A new way to figure minimum charge. Minimum charge $10. Travel fee $200. I'm surprised the big box stores haven't thought of it. 
Minimum charge
- Thread starter Floorist
- Start date
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How about $0 minimum charge, and a $200 threshold crossing fee?
I'm a wimp when it comes to min charges. I know most of everyone I work for, so it's hard for me to charge them $75-100 for a 15-30 minute job. I charge myself out at $45 per hour for miscellaneous work, so I just go but that. The way I see it, is they're more likely to call me back for future work if I don't hit them up for a bigger minimum. I'm comfy with it anyway.
Small communities run a little different, in my book anyway.
Small communities run a little different, in my book anyway.
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$125 here, but that's reserved for a total job......... bathroom installation with little or no prep, small bedroom in carpet etc.
Installing a piece of metal or something tiny like that isn't in my 'minimum' category, .............$35 to $75 depending on how complex, the distance and time involved.
Installing a piece of metal or something tiny like that isn't in my 'minimum' category, .............$35 to $75 depending on how complex, the distance and time involved.
Minimum here is $50. That's what most trades charge. HVAC guys get $65, but they are in short supply. Most of the handyman types charge $35-$40. The average wage here is around $8 an hour. Most of the area is at around 11% unemployment, so customers will just live with something wrong if it costs too much to fix it. Sometimes you just have to accept that $50 is better than nothing. I have done a 15 minute repair for $40, heck that's $160 an hour.
I think most everyone is $75-$100 here. That would cover the 1st hour. Mileage is added on.
Daris
Daris
If I drive to pick up the carpet at the warehouse, deliver it to the jobsite, unpack the carpet pad, my tools, install the carpet, vacuum it, reload my tools, take scraps back to warehouse and dump them, then I'm gonna use up a half day no mater how easy the install...... so that's why I charge $125 for my minimum. I also reserve that so called "minimum" for an install, not for a repair.
I do those cheap like you do if its a simple 15 or 30 minute job. My "minimums" bounce all over depending on 15m, 30m,or an hour's work. Lets see, am I working for a doctor, or the VP of Boeing? .........or for a little old lady on food stamps? ...makes a difference, because I am a profiler.
If I drive to pick up the carpet at the warehouse, deliver it to the jobsite, unpack the carpet pad, my tools, install the carpet, vacuum it, reload my tools, take scraps back to warehouse and dump them, then I'm gonna use up a half day no mater how easy the install...... so that's why I charge $125 for my minimum. I also reserve that so called "minimum" for an install, not for a repair.
I do those cheap like you do if its a simple 15 or 30 minute job. My "minimums" bounce all over depending on 15m, 30m,or an hour's work. Lets see, am I working for a doctor, or the VP of Boeing? .........or for a little old lady on food stamps? ...makes a difference, because I am a profiler.
No way I would install a job for $50, but repairs, yes.
Lets see, am I working for a doctor, or the VP of Boeing? .........or for a little old lady on food stamps? ...makes a difference, because I am a profiler.
snicker......or also called class warfare.
What about equality? Your unfairly taxing the rich because they are rich. Maybe a discount for seniors and military.
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snicker......or also called class warfare.
Maybe a discount for seniors and military.
unfairly taxing the rich 'cause they expect perfection, so I put in super duper effort instead of just super effort.
.............and rich people also know other rich people
The shop I work for bids work at $650 a day for journeyman with a minimum (trip charge) at $350.
Minimum is $350, or a minimum trip charge is $350?
I'm not understanding the (trip charge) as it's written.
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I use those terms interchangeably. When a customer wants a man to come out for less than a day's work it's considered a "trip charge" because basically you're covering that guys travel expenses and guaranteeing him half a days wages even if there's only a few minutes of actual work. When I worked in the NYC local you had to pay 7 hours just for showing up. There was no such thing as half a days pay.
Our contract requires the shop to pay no less than 4 hours if a man is scheduled for work that day. If I do multiple jobs, 3-4 for example in an 8-hour day they only have to pay me for the 8 I actually work. Today's little repair took an hour an a half, not including an hour and half drive time. I'll charge 4.
If I run over and do a half hours work on a site and then go directly to another site I'm paid from the time I get there to the time I arrive at the second site on that work ticket. So it could be just an hour or even less on occasion but they most likely still charge the $350 minimum-------obviously they can negotiate that down for special circumstances. You don't make out in the long run gouging people for nickels and dimes.
For example, an apprentice would normally get shuffled over to cover little "pick-up" work for regular clients and little or no extra charge--------in other words it just gets rolled into the contract. Only when customers are being pricks, screwing us and initiating the nickel and dime BS would we then go balls to the wall and slam them for every freaking stupid minute of our time that they waste.
No one wins those games but we're not about to bend over and................need I say more?
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Most of the repairs I get are 30 min to an hour long residential. Won't get many at $350 for people making $8 an hour.
We are in a whole different world than some of you. I saw a local real estate ad here yesterday. 2 different livable houses for $15,000. Many nice houses for $50,000 or less. Sometimes it's like we are in a different country.
Very similar here Rusty. The housing isn't quite that bad, but the hourly wage isn't far off minimum for quite a few folks. Similar to your area, the unemployment rate is 16.4%. Hoping for some improvement soon.
Nick
In Remembrance
the actual unemployment rate is 18% . Don't let them bulls^%t you.
But...but wait...! I thought the guy at the top told us about the big "Change" coming. This wasn't exactly what I expected!
Sure, you give the IRS all the bills and you keep the change.
