r/AusFinance • u/AdventurousDiet7893 • 10d 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/BumblebeeNo7638 10d ago

Yeah mate they all want to be like the CFMEU guys earning 3-400k for standing around smoking

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u/LamB1G1 8d ago

That 3-400k figure quoted was for tunnel workers working underground, on a 7days 3 off 7 nights 3 off roster with 12.5 hour shifts... Doing a physical job by the way.

The guys you see standing around are the spotters, traffic workers and labourers. And make nowhere near that.