OVERPRICED ELECTRICIAN

[Everyflippingusernameistaken]

OPINIONS PLEASE! SORRY IT'S LONG-WINDED!

I had an electrician round this morning (won't mention his name).
Was supposed to be here at 9 and at 9.30 I texted to see if he was still coming, and he replied that he'd be here about an hour later.
Nice of him to let me know.
Not a good start.
I've have had him to do work before and he was good.

I needed a fluorescent tube replacing under a wall unit in the kitchen. As the other two fluorescent tubes have been in situ for a few years, I said I would have them all replaced so they all lasted a long time. For some reason he brought another guy with him, which was unnecessary, and he always did the work alone before. They went to get the required items. Didn't take long for the work to be done. I also had an oven light replaced and a screw put into the bathroom light fitting, which had come loose. So nothing major. The tube that wasn't working flickered if it was turned on, which apparently means the control gear inside the fitting was faulty.

Anyway I should have asked how much beforehand, but as nothing major, just replacement of oven light and 3 fluorescent tubes, and fitting a screw in the bathroom light fixture, I didn't really think of it. Anyway, I nearly passed out when he said I had to pay £170!

I had some money kept for any work I needed doing, but it wasn't enough and I had to raid my purse to make up the amount.I said it was much more than I expected. He said everything has gone up. (That old chestnut! Blame inflation, Covid, whatever) But I do realise things have got more expensive.

After he had gone I was stressing about it and I texted him and said I’ve just had a look at the lights. I only wanted new fluorescent tubes, not a whole new system! I didn’t need this extra expense, especially on top of Christmas.
You should have asked me. I was shocked at the cost.

HIM :
I’m sorry, you did say to change them all, it’s hard to get hold of them tubes now days and they will prob cost around the same about the same

ME:
I don’t know why you didn’t ask me. you could have rung me from the shop and explained how much they would have cost and I would have said just replace the tube that’s blown. (There seem to be loads of fluorescent tubes £5-£10! from what I saw on the internet.)

HIM:
Ok, it’s was just the tube as it was flickering, it would have been the control gear inside the fitting, that’s why we ask if you want to change them all so they match. (I said I wanted to change all 3 TUBES so they all lasted a long time).

No mention was made about replacing the entire fitting for THREE lights.

HIM:
Ok, well between us we have miss communicated, what you like to do about this?

HIM:
I’ll come back and give you £70 back. So you are just paying for the materials.

He came back a couple of hours later and gave me the money back, but I've still paid £100 for what I considered a small job. I wish I had just left things as they are.

He said after this don't contact me about any more electrical work. I said well I wouldn't would I? I'm still fuming.

Don't know how you do a poll of am I being unreasonable!

He might have been training the colleague.

He was very kind to reimburse his labour so I think you need to accept it and let it go. Put it down as experience. Ask for a quote before you agree to the work done.

I think his prices are fine. YABU.

1001Daffodils
It is the sheep-like attitude of people like yourself which leads to the profiteering.

The biggest indicator for me was the don’t contact me again. I wouldn’t want to piss off my electrician for anything.

If it was just changing some lightbulbs why on earth didn't you do it yourself? I'm no DIY pro, but it's a pretty simple job that most people, even if they had to watch YouTube, could manage. £170 inc labour and parts seems about right to me regardless.

I’ve just paid a plumber £140 to fix a leak from the water tank. YABU

The last time I employed an electrician was 5 years ago and it was to put a 3 pin socket into where a washing machine had been hardwired. I was too scared to do it myself , silly. It cost me 70 pounds so I think what you have paid was very reasonable. If you had just wanted the tubes changed why did you not do that yourself? He has been extremely reasonable to return that amount to you.

Why did you call an electrician to replace a light bulb?

The price seems about right to be honest - call out, shop run, fitting. Just because it's a "small" job doesn't mean it didn't take him time and it's his time (and expertise) you're paying for.

Do it yourself next time if you don't want to pay.

The fact that he gave you money back tells me that he's decent and didn't want any more grief from you.

Seems to be the night on MN for posters who have a scorched earth policy in their dealings with other people! There is a difference between overpriced and a bill being more than you wanted to pay OP.

This.

Why would you ask AIBU if you are so clear in your own mind that you are not? The overwhelming consensus is that YABU and still you persist.

I don’t think he was far off with his £170 tbh! I don’t think he was trying to pull a fast one either.

You are totally out of order. You should give his money back.

I think his price was reasonable and you have cut your nose off to spite your face.

Work out his weekly costs ie wages, other employment costs, van, premises, insurance, fuel, certification, etc then divide it by the amount of time he spent on your job. (In total)

Probably not that different?

So if the OP required the same light bulb as your 'engineer' purchased x3 that's £90 just on the lights bulbs. Plus the screw fitting and oven light, so let's say that's £100 on materials (and that's without any mark up which he rightfully should add as he sourced the materials)
That leaves £70 for the electricians time to look at the job, then source materials and then complete the job, plus fuel to collect materials..... OP wasnt ripped off by any means

🤣🤣🤣🤣

YABU - why call out an electrician to change 3 bulbs when you could have done it yourself? The electrician asked if you wanted all 3 changed and you said yes! I think the electrician was the reasonable one here by coming back round to you with a refund - I think that shows honesty and goodwill in his part and definitely not the actions of someone who was out to fleece you. Very telling that he said do not call him again. You've lost a honest and hardworking tradesman and they are like gold dust.

Just checked our electrician’s last invoice: £70 for the first hour and £31 each hour thereafter, plus materials. So £101 for your job’s labour, leaving £69 on materials from your £170.

I’m confused with what you got materials-wise vs what you wanted, but I think you wanted a new oven bulb, say, £3, and 3 new fluorescent tubes at £15 each, so £48 all in, leaving an “overcharge” (in your opinion) of £21. And that £21 got you the full lighting system replaced, right? And you think you were overcharged?

What were you expecting to pay for qualified electrical labour?

Next time - be clear exactly what job you want done in advance & ask for a quote before they come out

If you can't do something yourself, you pay an expert to do it for you - yabu

Don't electricians usually charge by the hour? I'd never ask someone to do work unless they'd quoted first. I'd list all the jobs I needed doing and ask them roughly how much it would cost and then expect it to be roughly up to 10% more. Afraid that if you don't ask in advance you can't really complain when it's not the price you were mentally expecting.

Question is, what were you mentally expecting?

Maybe hire a handyman next time or do it yourself? You've basically paid a surgeon to do a HCA's job.

Oh you sound just as much of a moron as the OP does.