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What price for an aerial installation?

What prices have you been quoted and paid for an aerial installation?

What prices have you been quoted and paid for an aerial install
Published on by on UK Free TV
In responses to the guideline I posted about how much having a new aerial fitted should cost, Ian Grice posted: "£40-£50? Every aerial fitter I contacted wants at least £150+VAT considering you can get a class 3 aerial for under £10 and a class 2 for under £15 and cable is 40p a metre why are they charging so much for 30 minutes work?"

OK, for some places putting up a TV aerial is hard work, such as multi-story properties. As many people will simply be exchanging a Group A, B, C/D, E or K aerial for a wideband type, often without changing the supporting pole or cable, a high price cannot be justified.

I am concerned that some companies will exploit vulnerable groups (such as the elderly).

So, I what prices have you been quoted for aerial installations? What price have you paid for installation?

Do you know of any companies to avoid? Do you know of any companies that are good value for money?

Or do you work for a great aerial installation company?





Your comments: most recent posts are at the bottom

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Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Ian Grice
Saturday 23 December 2006 8:10PM
I think handbags and dawn and a girly hair pullin fight would be much more fun.
Liam
Sunday 24 December 2006 12:18AM
Tony as you haven’t consistently posted bull s**t I think you can stay out of the ilk club, and also the ejit club. But I will have to pull you up on the wall plates
That’s far to cheap Remember to fit a wall plate requires intense training from the CAI & if some one should attempt a diy fit they could possibly cause an earthquake. IanG. It’s not just Marvin that has come out with this crap he’s just the latest in a long line of ********ers I still think the crown should go to Ian” I don’t care if people die “he goes way beyond bulls**t
Ian Grice
Sunday 24 December 2006 12:29AM Hinckley
lol
Ian Grice
Sunday 24 December 2006 12:34AM Hinckley
well if santa touches my aerial I bet he will have 3000v course up his arse LOL. Eather that or I will knock his block of if he moves it out of alignment. Supose if he touches my plumbing he will instantly drownd.
Liam
Sunday 24 December 2006 2:12PM
O no kids poor old Santa he didn’t do a CAI ladder course and he hasn’t got a safety harness (he’s to fat) He must be a low down diy fiend. Well we don’t want no presents from a dirty rotten low down dangerous diy cuss like that critter
paul jewell
Sunday 31 December 2006 5:00PM
i fitted my first tv aerial in 1969 that was a double 8 itv and a 5 element bbc in sherborne dorset reciveing signals from sutton colfield in the midlands i was 14 years old rigging in those days was hard!then uhf came in fantastic!but then you had cross moding and ghosting problems so you would get 2 18s and a maching lead and parralex them, aerials to day are a walk in the park, im 54 now and still going strong and as for the cai i dont need them to tell me how to do my job!i have seen some of there members jobs,like cheap nasty high gain aerials mounted on 6ft masts and 6 inc brackets!at the highest point on the gable end,
Liam
Sunday 31 December 2006 10:33PM
Well said Paul, there’s no substitute for experience & a no bull attitude what price range do you think is reasonable for a standard DTB upgrade around your area?
adrian
Thursday 4 January 2007 3:30PM
We paid around £150. Good value if you work out how much it would cost you to do it yourself, and a professional installer has EXPERIENCE and the RIGHT TOOLS which means they can do it properly in 45 mins instead of botching it over 48hours. One thing I won't stand for with aerial fitters are the twats who expect you to pay for them to come and give you a quote.
Ian Grice
Thursday 4 January 2007 6:51PM Derby
£150 for one aerial. How many outlets?

I did mine with a distrabution system (6 outlets) that also incorparates the sky link for under £50 and it anly too 1 day to do it. It also works perfectly.
sam
Thursday 4 January 2007 7:44PM Truro
Aerial, six outlets and sky link for under £50! Thats sounds great, Tell me what parts did you use and where did you buy them from? as i should love to know so i can do it my self.
Ian Grice
Thursday 4 January 2007 7:53PM Much Wenlock
Compact Hige gain aerial and l crank mast £15

Real of sat grade cadle £17

4 way signal booster with return path £12

Cable clips and aerial plugs £3.50

All but the booster came from screw fix

Booster came from argos in the sale.

sam
Friday 5 January 2007 12:09AM Truro
4way signal booster for 5 outlets! how does that work then, given that one outlet is the main point/SKY box
Ian Grice
Friday 5 January 2007 1:03AM Much Wenlock
Sorry thats a typo, should have been 6 way booster.
G.
Saturday 6 January 2007 7:35AM Sheffield
First of all I think this is a great site on the whole, well done Briantist, you've helped me understand a lot more about the technical aspects regarding my reception meaning I am less likely to get fleeced when I speak to aerial installers......................................................................

I came across this site tonight while I was looking on the internet regarding the fact I can't get all Freeview channels when the postcode checker says I should be able to (Sky3, Film4 etc poor/no signal) ........................................................................

I had not had any quotes, spoke to any people or done anything regarding having my aerial changed so on viewing this thread I had no bias as to professional installers .....................................................................

If you read the original article, it asks a few questions. The attitude and the posts in general from a lot of the installers has been very bad imo (I apologise to the few civil installers to have posted) and few of the posts have really addressed the crux in the original article........................................................................

Charging more than £100 for a 1.5hr job looks bad. I can clearly go onto www.tlc-direct.co.uk link icon TLC Electrical Supplies and price up a 48 Element high gain W/B Digital Tv aerial and some cable and if it come to £20 in total for buying singles then that would put you on £53 an hour (Don't even need to get to mention you buying in multiples at discount). As a consumer I am wondering why I should pay that much when I wouldn't expect to pay a plumber or sparky that for 2hrs work. And they too have to cover insurance, transport, equipment. sick days and materials etc etc.
.......................................................................

The CAI appears like a body you join to charge more, they don't appear to really protect the consumer from bad jobs or gauge membership on quality of work, if you've got the registration fee and can pass the exam you're as good as in is the way it looks. we have official bodies in my business too, competence and honest business practice do not seem to be a pre-requisite of membership (Pass the exam, stump up the registration fee and you're in). No doubt not all CAI members are the same, but what's the point in paying more for piece of mind when you don't get piece of mind .............................................................................When people don't know who to trust and are sceptical you should look at it from their point of view, explain and justify everything, the last thing you should do is to try and confuse with obviously anal technical jargon or over zealous b*llsh*t. This is an advert for tomorrows customers, antagonising them is just another big warning sign saying CAUTION - motives, integrity, attitude and value for money very much in question with some of these people.......................................................................

Even if you want to argue some of the things I have said so far. You are missing the point, it is now how I perceive you due to the lack of explanation in regards the original article .....................................................................
I probably won't respond to be honest, I was just mad at the high almighty attitude "we charge what we like and we don't really have to spell out why" attitude. It's come to the point where I am wondering if it's viable to pay polish/german/etc tradesmen to come over here when I start my self build project, because I can't be sure with english tradesmen they aren't going to be lazy, deliver their service late, to standards of poor quality and then overcharge me for the privilege....................................................................... Tomorrow I will ring round many aerial installers in yellow pages and depending on their explanation of "what work ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO BE DONE"(
G.
Saturday 6 January 2007 7:44AM Sheffield
CONTINUED....................................................................... Tomorrow I will ring round many aerial installers in yellow pages and depending on their explanation of "what work ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO BE DONE"(
G.
Saturday 6 January 2007 7:48AM Sheffield
HOPEFULLY CONTINUED..... Tomorrow I will ring round many aerial installers in yellow pages and depending on their explanation of "what work ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO BE DONE"(scepticism) and how much they want to charge me for parts and per hour, I will either be the proud owner of a new aerial or will be considering telewest digital or sky and recommending everyone I know do the same............BTW the bit about the 1.5hr job is obviously for a straight forward swap of to a high gain aerial with 1 tv connection.
Tom Tucker
Saturday 6 January 2007 10:57PM
TO ALL THE INSTALLERS CUSTOMERS ARE NOT AS STUPID AS YOU APPEAR TO THINK DO YOUR SUMS AND BEWARE OF THE DOLE
(1)Sky 12 months Price£180 minus £10 online discount–you can usually negotiate with phone sales staff for better price or free extras full EPG. (See below) No hassle fit & good after sales policy.


(2)Free Sky £150 (may as well go for subscription deal & cancel after year card will then work as free sky card enabling chan 5,4 etc). No hassle fit good after sales policy


(3)Free sat (no chan 4 or 5 & BASIC EPG but more film & sports & kids channels than available on free view) full system New £80 (maplins) or cheaper. Easy DIY fit No special tools required


(4)Used free sat or free sky system (will need new cables) hardware at pocket money prices. Easy diy fit. Easy diy installation. No special tools required.

(5)ROOF TOP Ariel diy –pocket money prices & cost of free view box. Have to have decent set of ladders Technically easy due to roof access physically could be difficult. No other special tools required.

(6)ROOFTOP Ariel trade installation Price varies so much impossible to say. Add price of free view box on top. If you can get a recommendation should be hassle free after sales policy varies from fitter to fitter trade guarantee useless. The majority of fitters posting here are showing a very bad attitude to customers if not humanity as a whole.

And of course there’s cable.

On all satellite systems you can fit a 2.4,or six way LNB and run to multiple rooms just as easy as a one-room installation.

PVRS cheapest on free view record from EPG, More expensive on free sat usually better build, record from basic now & next EPG, SKY monthly fee unless on expensive package.

You pays your money & you takes your choice But it’s not looking good for you guys who expect to earn £35 Grand by charging us extortionate prices for a basic job & the arrogant ones remember we now have a choice where our TV signal comes from and your bolshie attitude will make you & your Trade association surplus to requirements so cut the crap or get ready for your UB40
jon smith
Saturday 6 January 2007 11:45PM
Personally I don't like like heights so there is no way I would put up an aerial myself.
I paid Clearview Aerials £146.88 to install my aerial,they are CAI registered and they did a good job(for me)
MJO
Saturday 6 January 2007 11:51PM
G.I’ve done 2 self builds & believe me the deluded sense of self importance that is displayed by the semi skilled workers posting here is not representative of the skilled British building worker. If one of these guys turned up on site with their arrogant attitude they’d be kicked off site sharpish. And the money they expect to earn if they were builders it`d cost 20 grand for the garden shed .2 to 3 hours to fit an aerial get real if your any good 45minites to an hour if you want more time get off site and send me some one who knows what their doing. My plumber has a dog that regularly licks his own bo****s and that takes more skill than fitting a simple aerial and he’s not deluded enough to think his skill is worth 40 quid an hour. I am normally polite but some of the so called professionals who have written in make my blood boil and the bloke who fitted the central heating is not just an a hole he has confessed to a criminal act and I intended to report this to the authorities
Liam
Sunday 7 January 2007 2:36AM
Hey jon smith £146.88 for an aerial & fitting Plus around £30 for you to supply your own free view receiver total £176.88..... Satellite dish upgradeable LNB, receiver & a years subscription to encrypted channels including installation & a guarantee where it’s in their interest to keep you happy £170.An Ariel should cost significantly less in total than a subscription service that includes all the equipment & which after the fist year is free to view significantly more channels than free view can access I’m no fan of Murdoch but if he could use some of the riggers comments & prices posted here in his next advertising campaign he could increase his subscription rate by 100%...G Looking forward to the next instalment..
….Tom Tucker good point mate….. MJO for prime minister
Liam
Sunday 7 January 2007 3:17AM
1xFortec star satellite 80 gig PVR with USB £80 1 x Samsung dual tuner sat 80 PVR looped £100 2x sky on free sat with old sky viewing cards £0, satellite dish found in garden £0 4way LNB new from Ebay £8 Cable & plugs £20 perfect reception £0 Fitting time 1hour 30 minutes Total £180. Adding 250 gig h/drive to Samsung £45 piece of mind Priceless
Liam
Sunday 7 January 2007 4:04AM
Yes I Know my totals are wrong But I haven’t been insulted by a rigger lately & I’m getting withdrawal symptoms so there you go lads pick on a minor point & chuck in some of that good old rigger abuse
Tony
Sunday 7 January 2007 8:42PM Bradford-on-avon
Liam, Nothing would give me greater pleasure than hurling vast quantities of rigger abuse at you but I'm too busy planning my next carribean cruise ( 2nd one this year). I still don't believe anyone can safely do a quality installation in less than 90 minutes. I keep trying but put my safety and quality of installation first. Now, I think I'll go back to my sunseeker catalogue!
btw no one has responded to my earlier questions on..
A) how much for a face plate installation, and, B) how much do you think us riggers should earn in a year? come on you mouthy gits, how much am I worth? More or less than a sparky/plumber/bricklayer ????
Clark
Sunday 7 January 2007 10:51PM
The problem with this type of 'open forum' is that anybody can be who they choose to be, I would think that more than 50% of this thread is pure 'wind up', it's almost comic book stuff. Some have asked reasonable questions, others are just having fun. I just wonder if ALL trades would be prepared to give an item by item breakdown on everything they do and that would have to include a proportional breakdown of the overheads. I don't see why we should just pick on the aerial installers. How many of us employed or self employed would want our wage packet open for public scrutiny? I am a vehicle examination engineer, my company charges me out at £450.00 per day to the insurance company’s for who we work, am I worth it, no not really but that is the going rate and it increases year by year, I receive more than 50% of my fee gross as a wage, is my job more difficult than an aerial installers, I don’t think so, I certainly wouldn’t want to swap. Why are BMW's so expensive, it's only a lump of metal, why does a rear light cluster for a Ford Transit cost £68.00 trade when it's only a bit of moulded plastic? I’ll tell you why, A £30,000 BMW in real terms is worth £14,600 but it is targeted at those that earn a decent wage so the prices are increased to reflect the image, BMW could make a £12,000 car, but then they become very common and the price would be driven down because those who think that BMW also provides a status symbol would stop buying the £30,000 versions, because it would loose it’s image to those that are more financially better off. As for the rear light cluster, because it is patented nobody is allowed to produce copies and therefore the price can be set 1,000’s of a percent higher than the actual cost because there is only one source. In real terms the plastic moulding is worth 79.2p yes that is seventy nine point two pence. Now if you have a broken cluster and it shows a white light then you MUST replace it because it will fail the MOT test. What I find most strange about this discussion is that you all seem prepared to criticise somebody for earning £40 per hour or more but I guess you are all driving a vehicle on which overall you have allowed somebody to make a minimum, on a new car, £3,900 profit and that is after you think you have got the best deal.
K Jamison
Monday 8 January 2007 12:57AM
Getting back to the original question...

When I decided to go Sky Digital all those years ago when the boxes were being offered for free with a £50 install fee, the company I got the sky system from provided an independent engineer to fit the dish and check it all worked.

When I recently installed a cheap FV box, the signal was weak (loft aerial) so I called the same company and they provided me with a number for an engineer. The aerial, co-ax and fitting including the mount on the chimney stack was £80 all in.

The neighbour three doors down was charged £85 by a different engineer because the engineer I had used was very busy in the run-up to Christmas. While I admit that it is possible to fit an aerial yourself, it doesn't cost much for a professional to fit it and they check the whole set-up to make sure you have a great picture before they leave.

Why stick your neck on the line while you're on the roof when a fully competent engineer can do it for you?

If you go to a reputable TV shop, they'll advise you of a proper, registered engineer. If you simply choose a name using a pin in the Yellow Pages, you're asking for trouble.
Liam
Monday 8 January 2007 1:42AM
Tony If you say it would take you at least 90 minutes then that’s the time it takes you sounds a lot more reasonable than some of the times posted by others but I have no idea why you mention it but there you go……. Are you worth as much as sparky/plumber/bricklayer ? . Personally I believe the way you have phrased your question makes it impossible to answer any answer would be as irrelevant as comparing the price of a cat against the price of a dog.
The worth of a bricklayer is determined by how many bricks he can lay properly in an hour and its the same with the other trades answering your question is made even more difficult because sparky/plumber/bricklayers all earn different amounts. I do however believe that the post by Tom Tucker raises an interesting point in that you have to take in to consideration the value for money offered by the alternatives to a roof top aerial installation. Ian Grice quotes a 6 outlets installation for less than £50 using his figures a 1 way installation would cost around £35 with plenty of cable left over for the next few jobs, that’s retail not trade. Your 90 minute fit time gives you an hourly on site wage of around £80 are aerial fitters worth £80 an hour no. Enjoy your cruise but be warned in the run up to the digital switch over Sky & cable will be monitoring your trades prices & practises & offering very attractive incentives. Don’t go the way of many former British trades & price your selves out of a job. More to the point regarding the topic of this forum how much do you think you are worth?
Liam
Monday 8 January 2007 1:48AM
K Jamison Can you post the name of this company because that’s a good price compared to average price posted by riggers here. I will pass the name of this company to any of my family, friends. & especially pensioners who need an upgrade
Tony
Monday 8 January 2007 7:57AM Bradford-on-avon
How much am I worth? well thats the bottom line innit. I'd say that a business profit of £30k would be about right. I just cannot work more than 6 hours a day, usually 5 or less (remember we don't get paid for travelling). so that's 25 hours per week, say 40 weeks a year (holidays...yes we can have some..) rained off days and the occaisional sicky. round numbers 1000 hours per year. In order to achieve this salary I have to charge approx £100 for a high gain install. That equates to an hourly profit of £30.
Liam
Monday 8 January 2007 10:22PM
Here is a varied list of current jobs from today’s Internet ....
Electrical Design Engineer West London Salary / Hourly Rate: £25 - £30 per hour…....
Financial Accountant Salary: £15 per hour West London……...
Financial Accountant Salary: £22 - £25 per hour + Hourly Rate Newbury …
Accountant Salary: £15 per hour Fareham…..
HEAD CHEF in Norbury, London £18,000 PER ANNUM…..
RETAIL SECURITY OFFICER in Watford, Hertfordshire £6.25 - £6.50 PER HOUR…
SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR in Colchester £18000 - £20000 ….
SITE ELECTRICIAN/MULTI SKILLED ENGINEER, Exeter, Devon £23,000 PER ANNUM…..
ASSISTANT MANAGER/MANAGERESS in St. Helens, Merseyside £5.60 PER HOUR…..
HOME DELIVERY SHOPPER/DRIVER in Brislington, Bristol £ 5:40 + £ 1.00 phr, rising after 6mths…..
Electrical FITTER Company Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
Salary: £8.00-£9.00 PER HOUR ….
Mechanical FITTER Location: Birmingham, West Midlands ….
Salary: £6.00+ PER HOUR DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE …..
Aerospace Design Engineer - Location: Bristol • Salary: 23000 - 30000 ….
Sorry but the idea that rigging aerials is worth as much as an Aerospace Design Engineer or more than an Accountant is plain greedy and I am now 100% convinced that your industry are overcharging especially as your figure for an installation is up to £200 odd less than some of the average prices posted here.

Ian
Tuesday 9 January 2007 6:25AM
Liam, have you missed something? the figures you are quoting is what the employee receives, now add on all the other overheads the company must pay for and you might come up with something like the real figure. Electrical FITTER Company Location: Birmingham, West Midlands Salary: £8.00-£9.00 PER HOUR, so that means that East Midland Electricity Board will visit my house and charge me £9.00 per hour, get real.
Ian Grice
Tuesday 9 January 2007 2:07PM Hinckley
and you have the same overheads as East mids electricity?????????????? I dont think so
Liam
Tuesday 9 January 2007 6:25PM
Ian. No I have not missed something the figure quoted by Tony was PROFIT I AM SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT PROFIT MEANS AFTER COST. To become an Aerospace Design Engineer - Location: Bristol • Salary: 23000 – 30000 requires a hell of a lot more skill & training than aerial fitting. I know that the average Aerospace Design Engineer could easily become an aerial fitter but I doubt that the average aerial fitter would be able to become an Aerospace Design Engineer. Please explain why you are worth so more than an ACCOUNTANT or SIX TIMES MORE than a driver or at least what qualifications & skills make you seven odd grand a year more expensive than an ELECTRICIAN/MULTI SKILLED ENGINEER .So I think that’s is getting real it’s called facts & figures which you would understand had you spent years training to become an accountant rather than going into a job the basics of which can be outlined on a single A4 sheet. ………What’s all this about the East Midland Electricity Board? There are an awful lot of companies that use Electrical Fitters in Birmingham & if I’m not mistaken surely Birmingham is in the west not the East Midlands. Please try to concentrate on the facts & not go off on some illogical tangent every time you reply. I suppose that I’m saying, “Get real”.
Ian
Tuesday 9 January 2007 8:06PM
But that is just the point Ian, we all have overheads and you seem to disallow anybody the right to add these into the equation. I know of two electrical contacting firms, one has 8- 10 sparkies plus 2 office workers, they need few office staff because they only do 'new build', the other has about the same number of men but employs 5 office workers because they also do general repairs, same job, different overheads. You're employed, does your boss purely charge you out on your wages alone, or does he make a profit on your services? if he doesn’t he’s an idiot. If anybody was to charge out labour at cost, let’s say £8 ph on a 37.5 hour a week and giving the standard 20 days holiday the actual ‘working hour’ are 37.5 X 47 weeks = 1,800 hours @ £8 ph = £14,400.00 less public holidays. The actual cost in wages alone including 20 days holiday is £15,600, so where do we find the extra £1,200? Then there is the ‘Employers Contribution’ which has to be paid to the Government to go on top, I can take a person off the dole, save the Government having to dish out dole money and then the Government charges me a fee every week for doing so, this Government makes a profit on every worker in this country without doing anything, so why should that be? They make a profit without lifting a finger and at no cost to them. No I don’t have the same overheads Midland Electricity but I do have two receptionists, £18,000 p.a. an Accounts person, £22,500 p.a. a Stores person, £18,000 p.a. 4 other office staff with a combined gross wage of £110,000 that’s £3,586 going out in wages every week before I unlock the doors, all are key workers who I could not operate without. Wages vary across the UK and house prices reflect that, the area where I live a terraced 2 bedroom house is £220,000 a 3 bedroom £240,000 now I understand in some parts a 4 bedroom can be as low as £120,000 - £140,000 we have to pay people an affordable wage to meet their local needs, there are very few council house to go around. If you are saying that people should only be charged for what they get. i.e. the engineers wages, who pays for the rest, in a sense, the receptionist, accounts and store persons are non-earners, they can only cost me money which has to be found from somewhere, and that is the profits on the engineers work. Pop down the bookshop and get a copy of Bill Cullen’s book Golden Apples, Bill was born in 1942 in the slums of Dublin, he started selling apples and became a millionaire, it’s a real insight on how if you work hard you can reap the rewards. I’m lost as to what right some people think they have to dictate the price of the market; my guess is that more than one of you has flow Virgin and have no objection to adding to Richard’s personal wealth. That man has made so much money he even owns an island. Good luck to him, why should anybody deny anybody else from becoming an entrepreneur?
Liam
Tuesday 9 January 2007 9:29PM
IAN. IAN IAN Sorry mate you’ve missed the point your replying to a post concerning the word PROFIT you know Profit that’s what you’ve got after you pay for your army of workers PROFIT PROFIT PROFIT is what we are talking about, The PROFIT margins described here are over the top for the service provided. As for different parts of the country & the wage differences I included from London to Dorset so that answers that. I doubt Bill Cullen advisees calling your self an apple installation engineer and charging £50 a kilo because of the price of bags & the training courses apple selling requires. Cox’s pippin safety handling course any one? Not as silly as you think they are round & incorrectly handled by an untrained DIY apple people have the potential to seriously injure or kill if allowed to get wet. …….. Applications for the CAI (Confederation of Apple Installers) can be obtained from Bull International Ltd including a full list of fruit training courses. We unconditionally guarantee all fruit installed by our members unless it’s bad, rotten or a member of any fruit family. …………………In conclusion £30 per hour AFTER COSTS is to much PROFIT for the service provided your fitting the aerial not providing the transmissions .
Liam
Tuesday 9 January 2007 10:03PM
Sam ..your right any fool who try’s to take me for a ride, rip me off & fob me off with a shoddy service indeed deserves your sympathy well said you obviously realise that many people are not willing to put up with this level of service any more. Although I must say Quoting Mr.T is a little lame try a more intellectual source next time Bugs Bunny perhaps. ……....(A fool knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing A penny saved is a penny earned)……… i...s the actual saying in full so Ian Grice and many others including myself insisting on value for money I guess your intending this as a complement as well so thank you once again. I am so pleased I keep you entertained it’s so nice to know that I can bring a little happiness into your life with informative & humorous writings but really I don’t know about Ian Grice but I’m really not ready for stardom just yet although I do thank you for your confidence in my abilities to entertain. Kind regards & a Happy new year
doreen and wendi
Wednesday 10 January 2007 2:02AM
we have read all of the above postings, and it is obvious the only person, with a brain is liam!!!! he is consistent throughout, whilst the majority of you chat s**t.It appears to us that ALL you CAI Installers seem to be permanently p****d, and have not got any brains between you. WE HATE COWBOYS THAT DO BODGE UP WORK, FOR A QUICK BUCK!!!! maybe you all should start listening to liam, and all the other customers that make legal complaints, then you would not be so stressed, and obnoxious.keep up the good work Liam you know it makes sense....
Alan
Thursday 11 January 2007 4:14PM
One thing i do not do is talk shit doreen, i am a cai installer and a very good one at that.
Yet again this thread has got out of hand.
Briantist
Thursday 11 January 2007 4:29PM
"He's here to help with a problem/A blood-spattered curse on our land/Please cast your eye over this map, sir/This business is quite out of hand" (Human League, Circus of Death) :-)
Ian
Sunday 14 January 2007 9:03AM
I was being serious Liam, you're just writing stupid words. Bill Cullen started selling apples at 100% profit, buy for half a penny and sell for one, and that applied to everything he did buy for one pound and sell for two he ended up buy Renault Ireland for one pound in the middle of one of Irelands deepest recessions, one pound and a 18 million pound debt. Today it is one of the most profitable businesses in Ireland; it's a long way from penny apples. In you Liam I see somebody with lots of negatives, try to think positive and you yourself may be rich one day…………………………………......Back to the original question, What Price For An Aerial Installation? Answer: Whatever the market will sustain.............................. no doubt all aerial riggers could do a standard installation for say £50, but their order books would be full, they might have to work 10 hours a day, 7 days a week but will always be treading water. Now by jacking the price up to say £120 their order books are not so full, they have more free time for their families but earn the same money. All the time there are people out there will to pay 'the price' there will be a market in any commodity not just aerials. We all have three choices, 1. Buy it, 2. Don’t buy it, 3. If you can, do it yourself. Nobody is refusing you your right to make that decision so why complain. Based on the way I see your input Liam, nobody should be making a profit, if they were to incur a small hiccup, lets say the gearbox on their van seizing up, the are no reserves for the repair. I urge you to go and buy the book. Richard Branson says of the book, 'This book will have a hugely positive impact on everyone who reads it'. I think you see this forum as your 'stage' in life; this is as famous as you will ever get, and you're jealous of anybody who aspires to do better than you. Grow up and stop throwing your toys out of your pram.
Liam
Tuesday 16 January 2007 12:59AM
Ian what a load of naive clap trap thanks for the inside information that you could do the job for £50, just helps show how over priced you really are .even your guru Bill Cullen only went for 100% profit not the 300 400 and sometimes 1000% quoted by you & your colleges. Before you start to indignantly post your objections these amounts are all based on figures you and your colleges have posted. Yes we could all work less by jacking up prices to ill-informed & gullible clients but a little thing called integrity & honesty tells us that we would rather conduct our affairs in an honourable & trustworthy manner ,rather than behave according to a code remenisant of a Back street Glaswegian money lender. Honesty efficiency & Value for money is also potentially a more profitable business model. Your model for business is fundamentally flawed. "What ever the market will sustain" What a naive statement unless you base this principle on an in-depth analysis of the market you are just spouting catch phrase crap that has echoed through the ages from the myriad of industry that over valued their importance & service before they imploded. Your industry is about to get very busy & over pricing will just attract competition from the big boys who are able to operate on a lower per job profit margin, especially during the switch over period. As for the way you see my input it has obviously gone over your head as you seem unable to understand even the most basic of principles. Your book recommendation I really don’t feel the need for inspiration from a business guru who wishes to tell me how successful he is and is making even more money from selling books to naive & gullible people. Your over the garden fence fishwife concluding comments just demonstrate how desperate you have become for constructive criticism and once again we see a feeble attempt at personal insults. Jealousy of an aerial fitter now that is slightly megalomaniac, yes of course we all secretly want to spend our days climbing ladders and bolting stuff to Chimneys. Believe me there are far more rewarding & profitable ways to make a living out here in the real world. Try to under stand Ian there is a big difference between exploitation & profit maybe you can get Bill Cullen to explain it to you. . Right off I go for my X Factor audition in my quest for global fame.
MJO
Tuesday 16 January 2007 1:24AM
I have read the books by Bill Cullen and you have completely missed the point Ian where exactly does it advocate your appalling ideology. In 1998 he received the Lord Mayor’s Award for his work with the disadvantaged young people of Dublin. He is a director of the Irish Youth Foundation and in 2004 he was awarded the inaugural Princess Grace Humanitarian Award. So read the books again Ian & try to under stand them this time. I can see your point Liam but you have misjudged Bill Cullen he would do a good job for a fair price.
Ian
Tuesday 16 January 2007 8:00AM
No Liam you have it wrong, I can't do aerials for £50 because I don't fit aerials, I buy and sell computers. You obviously don't understand the basic priciples of business, if we had people like you running this country we'd be classed as 'third world'. As Clark has pointed out, a BMW does not cost £30,000 to make, it's about half that, but the sustainable market price is £30,000 and all the time there are people out there willing to pay the price that is what the price will be......I take it you are employed....so why do you get paid? because apart from the cost of going to and from work, the remainder of your wage packet is your profit from your labour. If people don't make a profit then they won't be able to go up the pub for a pint, if nobody was to use the pub then those employed throughout that industry would be unemployed, everybody needs to make a profit because it keeps the wheels of industry turning and helps our countries import and export market. Left to you we'd grind to a halt. Just for your info, I can make anywhere between 400 & 600% profit on a £2,000 laptop, and I can't get enough of them. MJO, whilst Bill has achieved eveything you mention, that is his charitable side, you mention nothing about his money making ability.
Liam
Tuesday 16 January 2007 9:33PM
Ian if your not an aerial fitter then you are obviously just taking random figures out of the air not very business like is it .As for your rather silly repeat BMW analogy apart from your & Clarks simplistic financial summery that conveniently leaves out research & development and many other initial cost that run into millions before a profit is made. A BMW is something of a status symbol and so commands a premium I am unaware of any aerial rig that denotes status when perched on top of the house. As for profit I have been self employed for over 30 years I under stand economics well enough to know that over charging for a service is a short term business solution that just results in the competition moving in and putting you out of business. Before you post your next piece of misguided nonsense try reading the previous posts that address the comments you have made. By the way which is it 400 or 600% profit that you make? Surely such an astute businessman who can insult & lecture me on economics must have a more accurate knowledge of his purchase & sales costs. Or is your business experience limited to Ebay? I to work in the computer industry as a freelance consultant & your £2000 for a laptop even with gamer spec is just plain silly have you actually checked current trade hardware prices .Get you head out of clouds & study some economic history it is your short sighted profiteering ideals that handed the British manufacturing industry to the competition & turned us into a nation that relies on low wages & service industries for its economic well-being. The bottom line is everything has a realistic value if you constantly over value something then people will acquire it from a source that reflects its true value. To complicated for you ,try this before deregulization how much less did your BMW cost in Germany ?
Tom Tucker
Tuesday 16 January 2007 9:42PM
Throwing your toys out of the pram is getting repetitive it`s been used far to often . So to help with future post I have compiled some phrases which mean the same sort of thing….. ,Going into one ,having a wendy, mardy fit, having a wobbly, blowing a fuse; having a cob on, mardy ,getting right up my nose, who rallted your cage, spitting blood and tin cats, spitting the dummy out , riled up, getting a right 'gression on, don't get out your pram, spitting blood and tin tacks, doing my nut ,totally garrity, knickers in a twist, keep your hair on, blue fit; jumped out of the pram , doing my tank ,button it; old fiddle faddle; Hope this helps
Liam
Tuesday 16 January 2007 9:49PM
By the way Ian BMW 1 Series Sports hatch start from £15995 so I`ll supply them to you for 60% over current dealer value if you like.
sam
Tuesday 16 January 2007 10:23PM Truro
Liam

I should be grateful if you could give me some figures as what you think is a fair and reasonable call-out charge for an Aerial/ Satellite engineer,given that the charge covers the first hours labour and is inclusive of VAT. Also for comparison call-out charges for an electrician, plumber and computer engineer
Liam
Tuesday 16 January 2007 11:41PM
Sam more to point I would recommend avoiding any body who charges a call out fee and go for some one who gives a quote.
ian
Wednesday 17 January 2007 8:44AM
I've been in business for 34 years, computers since the early 1980's, remember the Amstards, Commodore Vic 20 & 64, BBC, I was selling them then and I'm still selling the latest today, AT MY PRICE!! nobody dictates what my profit margin will be, if they don't want to pay my price for the goods and all the benefits, then they can go to the likes of PC World, I really don't care, I have corporate customers who just keep coming back for more, time and time again. Liam, you just keep strugling. I have a house worth nearly £1,000,000 with less than £100,000 mortgage, I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, at fifteen I was earning £15.40 per week, today it is over £1,000 With regards to the 400 - 600% Liam, it depends on the model I sell, the cheaper ones are less profitable. The year before last was a fantastic year for me and I ended up paying £47,000 in income tax. I don't object to that, it goes with the business.
sam
Wednesday 17 January 2007 11:12AM Truro
Liam thanks for your reply, however i was not looking for a recommendation. Given that the customer has an existing installation that has developed a fault and given that it can be repaired with no parts required and within the first hour of the call-out what you think is a fair and reasonable call-out charge for an Aerial/ Satellite engineer,given that the charge covers the first hours labour and is inclusive of VAT. Also for comparison call-out charges for an electrician, plumber and computer engineer.
Liam
Wednesday 17 January 2007 10:56PM
Sam given my previous reply how could I give a price for a call out charge. However I would expect a competent engineer to ask questions about the problem so that he or she can do a general diagnosis and estimate a repair charge. I would expect to pay more for the services of an electrician plumber and computer engineer. I have expressed my views on pricing in previous posts and made it quite clear that I am in no way against the aerial rigger trade in general but I do have issues with some of the extremist & rip off attitudes expressed by a number of your colleges in this forum. Read the forum from the beginning and you should get a complete picture. More to the point what do you think is a fair & reasonable price?
Liam
Wednesday 17 January 2007 11:06PM
Ian what is strugling I could go on about how after all this time selling computers you would think you could use keyboard or spell checker and what a pompous attitude you display in assuming that you must be doing better than another person because they must be struggling. I to have corporate clients & my experience of them is they are far to shrewd to pay over the odds for hardware but they are more than willing to pay a very generous fee for expertise. I could carry on that considering how expensive PC world are for hardware ,you must have some corporate clients whose entire financial departments needs looking at. I could go on that if you are quoting £1000 odd earnings & paid £47000 in tax then you need to bone up on tax and get an accountant who knows their stuff. (Free tip, Maybe you should be leasing that BMW) But putting all that in a post would be as irrelevant as telling you how much my watch is worth or that I had a Sinclair ZX80.So I will stick to the point instead. Try looking at the entire forum instead of taking single posts out of context You mention “all the benefits” I presume you are referring to a no nonsense backup & support policy that you employ I presume you have pride in your expertise and can therefore command a premium for your services I presume you do not fob off the customer with “It was okay when it left here so it’s not my problem “ Given that all this is true what would you expect to pay for a single aerial installation & what sort of response would you expect from the supplier or their trade associations should problems arise. Would you be prepared to pay out more to them to put things right, or would you expect them to live up to their pre-installation promises. Also given that you are accurately representing your background, you must have a fair understanding of the technical side of things, do you have an opinion on the techno babble & anti DIY posts would you feel confident to recommend the services of some of these people like Marvin or Ian “A bottle of Fairy Liquid did it for me, I didn't need expensive leak detection equipment “to your clients? Input from you regarding these topics would be far more valuable than inept insults & ramblings about house prices.
sam
Wednesday 17 January 2007 11:19PM Truro
Liam, thanks for your reply however I feel you have avoided the question i put to you! Try this, what would you expect to pay a Aerial/Satellite Engineer to call at your home and realign your dish/aerial, given that no parts are required and all the work can be undertaken in under one hour?



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