Does this bill for installing an outside plug seem expensive

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Does this bill for installing an outside plug seem expensive

Garvos

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#298672 6-Jul-2022 14:50

Hi we recently had gas hot water installed all good with that. Had to have a sparky organized so we used one we had used in the past they seemed reasonable so where going to use them in other jobs too. They never turned up when the hot water was installed (COVID issues) so about a week later they turned up. They used about 10m of tps according to the invoice it was robably more like 5 at the most, I’m ok with that. And although I could probably have sourced all they bits a bit cheeper I get they probably put a mark up on the bits used, ok that is what it is. I just can’t believe how much it cost almost 800$ to T in to power just the other side of the wall run the cable threw upgrade the circuit breaker and it’s 5 hours labor total, does this whole job seem expensive is really all I’m trying to work out or am I over reacting? Coz in my mind I don’t see how this job is worth 800$ and the majority of people are just trying to make a living. I have blacked out names ect as I am fuming and don’t really know what to do.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

1770 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Subscriber

#2938845 6-Jul-2022 14:57

Nope seems responsible,

johno1234

2826 posts

Uber Geek

#2938848 6-Jul-2022 15:04

I think we paid similar for a similar job. Sometimes simple sounding jobs run into issues and become awkward. Had a plumber come round to install a water supply to a new fridge for ice/water. It looked very simple with good basement access and a water pipe very close below. In the end we discovered the original kitchen fireplace hearth (100yo house) was in the way so took an extra hour or so.

$65/hr for an apprentice though? Bloody hell, my son is a sparky apprentice and his training wage is under $18/hr and the government pays his firm $1000/month subsidy for taking him on. What a great way to make money!

John19612

69 posts

Master Geek

#2938863 6-Jul-2022 15:15

You shouldn’t pay the $28.75 for the CoC. This is a mandatory document based on mandatory testing that your labour charge has already paid for. They are double dipping, either discount the labour charge and charge separately for the CoC or drop the charge altogether.

mattwnz

20182 posts

Uber Geek

#2938864 6-Jul-2022 15:20

Did it need two people to do it? 5 hours of man time seems like a lot of time for just a socket and a run of wire and conduit. Guessing all surface mounted? Photos may help. The rates do seem quite high, especially for an apprentice.

Stu1

1770 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Subscriber

#2938871 6-Jul-2022 15:34

John19612: You shouldn’t pay the $28.75 for the CoC. This is a mandatory document based on mandatory testing that your labour charge has already paid for. They are double dipping, either discount the labour charge and charge separately for the CoC or drop the charge altogether.

Often supply of COC is charged now , I just recently paid $20 for it though not $28 . Sparky was 75 per hour apprentice $45 guess depends on each company

FineWine

2985 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Nurse (R)

Lifetime subscriber

#2938874 6-Jul-2022 15:40

I emailed my brother, who is a retired electrician, this Topic and he came back:

"Yes it is excessive , especially the apprentice rate and there should be no charge for the COC. I would have thought about $500 for the job."

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

itxtme

2102 posts

Uber Geek

#2938886 6-Jul-2022 16:04

Same thing cost me $406 September last year, but they didnt need to run 10m of cable back to the switch board, nor install the new switch circuit. You also get shafted on the apprentice cost, which depending on the job can be good and bad. When there's heaps of dumb jobs like installing fittings etc a cheap apprentice is great, but when they are standing around watching it does feel frustrating that for some reason you have to pay for them to be there.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Garvos

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2938891 6-Jul-2022 16:18

mattwnz:
Did it need two people to do it? 5 hours of man time seems like a lot of time for just a socket and a run of wire and conduit. Guessing all surface mounted? Photos may help. The rates do seem quite high, especially for an apprentice.

I’m not home to take photos but yes all surface mounted.

Handsomedan

7304 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2938916 6-Jul-2022 17:12

Yeah, I'd say it all feels just about justified, except the apprentice.

It almost feels like you've paid for two trades-people while only one has done the work - I just can't see how the two of them spent 2.5hrs actually physically working. One of them, maybe, but not both.

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

mattwnz

20182 posts

Uber Geek

#2938922 6-Jul-2022 17:23

A bit of a lesson perhaps to use an electrician who works for himself so you aren't paying for an apprentice on top, and to get an estimate or quote first? Many will do entire house builds themselves, and this small job sounds liek a simple bread and butter job for a single electrician. . LBP builders in my area charge $65 an hour, and that is with over a decade of experience and licensing. So $65 for an apprentice sounds very high. Maybe Auckland prices?

gregmcc

2151 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2938925 6-Jul-2022 17:35

John19612: You shouldn’t pay the $28.75 for the CoC. This is a mandatory document based on mandatory testing that your labour charge has already paid for. They are double dipping, either discount the labour charge and charge separately for the CoC or drop the charge altogether.

Yes a COC is a mandatory document, it is a legal document that by law the electrician has to produce on demand and store for 7 years, would you tell a lawyer that your not going to pay for legal documents they produce?

$28.75 is a reasonable charge, personally I would be putting more like $50 on it

semigeek

1606 posts

Uber Geek

#2938943 6-Jul-2022 18:37

Seems excessive to me, especially when I got my house rewired a couple of years ago for a bit over $2200 and the house is about 100sqm.

Jase2985

13467 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2938954 6-Jul-2022 19:08

semigeek:

Seems excessive to me, especially when I got my house rewired a couple of years ago for a bit over $2200 and the house is about 100sqm.

that is an absolute bargain so not really a relevant comparison

Batman

Mad Scientist
29773 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2938958 6-Jul-2022 19:25

i once questioned a big company on a few things and told them i timed them and their time is incorrect and they adjusted according to my time and not theirs.

you can question it with relevant information (eg CCTV video apprentice didn't do anything) and see what happens

YMMV

gregmcc

2151 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2938959 6-Jul-2022 19:29

Jase2985:

semigeek:

Seems excessive to me, especially when I got my house rewired a couple of years ago for a bit over $2200 and the house is about 100sqm.

that is an absolute bargain so not really a relevant comparison

I've priced up a new build (worked as an estimator for an electrical company) and for a small 3 bed house - $8-$10k, so $2k was is a steal

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5