The price of a tradesman's intervention is not decided only by the number of minutes spent with a tool in the hand.
For simple, standardised jobs the price is relatively easy to define in advance. With faults, diagnostics and interventions on existing installations the situation is more complex, because the real scope of the work can often be established only after an inspection on the spot.
That is why it is useful to understand what actually goes into the price of one intervention.
The call-out
Every intervention starts with coming to the address.
A call-out covers the time needed to get there, the use of the vehicle, the fuel, depreciation and the organisation of working time.
That is why the visit is a separate cost, regardless of whether the repair itself takes ten minutes or several hours.
By separating the call-out from the price of the work the calculation stays clear: the visit is paid for once, and the jobs carried out are charged according to what was actually done.
Diagnostics
With many faults the biggest part of the job is not replacing the faulty part but establishing what is really wrong.
The symptom the user notices does not have to point directly to the cause.
A water heater that does not heat, for example, can have a faulty element, thermostat, thermal cut-out, electrical connection or another problem. Weaker water flow can be the result of the tap, a filter, a valve, the pipework or the pressure in the system.
Diagnostics can involve:
- a visual inspection;
- measurement;
- testing individual components;
- dismantling;
- a test run;
- the use of a specialised instrument or equipment.
Simply stating a fault usually does not require diagnostics to be charged separately. But if establishing the cause takes time, measurement or dismantling, then that is expert work too.
The job itself
Once the problem has been established, the work is carried out.
The price depends on the kind of job, its complexity, the time needed and the conditions it is done in.
Replacing an easily accessible valve and replacing the same valve in a cramped space, behind a kitchen unit or on a worn-out installation are not the same job, even though on the bill both can be reduced to the words „valve replacement“.
That is why the price does not depend only on the name of the operation, but also on the real conditions it is done in.
Responsibility and risk
Not all jobs of the same duration carry the same weight either.
There is a difference between fitting a simple bracket to a wall and working on a pressurised water pipe or an electrical installation.
With some jobs a mistake can cause:
- a flood;
- damage to equipment or furniture;
- a fire;
- an electric shock;
- damage to a shared installation;
- considerably greater subsequent damage.
The price of the work therefore also carries the degree of professional responsibility that the particular job involves.
Tools and equipment
A tradesman's work cannot be looked at separately from the equipment it is done with.
Basic hand tools are a normal business cost, but there are interventions that require expensive or specialised equipment:
- machines for unblocking drains;
- cameras for pipe inspection;
- thermal imaging cameras;
- measuring instruments;
- detectors;
- press tools;
- chasing and drilling machines;
- specialised ladders and other access equipment.
That equipment has a purchase price, maintenance costs, consumable parts and a limited working life.
That is why a job requiring a specialised machine cannot be charged in the same way as work that needs only basic hand tools.
Materials
Materials are, whenever possible, charged separately from the work.
That lets the client see clearly what has been paid for as a service and what as material installed.
Materials can include:
- spare parts;
- fittings;
- valves;
- cables;
- conductors;
- hoses;
- sealing material;
- fixing material;
- small consumables.
With some jobs small consumables can be included in the price of the service, while with larger quantities or more expensive parts they are shown separately.
The time that is not seen on site
The client usually sees only the time the tradesman spent in the flat or the shop.
But one intervention can also involve:
- taking the call and assessing the problem;
- planning the necessary tools and materials;
- a trip to the supplier;
- obtaining the right part;
- the journey to the address;
- parking and unloading the equipment;
- going back for additional material if an unforeseen problem is discovered;
- cleaning up and packing the equipment after the work;
- issuing the bill and keeping records.
That is why fifteen minutes of the repair itself does not necessarily mean the whole intervention lasted fifteen minutes.
Accessibility of the workplace
Conditions on site can change the scope of a job significantly.
The price can be affected by:
- a cramped space;
- the need to dismantle furniture or other equipment;
- working at height;
- difficult access to the installation;
- the need to protect the space;
- no possibility of parking nearby;
- carrying tools a long way from the vehicle to the workplace;
- working in a building where the water or the electricity cannot be switched off normally.
Such conditions do not necessarily change the kind of repair, but they do change the time, the complexity and the risk of carrying it out.
The urgency of the intervention
An emergency intervention is not simply the same job at a different time of day.
It means the tradesman has to be available, arrange the visit without the usual planning and often interrupt other work or private commitments.
That is why an emergency call-out is charged separately from the work itself.
A burst pipe, a large leak, sewage backing up or a dangerous electrical fault can require an immediate reaction, but the price of the job itself still depends on what has to be done on the spot.
Why is a short job sometimes not a cheap job?
One of the most common misunderstandings arises when a repair takes a very short time.
If an experienced tradesman recognises a fault and fixes it in five minutes, that does not mean the service is worth only five minutes of physical work.
For those five minutes to be possible, the following were needed beforehand:
- knowledge;
- experience;
- the right tools;
- a correct diagnosis;
- coming to the address;
- taking responsibility for the job done.
On the other hand, a job taking a long time is not in itself proof of its value either.
A good calculation therefore does not reward slow work, it tries to give a realistic value to the particular job and the conditions it was done in.
Why is a price list important all the same?
None of this means that the price of a tradesman's services should be arbitrary.
Quite the opposite.
For standard jobs it is possible to define clear prices or price ranges, so that the client has an idea of the cost in advance.
When there are circumstances that change the price, they should be explainable and verifiable.
The aim of a good price list is not to foresee every possible fault, it is to provide a consistent way of charging.
The client should be able to understand:
- how much the visit costs;
- what has been charged as work;
- what is material;
- whether special diagnostics was needed;
- which conditions affected the price.
A price should be explainable
It is not realistic for every intervention to have one fixed price regardless of the conditions.
But it is realistic to expect that a price can be explained.
A good system of charging therefore does not rest on an estimate of „how much the client can pay“, it rests on clear factors:
the call-out + diagnostics when it is needed + the work carried out + materials + the conditions and complexity of the particular intervention.
That way the price stops being a matter of impression and becomes part of a way of working that is defined in advance.