Hiring Repair Techs On Moonlighting Time??

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Stumble

Cheechako,

I have a good friend who is a machinist at a company that specializes in cargo ships. They are absolutely uninterested in any job that doesn't involve massive machinery and they are fine with him doing small piece work at their facility on his off hours. But that is not what we are talking about here. The op wants to try and entice an employee at a lower price to do exactly the work his employer has quoted. Radically different thing.

Yes. I kinda felt the discussion had moved on in some cases!

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

It's a two sided coin. On one hand an employer will say "we don't have any work right now" to an 'employee'. Especially in seasonal jobs like boat repair can be in northern climes.

Anyone in that market knows what it's all about. Some employers are seasonal and so are their workers; some employers promise year-round work because they have other seasonal products like snowmobiles, ATVs etc, and might also use the quieter time to send their people to courses. Some employers go the distance to retain good people and to provide them with a true career.

On the other hand it's not OK for the employee to get work after hours?

I don't think a worker should be offering to do work in direct competition with his employer. But it's not always that simple.

In the OP's case, it's that simple

Workers doing other work off hours, even if it's non-competing, has other implications. An overtired worker is not as productive, and might even be a safety hazard to him/herself or others.

[Larry Florida]

Get a fixed price for the job. I have used outside contractors my whole career, most of which were companies not individuals. I always ask them to quote the job, never paid by the hour. If they could not quote the job I ask them what they needed to give a firm quote. If they can't do it move on. They should know their cost better than me. Time and material is for amateurs.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Larry Florida

Get a fixed price for the job. I have used outside contractors my whole career, most of which were companies not individuals. I always ask them to quote the job, never paid by the hour. If they could not quote the job I ask them what they needed to give a firm quote. If they can't do it move on. They should know their cost better than me. Time and material is for amateurs.

I always do time and materials due to customers always changing the job in the middle. Also I find it a good deterrent to the customer interrupting me with a bs session while I am working. I remind them I'm charging by the hour and they usually go away or get directly to the point of what they wanted.

[Larry Florida]

Originally Posted by newhaul

I always do time and materials due to customers always changing the job in the middle. Also I find it a good deterrent to the customer interrupting me with a bs session while I am working. I remind them I'm charging by the hour and they usually go away or get directly to the point of what they wanted.

Yes, the other side of the coin. Frankly, I'm not much for chatting while a man's working.

Always tried to avoid changing the scope. Any changes require a change order which can be expensive.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Larry Florida

Yes, the other side of the coin. Frankly, I'm not much for chatting while a man's working.

Always tried to avoid changing the scope. Any changes require a change order which can be expensive.

You want a bid for a job iwil give you one but I'm sure I overestimate my time by 25% which means I say 4 hours and usually only take three so I reduce the total price some to compensate for less time than estimated. ( wouldn't feel right to do otherwise)

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by Larry Florida

Get a fixed price for the job. I have used outside contractors my whole career, most of which were companies not individuals. I always ask them to quote the job, never paid by the hour. If they could not quote the job I ask them what they needed to give a firm quote. If they can't do it move on. They should know their cost better than me. Time and material is for amateurs.

There are fair contractors that provide estimates and others firm quotes.

There are also unfair contractors in both camps.

Sheen Marine provides an estimate based on anticipated time and materials.

It shouldn't cost me to work on someone else's boat, because there were unknown issues before the job start.

If I provide an estimate, and time and materials is less, I charge less (the norm).

If a job takes longer than estimated due to unforeseen issues (for example, crappy DIY wiring that has to be corrected before a new device can be installed), why should it cost me to fix the owner's boat outside the scope of the job?

If a contractor gets stung by a customer insisting on a firm quote, what kind of after-service is expected? How about the next quote?

If a customer asks me for a firm quote, I just say, "OK, add 50% and you pay that even if takes half the time I estimated." (That's what firm quote guys do. They have to, they are in business to make money not lose it.)

My estimates are usually less than firm quotes by others, and I certainly invoice less than estimate more than invoice more. (It is our policy to contact the customer the instant it becomes known that the job will go over estimate so that alternate arrangements can be discussed). Some want to stick to budget so we change the job, others are OK with the increase when they realize it is for a legitimate reason and they will be better off with the additional work completed.

You are far better to find a fair contractor who provides estimates for time and materials than insist on a firm quote from a crook. One way or another, the business has to be compensated adequately for the materials used and labour consumed.

[JPA Cate]

The OP was in Florida. I'd suggest he send Telie a PM stating the specific problem, and maybe Tellie'll help him. That takes care of the water maker.

Next, get a basic text or two on refrigeration, get yourself some gauges, and figure it out.!

The reasons for doing it yourself are twofold: 1) you don't let logical mechanical objects beat you down; 2) wherever your life takes you, if you can figure out watermakers and refrigeration there are newbie cruisers who may want your help. It's a win/win situation. Don't succumb to despair over previous non-successes. Perseverance can see you through. You can do it. Go for it!

Ann