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the p-roblem here gazza is you will find yourself competing with sticker happy souls....who hide under tables..just passin stuff....if a load of pat testing comes your way.....then it might be worth your while....otherwise ...stick to fixed install....as you will be competing with the 40p-50p per item club otherwise.....
 
Its got out of hand now, everybody is under cutting each other. The cheapest i've seen is 50p per item, its not worth getting out of bed for
 
Lost a contract to a company a while ago. They were charging 60p per unit and doing 300 units per day. Dont want to be involved at that price. I charge 2 quid and its done properly, take it or leave it. Bores the pants off me anyway.
 
You need to either cover your costs or use the PAT testing as leverage to gain a more lucrative contract.
'Covering your costs' could either be charging enough to make it pay (around £2.00 per appliance would be fair, depending on the number of appliances) or reducing your costs, such as getting an apprentice/person on minimum wage/monkey to do it for peanuts (or bananas).
 
Surely you cannot do a proper inspection, test and certificate for 50p and you've got to do enough items to make a living. I use it as an introductory service, charge around £1.50 per item dependent on number of items and if your reliable and proffesional it leads to more lucrative work
 
A recent vacancy ad...

We are Currently looking for Flexible individuals to carry out a mobile PAT Testing role around the UK
Must have City & Guilds 2377 cert PAT Testing
Paid 30p a test - no basic salary
Must have and use own vehicle.
Must pay for the first 50 miles, after that 19p per mile.

London.
 
I have just taken it on but I charge xx for 12 items then £1.50 for any additional and thats with electronic paperwork.
 
£ 1.65 per item minimum if local. i have been told that companies advertising £0.50 per test; are just doing that!eg;
take a extension lead= earthbond test
= insulation resistance test
= polarity test

Equals 3 tests = 3x£0.50 = £1.50 per item! that's how they can undercut everyone else! Underhand tactics, nothing else!!!
 
A recent vacancy ad...



London.


Looks about right, agency will no doubt be selling "its" PAT testing "service" at £2.00 an item and looking for an idiot to screw over....I have seen PAT testing advertised "from 28p per item" before.....


what I would like to know is what happens legally to your motor vehicle insurance policy......where does that leave you in terms of liability of attracting traffic prosecution.....and how much would it add to your driving insurance- for your own car/small van, to declare work use and pay up to upgrade cover and remain fully insurance legal, and therefore road legal?
 
I offer customers my pat testing at £2 per unit, take it or leave it... They usually leave it :)
 
40p per TEST, £10 per certificate Electricsplus, Handyman, Small Jobs, Sheffield, PAT Testing, Property Maintenance

Never encountered charging separately for a cert before.

I would like to think that this is a teaser rate but maybe they have taken on a guy ie the brotherinlaw who will work for minimum wage I think this is where we are being let down ie even at minimum wage ie £6ph then an individual would have to do 30 items an hour ie 30x 40p =£12
because the guy has to be paid plus tester, labels, insurance,transport holiday pay OR they could just put a pile of stickers on and run out the door the same with an EICR sparks rate at £13ph so apply the same above and how can they do it for £50 we all know it cannot be done a court of law would agree.

Anyway I charge a set or minimum ammount then £1.50p an hour and I cannot stand doing it but as I have said before I need it to compliment my business
 
Subtract the vat (Price includes VAT) and its ~ 0.33.5 per test. Less travel expenses/ time, insurance, labels and time to generate documentation = waste of time.

I would not say a waste of time I would say the numbers do not stack up so is it legal to advertise this for 40p when they will not acheive this a bit like a printer who says 5p a copy but only after you get 1500 copies at 20p each in this case we are geting like the US were the price advertised does not reflect the true cost
 
we are geting like the US were the price advertised does not reflect the true cost
Try buying anything online - most of the time you think you're getting a good deal but then you get to the checkout and the postage and packing fee doubles the overall cost; the shop you thought was the most expensive turns out to be the cheapest because their p&p is free.
I think the solution is if people aren't afraid to go almost all the way through a transaction then cancel at the last minute when the additional charges are put on.
 
I have a tool that saves a lot of time and money when it comes to "PAT" testing, I call it "the wife"! I caught on to this a while ago when I had a lot to do. She gets all the information, I do the tests, she does the certificate and all the stickers. Its so much quicker and it doesn't cost me anything! Well I have to try and think up some original compliments and try to make them sound sincere then she's eating out of my hand. Have you done something different with your hair today because you look amazing? No? Oh by the way I might be back late tomorrow as I've got loads of PAT testing to do. . . . . . .
(Insert Sid James laugh!)
 

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