1. Cheap work is a risk you shouldn’t be taking
When someone is charging you way less than the other, for essentially the same service, something is not right! Cheap work is risky. These are mostly fly by the night tradies that have neither the qualification/license, nor the skill and resources needed to do the job right.
The question is, are you willing to take that risk, so you could save those extra bucks?
A legit tradie has spent years getting qualified to do that 1 hour job! The experience they have gained working tirelessly even on bad days, has equipped them to complete the same job in 30 minutes.
They are licensed, insured, hold public liability as well as professional guarantee to make sure you can have the peace of mind as they step onto your property.
Add to this signage, uniform, van, web presence, physical office and several other things that are important to establish customer trust, strengthen brand image and take the ‘risk factor’ out of the equation so you can hire with confidence.
2. A job is a lot more than just labour and materials
When a tradie quotes you for a particular job, the price covers a lot more than the actual labour cost.
- Overheads including staff salary, vehicles, rent, phone, internet, marketing, insurance, tools, equipment safety and maintenance.
- Services such as web maintenance and job management software so you can enjoy improved service delivery and great customer service.
- Time spent traveling to and from jobs, buying materials, quoting, invoicing, chasing late payments etc.
- A cushion for days wasted due to rain, sick leave, unpaid holidays etc.,
For a customer to have a consistently great experience, a tradie has to add all of these expenses, and even then it barely covers the costs. On top of everything, tradies have to pay themselves a living wage because they too have families to support.
3. Quoting comes at a cost to the tradie
“Can I get a free quote!” is one of the most popular demands customers place with their tradies.
If you believe that a call-out fee for tradies is just a greedy money grab tactic, you need to know more.
The call-out fee or the charge to quote is the money customers pay on top of the labour and repair costs and it covers the time it takes for the tradie to come all the way to your place, inspect the job and generate a quote.
The money you pay your tradie for the quote is the payment for your tradie’s experience and expertise which they use to diagnose the problem and come up with the best solution.
Now if you are wondering why the call-out fee differs from business to business, it’s because a business determines the fee based on the nature and extent of the repair, how far they will need to travel to complete the job and what time and day the job needs to be attended.
Given the time and money spent on generating a quote, it’s worth noting that if a business is advertising no call-out fee, they will most likely ensure that the pricing covers their cost for the quote, so you end up paying for it anyway.
Wrapping up
Professional tradies possess a range of skills and years of experience that is hard to acquire. If they are running their own show, there are plenty of factors to consider before setting a price for their services.
Having said that, you don’t necessarily need to burn a hole in your pocket every time you hire a tradie.
- Make sure you ask the tradie what their minimum charge is and what will be the call-out fee before they get in their van.
- If you are getting multiple quotes and some seem to be significantly lower than the others, always check your tradie’s licenses and insurance to ensure you are not jeopardizing your property.
- Get everything in writing and know what’s included and what’s not before the job begins, so you are not surprised with charges you did not see coming.
- Unless it’s an emergency, avoid calling your tradie over weekends, after hours and public holidays as it can cost you more than what you would be paying otherwise.
