Hello everyone. Our electrical work has been/is being done entirely by an apprentice. When I asked the boss if I would have to pay less because of the apprentice’s hourly wage, he simply said no, since the apprentice takes twice as long. We were given a quote beforehand. So the price neither decreases nor increases because of this. What are your thoughts on this, and how is the situation generally? According to the boss, the work was checked periodically. The apprentice is in their third year of training and this is their first independent construction site.
My question was just whether this is really acceptable. I think at least the invoice can be discussed. I basically have no problem with an apprentice doing the work. He has also been involved for weeks now. However, I am convinced that he did many things, though not everything, optimally. Forgotten cables, switches placed too close to doors, and so on. He also confirmed to me that he did not understand the electrical plans for the kitchen or heating system.
nordanney schrieb:
Do you also ask the baker if the bread was made by the master baker, journeyman, or apprentice? Or when buying a car? Or anywhere else?
You ordered a piece of "electrical installation for price X." Did you receive the service you ordered? If yes, then the agreed price is due. Good examples.
What bothers me is the casual statement from the boss. Yes, it took twice as long.
I don’t find that acceptable. As a customer, I am supposed to pay the same amount for an employee who costs less but takes twice as long. From my point of view, it’s not beneficial that it takes twice as long.
Tx-25 schrieb:
For me, it’s not helpful that it takes twice as long.Have you agreed on a timeframe that he is allowed to take?Tx-25 schrieb:
What bothers me is the dismissive comment from the boss.I find his statement completely correct, what you wrote in the first #. I can imagine that some people react impulsively and aggressively.
Tx-25 schrieb:
They gave us a quote in advance. So the price neither decreases nor increases because of that.That is the “part of the installation work,” regardless of how long or how many people it took.
I trained as a photographer in a lab and produced large posters. Or photographed things. What counted in the end was the result for the customer, as in any craftsmanship – the same applies here.
Relax and be happy with your lighting.
K
knalltüte22 Mar 2020 11:16Hello,
I charge my apprentice (he is already a certified electrician, now doing a second training as an IT specialist with me) about 60% of my hourly wage in situations where I consider it appropriate. When he completes tasks in the same time as I would (e.g., simple routine work), I charge the same rate I would take.
Regarding electrical work, I don’t think it is generally appropriate to charge apprentices at a "master electrician rate" if the quality is not the same. The original poster has already given some examples above.
For instance, I recently had most of the electrical work in my old house redone by second-year apprentices (no one else wanted to do it… because of the very old wiring, electricians would look inside, close the door… and leave… that’s why).
Since they unfortunately didn’t label anything and didn’t complete an important supply line (even after several requests), I had a friend (who is a master electrician) do it instead. He kindly took it on, but only because I help him out occasionally. In his opinion, the quality of the wiring in the panel was "worse" than what a journeyman or master electrician would have done. It was simply due to lack of experience. I did not pay a master electrician’s wage, so I can’t complain. They probably also took twice as long as a more experienced journeyman.
Here, I think the final result counts. If it’s somewhat worse:
then it’s impossible to charge the same price for that work or to avoid reducing the payment due to existing defects (if these are "real" defects).
I charge my apprentice (he is already a certified electrician, now doing a second training as an IT specialist with me) about 60% of my hourly wage in situations where I consider it appropriate. When he completes tasks in the same time as I would (e.g., simple routine work), I charge the same rate I would take.
Regarding electrical work, I don’t think it is generally appropriate to charge apprentices at a "master electrician rate" if the quality is not the same. The original poster has already given some examples above.
For instance, I recently had most of the electrical work in my old house redone by second-year apprentices (no one else wanted to do it… because of the very old wiring, electricians would look inside, close the door… and leave… that’s why).
Since they unfortunately didn’t label anything and didn’t complete an important supply line (even after several requests), I had a friend (who is a master electrician) do it instead. He kindly took it on, but only because I help him out occasionally. In his opinion, the quality of the wiring in the panel was "worse" than what a journeyman or master electrician would have done. It was simply due to lack of experience. I did not pay a master electrician’s wage, so I can’t complain. They probably also took twice as long as a more experienced journeyman.
Here, I think the final result counts. If it’s somewhat worse:
Tx-25 schrieb:
… forgot cables, switches too close to doors, etc. He also confirmed to me that he didn’t understand the wiring diagrams for the kitchen or heating…
then it’s impossible to charge the same price for that work or to avoid reducing the payment due to existing defects (if these are "real" defects).
H
HilfeHilfe22 Mar 2020 12:17Tx-25 schrieb:
My question was just whether this is really acceptable. At least the invoice can be discussed. I have no fundamental objection to an apprentice doing the work. He has already been involved for weeks. However, I am convinced that he did not do everything optimally. Forgetting cables, switches placed too close to doors, etc. He also confirmed to me that he did not understand the electronic plans for the kitchen or heating.You also once learned this yourself. Do you know if your company only charged 50%? And afterwards, after training, one day later he can perform better and justify 100%? After all, his company also assumes the warranty. If he worked carelessly, the supervisor must come and fix it.Similar topics