Cornwall we have to pay our guys over £23 an hour, when you factor in O&P our prices would seem expensive to a sparky in the north west. Our house prices are so expensive and living costs are high along with travel. It does hurt to lose jobs but generally the ones you win on price turn out to be the better jobs.
just quoted a job, 2 visits after re_spec and re price, guys come in £500 under me on a £4000 job, client offered me first refusal to beat it, was happy to let the job go, no malice towards the customer, just not willing to race to the bottom just to work for a few days. brush it off and carry on Nick. there's always the next phone call that leads to a more prosperous job anyway.
100% that - we quote our prices (not electricians) as the price we’re prepared to do something for. If I start cutting money I was either fleecing the customer in the first place, or I’m cutting out my profit - or in other words, I’m screwing myself over as I’m not doing the job for any gain if I do that. So we just quote the price we’re happy with to do a good job and give good service. That’s really all there is to it.
If they offer to throw the other spark under the bus, what's to say they won't do the same to you? It reminds me of when I bought a car for my girlfriend last year. Saw a car on AutoTrader, rang up, they had someone already coming to view it at 1pm that day but if we put down a deposit over the phone they'd let us have it instead, shafting the one who's already booked to see it.
I am guessing that most self employed trades me included are charging nothing like the proper rate. If you work out the proper cost allowing for pension, holidays, running cost of a vehicle, insurance,all the tools we need etc. I think most of the times in reality the customers are getting way more than they are paying for especially if you are professional and good at your job. If a customer says to me can I drop the price I fire straight back with if your boss said in order for us to keep your job this week we’ve dropped your wage by a few hundred quid you would tell them to piss off. Find another muppet to do the job I’m not interested. A decent tradesman comes at a price end of.
There is only one price, the price to do it right, to your standard. End of !
@@tracer1127 This is the best comment here. I don't think there are many self employed tradesmen who should be on less than around £400 a day at this point.
It’s frustrating, as a spark it’s like winning the lottery when the customer says yes but crushing when they’ve gone elsewhere. I’m 58 and now have the same customers I’ve had for 30 years, they keep me busy all week. Honestly, reliability and quality will win over every time soon. Live long and prosper
Well said young man, remember Jordan is a slick salesman, so he understands the need for top quality presentations. Naturally Artisan’s work will usually be good,.I looked a a DIY rewire recently where the man told me he got his inspiration from watching Artisans videos. The installation was much better than many done by professional electrician’s . Of course the job won’t be signed off or building control notified. But we are not yet living in a police state, so does it really matter ? A niceic registered spark tested the installation for him and everything was found to be correct. Thanks to all the TH-cam sparks, the DIY folk are doing much better and safer work. As for the big price difference between the South & North, we all have to pay the same price to keep our homes warm, food on the table & fuel in our vehicles, so I’m not convinced by the big differences in rates , most of the folk I worked for would never be able to afford the likes of Artisan. It’s difficult to understand how the job you quoted for was given to someone so much lower than you, perhaps he will utilise labour who are “ on the dole” ? obviously Artisan’s “ Reassuringly expensive” never worked for you. It
Aren’t we all secretly smug when the guys who undercut us do a poor job? Just a little 😆
Or just fail to turn up, and again, and again.
I find that's always the case!!
I think Jordan is quite fair with his price as are you. I was an electrical apprentice many many years ago so have a rough idea. I now work for a german main dealer group in the automotive industry, yeah we are expensive however you have the warranty, the guarantee, the quality, the expertise the training courses the manufacturer approval and the customer always has a recourse.
Jordans video the other day showed he went back to a customer who had gone with another quote for a rewire and the electrician had disappeared and customer couldnt get hold of him and were getting artisan in to fix it... pay cheap pay twice! The older you get the more you realise this, if its expensive save up and still go with someone who stands by there work.
You think charging a customer £150 an hour is fair? When you say expertise what do you mean?
I watched artisans video when he went back. The house was massive and the cable runs and routes look an absolute pig to do.
Yes 30 grand with a full warranty installed at near perfection on TH-cam, really not a bad price, that house looked like an old castle for fookin sake
London price will be £5.000 materials £8,700 labour plus VAT. Materials from a walk in electrical supplier.
Labour includes Certificate of Compliance, Electrical Certificate and Testing Results and the work is done by electricians.
This is how he/she got the job:
If you buy from the online electrical shop the price for materials will be £3500, 14 way split board, no EV Ultra cable
Labour and certification £3500,
£1500 for labour electricians, Connections for equipment is done nowadays by push connections and colour coded.
Labour electricians are used across UK in residential and commercial buildings, so do not be surprised.
£2,000 for electrician/company. Electrician job will be supervise labour electricians job, consumer unit, bonding connections, testing, certification.
Company is not VAT registered
My Stepson is 4 years own electrical business in Nottingham and let's say 14 years in the trade and as a parent I have to absorb the 'pain' of this, like parents do. He wants to move away from domestic and just stick to commercial and industrial because domestic just don't want to pay. It's just wire and a plug socket to them. He has a base quote of one ceiling rose and 2-3 sockets per room for a rewire and anything else is an add on. The trouble is 80% of the people in this country haven't got a clue about anything except the price of something. And we have got the bloody internet now so they could get a ballpark figure for the bits at least. I feel for him and I feel for you Nick.👍
Its a pity you have been so drastically undercut but to be honest I wonder what the customer is going to get for such a low price. I last employed our local electrician 18 months ago. This was a kitchen rewire and rcbo cu upgrade. He was at our house for two days, and the total bill was about 2 grand, he's not vat registered. I thought that was quite fair, for a quality tradesman. 7 sockets, 4 isolators, 6 downright, all paperwork.
@@atkt62 Well I think that sounds like a total rip off! What's a sparky getting on a day rate on a building site? £220-£250 /day?
@@ChrisLee-yr7tz I'm sorry you feel that way. I was happy with my choice, the quality of the work, the person and the certification. At the end of the day it's got to be fair to both sides. He was comparable with the plumber and the plasterer btw, so come to cheshire and get paid fairly with added tea and biscuits
@@ChrisLee-yr7tz It's totally fair. A gas engineer will charge you 2500 to put a boiler in. Why shouldn't we charge 4 figures to change a consumer unit?
@electricalstuff259 Not 2.5k labour for a combi swap. I've just paid £500 for a combi swap in the SE because I get everything at day rate, but would expect to pay around £700 in Nottingham ordinarily.
A national boiler Co would normally charge around £1200 Labour for a combi swap.
Of course, anyone can charge whatever they like and whatever the market will stand. I get that.
But it really isn't worth it.
Same for 4 figures to change a consumer unit. It just doesn't warrant it. At all. The thing that really baffles me is why aren't more people entering the market. Trades are on good money. £000s on labour for a rewire is ridiculous. The technical challenge really isn't hard enough. But like I said...it's whatever the market will stand and I understand it.
I have the same thing happen at our work place, a colleague keeps saying we are charging too much and losing jobs. When I was speaking with my dad over a coffee who has been in the building trade 30 years self-employed (i am in the marine side). He told me to think of your worth how much you value yourself and knowledge. You could charge less be busy all the time but still only taking home the same each year. You would just be a busy fool running yourself into the ground. He also said to never drop your rates. it's not worth it.
Hopefully everything will be fine for the customer but I expect a phone call in the future about one thing or another.
Listen to your dad buddy because that is almost word for word what my dad used to say to me. He is bang on. Never be a busy fool.
Solid video again big lad, really eye opening these sit down chats are! Really personal and a great addition! Don’t worry about the price or having to go back focus on being honest and true to yourself and you will get enough work!❤
It's happening on a daily basis even though it's an accessory replacement or a full rewire. Keep doing what you're doing it's great and you're putting good information out there for a good, well informed community.
When I had an extension quoted. The guys who low balled were working for big house builders and they were doing it on days off. Let's just say it was clear they weren't paying much for materials !
The problem with Jordan's quote is that it was clearly priced according to what he thought the customer could afford, not what the job would cost. that's why he got so much stick for it. He saw a big house that would sell today for £1.5million or whatever, so assumed the person living there wouldn't think anything of £30k. Reality, they probably bought the house for 50p in the 1960s, were not wealthy, & called out the 'pricing according to the car on the drive'. I'd do exactly the same.
25p - 1962. Back when an electricians wage was a bag of wool .
I quoted for a bathroom, good spec, all tiled floor and walls lots of little niches in the tiling like little pockets for soaps etc, all new pipework etc etc I came to around £5k (customer supplying suite and tiles) I did the same, waiting for the tradify notification, a couple days go by, I follow up on the quote, they went with someone that quoted £650 for the labour and pipe, fittings etc, I was then called a rip-off merchant, plastered all over social media etc.
Anyway a few weeks go by, I get a phone call from the same customer, could tell they felt awkward as hell, anyway, this guy they got in was there for 3 weeks, all the pipework was on show, not level, no clips, the grout was all over the place, tiles were cracked and suite damaged. They said it was 'finished' but wouldn't connect the water supply to the bathroom til they paid the 'additional cost' of about 4k so customer called me and asked if I could 'just pop over' and connect the water supply for them cause they weren't going to pay the other guy. As much as I wanted to help them as they were distraught, there is no way I was putting my name to that mess and said no chance.
Why people accept quotes 4.5k cheaper and expect the same result baffles me 🤣
No, you're bang on with this video. Sometimes the lowest cost isn't the cheapest option!!
Hi Nick. I've just retired after 50years in the trade, 42 as a contractor, and what you're experiencing is what used to be called 'buying the job',
If a contractor is slack, they will do the job at a loss just to keep them ticking over, also in the hope that they will get some extras which will make up a bit of the loss. Better to walk away from that sort of situation.
its a dangerous game to play though that's how NWP went bust and we got a load of there work because my boss wasn't prepared to do that.
I used to drop prices for customers. not any more. Thats a mugs game. If the customer can't afford you & you do the work, they usually try to screw you at the end of the job!! Just not worthh the hassel.
I now keep my prices high & get less work, but less stress, but the SAME pay :-)
@@mixit2413 I subbied to NWP on a few of their PBSA’s. Good jobs and made some good money. Wasn’t surprised when I heard what happened to them in the end though after how I saw things were run
You are definitely not too expensive, Know your worth. I'm a fellow sparkie and that price that the company came in with is a joke. If anyone competes with these companies then it is a race to the bottom for these people concerned. How they still managed to win the job considering you got the material's for free is mind-blowing. Some people want to train and gain experience for years and still work for peanuts. Keep up the good work and always great content 👍🏾
This is the flip side to doing stuff on TH-cam etc. You could find that some other outfits could easily undercut, slate you and rubbish your work. This is where you have to have balls and not be bothered about what other people think of your prices etc because your price is your price end of. I’m a kitchen fitter, have been self employed for almost 30years and I don’t give a damn what someone else prices a job at because I know I have pride in my work, go over and above what I have quoted to do and it is of great importance to me that the customer is happy with the job. I don’t have any interest in Joe Blogs doing it cheaper because he ain’t me, having pride and the know how of how to turn out a decent job comes at a cost and that cost is yours.
Was just about to say... it definitely wasn't a 2 bed flat. I know because I've worked in that house about 4 years ago when I worked for another local Cambridge company (clearly the customer likes to shop around). But you corrected 👍
Nick. Don't be worried about your quotes. I am not VAT registered and have had quotes for less than yours turned down for someone else
who quoted cheaper. I'm going to try quoting another way in the future. I will ask the prospective client what sort of budget they have in mind
and try to come as close to that as possible without loosing income or proffit. The people know what they want to pay and as I read in one comment,
" as far as they are concerned it's just some wire and sockets to them " This is perfectly true. They don't seem to be able to see the bigger picture of
how much work and how many man hours actually goes into doing a re-wire, as well as paying adam and all of your utilities, at home and at work.
Keep on doing the quotes the way you are. You must obviously be winning more than you are loosing or you would not be able to sustain the business.
Good luck and thanks for another great Vid.
This is the problem with rewires, I’m lucky if I win one a year since I have stopped doing the pricing myself.
To be honest I don’t miss them.
Your price was spot on for your business model.
That’s why you are where you are.
Great content as always.
Nick you'll always get people undercut, but stand by your pricing like you are, doing it that cheap there has to be something not right.
people who know your value will pay you for it. Move on and work with them, not those who always want the lowest value.
Don’t let it get you down !know you’re worth !they will get the kind of job they deserve
Cheers from Canada, love the vids mate!
I went to a job 3years ago big manor home that was be converted into 3 full apartments. Contractor told me they had a quote of 13k ish from there normal electrician and told him to piss off. They got another quote for less and wanted third. I called the guy couple days later and told him I wasn’t going to give him a price I was already more than lowest quote in material and I would be 20k. Funny thing was when I went to job he told me I was only contractor to bring out a tape and measure/map they place out.
I get priced out all the time but my quotes are pretty accurate and never have any “extra” charges.
Like the content mate. We do 4 full Rewires a week…only supply white PVC. We fit any accessories people supply themselves. I’ve found over the years it’s the path of least resistance
4 full rewires a week , thats 1.75 days per rewire , hmmmmmmm, i think not unless you got 50 sparks on site
I would expect that they went with someone that isn't rewiring the house - they're tagging onto the existing wiring and just upgrading the board. There's no other way to do it and be that cheap but sadly that's how people get stung by "extras" or end up with an unfinished job because the company went in too low and bankrupted themselves. Seen it happen before and I'll see it again.
Interesting video dude. What you failed to mention is that it would have cost Artisan 20K just to get the VW Electric van on site...... 🤣You are a very honest guy with excellent values and exceptional standards. As long as you are busy doing what you enjoy then crack on mate. Keep 'chasing' those dreams Bundy....
Can you do a follow up video and see if the customer will let you inspect it after would be an amazing opportunity for a video I’d be really interested.
Regarding about copying the spec...a customer doesn't want to compare apples with pears. A customer wants something done they seriously need the detail because they need to know how many days are charged for the work, the quality of materials and if they are overcharging for them. If they don't have the exact spec from an electrician you can't shop around. Many tradesmen don't give a fully detailed quote which makes it difficult for the customer to decide what they are paying for. You know why it's done but we all know that it is the customer who is going to pay.
You know full well that the people doing that job are going to bodge it. I look forward to the "I told you so " vid. As for other people watching your vids and undercutting you, the simple answer is to not post everything live or almost live. Wait till you get the job in the bag, THEN tell the tale of how you came to win it. You can still run an informative channel a couple of weeks behind the actual events, especially the commercially sensitive parts.
You've lost the job Nick but,you'll be spending more time there putting all the mistakes they made right!!! 1st job EICR
Mate, I've been in business for nearly 20 years now. Totally different industry to you guys and very niche, but now and again we loose a job to another company, and I'd say 50% of the time this happens, the customer will come back to us and say they didn't get what they expected and could we come and do the job properly. The sad fact is we often have to charge more to fix someone else's poor work, than we'd of quoted in the first place and what's even sadder is some jobs we simply cannot rectify because that previous company removed what we needed to do the job correctly. Unfortunately in modern business, price often trumps quality and we all know this, but I'm glad to see you don't do yourself an injustice by trying to compete in these situations.
I recently enquired on an Artisan video about the cost breakdown of a solar install, £35k IIRC, the comments were not kind for me even daring to ask
I'd love to see a breakdown of the original quote of £15,660 on this video...but I know what people would think of that.
I've just paid 5k plus 2.5k for a full rewire in Birmingham. The job was spot on and I sources all the materials for 2.5k. There is too much profiteering in this game.
so was that 10k or 7.5k
@@jamesdiver2183 7.5k
The standard of work you are putting out id put your prices up by 15/20%. Potential customers that are currently going with you will pay the additional amount because they appreciate quality and the ones your not getting now you still won’t be getting
Nick - that was a beautifully shot and well argued discussion. You have come so far since your early videos!
Hello Nick.
It is tough out there especially with the cost of living crisis, peoples disposable income under pressure even for small jobs.
There will always be someone who will do a job cheaper, so there is little point in attempting to compete on price.
Use all your strongest points - local tradesman, excellent workmanship, great warranty - perhaps consider increasing the guarantee length, quick customer service, reputation.... everything in your arsenal and use it even sell/brag about it if you have to ! Certainly in the south there are customers who are prepared to pay proper rates for a job that will give them peace of mind and little stress.
Try to engage with local businesses that will have continual work, that way you develop relationships and they will prefer calling you as they are used to having you around and trust you.
In my opinion your suppliers shouldn't be subsidising supplies for the customer benefit. This is extra money you personally should benefit from, unless that is the You Tube thing compensates you in some way ?
Finally, and I know this is difficult, keep your long term business and personal overheads as tight/low as possible until you have a decent buffer in the bank. This takes the pressure off you personally, frees the mind, less stress/pressure to secure a job.
I wish you well.
wont go in to details, but a friend of mine quoted a rewire. he was the most expensive, but the client went with him for the following reasons. he was friendly, knowledgeable, spoke to the kids, stroked the cat and played with the family dog. True fact. everyone was happy at the end too. all clients are different ......
That's called grooming.
Did he negotiate a nice discount with the lady of the house?😉
I think the worst is when they undercut you and then throughout the project add bits back on as it wasn't included in the spec and end up charging more.
This completely. I'm not a spark, but have seen this time and time again in my industry (IT).
Variations. You see this with large commercial builders and massive jobs. Want an extra PowerPoint? Well that will cost you $250. Wanna swap a single PowerPoint for a double? Well that’s $150….
@@sniperfi4532 we made about a 2million from variations on one job can't get away with that now the buggers lock you down now often you have to give money back. (commercial builds)
It will be the new faceplates, pendants and some new drops to the new consumer unit job.
They won’t bother actually rewiring the house in the loft or under the floor.
They have sourced the products them selves and they are only priced for labour surly! I use to work for CEF in Cambridge over 17years ago.
Its always interesting to listen to other tradesmen about how they quote for a job - and I agree that when I have done a full spec for the work and that spec is used by another firm to get the job cheaper - its very annoying especially if I know the other firm and how they work. My advice would be when a quote is lost to contact the customer a day or so after the job should have started to see how its going. I love to here 'Glad you called - he hasn't turned up - come and see me'
Be interesting to reprice the job with only the essential materials and cheap sockets and lights. Then you can see what they are charging for labour etc. I'm sure you will be back to do an Eicr on a duel RCD BG board and to replace a shed load of halogen gu10's 😅.
I’m a decorator and been running my business 30 plus years and I have the exact same issues , some come in so cheap , I stick to my guns on my price . They normally come back as they are not happy with the job
Alright Nick,
Working in Greater London doing similar work to you for a similar amount of time and Iv seen this a hundred times,
I predict that that part of the contract for the new contractor will be a 60-70% deposit
They will get 60% through the first fix and then start second fixing areas to make it look finished, they will then start to try and find ways to get more money from the customer and if that’s not successful then someone will fall ill, they won’t turn up for weeks/ months then they will explain the hard times they fallen on get the rest of the money out of sympathy and the job won’t get finished.
your original price was fine, what people need to recognise is that they are paying for a premium service at reasonable rate.
The minute you said outside lights etc etc I knew that’s not a 6k job
Yep I understand the pain Nick and completely understand your stance over it, its not the first and it wont be the last. What I would suggest to you is that future quotes are a lot less detailed than you appear to be giving, it could be classed as a first quote and more detail given once the initial quote is accepted ( or verbally accepted pre final details submitted). As to the undercutting, thats something the customer is going to have to live with plus not having your good will gestures if called out to remediate the work someone else has done.
Just to add to what others have said, its the reputation you are buiulding and the standard of workmanship that will bring good customers in not a race to the bottom of the price scale.
Lad am on the gas so not a spark but .. doesn’t matter if you live on the moon no one should be paying £30,000 for a bit of cable and light fittings , your materials are peanuts compared to boilers and UFH , copper , press fitting etc .
New filming space looks good!
Thanks dude
So "free" sponsored stuff aside, what was the total material cost of this job?
Thats a batshit crazy price! As a consumer, i just paid 2k for a board change, and a set of radials and smaller additional consumer unit for my utility room. No lighting, no chasing, all surface mount in the roof space, straight through the wall into the board. And that was 80% materials and vat, the rest was for a spark for a day and a half. I was very happy with that. Paying £6k for a full rewire with all the spec, i’d immediately have serious concerns - you get what you pay for and i’d be really concerned about the quality of parts and work.
Price, Speed, Quality, you can only ever have 2. If someone is THAT much cheaper then either it will take 3 times as long or the quality will be 3 times worse
The only way I can see that person coming in so cheap, is if he works for a big company and is stealing materials and doing it as a pj with him and his mate.
I feel your pain but when you miss that badly its not you its them. I doubt they saw your quote if they undercut you that much. either they are hacking the job, honestly missed something, or will take the money and run. Thx for the content and hello from the usa
when i started college in 2004, one of the way jobs got done cheap was a few of the lads doing alot of the donkey 1st fix was either at college like me or was just a mate who did some cable laying for £50 cash in hand a day. was able to get alot of 1st fix rewires boxed up quickyl and cheaply.
Well a fully qualified electrician has better things to do than the donkey work, that's why you employ "improvers" or an electrician's mate to do the knuckle-dragger work whilst you do the maths.
Really....🤔
@@Mr.MFuckingYTchangedmyname So in the example in the video where does the £8k odd charge for labour come from???
I live near Cambridge and have to say while I think Jordan’s boys do a real nice job, I’ve seen plenty of videos where they stab at ceilings or walls looking for joists. I’d be furious if I was paying £600 a day for sparks who uses the old hit n hope method - they have improved of late on that however. There certainly is a market for someone like Jordan here. Plenty of wealthy people. But, not enough to sustain multiple companies with the same ethos.
It’s hard to measure your quote. If the house is empty, walls clear and you can hit it, that becomes and easier job. To use what looked like standard pricing is again less than ideal. If you charge say £70 to supply and fit a socket. You will be factoring in various things. Not the least getting set up and getting there. If you’re doing 40-50 sockets you’re already on site and you could most likely wire 5 sockets in the time it takes you to load the van and square off the invoice with the customer. Someone who has half an idea what they’re doing would question your price I feel. Then there is making good, how far you going with that? For 15k I’d expect it turn key, as in fully made good and painted. I’ve had loads of electrical work done at mine and my sparks is £280p/d (+vat if not done cash).
I’d be furious if I was paying £600 a day for sparks. FULL STOP.
I've been in sales for over 2 decades. sometimes you lose the business because someone buys the business. you also learn that most likely there will be changes down the line, unforeseen things that end up bridging the gap between their quote and yours. It happens and you need to stick to your guns quoting correctly and ethically for yourself and your customer knowing if they went with you, 99% of the time you build enough fat to cover eventualities and delays. The other party most likely will not, have not and that'll be a learning for the customer. I firmly believe that if you do good work, add value and delivery of promises and expectations then always dare to be expensive. you're better off being known for being trusted and reliable than cheap.
Didn't realise I hadn't subscribed before now. Must have just got all the videos via the algorithm.
You've got me now though Nick
It’s always going to be a tough one as it may have been a company that has multiple electricians that are on a hourly wage. So just an example if they are paying their staff £15 p/h and they quote 4 days work it would most likely be cheaper that an self employed person quoting for a 4 day job. The difference would be in the customers personal experience as we all would say you get a better service and better job from someone like yourself doing the work.
I am industrial electrician and instrumentation mechanic and I have had heaps of people ask me to do jobs in their houses that I always decline. When they ask its almost like they think they are doing you a favour, which they are not. So my question is, if they are not VAT registered, have no business, may or may not be an electrician and you aren't getting a receipt or test certificate if anything goes wrong and your house burns down what happens next? Will your house insurance pay out or do these people just disappear into the night with your money. Personally I would want a decent job doing and a completion certificate at the end of it with a registered company.
You'll be back to fix guaranteed. My firm lost a refurb quoted at 12k. 18 months later, sparks kicked off the job, we're needed for the certificate. 23k and 3 months later, they got their certificate...
As an experienced professional and business owner you know your costs, margins, what you need to make and allow for some worst case / unforeseen aspects. There's also different standards of quotes, as you say. I've seen many examples of people and business that undercut, to gain more work / or in theory get better jobs in future, etc. You end up busy, but often with painful and low / no profit jobs. I've also seen many quite expensive established businesses (with high overheads) often get called for the big jobs, even when a smaller or mid size business has done a lot of great value work and looked after that same client. Psychology and other aspects re relationships are hard to know, not just price and what end result, quality of work and support will actually be.
I got price pointed on a mansion which would have been a 30k job so now I don’t send written estimates I just message the price and once agreed I send them a written invoice as I am sick of getting price pointed and under cut
Mate I’ve worked with some guys before I went on my own, they would win the job by giving cheap then add extras during the job to the actual price or leave the job half done as they can’t afford to finish, not to mention cheap materials and half assed jobs.
Obviously every part of the country is different but I've used the same electrician now for over 20 years, here in Berkshire, and he recently gave me a guide price of around £500 per room (not including hallways) for a full rewire. So for a 4 bed house, living room, dining room, kitchen and 2 bathrooms I was looking at around £5-6k. All I know is that I've used this electrician many times and his work is top notch and his prices have always been reasonable.
Ive been getting quotes in for an EV charger. 4 local firms all in the 2.5-3k range, and one national firm who quoted 1.5K... I went with the 2.5k local firm... :)
Not slagging, but 30k, 12k for a rewire?! Come on!! Materials are the same cost in the uk (or within 5/10%) standard 3 bed re-wire should cost no more than 6k
Sounds like a customer might well come crawling back when it all goes wrong. That quote just doesn't seem possible to include the materials and to be done well, safely, to regulations and with a neat and tidy finish. That customer is definitely going to regret taking someone who is 50% cheaper - buy cheap, buy twice. But that's their prerogative and it might well be a painful lesson for them. Never mind Nick, you do you and the work will keep coming.
You can’t go that much lower without compromising on the quality of the materials and ripping one self off…
I always knew that I could end up working for a low as hell hourly wage when I was self employed but doing it to often would be just stupid.
A customer has to realize that a set price has to cover contingencies and that they probably wouldn’t accept a pay cut just because their boss made a mistake with the calculator
Just focus on you, don’t be concerned by people quoting above or below you, especially when the details are not clear as it will become frustrating. Just be the best version of yourself… 👍
As jordan said. His 30k quote comes with a FULL warranty and stand by your work. The house he re-attended couldn’t get hold of their spark
Could be more to that than it seems, the fault was extremely simple despite an initial description that implied there were multiple issues and the description of the customer came across as someone likely to be difficult to deal with and potentially not telling the full story so there may be good reasons why they were no longer responding to her assuming she was telling the truth. Also if Jordan is as good as he claims then why does he need to charge so much of a premium for warranties? Surely if the job is done properly then there should be little need for such a warranty. He also turned what should have been a 30 minute job into a 1.5 hour job.
@@mfx1 The customer regretted it and said they would have gone with Jordan, so there does seem to be more than the video shows. As for the 30-minute part, does that include diagnosing the issue, driving to the suppliers to get parts, driving back to the property, and completing the work?
@@escfxp Basic parts that he should have had on the van.
@@mfx1 That's interesting because even BEW didn't have the parts needed.
@mfx1 parts can fail even with the best work. Warranty allows you to ensure you can check for these faults without 1 going out of pocket and 2 ignoring customers
The saying "you get what you pay for" is generally correct. That said, there are always exceptions - both ways: expensive bodgers and cheap artisans. For example, there maybe tradespeople with very little overheads who can afford to price very low. Maybe they work on their own or with their sons and they can do a great job. But generally, you do get what you pay for. So my concern would be how can those elctricians undercut you by more than a half (with respect to your original quote)? Are they using b-rate materials? Will they cut corners? If I were the client, I'd be asking these questions.
Hi Nick, this mentality has always been the case. A person can have exactly what they want - if they pay for it. But they don’t, and then think you are over priced. What was asked in this case was correctly costed - well done.
This was many years ago now but a work colleague once had a bunch of work done by someone who *didn't* "notify" (and charged less as a result) as they claimed insider knowledge that part P was being dropped soon and there would be no need. Needless to say its now some 16 years later and Part P while changed is still firmly in place!
Equally I've heard many tales of work being done by non qualified electricians with a qualified electrician doing a final test and then "notifying" to get the cert. Its less dodgy than not notifying but still not allowed!
Obviously the various requirements for qualifications/competency cost money and makes me wonder with some if they're pulling tricks like this to be able to be so cheap?
You was bang on with the price and them other people are 100% going to rough it in or use Apprentices for the labour as seen that all too much :(.
Yes he a lot but thats his selling point and rich people will go to it for that reason. Like people who buy posh water 💧
At least you'll get all the remedial work... unless the house burns down before you get to.
Artisan have a niche. One that is being diminished week by week. As many train and diversity. I personally love commercial. I do domestic minor works because I cannot stand the scam like CPS schemes. But my money is in reactive callouts to commercial kitchens. Working 8 hours on a site on my day rate is just a standby for the next callout.
I can't believe my comment made it on screen. BTW, it wasn't an outright dig at Jordan, or anyone at Artisan. My comment was to find out what they would charge for the same job in Cambridge. I hope the people don't get ripped off, either with shoddy work or additional costs that were not covered at the outset.
Everyone ones that job that’s makes them 1000s. To me 12k seems expensive but cost of fittings will make a massive impact you can fit a £2 light switch or a £60 light switch. Let’s say 6 days first fix at £250 a day £1500 plus 2 days for second and test £2000 labour. 500 quid cable, 300 consumer unit plus bits. Lights £2000 sockets 50x £400 other bits £300 quid add another £500 on top to give margin that’s £6000, you did mention outside and quality enclosures don’t come cheap so maybe adding another day and £750 materials. I think lots of people have delusions of grandeur which leads to lots of overheads
Never worry about what jobs you dont get..bash on with the work you have
accepted a cowboy price by the sound of it and probably end up with cowboy problems
As a customer I'd be concerned with why the competitor is so much cheaper...what are they compromising?
Half the price, probably cost them 3x as much over the next few years.
If they only got two quotes they wouldn't see the price difference
Your quote seems extremely reasonable (I’m a layman - electricity is black magic to me 🤣). If I was the customer I’d be asking the other company why they are able to quote 50% of your figure? I would be extremely suspicious of them.
Great video. You are so level headed and down to earth. Keep up the great work dude ⚡💪👍
With that price different I wouldn’t give it much thought. Not much to worry about. If your constantly not conversing then you may want to have a look at your pricing or offering.
Customers (I am one) don't always go only by price. Personalities come into it (some people just get on); customers may not want their property on You Tube; timing may have worked out better for the other sparks; maybe that other sparks had some ideas that appealed to the customer; maybe they wanted it more. The point I am making is that customers will rarely say all this.
I guess I’m fairly lucky in I very rarely do quotes , customers trust me and the builders I work for know the ballpark I charge,so I just do the work and submit my invoices,job done.
Same here , pipeline work is the way to go. Don't be greedy just do a good job for a fair price and the work flows in steadily.
Jordan has always felt like the Gold Standard service, a very premium price tag and from the face of it, seems to have the talent and resource behind to justify it. Especially with his recent focus on EV/Solar. That's not to say he is not infallible, despite the price tag they make mistakes too *cough* drilling through the structure of the roof. I don't think your average person in a small terraced house semi-detached is going to use him. I also have to bear in mind his market is closer to London with the overheads.
I don't want the cheapest, I don't want the most expensive. I want the competent person who isn't going to rush the job for the sake of it and has charged and amount that is worth their time doing the job.
Win some u loose some Nicholas, love the new area for filming, love the editing, love it, yes he is expensive
Thanks babes
Def is a pleasing background. Didn't even realise till I read this comment
Yes. I haven’t even watched the video yet 😂
Same, just got a video prompt and immediately said "yes!" Don't even need any context for what the job is.
it would be great follow up video if you could do an EICR on the job afterwards. Im sure the client would be happy with that too
We need more videos like this. They’re decent to listen to
Parts are going to be roughly the same cost for everyone so to undercut your quote by that much means they are probably not charging much for labour but i guess Labour charge is down to what you value your time and experience to be worth based on how much you need money, for example if you are working to pay mortgage and bills and food your going to want to charge more so you make a big profit, if you dont have payments to make you can work for less and still have the same amount of profit
@Nick Your price is correct for you as a small company. The quality of your work is excellent. The care amd attention of your work is second to none. For someone to quote/estimate for half the price sounds iffy. I know there is a difference between quote and estimate. Will the materials be the same spec? How will the customer know the materials will be the same spec?
On the flip side the firm that quoted/estimated. Several questions
New firm or established business
How big is the company
Are they doing it for cash flow and not for much profit
Are they an electrician or a builder that dabbles in electrics
Don't compromise your money or skills or wealth of experience to get the work. That is a race to the bottom. Time will tell what happens at that rewire.
As for the 100K subs
What about a 100K giveaway. Maybe some tools or bags or kit
As a Joiner I feel your pain. I know I've lost jobs to guys working from farm buildings not even registered for business rates or even Industrial. Quite often they don't even quote like for like with the same spec as I do. Personally I believe everyone who runs a business should be registered for VAT. That would help level the playing field.
It would maybe be someone who has a salaried job who is doing homers at the weekend and evening and doesn't have to charge VAT. A couple years back I asking for quotes for a new boiler and the person who was the cheapest was a plumber who had a salaried job for a local housing association but was earning extra money on evenings and weekends. It will be the same for electricians. Probably a guy who has a salary but is just topping it up with jobs on the weekend (maybe even using the same tools etc. so they don't have to pay for tools)
Being given someone else's quote is always a warning that you might get put up against a silly quote, generally mucked around and tells you a lot about how you might be treated. I'd always prefer to work with the customer on ways to change the spec/materials to reduce the price. And yes a more local firm or one with better discounts might beat you, which is fair enough. Appreciate that you don't always have the choice, of course!
Thank goodness for companies offering good value trading, don’t forget many people are earning £11 an hour and you want them to pay a years wages for a weeks work.
Wait for the customers phone call asking you to sort it when all goes wrong with the cheaper quote.
Prices vary massively, down here in Cornwall we have to pay our guys over £23 an hour, when you factor in O&P our prices would seem expensive to a sparky in the north west. Our house prices are so expensive and living costs are high along with travel. It does hurt to lose jobs but generally the ones you win on price turn out to be the better jobs.
That’s Labour only ! Self employed sparks gave a whole host of other overheads ! If I charged £23 ph I’d be homeless inside a year
£7k No chance, when you’re called back to fix an issue, and you will be, your price will be validated mate. Know your worth.