Why Electricians Charge So Much - Are They A Rip Off

It's common for people to put off calling an electrician because they have the impression there is a rip off.

I'm not sure where it came from as there are cowboy tradesmen everywhere that rip customers off for the work they do.

They leave peoples properties in a dangerous condition, it's not just in the electrical trade.

I believe there is a reason for the rumour and stereotype of electricians being a rip off.

In this podcast I'm going to explain why electricians charge what they do and the reasons for it.

Along with me understanding why customers may see it this way.

Tool box talk for electricians, helping electricians reduce stress, gain back time and earn more money.

Hello once again and welcome back to tool box talks for electricians podcast.

Electricians have a bad reputation in the trade as being rip offs.

I will admit that some electricians are, but just as much as some plumbers, builders and any other tradesman out there.

I have been called a rip off a few times, however its never stopped the customer going ahead and getting the work done.

Good qualified electricians are needed. Giving the customer a quote for the work they want doing is always the best idea from the beginning.

For example a kitchen refurb.

Its not always the case that the existing cabling can be used, especially if its an old house and the kitchen ring is on the same circuit as the rest of the house.

I would prefer to install a brand new circuit to that kitchen and all the appliances, then when im done, I know everything is 100% safe and will continue to work long after i have left.

But because there was a few sockets and a cooker supply in the old kitchen to start with, the customer doesn't see the need for anything else.

Just join the cables and add a few extra sockets - that's what they see in their head.

Not to mention the regulations of RCD protection. If a property doesn't have a modern fuse board, that's going to need upgrading and add another £500 at least on the job.

These things an electrician knows and this is what we are trained to advise.

If you imagine getting a builder to take down a wall. Easy - knock the wall down and make good.

What if they didnt put the proper size RSJ in? The building started to move overtime.

Cracking all the plastering work and eventually failing and bringing the side of the house down.

Its because the customer can see the benefit of a wall coming out, the room is bigger and they can use the space.

A socket is a socket, you plug your tumble dryer in and it works.

A customer doesn't care about the right size cable, the cable runs in proper routes and is fixed, selected and terminated for the correct appliance.

So paying 5k to have a wall knocked down is value for money, but £500 for a few extra sockets is a rip off.

Many customers make a joke of an electrician charging a lot of money, when others are shocked when they get the invoice.

When running your own electrical business the best way is to be upfront and honest every time.

If the £200 job is going to turn into £250 - let the customer know before you go ahead and finish. Also be able to explain to the customer why.

I have heard stories from customers of work they have had done by an electrician, only to go over and take a look and find out nothing had been changed.

The most common is where an electrician tells the customer they replaced all the wiring to the sockets.

After taking one off and seeing Red & Black cable I could tell they had been ripped off, unless that electrician had a drum of 10 year old cable on his van and managed to not lift any floorboards, then fill, sand and paint the chase in the wall all in the same day he was a complete cowboy.

It winds me up when this happens, it gives all the good electricians a bad name.

If you google how much an electrician charges an hour, you will see between £30 to £60 an hour.

This isn't what goes into an electrician's pocket.

The costs that electricians have running a professional electrical business will surprise you.

This is all detailed in another podcast “How Much Does It Cost To Work As A Self Employed Electrician?”

So many electricians charge different prices.

A lot of the time it doesn't mean you will get a better job from the more expensive quote.

There are jobs I have been to before and been told the other electricians who have quoted. Some I knew and know that they are fantastic sparks.

The customer did say to me that I was the most expensive too. I was completely honest and told him that I went to college with one of the other electricians and he was fantastic.

The only reason I was more expensive was because it was a relatively small job and for me to be able to fit it in around everything else I needed to charge a lot.

I still go the job…..

The thing is at the moment, if a new customer does not accept the quote, there will always be an existing customer who is more than happy to pay me that rate.

So really I didn't need the work at that time.

The position I'm in now with work didn't happen overnight. It took years to build up.

So many customers I have worked for have come and gone. Along with many that I still see today for jobs all the time.

Being told your rip off as an electrician has become a bit of a joke. It doesn't matter how much you charge, if you're not getting paid - you're not going to do it.

The years electricians have spent in college, the lessons we have learnt along the way have earned us the right to be able to turn up to a job and charge for switching a breaker on.

9 times out of 10 the customer could have done it over the phone, but they didn't want to - they called you.

It's confusing sometimes when you ask for payment and the customer looks confused.

We don't do this for fun! It's for a living.

Electricians may have a stereotypical reputation of being a rip off, but we also have a great reputation as heroes.

I'm not exaggerating either.

All the lessons as an electrician I have learnt over 20 years I am slowly downloading inside the tool box talk for electricians group.

Electrical tips

Business tips

Mistakes to avoid

So jump on over and join in. You may learn some good bits from me and I am always learning from others in the group too.

I will leave a link in the show notes.

Until next time.