# Permits



## Teaspoon (Jan 10, 2009)

Some fellow in a barber shop last week i ran into. Asked if i would buy permit for a friend of his to wire mobile home. I said no i will not. He said oh this guy is a good electrician and is licensed in another State And is doing this job for a friend. I replied i am sure he is probably a good electrician, but I can not take responsability for work i did not do.
Some people just do not get it!


----------



## Cletis (Aug 20, 2010)

*?*

First of all, I thought mobile homes are pre-wired? Secondly, there should be no risk as we all know mobile homes never catch fire.


----------



## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Permit for a mobile home?

Maybe a permit for the service?


----------



## ceb58 (Feb 14, 2009)

Teaspoon said:


> Some fellow in a barber shop last week i ran into. Asked if i would buy permit for a friend of his to wire mobile home. I said no i will not. He said oh this guy is a good electrician and is licensed in another State And is doing this job for a friend. I replied i am sure he is probably a good electrician, but I can not take responsability for work i did not do.
> Some people just do not get it!


You were too polite.


----------



## Teaspoon (Jan 10, 2009)

jrannis said:


> Permit for a mobile home?
> 
> Maybe a permit for the service?


 
Clarification: ( Permit to build Service Entrance for Mobile Home.)


----------



## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

you should have lambasted him and then kicked his ass and said he attacked you.


----------



## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

Teaspoon said:


> Some fellow in a barber shop last week i ran into. Asked if i would buy permit for a friend of his to wire mobile home. I said no i will not. He said oh this guy is a good electrician and is licensed in another State And is doing this job for a friend. I replied i am sure he is probably a good electrician, but I can not take responsability for work i did not do.
> Some people just do not get it!



You did the right thing.:thumbsup:


----------



## chicagoremodeling (Apr 2, 2012)

He should just hire you instead of bringing that up!


----------



## wesleydnunder (Mar 19, 2012)

Chris1971 said:


> You did the right thing.:thumbsup:


+1

Mark


----------



## knowshorts (Jan 9, 2009)

Why are you in a barber shop? Have a chick cut your hair. Boobs on your chin while she's washing your hair. If you get a nice view, you remind her the bottle says "lather, rinse, repeat."


----------



## woodchuck2 (Sep 18, 2009)

Had a guy "total stranger" ask me once at the local hardware store " i got a buddy wiring my new garage, i was wondering if he could borrow a right angle drill and some bits" . My response "GOOD LUCK!!!"


----------



## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

woodchuck2 said:


> Had a guy "total stranger" ask me once at the local hardware store " i got a buddy wiring my new garage, i was wondering if he could borrow a right angle drill and some bits" . My response "GOOD LUCK!!!"


If by 'borrow", you mean "rent", then sure. There will be a $400 deposit and a $120 a day rental fee, you pick up or we deliver for $50 + $5per mile away from my office. Bits are $50 each.


----------



## Teaspoon (Jan 10, 2009)

woodchuck2 said:


> Had a guy "total stranger" ask me once at the local hardware store " i got a buddy wiring my new garage, i was wondering if he could borrow a right angle drill and some bits" . My response "GOOD LUCK!!!"


These people have no clue! We make our living doing electrical work.
Our license & tools are our lifeline.
They are so cheap! Don't want to pay us for our skills and work.
But always want pick your brain for free information.


----------



## yrman (Jun 12, 2011)

Where do people get the nerve... these stories kill me.
Can't wait to see more..... always good for a laugh.


----------



## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

I just love customers who think we will fully troubleshoot their circuit for the service fee. Sometimes we have service fees that are waived and I have had customers think that 'free estimate' means we will troubleshoot the circuit and then give a 'free estimate for the cost of repairs! Sure Ill spend an hour or so in your circuit for you to tell me thanks for the $50 estimate to repair bad connections to a plug but you will do it yourself! Some people boy! ​


----------



## yrman (Jun 12, 2011)

electrictim510 said:


> I just love customers who think we will fully troubleshoot their circuit for the service fee. Sometimes we have service fees that are waived and I have had customers think that 'free estimate' means we will troubleshoot the circuit and then give a 'free estimate for the cost of repairs! Sure Ill spend an hour or so in your circuit for you to tell me thanks for the $50 estimate to repair bad connections to a plug but you will do it yourself! Some people boy! ​


When people call for "estimates" to repair problems, I tell them sure....
I can send a licensed electrician in a fully stocked truck to your home and he will diagnose your problem for only $159. Once we determine the cause he can give you the exact cost for any repairs. If it is a minor issue such as a loose connection or a bad receptacle he will repair it for no additional charge. (there's your free estimate !)

We charge $59 to go out and do on site estimates (waived if we do the work) unless it sounds like a bigger job or it is a "lay down". If they lead with "I want a free estimate" I generally don't waive the fee because they are most likely price shoppers. Lots of times we waive it once we are there, but the fact that they are willing to pay lets us know they are serious about considering us.


----------



## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

yrman said:


> When people call for "estimates" to repair problems, I tell them sure....
> I can send a licensed electrician in a fully stocked truck to your home and he will diagnose your problem for only $159. Once we determine the cause he can give you the exact cost for any repairs. If it is a minor issue such as a loose connection or a bad receptacle he will repair it for no additional charge. (there's your free estimate !)
> 
> We charge $59 to go out and do on site estimates (waived if we do the work) unless it sounds like a bigger job or it is a "lay down". If they lead with "I want a free estimate" I generally don't waive the fee because they are most likely price shoppers. Lots of times we waive it once we are there, but the fact that they are willing to pay lets us know they are serious about considering us.


That is pretty much how we do it too, but sometimes my boss gets a 'feeling' or something that a customer will pay good 'they just dont want to pay us to show up'  So I try my best to accommodate this. Most of the time it still ends up to be an okay call but sometimes I want to make them choke on my meter leads. :laughing: Every once in a while I have to give my boss a hard time and let him know the reality of what he thinks a 'good paying customer' is.


----------



## yrman (Jun 12, 2011)

electrictim510 said:


> That is pretty much how we do it too, but sometimes my boss gets a 'feeling' or something that a customer will pay good 'they just dont want to pay us to show up'  So I try my best to accommodate this. Most of the time it still ends up to be an okay call but sometimes I want to make them choke on my meter leads. :laughing: Every once in a while I have to give my boss a hard time and let him know the reality of what he thinks a 'good paying customer' is.


Thats what happens when you let the boss answer the phone.


----------



## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

yrman said:


> Thats what happens when you let the boss answer the phone.


Here within the next month or two we will have a trained dispatch office answering the phone. I can't wait! I love my boss, we are good friends, but sometimes he is overenthusiastic about certain calls.


----------



## yrman (Jun 12, 2011)

electrictim510 said:


> Here within the next month or two we will have a trained dispatch office answering the phone. I can't wait! I love my boss, we are good friends, but sometimes he is overenthusiastic about certain calls.


Will you be adding a dispatch person to your company or outsourcing this? I didn't know that was possible but if it is, would love to hear more about it.


----------



## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

yrman said:


> Will you be adding a dispatch person to your company or outsourcing this? I didn't know that was possible but if it is, would love to hear more about it.


Kind of both. We are outsourcing it to another company that we work closely with that has a dispatch office already. they have down-sized a bit and we are growing. So we are splitting the cost of their dispatchers. There are companies that do outsourced dispatching, but unless you have at least a half dozen service techs that are being kept busy then the numbers won't match up well. Well worth the headaches you will save yourself though. It is giving my boss more time to be a salesman (which he is better at than dispatching) and less of a phone answerer.


----------



## MrsElectric (Aug 12, 2011)

electrictim510 said:


> I just love customers who think we will fully troubleshoot their circuit for the service fee. Sometimes we have service fees that are waived and I have had customers think that 'free estimate' means we will troubleshoot the circuit and then give a 'free estimate for the cost of repairs! Sure Ill spend an hour or so in your circuit for you to tell me thanks for the $50 estimate to repair bad connections to a plug but you will do it yourself! Some people boy!​


We have been struggling with this. One commercial company in town calls often for estimates and exacly as you said once we diagnose the issue their handy man or someone else fixes it?! 

We get some work but I would rather them aggrivate someone else!

Just got a call yesterday, parking lot lights not working. They want a bid? 
I know they have already called other ECs to look at it.

Going to tell them that is service work T&M. 

I would love to tell them where to go but they just merged with another company who is great to work for and I don't want to loose them. Grrr.


----------



## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

MrsElectric said:


> We have been struggling with this. One commercial company in town calls often for estimates and exacly as you said once we diagnose the issue their handy man or someone else fixes it?!
> 
> We get some work but I would rather them aggrivate someone else!
> 
> ...


I quote bulb/ballast kit for each fixture out and submit a change order for anything outside of that scope that may need to be done since it is typically bulbs and ballasts that is the problem.

Just make sure your estimate is written well enough so that you cover your ass but does not look like you are excluding everything (even though you pretty much are ).


----------



## MrsElectric (Aug 12, 2011)

At this property it is usually a bad contactor or photo eye.

I want to fix it on the spot since we have the material needed on the truck. At one point we were allowed to do this, now with new management they want us (and probably 3 other electricians) to figure out the problem, submit a bid and then thay have to get approval!?

Bidding war on something that will cost $125 or so. Really?

Well they are cheap but this is a waste of time!


----------

