This is a question for some of the plumbers that I see giving advice to others on here.

If a person buys a product at the hardware stores and ask you to install it for him how do you determine what you might charge and how do you explain to the customer that he is actually not saving money in the long run with out not making that person mad.
Lets say that he buys a water heater (40 gallon 6 year warranty). He pays for the heater, he pays taxes, and if it is like in my area he will pay a delevery fee. He then pays me for my labor fee plus for any material and for a permit, and unless he wants the old heater sitting in his yard he pays me a charge for carting off the old heater. And then there it's the possibility that the new heater is deffective and has to have some repairs or maybe even have to be relpaced as defective on install. Even thought the water heater manufacturer might pay a small labor allowance, the home owner is going to be out more expense because I am not going to do it for nothing.

I am just wondering how you explain all of this to someone.

Personal opinoin only, I don't do plumbing but in the areas I do.

I don't install parts that I don't supply since I can't be responsible for them.

DITTO here. No way do I install customers units or parts

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Originally Posted by letmetellu

This is a question for some of the plumbers that I see giving advice to others on here.

If a person buys a product at the hardware stores and ask you to install it for him how do you determine what you might charge and how do you explain to the customer that he is actually not saving money in the long run with out not making that person mad.
Lets say that he buys a water heater (40 gallon 6 year warranty). He pays for the heater, he pays taxes, and if it is like in my area he will pay a delevery fee. He then pays me for my labor fee plus for any material and for a permit, and unless he wants the old heater sitting in his yard he pays me a charge for carting off the old heater. And then there its the possibility that the new heater is deffective and has to have some repairs or maybe even have to be relpaced as defective on install. Even thought the water heater manufacturer might pay a small labor allowance, the home owner is going to be out more expense because I am not going to do it for nothing.

I am just wondering how you explain all of this to someone.

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I keep looking for the base question in all of this. If I'm working for a company that sells water heaters there's no way the owner will allow his plumbers to take the call for the shop. If it's a personal friend then you do the call after work and on the side. If not there are plenty of "handi men" out there that will take it on since on the West Coast of Florida you don't need to pull a permit to change out a water heater. However if you're in business for yourself it depends on how much work you have and how hungry you are.
I have installed water heaters, fixtures and appliances for friends and neighbors when they have purchased the articles themselves. They are informed that the warranty is their responsibility and that it will be them that has to deal with the manufacture if anything goes wrong. I'm speaking as a individual and not for plumbers in general. I guess the answer to the question would be, It's all a matter of choice as to your course of action. Cheers, Tom

I'm going to answer this from a different perspective, because I'm not sure if it matters what type of equipment we are dealing with. Maybe its different for plumbers, but there are lots of similar instances. A mechanic asked to install an ignition coil purchased elsewhere. A mason asked to build a stone wall with supplied stone.

At one time I was affiliated with a national bicycle parts mail order house. Their research showed that many people hesitated purchasing parts because they didn't know how to install them. So they built up a network of local installers. The customer would order there part themselves then make an appt with the local installer.

I've also done my share of computer upgrades. Installing parts or software that the owner purchased on their own.

I don't see it as that big a deal as long as the customer is aware that the warranty and workability of the part is their own responsibility.

As to whether its more cost effective, that depends on the situation. Before I take my car in for inspection I always check on things like wiper blades, brakes, etc. I can go to an auto parts store and get wiper blades for a lot less than my mechanic will charge. But once they do the inspection they have to replace the parts otherwise the car fails. And their charges for such parts is pretty high.