Dying Trade

Home › Forums › General Trade Forum › Dying Trade

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • January 27, 2005 at 9:25 am #7647
    der
    Participant

    Hi everyone

    I just wonder if everyone feel the same as me about the future of the self employed appliance engineer.

    I the past I have worked for colston/comet/mastercare/hotpoint, and for the last 15years I have been self employed, but I wonder how much longer can I keep going since the new range of electronic machines and frost free machines have took over, with limited technical information and new machines so cheap.

    disillusioned engineer

    January 27, 2005 at 10:45 am #124469
    kwatt
    Keymaster

    I would agree that the trade, in so far as the sole trader with no agencies is concerned, is having a tough time right now and in many ways it’s sorting the good from the bad. But much the same is and has been happening to the ones that employ and do contract work for many years now with quite a few casualties along the way sadly.

    What I do think is that the trade is evolving, just how remains at this point in time, to be seen just what it’s evolving into though.

    K.

    January 27, 2005 at 11:42 am #124470
    Martin
    Participant

    Re: Dying Trade

    der wrote:I the past I have worked for colston/comet/mastercare/hotpoint

    der,

    You asked the question about Merloni (excuse me, now known lovingly as…INDESIT) only yesterday 😕 Surely you are not thinking of giving up your independence after 15 years on your own???? 🙁

    It may be difficult to compare each and every such ‘Sole trader’ but just for the record I have been in this business like you but for over twice as long. A one man band for 33years, just me, my lovely customers and the bl**dy Taxman!

    I doubt Tyne & Wear for you is any different than the Thames Valley is for me overall. My patch has a total of over 1 million people of various social and ethnic backgrounds and I’m sure the North East can easily match that and more. So there will always be work for the likes of you and me for years to come, if you can fix it, you will coin it, guaranteed. :tup:

    You are your own boss, can take it or leave it, pick and choose. Usually we both ‘take the cream off the top’ every time, a perfect situation we enjoy to the envy of many. I guess the sole reason for your disenchantment is understandable in many ways with the lack of support and technical information for us being the main gripe. 👿

    Stick around my friend, stay with it, keep reading the many pages of UKW. We all gather here to help each other out, that is its main purpose after all. UKW is constantly campaigning manufacturers to refrain from witholding information and slowly they are getting the point. The penny will soon drop with them all in realising co-operation and not confrontation is the way to go forward. 😉

    So, hang on in there, stay free and independant and you, me and UKW together will be around a long while in this exciting, demanding and above all, rewarding business 😀

    Martin

    January 27, 2005 at 11:48 am #124471
    admin
    Keymaster

    Re: Dying Trade

    Just a thought for you to consider…..

    As you have worked for several companies and survived 15 years on your own I think you must have qualities that others might be able to use.

    Sub-contracting your labour to a larger local business might supplement you.
    There’s many a time when a business suffers from accident/sickness problems and could do with additional help. Also some have 3 engineers and 4 engineers work on occasions.

    Hope that helps you….

    Kevin

    January 27, 2005 at 7:11 pm #124472
    clivejameson
    Participant

    Re: Dying Trade

    i agree with you kheath…i’m a sole trader thats been at it for nearly 20 years, and many years ago i approached a larger service company locally, struck up a friendship with the proprietor and as a result have done much contract work for him. In fact i still do on average about a day a fortnight…all easy work, no dealing with the customer, no ordering spares myself, the pay is good and it arrives in my account promtly!
    So…der…hang in there mate and look around a bit!

    Clive

    January 29, 2005 at 5:36 pm #124473
    goosegreen
    Participant

    Re: Dying Trade

    I too have been in the same position as you, Wondering when the phone will ring again and will there ever be enough work out there. About 7 years ago a local estate/letting agent called me regarding a small repair to a tenant’s cooker. After carrying out the repair for them for a very reasonable price, I found that my name was passed around most of the agents in my area, and now agent work accounts for about 40{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of my workload. I now carry out a lot of small electrical, general maintenance and plumping jobs on for them. Economy 7 heating and hot water is a good example, I charge £65 to change a top mounted immersion element at a cost of £12 from a local supplier. Most of the jobs are small DIY repairs and if you can fix domestic appliance you could do the same.

    Put your name around and stay with it

    Regards


    Goosegreen

    January 29, 2005 at 5:40 pm #124474
    der
    Participant

    thanks guys for your support

    I’ll keep plodding on and see what the future holds and won’t do anything in haste.

    now that I am approaching the ripe old age of 50 I won’t be able to survive the pressure and workload you discribe, 10 – 15 jobs a day might kill me off

    here’s to the future

    January 29, 2005 at 9:43 pm #124475
    Dave_Conway
    Participant

    Re: Dying Trade

    Have you filled in the E-jobs and Charter forms DER ?

    As you have the qualities to survive as an Independant for many years as Kevin says, you have the qualities to survive without the need for national organisations employment.

    There’s plenty more to come here if we get our way 😉

    Dave.

    January 29, 2005 at 10:31 pm #124476
    Simon46
    Participant

    Re: Dying Trade

    I also do small plumbing and electrical jobs when things are quiet.

    January 30, 2005 at 1:20 am #124477
    Penguin45
    Participant

    Re: Dying Trade

    We all help out where we can, but check the conditions of your Public Liability Insurance VERY carefully – mine is very specific about what I can and can’t do. Basically, I’m covered from the taps and plug on….

    I am not covered for sockets, drains, plumbing etc.

    You would be best servedd to seek out specialist service areas – rented accomodation is ours; but also pubs, housing associations and the like. Print up a sheet with a few sample prices on and drop it off with some business cards to any likely looking agency as you potter round. That’s what we did 14 years ago and it’s still paying dividends now.

    Regards,
    Chris

    January 30, 2005 at 1:38 pm #124478
    der
    Participant

    Dave
    what are the E-jobs and charter forms

    January 30, 2005 at 2:07 pm #124479
    Martin
    Participant

    der wrote: what are the E-jobs and charter forms

    They are BOTH available in our “Downloads” section under PDF files, I have put a link here for your convenience 🙂

    http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.p … load&cid=1

    Martin

    January 31, 2005 at 9:24 am #124480
    BobHope
    Participant

    Re: Dying Trade

    Hi DER,
    You have a PM, please reply.

    Cheers Bob.

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.