Local trade work, Example Town, Australia
Example Trade Co.
The person who quotes the job is the person who does it.
- I quote before I start.
- I do the work myself.
- I come back if it goes wrong.
I am Alex Example, khjkjhouihbl Example Trade Co. is just me. I take on the work that has to be done properly rather than the work that has to be done today, and I am the one who turns up, quotes it and does it.
Most weeks that is a few small repairs, a replacement or two and one bigger job booked in. I keep room in the week for the hour long jobs, so a small thing does not have to wait a month.
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What comes in
Five kinds of job turn up most weeks. Have a look and see whether yours is one of them.
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A worn part swapped out
When a thing is past repairing, it comes out and a new one goes in, matched to what is already there so the rest of it is left alone.
$150 to $600
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A bigger job, quoted first
Anything where the size of the work is not clear until somebody stands in front of it. I look, write it down, and you have the number before a thing is touched.
Quoted first
Something else entirely. Ring and describe it in whatever words you have. Most jobs fit somewhere on that list, and if yours does not, I will say so and tell you who to ring instead.
What I do not take on
- Anything urgent enough that it has to be today. I am on one job at a time and I do not walk off it.
- Jobs priced over the phone, sight unseen. A number given that way is a guess, and the guess always costs somebody.
- Long jobs that need a crew on site for months. One person cannot keep that moving and do the careful work at the same time.
How a job runs
The same order every time, from the first call to the last invoice.
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I come and look, and you get it in writing
No charge, usually inside the week. The quote says what I am doing, what it takes, what it costs and roughly how long I will be there. Anything I cannot know until something is opened up is written down as exactly that, rather than turning up later as a variation. Nothing is ordered and nothing is pulled apart until you have read it and said yes.
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I do the work, and I am the one doing it
One job at a time, so you are not waiting on me while I am somewhere else. I ring the night before if I am not coming. The place is swept at the end of each day, and when the work is finished we go over it together before I write anything out.
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The last day, and the clean up
Offcuts, packaging and the old parts go with me unless you want them kept. The place is left swept and usable. If there is anything worth knowing about looking after the work, I show you while I am standing there rather than putting it in an email.
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We go through it together, then I invoice
We look over the finished work before I pack up, and anything not sitting right gets fixed. The invoice follows that walk through, not the other way round, and it shows the ABN and the GST separately.
I am normally booked two to three weeks ahead. Small work slots into the gaps sooner than that. If something is unsafe, ring anyway and I will tell you honestly whether I can get there or whether you want somebody quicker.
What I need from you
- Somewhere to park close enough to carry gear in, and a power point I can use.
- Somebody who can answer a question on the day. Most jobs throw up one decision and it is quicker made standing there than over three messages.
- Dogs and cats shut away from open doors and sharp tools.
- If you rent, the owner's yes in writing before I start. I will send them the same quote I sent you.
What it costs
Every figure here includes GST. Nothing on this page turns into a surprise at the bottom of an invoice.
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Coming out to look No charge
Anywhere in the area I cover, and I will say on the phone if you are outside it.
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The written quote No charge
Itemised, and it holds for thirty days. Measurements and drawings are part of it where the job needs them.
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Day rate $560
For work billed by time rather than quoted as one price.
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Half day $300
Booked morning or afternoon, your pick of whichever is free.
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Hourly, for small work $80
One hour minimum, then by the quarter hour after that.
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Parts and materials What they cost me
The supplier's invoice goes out with mine. Nothing added on top.
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Travel Included
Inside about half an hour of home. Past that it is priced in the quote and you can see the number.
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Deposit Materials only
Asked for only on jobs where I buy stock up front, and only for what the stock costs. I am not asking you to fund my week.
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Payment Seven days
Bank transfer, on an invoice that shows the ABN and the GST separately.
How the number gets set
Most work is quoted as one price. You know it before I start and it does not move unless you change what you asked for, or something turns up that nobody could have seen.
Work with a real unknown in it is billed by time instead, against a ceiling agreed first. When the ceiling is close I ring you. I do not pass it and tell you afterwards.
A change is priced and written down before it happens. Ask me on the Tuesday and you have the number on the Tuesday.
- Sometimes the honest answer is that the job costs more than the thing is worth. I will say so, and tell you what I would do in your place.
- A cheaper quote from somebody else is usually a different job on paper. Put the two side by side. If mine lists something theirs does not, ring and ask me why it is in there.
- If the work is not right, it comes back on me. Fixing my own mistakes is not billable and there is no time limit on it.
- There is no discount for cash. The price is the price and it goes through the books.
- Some jobs are not worth doing. I will say so plainly, and tell you what I would do if it were mine.
- If it is still under warranty, go back to whoever sold it to you. That cover is worth using first.
- Sorted or not, you get everything back, including the parts that came out.
Who you are dealing with
Alex Example
I'm Alex Example. Example Trade Co. is me, working out of Example Town, Australia.
If a job needs another trade I hjkmhjkughjkhjm,ngghmmmmmmmm someone in I trust and keep them to a date, but my part of it stays mine from the first measurement to the last check. Ask me anything, however basic it sounds. I would rather answer a question twice than have you nod along and find out later.If a job needs another trade I hjkmhjkughjkhjm,ngghmmmmmmmm someone in I trust and keep them to a date, but my part of it stays mine from the first measurement to the last check. Ask me anything, however basic it sounds. I would rather answer a question twice than have you nod along and find out later.If a job needs another trade I hjkmhjkughjkhjm,ngghmmmmmmmm someone in I trust and keep them to a date, but my part of it stays mine from the first measurement to the last check. Ask me anything, however basic it sounds. I would rather answer a question twice than have you nod along and find out later.If a job needs another trade I hjkmhjkughjkhjm,ngghmmmmmmmm someone in I trust and keep them to a date, but my part of it stays mine from the first measurement to the last check. Ask me anything, however basic it sounds. I would rather answer a question twice than have you nod along and find out later.If a job needs another trade I hjkmhjkughjkhjm,ngghmmmmmmmm someone in I trust and keep them to a date, but my part of it stays mine from the first measurement to the last check. Ask me anything, however basic it sounds. I would rather answer a question twice than have you nod along and find out later.
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I carry public liability insurance, and my licence and insurance details are printed on every quote I write. Ask for the certificates and I will send them through before you decide anything.
The little mark on the sign is not a logo anybody was paid for. A friend drew it one afternoon and it has stayed because nobody has come up with better.
I stand behind what I do, with no fixed number of years attached to that. If something I worked on goes wrong, I come back and look at it.
Where I work
Example Town and the country around it. Most weeks I am within twenty minutes of home, which is how a small job can happen this week rather than the month after next.
- Example Town
- Example North
- Example South
- Example Heights
- Riverside
- Hillside
- Bridgeview
- Stony Creek
- Sandy Flat
- Fern Gully
- West Ridge
- Mount Example
Further out is worth a call. I would rather do one long day out there than three short ones, so a bigger job, or a few jobs put together, usually makes the drive work.
The shed is at home and it is where the gear lives. Anything that can be made or repaired on the bench is done there and brought to you, so you have somebody in the house for a day rather than a workshop in it for a fortnight.
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Questions I get asked
How soon can you start?
Usually two to three weeks for a booked job, and sooner for small work that fits in a gap. You get a date once I know what the job needs, not before.
Do you charge to come and look?
No. The first look and the quote that follows it are free anywhere in the area I cover. If you are outside it I will say so on the phone.
Can I supply my own parts or materials?
Yes, as long as they are here before the start date and they suit the job. If something is not right for it I will tell you before I use it, not after.
Do you work weekends?
Not normally. If a job can only happen on a Saturday, say so at the quote and I will price it that way.
What if the job turns out to be bigger than the quote?
You hear about it the day I know, with a price for the extra before I do it. Nothing lands on an invoice that you have not agreed to first.
Are you insured?
Yes. Public liability cover, and the certificate goes out with the quote if you ask for it.
What happens if something goes wrong afterwards?
Ring me. If it is my work or my mistake, I come back and put it right, and there is no charge for that.
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Get in touch
Ring, email, or fill in the form below. It asks the same few things I would ask on the phone, and every job starts with a free look.
Example Town, Australia
I am on the job most of the day, so I will often miss the call. Leave a message with your name, where you are and what the work is, and you will hear back that evening. Anything sent overnight is answered the next day.