How much is reasonable for a call-out charge these days?

Ubbquittious · 08-06-2018 08:22PM #1

No shortage of lads who seem to think they're entitled to be paid €100 to pull a washing machine out from the wall, gawk at it for a minute or two and say Ah sure it's fecked really. I could possibly fix it but it will cost at least half the cost of a new one

How much is reasonable? Bout 3 fiddy?

kneemos · 08-06-2018 08:24PM

Call out charges are a scam. Getting paid to go to work basically.

Signore Fancy Pants · 08-06-2018 08:26PM

This post has been deleted.

ygolometsipe · 08-06-2018 08:26PM

Ubbquittious wrote: »

No shortage of lads who seem to think they're entitled to be paid €100 to pull a washing machine out from the wall, gawk at it for a minute or two and say Ah sure it's fecked really. I could possibly fix it but it will cost at least half the cost of a new one

How much is reasonable? Bout 3 fiddy?

You shouldn't refer to your wife as a washing machine it's sexist.
I suppose if she got a got ****ing it's worth a few quid seeing as your not doing it yourself

Ubbquittious · 08-06-2018 08:28PM

kneemos wrote: »

Call out charges are a scam. Getting paid to go to work basically.

Maybe so but I can see how they become a necessary evil. If the washing machine lad doesn't charge he'll be like a blue arsed fly calling every biddy who wants to spend half an hour cribbing that the machine didn't quite get rid of the Guinness stain on her blouse

Donald Trump · 08-06-2018 08:31PM

Call out charge?

Depends on the mileage and services rendered and time needed.

We're talking about escorts right?

(Not the Ford type)

milehip · 08-06-2018 08:33PM

Ubbquittious wrote: »

kneemos wrote: »

Call out charges are a scam. Getting paid to go to work basically.

Maybe so but I can see how they become a necessary evil. If the washing machine lad doesn't charge he'll be like a blue arsed fly calling every biddy who wants to spend half an hour cribbing that the machine didn't quite get rid of the Guinness stain on her blouse

biddies don't drink Guinness,
they drink sherry,
medium dry,
just one mind,
two turns them into man-eating harlots.

SEPT 23 1989 · 08-06-2018 08:48PM

You would want to see the invoices for industrial machinery mishaps

greencap · 08-06-2018 08:49PM

got to consider the cost of the callout to the guy.

he's got the cost of the van, the insurance, the petrol, maintenance.
just to be available to come to you. before any business is conducted.

divide all that up by the number of jobs.

kneemos · 08-06-2018 08:55PM

greencap wrote: »

got to consider the cost of the callout to the guy.

he's got the cost of the van, the insurance, the petrol, maintenance.
just to be available to come to you. before any business is conducted.

divide all that up by the number of jobs.

Every business has overheads.

Conservatory · 08-06-2018 08:57PM

People think you have nothing better to do than drive out to there house in your tax and insured van full of tools with your tax and insured company with your qualifications and stand there chatting about whether they are interested in changing a set of taps or if they want to fix their capacitor on their tumble dryer themselves now that you told them what’s wrong with it.

I used to run around like an eejit as an apprentice delighted to be fixing things. This leads to people ringing you a year later saying their radiator isn’t heating in their sitting room and you changed a sink in the bathroom so it must have been you.

I’d want at least 60euro for the first hour I was in anybodies House now. After that I pick numbers depending on what I think is about fair. I’m not self employed though. Just the odd nixer when the job has no overtime going. Less hassle.

SCOOP 64 · 08-06-2018 08:57PM

greencap wrote: »

got to consider the cost of the callout to the guy.

he's got the cost of the van, the insurance, the petrol, maintenance.
just to be available to come to you. before any business is conducted.

divide all that up by the number of jobs.

yeah , but getting one customer to pay for it all in one call out charge.

o1s1n · 08-06-2018 09:07PM

kneemos wrote: »

Every business has overheads.

Driving out to someone's house, inspecting something and giving a diagnostic is not an overhead, it's working.

The amount people get for a call out might be in question, but they should get something. Nobody should work for free.

greencap · 08-06-2018 09:33PM

kneemos wrote: »

Every business has overheads.

and you want to make use of those overheads for free?

kneemos · 08-06-2018 09:35PM

greencap wrote: »

and you want to make use of those overheads for free?

I want to charge for work,not getting there.

_Brian · 08-06-2018 09:42PM

Your paying for the service of having someone who you can call add hoc to fix stuff..
You might only call once ever, twice in a month or whatever, this irrigularity of income is covered by a callout charge...

One previous maintenance job I was in we did on call...
I remember being called out on a Christmas eve at 9pm when i got there the guy was just too "merry" to use the equipment properly and there was nothing actually wrong bar one lever turned the wrong way. I was an hour getting there and another home, was there for 5 minutes. I was just an employee, I gave him an invoice for £75 (1996). He complained to my boss who said there was an error in the charge and reinvoiced for £100 which was eventually paid.

greencap · 08-06-2018 09:47PM

kneemos wrote: »

I want to charge for work,not getting there.

then don't call.

or, call and ask if theres a call out fee, see if you can find someone that doesn't charge the call out, good luck with that.

08-06-2018 10:03PM

Now if the education policy of this state, and the Hyacinth Bucket notions of so many people, could give as much dignity to the concept of trades, craftsmanship and skilled workmanship as they give to university education our society would benefit enormously from it. Where's pride in workmanship?

I've just finished gutting and renovating my entire house so this is raw. There's a massive dearth of skilled tradespeople in Ireland in 2018 - and no end to the number of chancers, cowboys and arrant buckos. And the tax evasion from tradespeople is unfúcking real. It is the norm. It's all cash in the hand until it gets to a certain level and they say "I better put some of it through the books" and then back to cash in the hand. And you're paying these cúnts cash from your income which is mostly taxed at 50% and they smile and say "Nothing like cold, hard cash". Bring on the bust!

And because we have no culture today of skills being nurtured/sufficient number of skilled tradesmen, you have very few options but to pay him as he wants. We, the Irish consumer, are the ones to suffer. Meanwhile loads of people leave universities with useless degrees but "social status". Crazy.

17larsson · 08-06-2018 10:13PM

kneemos wrote: »

I want to charge for work,not getting there.

So if he has four call outs in a day and is travelling for 3 hours of that day he should work 11 hours to get 8 hours pay?
You don't own a business anyway.

It's an economy thing as well. There is loads of good paying work at the moment. Your broken washing might be important to you but unless you can offer equal/more money than he's getting elsewhere the tradesman doesn't particularly care

Cupcake_Crisis · 08-06-2018 10:27PM

Depends on what you’re getting called out for really. Having a look at my washing machine? A cup of tea and a hearty handshake. Clearing my pipes? At least a bottle of lucazade and a standing appointment.

One eyed Jack · 08-06-2018 10:30PM

Ubbquittious wrote: »

No shortage of lads who seem to think they're entitled to be paid €100 to pull a washing machine out from the wall, gawk at it for a minute or two and say Ah sure it's fecked really. I could possibly fix it but it will cost at least half the cost of a new one

How much is reasonable? Bout 3 fiddy?

Depends really on the quality of service a person is willing to pay for, and the price a person thinks their service is worth.

Self-employment as a consultant can be a nightmare for this kind of stuff with no end of people breaking your balls because they think they're being shafted. The easiest way to deal with that sort of person was to simply say no, and concentrate on clients who understood the value of your time and expertise and didn't spend the whole time cribbing about how much they were being charged for the service.

damianch · 08-06-2018 10:40PM

Look for someone local enough. The plumber I use lives 10 minutes away, and as a result I know he isn't going to shaft me and he knows I will use him all the time. So far he has fixed boilers, changed pumps, leaks etc. If he calls out and there is a minor problem like the boiler not firing and he is in and out, he charges 25 euro. I think for example when he changed the pump and did some other stuff he charged €80 for time.

I think if its something like a washing machine thats stopped , I'd be looking at the age of it before I call anyone out or is it still in warranty. If it's a random guy you are ringing to come out I'd be asking what's the call out charge before hand. With the likes of a washing machine I'd be reluctant to pay anymore that €50 for a call out and diagnose. Because if its in need of a major part and another visit, it may not be worth replacing.

Del2005 · 08-06-2018 10:40PM

kneemos wrote: »

Every business has overheads.

So bring your item to the repairer instead of the calling them out.

I know a person who was a plumber. He'd have to charge €100 for a job to cover tax, insurance, van tax and commercial insurance, tools and make a living. He got out of the game when his competition were lads on the dole charging €50 cash in hand. No one calls the legitimate person because they charge too much and then complain when they get cowboys.

bucketybuck · 08-06-2018 10:44PM

Bunch of people too dumb to fix their own things complaining about how much they have to pay somebody else to come and do it for them.

Don't like callout charges? Then fix it yourself and stop crying for help.

damianch · 08-06-2018 10:44PM

Del2005 wrote: »

So bring your item to the repairer instead of the calling them out.

I know a person who was a plumber. He'd have to charge €100 for a job to cover tax, insurance, van tax and commercial insurance, tools and make a living. He got out of the game when his competition were lads on the dole charging €50 cash in hand. No one calls the legitimate person because they charge too much and then complain when they get cowboys.

It's just hard to justify a €100 call out for a dishwasher or something like that to find out its banjaxed, when you can get a new one for €200 in Powercity

jonon9 · 08-06-2018 10:51PM

damianch wrote: »

It's just hard to justify a €100 call out for a dishwasher or something like that to find out its banjaxed, when you can get a new one for €200 in Powercity

Blame the manufactures for making it cheaper to replace than to fix, they want you to buy new not fix old.

Also if the repair guy is running a legitimate business than his got to cover himself.

damianch · 08-06-2018 10:56PM

jonon9 wrote: »

Blame the manufactures for making it cheaper to replace than to fix, they want you to buy new not fix old.

Also if the repair guy is running a legitimate business than his got to cover himself.

Don't disagree, just stating the dilemma for the customer as to why they would be reluctant to pay above a certain point for a call out. It's all relative to the price of the goods being replaced. Same with cars

Conservatory · 08-06-2018 11:07PM

A call out charge is a taxi service for all the tools, expertise, insurance and qualifications you don’t have.

bucketybuck · 08-06-2018 11:09PM

damianch wrote: »

Don't disagree, just stating the dilemma for the customer as to why they would be reluctant to pay above a certain point for a call out.

Far more pertinent to the OP is the price point where the callout is worth it to the technician.

Because that is the real important factor, that technician isn't attending for the craic or because he is charitable, he is doing it because financially it is worth his time and effort.

And without a callout charge it probably isn't.

Temptamperu · 08-06-2018 11:16PM

Do you not know a plumber? Im a social retard but I still know a few plumbers.

damianch · 08-06-2018 11:23PM

bucketybuck wrote: »

Far more pertinent to the OP is the price point where the callout is worth it to the technician.

Because that is the real important factor, that technician isn't attending for the craic or because he is charitable, he is doing it because financially it is worth his time and effort.

And without a callout charge it probably isn't.

Thank god GPs on call don't work that way!

But in fairness , as I mentioned earlier, thats why I think getting to know someone local is the best bet. You can presume he isn't going to charge you for the 1 hour travel there, the 10mins looking at the washing machine, and the 1 hour drive home.

I know if I call my GP out on a house call it will be 80 euro no matter what and think thats standard in Ireland. But in general if you ring a plumber , no one seems to have a clue. It can vary from in my case €25 to diagnose something to presumably €100 plus .

How much is reasonable for a call-out charge these days?

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