Pricing
How I price a small job
Every job is different, so I don't print a rate card. This is what I do instead.
What decides the price
Most small jobs cost what they cost because of four things.
How many devices, and which kind
The wiring already in place: a doorbell transformer, a box on the wall
How high or hard to reach: a porch ceiling or a stairwell takes longer
Whether the hardware is yours or mine
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
The estimate is written, before I start. It lists the work and any hardware I supply.
Included: the labor and the hardware I bring
Not included: hardware you buy yourself
Not included: patching or painting a wall or ceiling
What happens at the visit
I phone first and come in the window we agree. I look at the job, say what I will do, and start only when you say yes.
If a visit fee applies, the estimate says so
It says whether the fee comes off the job
When you get the number
For a simple job I write the price at the door, before the work. For anything bigger, I send it by text or on paper first.
Never by phone alone for a larger job
How and when you pay
When the work is done and tested. I take card or check. A family member can pay instead, with the customer's okay.
The bill names who is paying
If the job changes
If I find something that changes the work, I explain it and write the change down before I do it.
Never added to the bill without your yes
At the door
The number comes before the work
I won't start until you have read the price and said yes. If you would like someone else to see it first, a daughter or son, a neighbor, I wait. I would rather lose a morning than surprise anyone with a bill.
A written estimate, on paper or by text
Time for a family member to read it
A change to the work is written down first
Price questions
What people ask about the cost
Do you charge to come and look?
The estimate says whether there is a visit fee and whether it comes off the job. Ask when you book.
Can my daughter pay for me?
Yes. Tell me when you book. I still ask your okay on the work.
What if I bought the doorbell myself?
I fit what you bought. The estimate leaves the hardware out, and says so.
What payment do you take?
Card or check, when the work is done and tested.
Get the number in writing
Tell me what you need and I will put the price on paper before I start.