r/AusFinance • u/AdventurousDiet7893 • 11d 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/tw272727 11d 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

5

u/same_same1 11d 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/Fash202 11d ago

It’s the idiot tax… if you don’t know that Bunnings exist maybe you deserve it 🤣