New - The things that really annoy you

[EpsomWolf]

I can just about understand it when it’s something very highly skilled and/or has very high overheads. Dentistry probably ticks all the boxes.

I nearly fell off my chair when opening a quote last week for the pollarding of 3 trees - £2184.

I mean ok, it’s skilled and dangerous work. There’ll be two people, a fee to offload the waste and a small fee for the application to the council. But in reality what’s that, a 2 grand profit for a days work? Really??. And all with minimal overheads.

Crazy.

 

[Keef]

Minimal overheads? Wages, public liability insurance which I’d guess Is quite high, you know chainsaws, working at height, trees falling down that sort of thing, equipment, fuel, van servicing, mot, insurance, fuel.
It was £600 a year liability insurance for me with a £5 million limit when I was fixing bikes regularly

 

[EpsomWolf]

Tbh those are minimal overheads. Completely incomparable to a business requiring premises with all the associated costs.

I’d be interested to know of professions or tradespersons with lower costs clearing that kind of money.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The insurance for a tree surgeon is pretty massive.

Check out emergency plumber hourly rates

 

[EpsomWolf]

A significant proportion of those costs are going to be offset as allowable expenses claims. I guess it’s about whether you think the margins are fair or are bothered if they’re not.

Others will know more about tradespersons hourly rates than me, but judging by quotes I’ve had on various things and talking to a couple of plumbers and a chippie I know (self-employed) I’m assuming they’re on around 100k pa. And yeah, those creaming it on call-outs etc can make a lot more than that it seems.

That’s what, two and a half times the average wage? I’m not looking to discredit the expertise of anyone and fair enough any business or sole trader has to make a profit, and of course there are all kinds of regional variations and so on, but I don’t think the sort of rates spoken about are justifiable on the basis of costs themselves, they are high-margin rates on the basis of opportunity.

I’m not necessarily blaming anyone for that as I’d likely (and have done) do the same, but even allowing for the rates of the other trades, looking to clear a grand or more a DAY isn’t half going some.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Supply and demand I guess. If no clients were prepared to pay, then they wouldn't have a business.

 

[AndyWolves]

Supply and demand I guess. If no clients were prepared to pay, then they wouldn't have a business.

Something i've wondered when hearing people complain about tradesmen not turning up. Is there such an imbalance between demand and supply that they can pick and choose the work they do?

 

[PuntsWolf]

Something i've wondered when hearing people complain about tradesmen not turning up. Is there such an imbalance between demand and supply that they can pick and choose the work they do?

I’m finding they are all hopeless at the minute, in all of a) turning up for a quote b) providing said quote afterwards and c) quote being something that isn’t ridiculously out of line with everyone else d) the one who comes and does the job not being a little bit shit.

Guess I should have waited for the people with 2 year waits I guess

 

[sycophantia]

Not enough tradesmen, too much work.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Something i've wondered when hearing people complain about tradesmen not turning up. Is there such an imbalance between demand and supply that they can pick and choose the work they do?

Probably, but those sort of arseholes just bounce around from job to job pissing people off. And with access to online reviews, Which Trusted Trader and so on you have to wonder why customers are contacting these wasters in the first place. They also play right into the hands of legitimate traders who know customers will pay a premium to avoid that crap with reliable, conscientious tradesmen.

In the end and I agreed £1700 with someone that had done good work here before but it made sense to get other quotes too. Those 3 similar-ish quotes would suggest that’s the going rate but even allowing for the supply and demand effect that still seems like a nice little earner to me.

I’m shit scared of heights but if I wasn’t and happened to be the right age and sat at home playing Xbox all day wondering which direction to go in I’d be off my arse and up for one of those tree surgery apprenticeships in a flash.

 

[The Bear]

Thankfully when it comes to tradesmen I play in a pool team full of them. I have a builder, joiner, roofer, and glazer.

And in our pub, the pool league and also the local snooker league in general I know plenty of electricians, plumbers, plasterers, decorators and window cleaners.

So I'm never short of advice or people to ask if I need anything doing and I know I'll usually get a fair price.

 

[machin05]

Tradesperson*

 

[The Bear]

Tradesperson*

No they're definitely all blokes.

 

[machin05]

They're people too

 

[AndyWolves]

Being able to "like" emails in Outlook - why is that a thing?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Being able to "like" emails in Outlook - why is that a thing?

Pretty useful to get people to acknowledge they've read it and understood it rather than having a dozen emails bouncing back saying "done" or "ok"

 

[AndyWolves]

Pretty useful to get people to acknowledge they've read it and understood it rather than having a dozen emails bouncing back saying "done" or "ok"

Good point, and now I realise I'm the twat for sending Thanks in an occasional email.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Pretty useful to get people to acknowledge they've read it and understood it rather than having a dozen emails bouncing back saying "done" or "ok"

Doesn't make any difference the way it's set up for us - I get an email from Outlook telling me someone has liked it so clutters up the inbox just the same.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Doesn't make any difference the way it's set up for us - I get an email from Outlook telling me someone has liked it so clutters up the inbox just the same.

Oh yeah, that defeats the object

We've got that turned off thankfully. There's a notification bell but you just clear it.

 

[AndyWolves]

Doesn't make any difference the way it's set up for us - I get an email from Outlook telling me someone has liked it so clutters up the inbox just the same.

I bet most of yours are laughing emojis anyway