Originally Posted by
Optimistic Nick
The thing is, sometimes even the trademen themselves don't really get it.
We had a bedroom carpet fitted a few years ago. I used a local company who sent out a fitter. I paid the company for the carpet, and £35 to the two fitters who came to put it down, arranged by the company. The fitters did a decent job and were tidy so I asked them if they did private work. They did. I ordered carpet for hall stairs and landing. Including the supply of the rods he quoted £55 to fit. I asked him how long it would take to do the hall stairs and landing. It would take two of them half a day, at least. I questioned why the cost wasn't more. He just said that's what he gets paid by the carpet companies so that's what he charges for private work.
Absolutely bonkers. £55 for a day's work?! I paid him £120. Still saved me a fortune as I could get hold of carpet and decent underlay a lot cheaper online, and he gets to earn a fair fee. He did admit afterwards that he was just starting out on private work and hadn't really thought about pricing much, but when I got him back in to quote a few years later for something else he did remember me and said he'd upped his charging and was still busy.