Pay for plumber's time to shop for basic materials?

Ruski

Day off ill = £0
Day holiday = £0

There's more to being self employed that you obviously believe - mainly a lack of the 'perks' that most employed people enjoy.

Russ

bsod

day off shopping £520

I'm well aware of the downsides, but that's your choice, and you get the freedom to choose and do what you want, when you want, and go into hiding when a customer calls back with a problem - but not carrying a bit of pipe on the van because you can get away with charging an extra hour to go fetch it is taking the xx.

Any sensible person would carry the stock, adjust their prices, and go home 90 minutes earlier with a fuller tank of diesel, all assuming it wasn't really a pretend game of nothing on the van sir. Pipe is not an obscure part for a plumber.

sniggings

bsod wrote: »

day off shopping £520

I'm well aware of the downsides, but that's your choice, and you get the freedom to choose and do what you want, when you want, and go into hiding when a customer calls back with a problem - but not carrying a bit of pipe on the van because you can get away with charging an extra hour to go fetch it is taking the xx.

Any sensible person would carry the stock, adjust their prices, and go home 90 minutes earlier with a fuller tank of diesel, all assuming it wasn't really a pretend game of nothing on the van sir. Pipe is not an obscure part for a plumber.

and get the repeat business, no chance the OP is calling this guy back!

tonyh66

a plumber not carrying pipe and a selection of fittings in the van is taking the mickey, all the plumbers I have employed have turned up in a van full to the roof with stuff.

missprice

tonyh66 wrote: »

a plumber not carrying pipe and a selection of fittings in the van is taking the mickey, all the plumbers I have employed have turned up in a van full to the roof with stuff.

Usually true, I know OHs van was always full to the nth degree. However this stuff does get used on jobs and you simply don't always have exactly what is needed in the van.
Again when is the trade to go shopping for " your" materials.

Plus, as with OH, all plumbers are not only plumbers, they are also ( again in OHs case) gas engineer, heating and ventilation, electrician, refrigeration, etc engineers. Would need a bloody big van to carry just the basics for all these trades.

Its also a lot of money sat in a van potentially doing nothing for weeks at a time.
Who will pay the increased insurance etc?

dacouch

So in my teenage years, the films I watched with the plumbers with the big mustaches had charged the housewife for going to the plumbers merchant before the film started. It also sounds like they were also charging for their other service as well.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the seventies bush.

Dan-Dan

Confused? , any trade i know , knows the jobs for the day/week , and accordingly is down perkins or jewsons first thing stocking up for the day/week , should the trade have forgotten the part required , going to get it wouldnt normally be charged for

glentoran99

Ive never had a job done where I didn't get the price up front, this "wait and see how long it takes" isn't for me

casper_g

glentoran99 wrote: »

Ive never had a job done where I didn't get the price up front, this "wait and see how long it takes" isn't for me

Same here.

southcoastrgi

tomorrow i'm gonna say, here's a list of the stuff i need for YOUR JOB pop on down to the merchant & pick it up while i have my lunch break, I'm sure you will find someway to get 3m of copper in your car