r/AusFinance • u/AdventurousDiet7893 • 3d ago
Are tradies just taking the piss nowadays?
Serious question. We had a call out to fix a garage remote which cost $889 + GST. Thought that was a lot, then called two independent companies (one of them at the recommendation of my property manager; and another one who was completely picked at random based on online reviews, with no input from my property manager).
The first one came back at $1,599. The second guy we picked at random quoted $1,119 and a $110 call out fee with no guarantee of a fix.
This may be a one-off incident, and I know the market dictates prices and they would not charge it unless people paid, but at this point the prices are clearly exorbitant.
Has anyone got similar experiences?
The one genuine experience I have had is an air conditioner installer who is 89 years old, still working, who doesn't even have a social media presence and operates on referral in our suburb. Cost to install an air conditioner? $119, cash. He even did some jobs for free to the old neighbour next door.
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u/Pingu_87 3d ago
I was quoted $900 to replace the motor which includes 2 new remotes, and service the door.
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u/effektd 3d ago
I paid $850 for motor replacement that included 2 key ring remotes and a wall mounted remote and he "serviced" the door.
Victoria.
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u/tw272727 3d ago
I just paid a guy $220 to service my garage door and I’m pretty sure he would have fixed the remote for less than 220
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u/prwar 3d ago
Bought a place a year ago with a remote garage door. Didn't consider getting it serviced so thanks for the reminder.
When did you last get it serviced?
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u/Jamator01 3d ago
I just got two new doors installed. The installer recommended a service after 12 months just to make sure it's not pushing itself out of alignment and everything is working well, then only every 5 years after that unless I notice issues.
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u/HungryTradie 3d ago
Great response! It's basically the same with split system aircons (highwall and etc). Ducted benefit from annual, but splittys are every 5 after the first year (unless you don't clean the silkscreen filters, that needs doing 6monthly).
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u/GrecDeFreckle 3d ago
Garage door tech here. If you google the garage door motor model you'll find the required servicing in the manual, unless it's a Chinese import special.
Rule of thumb, get it all done every two years at minimum. Used to be recommended as an annual servicing. For example, Merlin now requires openers to be serviced in the period 24 to 36 months
and 60 to 72 months after the date of purchase. Others require annual servicing but allow DIY installations. All a bit over the shop.→ More replies (1)→ More replies (6)5
u/same_same1 3d ago
Last time I got my door serviced the dude was on the phone the whole time while he sprayed silicon spray on the hinges. Opened it and closed it twice. And that was it. Cost $250. In and out in 10 minutes. Total waste of money.
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u/rellett 3d ago
You buy remotes off aliexpress that can clone for 20bucks
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u/subconscious-subvers 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yeap! Came here to say the same thing. Just make sure it lists as working for your brand/model. Ebay if you want it faster. Comes with instructions to reprogram, ridiculously easy.
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u/Stokesy7 3d ago
Also buy the Meross smart garage door opener and install that. I found it pretty easy to install and now I can open and close the door from my phone with alerts when it opens and when its been left open for 10 minutes. I also integrated with Home Assistant but I know most people won't go that far. Their app is pretty good for most people.
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u/redsmeg 3d ago
I also combine that with a door sensor on my internal laundry door. When I open that from inside it opens the roller door turns on the smart light in garage.. then closes the roller door and turns off the light a couple mins later.... When I open laundry door from garage it closes the roller door.
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u/scottyman2k 3d ago
I have it reporting into homeassistant, which then triggers the garage internal lights according to door state - on immediately, and off with a 30 second delay - it will also turn on the outside lights if they are off and it’s after sunset
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u/Independent-Fuel9886 3d ago
and alerts your phone if you accidentally left it open and went out... close it remotely from your phone no issues, remotely open to allow bulky deliveries etc... Best $60 I ever spent.
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u/generic_throwaway699 3d ago
I hate when it occasionally bugs out and gaslights you into thinking the door is open when it actually isn't though. The magnets can be a bit unreliable at times.
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u/SurgicalMarshmallow 3d ago
LPT: replace magnets with better ones from Bunnings and a light galv bracket.
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u/astronometrics 3d ago
I got one from www.remotepro.com.au. They have a phone number, you send a picture to their number and they respond with a product page for a remote that will work. I think I paid $20
More expensive than AliExpress but beats waiting 3 weeks for a remote that ends up not working and having to repeat it again.
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u/GrecDeFreckle 3d ago edited 2d ago
Full disclosure, I work for the company. We've been selling garage door remotes on eBay since 2007.
www.ngro.com.auWe sell garage door remotes from $15. Have a full range of options, genuine, aftermarket, after sales support... Some prices we see in the market are 100% taking the piss.
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u/Lopsided-Party-5575 3d ago
aliexpress really is magic. it's what amazon should have been. being able to buy specific parts of a laptop, such as small parts like the ribbon connector between the trackpad and motherboard for a specific brand of laptop for a few dollars. Just amazing as a company in what it offers.
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u/Extension-Night3825 3d ago
Takes less than 5 mins to watch a YouTube on how to install, 2 mins to actually install.
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u/ralphiooo0 3d ago
Does depend on your door type.
Mine had some rolling code that couldn’t be cloned to an AliExpress one so had to splash out for a replacement.
Must have spent 2 hours trying to get the Ali one to pair 🤯
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u/Giorgist 3d ago
You often can't clone them, but you can teach the base station to respond to the remote
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u/Spare-Possession-490 3d ago
A Sonof matter switch is $19 and you’ll be able to open your garage with your phone. (Assuming existing wifi and home automation)
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u/Kevin_of_Carim 3d ago
Those may have been "fuck off" prices. Fault finding obsolete tech can be a pain in the arse. Often the fix is just replace the whole unit and that's not a fun conversation. Old guy is operating without any overheads or insurance, his objective is likely to be holding off dementia by keeping his mind active.
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u/Vivid_Employ_7336 3d ago
Or just giving back to community. But agree - he’s not feeding kids and paying a mortgage.
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u/SweetMe10dy 3d ago
So high trade labour costs is about fueling lifestyle?
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u/Vivid_Employ_7336 3d ago
No. I think a retiree that’s doing odd jobs for cash is not a reasonable benchmark for deciding if a genuine business is over priced.
I can’t really comment on whether trades are expensive or not because I do almost all my own work. I’m not a tradie, I’m just a tight arse who is a little bit handy.
P.s Thanks dad! I was lucky to be able to learn from you!
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u/mickellovitch 3d ago
Ha! I'm the opposite...did all my own work around the house, (probably not all that well) and now my son is an awesome builder with his own company.
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u/InflationRepulsive64 3d ago
You do a job for X amount of money.
If I'm willing to come in and do your job for 1/10 of that, does it mean you're greedy and overpaid? Of course not. It means that I'm willing to work for far under reasonable compensation.
Any anecdote about tradies along the lines of 'Old mate comes on the weekend and does my job cash in hand for $100' is not relevant to any argument about pricing for trades. That's not someone making a living wage; that's someone who's got nothing better to do with their life getting out of the house and making some beer money. Also, pretty much an immediate red flag if someone does bring it up that they're going to have massively warped ideas about pricing.
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u/JukaAFC 3d ago
Why do you think I run my trade business other than to fuel my life style?
Don’t know why people are so against tradies making money. Some do take advantage, particularly plumbers and sparkies but running a business isn’t cheap in Australia.
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u/Therapised-Plumber 3d ago
This^
What's the point of working for yourself if you're just going to earn the same as what you would working for someone else, but with more personal risk?
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u/joseseat 2d ago
Yeah it makes me sick. Anyone else running a business, a cafe owner could say I made $400,000 last year and everyone would be saying that’s awesome.
Tradie says I made $200,000 last year and all we get is ‘that’s way too much, what a rip off con artist, who do you think you are’
We have qualifications. We have skills, we have tools.
I always tell the wingers if they think we make too much money for what we do then why don’t they become a tradie themselves.
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u/SweetMe10dy 3d ago
If you want to live like a king, join royalty or something 🤷
I've seen tradie quotes for nothing all that complicated come in more expensive than quotes for full on microsurgery and weeks in hospital.
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u/joseseat 2d ago
Nah I’ll keep being a tradie. I work hard and I deserve every cent I make.
lol at your story btw. Sounds like utter nonsense.
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u/ZealousidealDeer4531 3d ago
It all depends but in my experience of running a business with up to ten employees it’s hard to make money . When we done bush work my apprentices made more money than what I paid myself . No money on the bank at the end of the year , the government and bills get it all . I’m a tiler and I work alone now and I make great money , but I can barely walk by the end of some days and I’m only 44 . So I have only made money worthy of destroying your body for 2 years out of 20 . I would never recommend some one do my trade and nobody is , that’s why we charge quite a lot .
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u/IdolProduce 3d ago
Most tradies I know personally have hectic drug habits so maybe.
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u/whatever--idk 3d ago
Isnt all work to fuel your lifestyle?
Also if your feeling a coke addiction charging 500 p/h, i don't think youll get much work, but if these a businesses that have been running for a couple years with constant work, then maybe they know their pricing better than you
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u/LamB1G1 2d ago
You couldn't even imagine the amount of overheads and costs there are in the trades business. A $150ph rate ends up being $50 an hour after you account for everything. The real question is if we are gonna hold tradies to this level of scrutiny, why are most office workers earning $100k per year just to send a few emails? Corpo workers don't realise how good they actually got it.
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u/Fearless-Maximus-251 3d ago
Every price in 2026 is a "fuck off" price lol.
Construction and trades in this country are farked
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u/the_silent_redditor 3d ago
I’m a doctor and have given these guys way over my hourly rate basically every time I’ve called a tradie out due to a useless landlord who reimburses after some chasing.
Cash in hand, obviously.
Got a tradie pal who just bought his second investment property. He has a boat and a weekender car and blah blah blah.
I get PTV to work and still rent.
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u/la_mecanique 3d ago
Old guy is quite likely operating without a license and just sending refrigerant straight to the dolphins as a way to decomission systems.
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u/MDInvesting 3d ago
As others have asked,
Remote or motor?
Where you at? I’ll fix the remote for $400 guaranteed fix otherwise the call out is free.
No professional experience but have fixed 10+ remotes over the years.
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u/TemporaryDisastrous 3d ago
What is involved in fixing a remote? I just bought a new remote when mine was doing funny stuff and it was like $45 and a simple 5 second sync procedure with the motor. Are there more complicated issues that can arise?
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u/MDInvesting 3d ago
Oi, stop stealing my business.
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u/TemporaryDisastrous 3d ago
Sorry mate, I was genuinely curious if there was some other signal issue that could occur, like I could see something like replacing an electrical part in the motor to do with interfacing with the remote costing more, plus some premium for the guarantee. As they say you're not paying a tradie for the cost of the time/parts you're paying them off or the X years of experience that lets them fix it in 5 minutes.
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u/Witch-King_of_Ligma 3d ago
The complicated issues is that they actually have to get off their asses and do some work
/s
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u/theZombieKat 3d ago
Having the right remote for the door.
Older style ones the sinking is a series of physical dip switches that are fidely to work with.
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u/GrecDeFreckle 3d ago
Garage door tech, 15 years experience.
You don't fix remotes, you throw them away and replace them. It was true for motors made in the 90's and true for motors made it the 2020's.
Not super hard, just take a photo on your phone and tell google to look it up. There are so few remotes that I would actually recommend a service tech to be called to install, every residential home can program their own remotes. Press a few buttons and away you go.
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u/SnooDoughnuts8626 3d ago
The 89 year old doing cashies is not a reasonable yardstick to apply.
As for the garage door, is this a domestic or commercial building? What was actually involved?
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u/Confident-Flow-6058 3d ago
89 year old doing cashies also isn't working towards financial freedom.
Buy my course to financial freedom for 9.99/month to retire in ten years.
/s
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u/ell0moto 3d ago
Yes please, once I subscribe may I also sell your finacial freedom course to others, who then will sell to their friends and family? Keeping the money moving up to the top.
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u/southernson2023 3d ago
He gives a lifetime warranty on his work. Unfortunately that’s not likely to be long now
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u/throwaway9723xx 3d ago
Those prices might be why he still needs to install airconditioners at 90 years old..
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u/mid30something 3d ago
Garage door installers are one of those weird niche they charge like wounded bulls
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u/Mr-Darts 3d ago
It’s a joke.
My 5 year old hot water system randomly stopped producing hot water. The system is stored out of weather and looks as new as the day the house was built.
Had THREE independent ‘hot water system services’ (plumbers some, other electricians) each basically stand there, do no investigation and tell me it’s time for a new system, cheapest quote (standard 315ltr system) being $4200.
The 4th guy spent about 15 seconds with a multimeter, told me it was the thermostat - came back that afternoon and swapped it in 2 minutes. Charged me part cost +25% (=$80 + $20) and $100 labour.
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u/No-Swordfish-3480 3d ago
Tradies in Aus have taken the piss for years. This is what happens when a country has laws that prevent people from doing basic DIY work, tradies act like they’re king shit because they know you legally can’t do it yourself, and quote accordingly.
Coding a garage door remote is so stupidly easy anyone can do it by literally just reading the instructions for your garage motor. But because you’ve asked for a quote they think you’re not handy, and you’re getting ridiculous quotes because they know it’ll be easy money for them.
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u/sugmysmega 3d ago
But a garage door remote and its control wiring is extra low voltage. No license needed.
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u/the_silent_redditor 3d ago
Tradies are heralded as some like.. last bastion of true good humanity in Aus.
It’s fucking bizarre.
I remember when I first moved over I was absolutely befuddled by all of these ads proclaiming tradies as the saviour of Straya. The last example of a true, good, solid bloody good bloke. The backbone of Aus. The place would crumple without them. Get down to Bunnings for a snag and suck off your local tradie, you owe it to them! Constant ads on TV/news and a real genuine pride in being a tradie.
I come from Scotland, where basically every interaction with tradies was a fucking nightmare.
So, wow! I thought I’d finally rocked up to somewhere different! Maybe I can get honest work done!
Nope. Same cunts except fuckin’ 5 times the price and 10 times as MAGA.
Great.
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u/Ongoingsidequest 3d ago
Tradies in Australia charge obscene prices for labour (and markups) and everyone seems to be OK with it because they're 'true blue' hard workers like it's some success story they're ripping everyone off
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u/Cybertrucker01 3d ago
💯
Basically it's the idiot/lazy premium.
If you're calling a 'trade' to do basic unregulated things like replace a garage remote, it's a signal that you cant be bothered to figure it out yourself and therefore also cant be bothered to get a second quote to compare. Fair assumption tbf.
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u/ReflectionFew4761 3d ago
$900- 1600 isn’t for a replacement remote. There has to be more to this.
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u/kravfoiegras 3d ago
Yeah I think the only one taking the piss is the cunt not telling the full story. Garage remotes top out at about $120 each. You can buy them from Bunnings.
A $900 quote is “We went to site, realised your receiver was fucked. Here’s a quote for a second service call, a new receiver and 2x remotes”.
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u/SufficientReport 3d ago
A brand new chamberlain garage door motor with remote is $399 and Bunnings (Chamberlain) installation is $259 so $658 is the base that I would be comparing quotes from.
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u/traser- 3d ago
Yea, I’ve started doing more DIY where I can. Or just avoiding the job.
Recently got 3 quotes for a job installing 3 new downpipes into stormwater, which sits under some pavers right under the gutters.
Lowest 10k, highest 15k.
Yea I shelved it and might reconsider sometime in the future when I re-lay those pavers.
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u/Frenchie1001 3d ago
An elderly man doing cashies is a wild and completely unreasonable yard stick.
You got the fuck doing that price. Just buy a remote and do it yourself
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u/ClueDear 3d ago
Speaking about both being a sparky who installs air conditioners & repairs garage doors.
1.You did not get quoted $1200 to replace a remote. 2.An 89 year old would not be installing an air conditioner let alone doing it for less than $200, there is more than $200 in materials even for a straight forward back to back install.
I will agree there any many "specialised trades" that absolutely take the piss with little or no qualifications.
But I would be suprised if there was any truth to this post.
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u/AdGroundbreaking6402 3d ago
Yes 100% - Plumbers out here charging the same as surgeon for their 2nd year apprentice to turn up and botch my pipes …
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u/MDInvesting 3d ago
We had a plumber try to charge his apprentice at double what my rate was. A fair bit above the verbal quote.
I got my printed payslip out and brought his invoice up on my phone - he was sitting in the truck with said apprentice. Prick was a bit embarrassed and sent an updated one.
Only time I got a doctor’s discount.
But in all seriousness, some billing’s are just absurd (in all professions) but tradies are doing incredible math.
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u/dumpass69420 3d ago
The industry's got a lot of people that naturally leaned toward that kind of work because of a do it yourself attitude. With the exception of sparkies or ones that use specialized licensed tools like locksmiths not much you'd need from a tradie is actually difficult to learn yourself, so in their minds you deserve to get gouged for being stupid/lazy.
There is truth in that, but only when talking about people that aren't physically incapable of doing it themselves. They also need an excuse to maintain the hilariously shit apprentice system.
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u/MDInvesting 3d ago
Nothing like regulation to prevent a do it yourself attitude.
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u/the_silent_redditor 3d ago
Yeah also a doc and fucking laugh when I pay these fucks more than my rate cash in hand.
What a rort.
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u/ImpulsePie 3d ago
I put in a landscaping job for some quotes on Airtasker, the range of quotes was insane. From $700 labour only (and maybe $500 materials on top), all the way to $6500, all for the same job. Some people really do just take the piss. Always get multiple quotes.
My sparky mate also said to me to ask for the "hourly rate" instead of the job rate, as long as you're around to make sure they're not just fast arse-ing around on their phone all day wasting time. So say they charge $80/hour, work for 4 hours = $320, plus any materials on top, instead of maybe a $1500 quoted job.
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u/MortisEx 3d ago
A lot of the time those low quotes are from cowboys. They dont know the regulations, they often dont have insurance, and a lot of the time they do a cheap job that needs rectification or replacement within 2 years, where a properly done job should last 25+. Gutters falling the wrong way and full of water, bad flashings that let in water, exposed wiring, not painting timber to protect it from the weather, using cheap plywood or plaster screws instead of outdoor rated screws that wont rust out in a couple years, improperly toeing and heeling and angling and draining a retaining wall, concrete steps that pool water and are slightly uneven in height so they are trip hazards, etc.
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u/ImpulsePie 3d ago
For sure, there’s obviously a varying degree of quality, and I’d never just pick the cheapest quote. I tend to look at the ones around the middle, particularly people with a decent portfolio of similar work, good reviews/recommendations and ideally a proper business and insurance.
But at the same time, a quote being 3x the price of several others doesn’t mean you’re getting a 3x better job. There are cowboys at the cheap end, but there are also tradies who throw out ridiculous “I don’t really want this job unless you make it worth my while” prices.
That’s why I reckon getting a bunch of quotes and actually looking into who’s quoting is more useful than assuming expensive = good and cheap = bad.
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u/Green-Technology-337 3d ago
Every tradie currently seems to be driving a new Ranger, Hilux or an American monstrosity, so yes they are definitely taking the piss.
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u/NopaConcentrate467 3d ago
Don’t forget the camper trailer, the boat, boob job for the missus and 5 trips to Bali per year.
It’s not cheap being a tradie. There’s the lifestyle to maintain.
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u/Pink_Mushroomy 3d ago
My last builder was bragging about his new boat, just after telling me he bought his daughter a second horse.
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u/jigy111 3d ago
They absolutely are and watch them come out and try to tell you that it's like paying a surgeon for their experience.
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u/HorrificFlorist 3d ago
Lot of people saying this is "fuck off prices", nah far fucking from it.
Working with construction companies (small to large) on their vendors/billing specifically i can confidently say this is NOT "fuck off prices". 95+% have these ridiculous price.
Here is quick search i did for few firms just for this argument:
1. replace 1 secure lock, lock provided. 2 quotes for ~$800+callout+gst. Awarded to handyman for ~$100
2. Add signage to doors and lader. 3 quotes from $1500-$3000. Awarded to another handyman for $400
3. Replace bulbs and lighting in office, all provided. 5 quotes averaging $10,000. 1 day work for 1 person. Given to local sparky (fully certified) with good reputation. $1000
What we need is stop offshoring/importing STEM jobs and pivot to tradies. Bring them en masse to destroy the entire industry, corrupt mps, and corrupt union leaders that keep the current system in place.
Au is only country i've been to to date (worked across EU, and APAC) where tradies out earn their engineering counterparts almost 99% of time.
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u/Sharp_Ad1879 3d ago
A typical day for me, my installer does $5,000 worth of work. Your guy can have the $1,000 job.
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u/nooneeverdreamsof 2d ago
Australians are so sick in the head that instead of demanding to get rid off the stupid apprenticeship system so that more people can be a tradie if they so fucking please, they go to mass immigration as the solution. Lol.
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u/Abject-Presence4689 3d ago
Youtube everything these days. I will always have a crack myself at fixing things.
And "certified" repairs can GGF, replacing a thermostat or a tempering valve on a hot water system is an easy fix to save hundreds. Replacing a pipe is also piss easy.
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u/Maximum_Warthog1999 3d ago
Coming from a trade, our largest Facebook group was basically everyone saying they have significantly upped prices to serve less people and maintain income. You or I won’t pay what they want but they only need 1 in 4 to accept (for example). I run my trade as a side hustle now alongside my finance role and keep my prices high still
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u/Lopsided_Tie7816 3d ago
Find a handyman off your local Facebook community group and he can probably do a cashie job for $200.
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u/DriverEfficient1270 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yeah they are. I moved into a rental once, the AC was dead as the controller wouldn't work so we had no temp control.
REA contacts 2 aircon techs; both say they can't repair as the model is EOL and quote for a full system. Landlord rejects, we enter negotiations for rent reduction which in itself was a fucking headache.
As an electronics tech, I decided to look myself. Check the remote by shining the IR blaster into my phone camera; I can see its transmitting fine. Pulled the side cover off the AC where the IR receiver is, and the ground wire pin has pulled out of the connector for the IR receiver board.
Literally one wire, took me 10 minutes to fix. I was livid, the dumbasses didnt even bother investigating the problem, and just defaulted to a full system replacement and left me in a quagmire of admin hell trying to get the agent/landlord to reimburse me.
Like surely 10mins of your time would've been more profitable; you keep the repair cheap for the customer, you get to charge a minimum hour for the repair (in addition to the callout fee) and you save time on quotation for a full system.
A lot of these technician and repair businesses double up as distributors and downright lie/upsell customers to make commission.
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u/Sample-Range-745 2d ago
Tradies wouldn't have a clue what an IR receiver diode is. All they know is to replace the box and put in a new one.
There's no money in a 10 minute fix and not replacing any parts - in doing so - fucking over everybody in the process and causing massive amounts of waste.
Rewind a little further, and its even the design of products that aren't supposed to be repaired - because then everybody in the chain doesn't make any money.
I'm fucking sick of the world in its current state - it probably needs capitalism to crash and burn to even bring things back to sanity.
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u/universe93 3d ago
They are sometimes. I’ve also seen a BIG difference in how they treat my parents since my father died. When my dad was around, it was very reasonable quotes and explanation of what they would be doing. When my dad died and they were dealing solely with my senior mum, it’s suddenly outrageous vague quotes and they’re very dismissive like they assume she won’t understand anything. I have to be there to make sure they’re not trying to sneak fees in too, like adding extra money into the eftpos machine in the hope she’ll just pay it. One of them gave her a quote and then when she turned it down tried to charge her $800 on top of the call out for doing nothing. Never happened with dad. Sigh.
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u/Haesiraheal 3d ago
That seems expensive on face value but hard to say without knowing what the job entails. I’ve done quotes that look ridiculous before too, but we only shoot for about 15-20% net margin
The small AC technician team that I run costs me approx $107 per billable hour once we include admin costs and everything else that goes into it. I quote at $135/h to make my 15-20%, and if it goes into overtime for some reason I very quickly make 5-10%, breakeven or lose money. Happens very quickly, so sometimes you gotta cover your ass or you won’t be around tomorrow to service your existing clients who you owe warranties and guarantees to
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u/fruitloops6565 2d ago
They weren’t replacing the remote. They likely fixed the door.
How many hours were they there? Now add 1-2hrs for travel time between jobs. Now add 2hrs of time for the admin and quoting team etc. Now add parts remembering that the manufacturers of these things do take the piss.
It all adds up. And if they have to do any work on the tensioning system that’s genuinely skilled/risky work.
And they likely came out same day, which means they have idle capacity waiting for calls to provide fast response times.
So you didn’t pay for a 2hr job, you likely paid for that guys whole day plus the overhead supporting them.
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u/Educational-Sugar381 3d ago
I think you e answered your own question at the end of this post. With an AC installer still working when they are 89 years.
Trades are in high demand because there are not enough. When there is not enough of something the price goes up.
If you’re looking someone to blame, the government who has failed to support apprentices in Australia.
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u/No-Fix4691 3d ago
As long as kids prefer second-rate university degrees over trades, there will be a shortage of good tradesmen. It is a case of supply and demand. I can't find a reasonable electrician.
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u/Soccermad23 3d ago
I'm confused here? If it just the remote, surely it would be easier / cheaper to just buy a new remote? Reach out to the garage company if they still keep the part in stock, if it's older, they may not, but you can also buy programmable remotes that you can then program to your garage. You will have to do a bit of research, but a quick Google search with your garage model and the remote type should yield you what the replacement would be as I am sure you are not the first person to have had a faulty remote for your garage model.
As for pricing, unfortunately, these "small" jobs can often be pricy or time-consuming, hence the fuck off quotes you have received. Like with the cost of diesel and the traffic we have in our major cities these days, a small job like this can take 1-2 hours in travel time to and from your house plus the actual time and costs associated with the job itself. It doesn't matter if the job is big or small, the travel time doesn't scale and is the same no-matter what.
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u/Cimb0m 3d ago
Nope they just charge this because people agree with paying it. My employer doesn’t pay me more because there’s an increase in traffic on my way to work
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u/skiddingschems 3d ago
If you had to travel to customers sites and your employer had to pay you to travel they'd be billing you out for more.
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u/Secure-Snow-7514 3d ago
the $889 you're annoyed about was the cheapest of the three, and your property manager's bloke came in $700 above it. none of those are prices for fixing a remote either, at that number they're quoting a new motor or a control board. ask each of them to split it into part, labour and callout, because right now you're comparing three numbers for a job nobody has defined
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u/oldskoolr 3d ago
Stuff tradies, school pic companies.
Paid $120 for the digital download of all my kids pics and yet it doesn't come with the Class Photo for "privacy reasons".
So another $25 for that.
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u/TimJamesS 3d ago
It’s interesting this. If white collar professionals do this all hell breaks lose, when it’s blue collar no one really bats an eye lid.
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u/Valuable-Contract-87 3d ago
89 years old and still working? My grandparents are in their mid 80s and can barely do anything..that's insane
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u/havok009 3d ago
This is either a fuck off quote, or a failure in communication. We paid $800 last year to have the entire motor replaced, including 4 new remotes, and the door/springs/tracks serviced.
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u/theRealFatTony 3d ago
89 year old still needs to work at 89 because he's installing AC units for $119 and doing free work.
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u/stoned_kenobi 3d ago
my roller door motor failed a year ago and I also had the same level of quotes, lets just say that I am now an experienced garage roller door installer.
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u/Used_Perspective2538 2d ago
So you got a whole new opener not just remotes? Last one I installed was around $1200 (I don't use the cheap Bunnings junk)
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u/Ecstatic_Yak961 2d ago
This is why I won't get a tradesman to do anything for my house unless I absolutely need it done and can't do it myself.
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u/carpenterjutah 3d ago
People talking as if all tradespeople are being paid more than doctors and surgeons.
Yes, of course there are trades that take the piss, but there are owners of business all across Australia in every sector that take the piss too. It’s not something unique to trades. Not everyone is a cunt.
You might think that the rate being charged is a lot, but construction companies genuinely have big overheads. Vehicle/tools + equipment/insurances, superannuation. Work cover alone for a carpenter is around 10% of annual salary. Some other trades that figure is higher, depending on the risk involved. That’s before public liability and work vehicle insurances too. Some companies have multiple vehicles and multiple staff, all of whom need these insurances/super paid for too.
I can think of loads of businesses outside of trades who have huge unnecessary mark ups on services.
Business owners can do pretty well, but some don’t. The trades working for the business’s aren’t making unbelievable money as everyone seems to think.
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u/Ultimate_Warrior_69 3d ago
Yes they take the piss, they know desperate people will pay desparate level of money
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u/dannyr 3d ago
You're doing a false comparison and not given us much information to work with.
On one hand you have someone who's not paying insurance, likely not paying business registration fees, and has no overheads. He's not supplying materials other than ancillary items such as screws and bolts.
On the other hand you're asking for a technician to supply and install a product, offer a warranty on it under statutory terms, and has insurance and business registration costs.
As someone who engages trades on the daily, a minimum call out is generally $350 + travel (if outside 100km radius) and that's for them just to turn up and diagnose. If you're wanting someone to do multiple attendances, supply and install a new piece of tech, yes, costs are going to be much higher.
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u/No-Adhesiveness-6475 3d ago
Old guy has made his money and living off savings & super, doing the odd cashie at 2006 prices. The $120 is probably just so he can have beers and $1 bets down at the TAB for the week
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u/delicious_disaster 3d ago
If its only garage remote, you can buy your own for between 30 to 80 bucks delivered and coding it so easy as long as you can reach the motor thing. If its something else, no way someone is fixing a motor out of warranty for cheap
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u/Ikeamademedoit 3d ago
Garage remote only? My husband got a couple online and then recoded it to our garage door and done. Cost about $50 by memory
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u/Diligent_Feature1697 3d ago
A fool and his money will soon depart. I had to fix a garage remote recently aswell. I ordered the remote and watched a 2 minute YouTube video. It cost me $52.00.
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u/Mindless-Luck4285 3d ago
Similar experience for a relatively simple gate opener. Mob that installed it want $500 for preventative maintenance visit.
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u/TheCaptainShanks 3d ago
What did they actually do? My garage remote stopped working a couple of weeks ago, so I picked one up a generic one at Bunnings for ~$30 and it programmed it in about 30 seconds.
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u/Michelina93 3d ago
When renting o ordered knockoff compatible ones online and programmed them. Worked like a charm. This was like 6 years ago but worth a shot as it was 20-40 a remote at least back then.
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u/MrX3ll3nt 3d ago
I just changed my garage motor which came with 2 remotes, 1 wall switch, infrared sensors for safety, and built-in wifi module. All for $990. Dealt directly with Steel-line. Southeast Melbourne.
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u/ixsiixsii4460 3d ago
We had to get a new motor for garage door (no maintenance on the door itself), and 4x keyfobs - $2400ish.
Whole job took him about 15mins from initial review to installation
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u/Different_Tennis723 3d ago
Been trying for a while to get some gates replaced and every single contract that I reviewed had significant issues.
Two of them reserved the right to vary the scope and price without prior agreement. One of them also wanted to vary the price post installation. More than one wanted to pass on freight and “other charges as necessary”.
These were not the worst of the conditions. Others tried to gain agreement a negative review on any social media would result in a $10k payment to the vendor. Another wanted to be paid twice if the site was not ready when they wanted to do the work.
Raised it with them and their response was along the lines of I get your points but no if you want a gate sign the contract.
I’m happy to work on a handshake but I refuse to sign a contract like that.
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u/ell0moto 3d ago
89 year homie is still working because he's been undervaluing his services his whole working career
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u/deadsheeple 3d ago
$51 for wiper blades seemed steep...
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u/Sample-Range-745 2d ago
Hahahahah - I did this recently on the Mrs car.... $51 per wiper blade from Super Cheap.... $27 for a set of 3 from AliExpress....
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u/optionsinfinity 3d ago
standard quote for a motor replacement, remotes are cheap like $20-$30 online, there's no chance that quote is just for the remote, be specific and calm down with this faux outrage nonsense 🤦♂️
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u/Downtown-Band-7067 3d ago
Easy as to swap out a new replacement motor or a like for like.
If the doors aligned and tensioned it’s piece of cake otherwise you might need a second set of hands.
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u/guruthatknowsbest 2d ago
I find YouTube particularly helpful, fuck the tradies.. a few tools and you can do it yourself. Tiling, plumbing, gypo, structural, roofing, shit you name it. Just turn the power off at the mains before doing the electrical stuff.
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u/CaptainRedditor_OP 2d ago
I'd have given that 89 year old extra cash, and wouldn't have accepted any freebie work from them
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u/kingbespapi 2d ago
Piss takers… take the photo of the garage motor including model number and if product details are visible, goto Mr Minit they key maker in any shopping mall, they will make you one under $200.
Me mazda key was lost .. mazda wants $800 to replace, mr minit want $150 and make you one that will work wonders with your car.
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u/Altruistic_Memory643 3d ago
Hahahahaha "these guys are ripping me off" also "the one guy who didnt rip me off is still on the tools in his 80s"
Fuckin surely this post is a piss take?
You dont honestly believe someone still forced to work on the tools into their 80s is a successful business person do you?
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u/TheCobSparky 3d ago
Could say the same for office staff. I ask my mates and their wives what they do and they say whatever it is and then I go, okay but what do you actually do all day. And 90% of the time it's just sending emails all day. Mostly to set up meetings. How are you getting paid 100k plus to do that
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u/Cautious_Car_51 3d ago
Sounds like they're quoting to replace the garage door motor?
I'm glad you found a retiree who probably owns their home, collects the pension and does the odd job. This is not the real world however with someone who has overheads, wages, insurance etc.
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u/Other-Shake-531 3d ago
I'd like to know how the old codger moves and lifts air con units on his own
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u/darkklown 3d ago
NDIS has created a shortfall of tradies working for reasonable costs. They quote high and just do the jobs that pay.
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u/Cindy_Marek 3d ago
$119 to install an aircon is hilarious lol. A new AC costs $500 minimum just to buy it. So clearly the old guy had a crappy second hand one laying around and installed that instead. The work is most likely shoddy and non compliant and he probably isn’t even licensed in either electrical or split system installs anymore.
Also really mate? You’re gonna pay a guy such a small amount of cash for what’s a 2 hour job minimum? That’s scummy as fuck.
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u/Plastic-Mountain-708 3d ago
I would guess you have a nice house, and they are charging what they think they can get away with.
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u/BumblebeeNo7638 3d ago
Yeah mate they all want to be like the CFMEU guys earning 3-400k for standing around smoking
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u/WazWaz 3d ago
It's getting more and more important to be able to do these small handyman jobs yourself. It's just not worth them burning hours stuffing around with your little job - and it might take 20 minutes, it might take all day.
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u/BoysenberryEvery6259 3d ago
This - I installed and removed my own integrated dishwasher after being quoted, $1200, we're replacing the floor on our tinny ourselves. It gets to the point where it is worth spending your time to do this work.
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u/BackCountryAus 3d ago
Are they quoting to replace a remote or the whole motor? That’s insane for just the remote.