charged for carpenters blades

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icepatrol

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marina yard have included in their bill a charge for the carpenters 2 jigsaw blades he used on our boat to make a small cut in the door frame.
am i wrong in thinking this is takin the p,,,s ?
what do you think ?
 
I agree with Sailorman.

Years ago I had some work done in a small Dutch yard; the bill was itemised for everything. The penultimate line of the bill I could not translate - it was for "small stuff" eg the odd bit of paint, grease etc. The last line was for everything small that wasnt in small stuff - paper hand wipes, brush cleanning fluid etc !! the two came to 5% of the total.
 
I would question the bill. It is reasonable to expect that the rate includes consumables. It is not reasonable to pay for jig saw blades for a small length of cut, if that is the case.

If the carpenter only made a small cut I would challenge why it took two blades. Its small change but that is not the point.
 
As someone who in a former life was a carpenter/joiner, if he had to use new blades for your job and they are disposable then it should be on the bill. Perhaps he needed to get a clean cut? Caught a nail or screw? But he cannot just charge for them if they where already floating around in his tool box. That would be my line of demarcation.
 
Its the way things are done these days, everything is accounted for.
The plumbing contractors man that does our work, turns up at 08 00 in a van, assesses the job and leaves, he goes to the suppliers and draws of all the materials and consumables for the job ( he also has a coffee and a natter with his mates all of whom are there at the same time) He returns after an hour or so and does the job, anything he does not use he leaves or dumps. When I suggest he takes useful bits or scrap with him he does not want it because in their system they will never use it.
The company carries no parts and have a single material invoice for every job so it suits them, very simple book keeping; what I don't like, is paying for the hour they spend doing this on every session of a job, but it is a reliable company with good tradesmen so I accept it.
 
Depends on whether a blade was required for the job, if he did it with an old balde that he had in there anyway, and it was such a small job that it made no noticable difference to the blade then maybe not fair.

If however he used a brand new blade so as to give you a nice clean cut then why should he pay for that, blades cost tradesmen money too.

I used to think that garages charging for windscreen fluid etc was a con, then I went into business and realised just how much all those small costs add up, and was left wondering why I should pay for them out of my pocket when I bought them to use on jobs. If you did the job yourself you would have had to have used a blade, ok you may have had one already, but at some point you would have had to pay for it, and its replacement.

Ants
 
icepatrol said:
am i wrong in thinking this is takin the p,,,s ?
Click to expand...

No, you are quite correct. Unless it was a very cheap job and you had nailed him to the ground on price.

If he went for a dump he would probably charge you for the penny.

Just out of interest how much did the jigsaw blades cost.....?
 
You'r lucky to get a fully itemised bill but it is becoming more common. Well done that craftsman.... sounds to me as you are the doubting Thomas. Many craftsmen have been caught out by the customer demanding a breakdown of costs in more recent times and then not being able to justify their charges.
Perceived value....Were you happy with the quality of the work done and for the price overall?
 
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Replaceable blades are 'consumables'; if they are needed for your job but not for mine which of us do you think should pay for them?
 
Ubergeekian said:
I assume that the hourly rate includes the tools needed for the job. Would you expect a builder to charge you for depreciation on his cement mixer?
Click to expand...


No, just as the carpenter didn't charge depreciation for the tools he used, and nor do I. However if the builder went thru some cutting discs whilst cutting up some concrete then I would pay it, if it was an hourly rate plus materials deal I had done with him.

A builder is a slightly different example as a building job is typically priced per job, rather than an hourly rate, and it's up to the builder to price all his overheads into the quote.

There is a difference between depreciation of tools over time and consumables that are used for one job, in which case they are billed just like other parts used for that job.

As for rolling such costs into the hourly rate, why should other people who want jobs not requiring consumables pay for those that do?

Ants
 
There is certainly a school of thought that accounting for the little things costs you more on your overheads than just adding a percentage to the overheads to cover them.

As for two jig saw blades for a little work on a door, that does sound excessive, my blades seem to last a little longer than a couple of small cuts.
 
Ubergeekian said:
I assume that the hourly rate includes the tools needed for the job. Would you expect a builder to charge you for depreciation on his cement mixer?
Click to expand...

Yes somewhere along the line it has to be replaced !!

I have 2 rates of hourly charge explained in detail to customer :-
Labour only ( basic hand tools for the job plus any consumables jig saw blades/disposable saws /drill bits/hire of specialist or heavy duty tools ,but built in to the rate would be wear and tear on all tools ).
or
Price for the job that would be inclusive of all costs estimated for the job including wear and tear etc,materials and additional labour.
Sometimes I have an hourly rate for all tools ,but materials paid for by customer.
In answer to the OP ,yes 2 jigsaw blades if used should be charged and as stated you are lucky to have an itemised bill !
 
Ubergeekian said:
I assume that the hourly rate includes the tools needed for the job. Would you expect a builder to charge you for depreciation on his cement mixer?
Click to expand...

Yes.

But it would not be itemised. Same as for the cost of folk having a dump at head office during work time. It all costs money.
 
icepatrol said:
marina yard have included in their bill a charge for the carpenters 2 jigsaw blades he used on our boat to make a small cut in the door frame.
am i wrong in thinking this is takin the p,,,s ?
what do you think ?
Click to expand...

Yes, they are taking the p*ss if the frame is made from wood. Maybe not if it was thick GRP which is quite hard on jigsaw blades (begs the question, did they use the right professional tool for the job?).
BUT, if I am being billed for them as an individual item, I would at least expect to see them, meaning that if I'm paying for them, where are they...?

But really, saw blades etc are consumables and usually billed proportionately to the work carried out. However, if the number of blades/bits/whatever used is necessary due to the nature of the materials to be worked with, then it is justified. BUT I would expect some kind of explanation, not just a billed item...
 
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