Does this seem reasonable? Electrical quote

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richms

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#2898084 7-Apr-2022 13:18

elpenguino:

I'm enquiring with small businesses about various products and services at the moment and based on what is returned as a quote, I think the thing many of them suffer from is a low level of office tools and automation. I speculate they simply can't itemise the required labour and materials from multiple suppliers into a presentable format.

Then they should give up and leave the industry to competent people that can automate. Get with the times or get out of the way.

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tchart

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#2898088 7-Apr-2022 13:35

elpenguino:

I speculate they simply can't itemise the required labour and materials from multiple suppliers into a presentable format.

Well I dont know how true that is. The person who quoted wouldve had to have a think and said well okay its going to be X hours plus Y materials. The materials are mostly known except those things that are charged per metre etc. Normal practise when quoting for materials charged "per" is to over estimate - I need 25m length of conduit instead of 20m.

Its not really that hard.

elpenguino

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#2898114 7-Apr-2022 13:56

I'm not saying they don't know how much the materials and labour cost, I'm saying maybe they can't show that without giving you the scrap of paper they used to work it out.

Considering your one man band is an electrician not a software developer, how does he/she do an itemised quote quickly and error free?

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

tchart

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#2898121 7-Apr-2022 14:16

elpenguino: Considering your one man band is an electrician not a software developer, how does he/she do an itemised quote quickly and error free?

Not sure where you got the one man band from. The quote I got is from a company that has multiple electricians.

Everything has been automated including scheduling the callout (for the quote), the quotation, the billing etc.

So I dont think its unreasonable to expect an itemised quote. They advertise their rates and say that materials is charged at RRP by their supplier.

Having re-read the reviews I can see Im not the only one to have encountered this issue with them (incl overcharging for materials).

Jase2985

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#2898124 7-Apr-2022 14:22

https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/guide-to-buying-smart/quotes-and-estimates/

The quotes or estimates should show:

what work will be done
any other costs, eg materials
the hourly rate for the person or people doing the work
how long the work will take.

How do you as a the person contracting the work know whats being done if it is not stipulated on the quote

if they install 5 power points instead of 7 you have no idea what work they have quoted you to do and what amount of materials they are charging you for.

elpenguino

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#2898134 7-Apr-2022 14:55

tchart:

elpenguino: Considering your one man band is an electrician not a software developer, how does he/she do an itemised quote quickly and error free?

Not sure where you got the one man band from. The quote I got is from a company that has multiple electricians.

Everything has been automated including scheduling the callout (for the quote), the quotation, the billing etc.

So I dont think its unreasonable to expect an itemised quote. They advertise their rates and say that materials is charged at RRP by their supplier.

Having re-read the reviews I can see Im not the only one to have encountered this issue with them (incl overcharging for materials).

Well, I omitted to type the word 'average' so I was not speaking specifically about your quote but more generally.

Now you state they charge materials at RRP , I see you can't confirm this or anything else without detail.

If every other business function is automated, the cynic in me suggests they like to quote high to make it well worth their while and they avoid detail so you can't easily compare their offer.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

xpd

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#2898137 7-Apr-2022 15:03

Please name the company so we can all avoid their "quotes" :)

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Handle9

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#2898140 7-Apr-2022 15:06

tchart:
elpenguino: Considering your one man band is an electrician not a software developer, how does he/she do an itemised quote quickly and error free?

Not sure where you got the one man band from. The quote I got is from a company that has multiple electricians.

Everything has been automated including scheduling the callout (for the quote), the quotation, the billing etc.

So I dont think its unreasonable to expect an itemised quote. They advertise their rates and say that materials is charged at RRP by their supplier.

Having re-read the reviews I can see Im not the only one to have encountered this issue with them (incl overcharging for materials).

RRP in the electrical industry is a farce. Discounts for TPS are often greater than 80% and bear no relationship to the market price.

At this point I’d say to them their quote isn’t fit for purpose and you won’t be paying for it. It’s unreasonable for a competent contractor to refuse to itemise a paid quote. If that’s their policy that’s too bad for them.

richms

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#2898143 7-Apr-2022 15:10

Handle9:

RRP in the electrical industry is a farce. Discounts for TPS are often greater than 80% and bear no relationship to the market price.

At this point I’d say to them their quote isn’t fit for purpose and you won’t be paying for it. It’s unreasonable for a competent contractor to refuse to itemise a paid quote. If that’s their policy that’s too bad for them.

97% discount on TPS I once saw on some slightly weird one that had a $30 a meter "Trade" price listed.

Richard rich.ms

tchart

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#2898153 7-Apr-2022 15:55

xpd:

Please name the company so we can all avoid their "quotes" :)

I was holding off doing this but Ive given them a chance and they arent willing to front up so its time to name them.

The company in question is JMAC Electrical in Wellington.

Ive left my thoughts on Google maps and No Cowboys. Im sure nothing will come of it but in hindsight I should not have entertained the notion of paying for a quote. Most of the reviews are positive but there are also plenty that mention over charging for labour and materials.

Might contact Fair Go as well.

Handle9

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#2898155 7-Apr-2022 16:00

tchart:
xpd:

Please name the company so we can all avoid their "quotes" :)

I was holding off doing this but Ive given them a chance and they arent willing to front up so its time to name them.

The company in question is JMAC Electrical in Wellington.

Ive left my thoughts on Google maps and No Cowboys. Im sure nothing will come of it but in hindsight I should not have entertained the notion of paying for a quote. Most of the reviews are positive but there are also plenty that mention over charging for labour and materials.

Might contact Fair Go as well.

Being expensive isn’t the same as being a scam so I don’t really see how fair go would be interested. They aren’t behaving wildly outside industry norms. There are a few different ways to price jobs and small jobs often get weird quotes.

They did tell you they’d charge you for a quote, the unreasonable part is the failure to quantify their quote. Just don’t pay them and tell them why.

tchart

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#2898208 7-Apr-2022 17:50

@Handle9 I didn’t say it was a scam. However the facts are that they advertise their rates and state they sell material at RRP. So either they are either charging for hours they don’t provide or are marking up materials insanely.

I know it’s not unreasonable to clip the ticket on materials but to refuse to itemise a quote seems pretty suspicious. If the quote had been a reasonable figure then there aren’t going to be questions about how the figure was arrived at.

When 1 + 1 = 5 then someone is cheating. It may not be illegal but it’s certainly not okay.

I strongly suspect the reason they charge for quotes has to do with no one accepting their ridiculous quotes and going elsewhere.

Handle9

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#2898211 7-Apr-2022 17:56

tchart: @Handle9 I didn’t say it was a scam. However the facts are that they advertise their rates and state they sell material at RRP. So either they are either charging for hours they don’t provide or are marking up materials insanely.

I know it’s not unreasonable to clip the ticket on materials but to refuse to itemise a quote seems pretty suspicious. If the quote had been a reasonable figure then there aren’t going to be questions about how the figure was arrived at.

When 1 + 1 = 5 then someone is cheating. It may not be illegal but it’s certainly not okay.

I strongly suspect the reason they charge for quotes has to do with no one accepting their ridiculous quotes and going elsewhere.

As I posted above RRP in the electrical industry is a joke. RRP for 2.5mm TPS might be $50 a metre but you can probably buy it at Bunnings for $2.50 or $3 a metre - sorry I don't know the real prices anymore, I haven't been in NZ for a few years.

Dratsab

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#2898330 7-Apr-2022 20:48

Jase2985:

https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/guide-to-buying-smart/quotes-and-estimates/

The quotes or estimates should show:

what work will be done
any other costs, eg materials
the hourly rate for the person or people doing the work
how long the work will take.
How do you as a the person contracting the work know whats being done if it is not stipulated on the quote

if they install 5 power points instead of 7 you have no idea what work they have quoted you to do and what amount of materials they are charging you for.

@tchart - having read through this thread, I'd have to agree with the above position, and that of everyone else saying to dispute the $150 payment. In my (completely non-legal) view they haven't provided you with a quote, they've provided you with a number which may or may not bear a reasonable relationship to the work you want done. To my way of thinking, if they aren't providing a breakdown of costs, they aren't providing a quote. There's various sources on the internet which list what a quote is, what you tell us you've been provided does not fit into that criteria.

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