Computer guys should get a kick out of this..

D

dragonzim

Active Member
I was browsing the “gigs” section on craigslist and came across a guy looking to have some network cables run for a small business. I asked him what he was looking for and he said 8-10 drops through drop ceilings and fished through walls. So, I email him back and tell him that I’ll do it for $75 per run, which is pretty cheap in this area and that I would include the cable itself, the CAT5e jack, faceplate, terminating at both ends and testing. This guy then has the balls to email me back saying that my rates are too high and that he still needs to make money on the job. So, basically he is looking to farm out a part of his contract and pay peanuts and then probably charge his customer the more customary $100 to $125 per run that is more the norm around here. The last email that I got from him was “$75 for 10 minutes work is excessive” I emailed him back saying that if he can run a cable through a drop ceiling, fish it through a wall, terminate and both ends and test it all in 10 minutes he’s a better man than I.
Some people….
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Fishing it through the wall would take 10 minutes just because you would probably run into something there. I agree that running 1 drop takes more than 10 minutes, probably around 20 minutes tops but on average around 15. being that you are including the cable, ends, and testing each line thats more than a deal at $75 a shot.
Thank god I dont have to do that anymore. I hated having to run cable and sometimes those drop celings arent up to snuff and they disintigrate all over you. The fiberglass ones are the worst. Heh, should have asked him if it also had to go through a cinderblock wall. Drilling that is stupid fun!
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Technically I dont have to do it either, but I figured if I could make an extra $750 or so on a Saturday it would be a nice chunk of spare change. I truly HATE doing cabling but I still have to do it occasionally at my job since I am a 1 man IT department so I have all the tools and testing gear at work. It just pissed me off that this guy admitted that he was going to charge a markup on my work and wanted to cheap out and pay me so little so that he could turn around and charge the going rate, which I'm sure he knows is closer to $125 per line around here.
Oh, and been there, done that with disintegrating ceiling tiles and having to drill out concrete walls...
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Sorry, but that's how contracting work goes. That's pretty much how I pay all my employees. I get a 50% markup on every contractor I hire out to my customers (Pay the tech $50/hr, I get $100/hr from the customer). I spent countless hours 'courting' my customers and filing a butt load of paperwork to get the clients I have. If these guys want to try and find the work themselves, I have no problem with them doing it. Pretty much every "technical staffing and services" company does it (RHI, TekSystems, CSC, etc.). I've actually done the same thing for some of my customers needing cable work done. I could do it myself, but why? Don't begrudge this guy for wanting to make a profit. Even if he only pays you $50/drop, who cares? That's $500 more than you have today. If you don't do it, there's probably 10 other people out there hungry enough for the job that will.
 
1snapple

1snapple

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by DragonZim http:///forum/thread/383136/computer-guys-should-get-a-kick-out-of-this#post_3348845
I was browsing the “gigs” section on craigslist and came across a guy looking to have some network cables run for a small business. I asked him what he was looking for and he said 8-10 drops through drop ceilings and fished through walls. So, I email him back and tell him that I’ll do it for $75 per run, which is pretty cheap in this area and that I would include the cable itself, the CAT5e jack, faceplate, terminating at both ends and testing. This guy then has the balls to email me back saying that my rates are too high and that he still needs to make money on the job. So, basically he is looking to farm out a part of his contract and pay peanuts and then probably charge his customer the more customary $100 to $125 per run that is more the norm around here. The last email that I got from him was “$75 for 10 minutes work is excessive” I emailed him back saying that if he can run a cable through a drop ceiling, fish it through a wall, terminate and both ends and test it all in 10 minutes he’s a better man than I.
Some people….
I believe the correct term here is "some people's children"
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by bionicarm http:///forum/thread/383136/computer-guys-should-get-a-kick-out-of-this#post_3349097
Sorry, but that's how contracting work goes. That's pretty much how I pay all my employees. I get a 50% markup on every contractor I hire out to my customers (Pay the tech $50/hr, I get $100/hr from the customer). I spent countless hours 'courting' my customers and filing a butt load of paperwork to get the clients I have. If these guys want to try and find the work themselves, I have no problem with them doing it. Pretty much every "technical staffing and services" company does it (RHI, TekSystems, CSC, etc.). I've actually done the same thing for some of my customers needing cable work done. I could do it myself, but why? Don't begrudge this guy for wanting to make a profit. Even if he only pays you $50/drop, who cares? That's $500 more than you have today. If you don't do it, there's probably 10 other people out there hungry enough for the job that will.
I know thats how contracting works but it annoys me that he is obviously not even willing to pay out 50%. $125 a line is the norm around here and I've seen as high as $150 per line. He's looking to pay someone that knows what they are doing peanuts and then cops an attitude when I want a decent amount for the job.
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by DragonZim http:///forum/thread/383136/computer-guys-should-get-a-kick-out-of-this#post_3349162
Quote:
Originally Posted by bionicarm http:///forum/thread/383136/computer-guys-should-get-a-kick-out-of-this#post_3349097
Sorry, but that's how contracting work goes. That's pretty much how I pay all my employees. I get a 50% markup on every contractor I hire out to my customers (Pay the tech $50/hr, I get $100/hr from the customer). I spent countless hours 'courting' my customers and filing a butt load of paperwork to get the clients I have. If these guys want to try and find the work themselves, I have no problem with them doing it. Pretty much every "technical staffing and services" company does it (RHI, TekSystems, CSC, etc.). I've actually done the same thing for some of my customers needing cable work done. I could do it myself, but why? Don't begrudge this guy for wanting to make a profit. Even if he only pays you $50/drop, who cares? That's $500 more than you have today. If you don't do it, there's probably 10 other people out there hungry enough for the job that will.
I know thats how contracting works but it annoys me that he is obviously not even willing to pay out 50%. $125 a line is the norm around here and I've seen as high as $150 per line. He's looking to pay someone that knows what they are doing peanuts and then cops an attitude when I want a decent amount for the job.
So tell the guy you'll do the job, then when you get to the site, backdoor the guy and tell the customer you'll do the work for $50/drop less than what the guy is charging you.
 
stdreb27

stdreb27

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/383136/computer-guys-should-get-a-kick-out-of-this#post_3349225
Quote:
Originally Posted by bionicarm http:///forum/thread/383136/computer-guys-should-get-a-kick-out-of-this#post_3349221
So tell the guy you'll do the job, then when you get to the site, backdoor the guy and tell the customer you'll do the work for $50/drop less than what the guy is charging you.
Doing that will ensure that he never sees work in that town again. Business no-no right there.
Yeah, and you'd put the expensive guy out of business.
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
That is not how contracting works, you would have to be a sub contractor to legaly do that work.
This joker is going on C-list looking for anybody to do the work, not lic or bonded or nothing.
You ought to tell him you are going to turn him in for illegal bussiness practices, see how he likes your 75 bucks a drop then.
 
stdreb27

stdreb27

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///forum/thread/383136/computer-guys-should-get-a-kick-out-of-this#post_3349257
That is not how contracting works, you would have to be a sub contractor to legaly do that work.
This joker is going on C-list looking for anybody to do the work, not lic or bonded or nothing.
You ought to tell him you are going to turn him in for illegal bussiness practices, see how he likes your 75 bucks a drop then.
lol really? Is Alaska really that strict on contractor work?
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
I'm not sure what Alaska has to do with it.
if a company got caught using an unlicensed, uninsured, unbonded person from craigslist in as a sub-contractor the penalty is pretty steep and definatley not worth it for 10 drops.
The company i work for recently got a $6,000+ fine because one of our subs that we use for our work told us he was up to date on his work comp policy when he had actually let it lapse by 18 days. That 18 days cost us 6000.00
you either have to hire them on as an employee and then pay all the taxes and work comp for them like any other company or they have to have all thier lic, insurance and bond and thier own tools and then they can be hired as a sub.
It's really for our own protection. The reason being you don't want some guy like me who knows how to wire a house based on what I learned out of a Black and Decker book showing up to your jobsite and tipping a ladder over on the owners new rangerover, or falling off the ladder and breaking his back, or lighting the building on fire with poor electrical work.
 
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