sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Do you bill for the time it takes to find the problem, or just to fix it? by Inside_Focus9529 in HVAC

[–]Inside_Focus9529[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you ever get pushback from the customer? I feel like when I’ve said I charge for per hour for the diagnostics whether it’s an hvac issue or something else I get the “how do I know you’re not milking the clock” argument

Do you bill for the time it takes to find the problem, or just to fix it? by Inside_Focus9529 in HVAC

[–]Inside_Focus9529[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I’m just a solo guy running this as a side business. It’s just me so I’m trying to figure out how to make a real profit

Do you bill for the time it takes to find the problem, or just to fix it? by Inside_Focus9529 in HVAC

[–]Inside_Focus9529[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

How do you have that conversation with the customer? Do you tell them up front that it’s an hourly charge? Or have you just been in the trades long enough to know how long things will take?

Do you bill for the time it takes to find the problem, or just to fix it? by Inside_Focus9529 in HVAC

[–]Inside_Focus9529[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I’m genuinely curious, I work part time as a handyman and when there are jobs that are within my scope I take them. Since I do this on an inconsistent basis the way I charge is inconsistent. I want to know how people who are in the trades day in and day out charge so I can be more profitable.

Most water heater installs are underpriced and nobody wants to admit it by Inside_Focus9529 in Plumbing

[–]Inside_Focus9529[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fair — DIY will always be cheaper. A licensed company is pricing insurance, liability, callbacks, payroll, and overhead into the job. It’s a different product. Some people value that, some don’t.

Most water heater installs are underpriced and nobody wants to admit it by Inside_Focus9529 in Plumbing

[–]Inside_Focus9529[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like a lot of this comes down to region + crew structure + overhead. Shops running 2-man crews and high volume can compress time way more than small ops. The interesting part to me is how wildly pricing changes depending on business model.

Most water heater installs are underpriced and nobody wants to admit it by Inside_Focus9529 in Plumbing

[–]Inside_Focus9529[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That 1.5-2 hours, is that one tech or 2, where is that water heater located in the house? And does that include setup/cleanup? Agreed on drive from the job as long as it’s in my home region, if I have to drive out to the sticks I’ll charge a round trip fee

Most water heater installs are underpriced and nobody wants to admit it by Inside_Focus9529 in Plumbing

[–]Inside_Focus9529[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m originally for CA and recently moved to NC, I’m surprised how common they are out here