eff you price accepted on north jersey subpanel job, but what a nightmare customer

Up here in north jersey, zone 5 winters mean we're always swapping out these old panels for something solid like a Siemens 200A main. Guy calls me for a subpanel install in his garage, I quote him the full $4500 flat rate because I ain't doing T&M on a picky bastard like this. He haggles for days, wants me to shave off for using cheaper romex, but I tell him no way, NEC code 210.8 requires GFCI out here and I'm not skimping. Finally accepts after I walk once, but then spends the whole job bitching about my Milwaukee M18 drill noise and how long the trenching took. I price by the job, not the hour, $95 min but this was a full day mess. Told him upfront no surprises, and if he doesn't like it, plenty of other sparks in the area. Saw a similar rant in Electricians Network FB group last week, these clients think we're magicians.

man i feel that, had a guy in my area pull the same crap on a simple outlet add.

screw these homeowners who think they know better than code. they push back and then blame us when shit hits the fan.

PSA: always document everything in writing before starting. had a lawyer client try to weasel out of payment once.

lmao the drill noise complaint? told him it's the sound of quality work, he shut up after that.

these entitled types are everywhere now, blame inflation on us while demanding discounts.

frustrated as hell, spent 3 hours on a 1 hour job because client kept changing mind on panel location.

same, my last ev charger install turned into a full day argument over trenching depth.

homeowners like that make me wanna quit resi altogether. commercial pays better without the drama.

proud of you for sticking to your guns, hit $120k last year by not budging on quotes like that.

eff you prices are the only way to weed out the pains. charged $3k for a panel swap, guy paid and tipped even.

controversial take: sharkbite equivalents for wire? nah, but for these jobs i sometimes use push connectors to speed up and charge less time.

helpful tip: use housecall pro to send digital quotes with breakdowns, clients see the value and accept faster.

been there bro, north jersey clients are the worst for haggling. solidarity.

shut up and pay up is what they need to hear more often.

yeah but saying it out loud gets you bad reviews, so we suffer in silence.