Raising my rates for EV charger installs and nobody's biting

Alright, I've been slinging wire in the Chicago area my whole career, mostly residential service calls and panel upgrades, but with all these folks wanting level 2 EV chargers in their garages now, I figured it was time to jack up the rates. Used to quote $1500 for a basic 240V install with 50A breaker and some 6/3 NM-B, but now I'm at $2500 flat because materials are through the roof and I'm tired of eating the copper costs. Told a guy last week it was $2800 with trenching to the meter, and he ghosted me for some hack on Angi who probably used undersized wire and no permit. Saw a thread on r/electricians where everyone was saying the same, and even in The Contractor Fight FB group, sparks are complaining about lowballers ruining it for all of us. IMO, if we don't stand firm on pricing for these charger jobs, we'll all be working for peanuts while Home Depot sells kits for DIYers to screw up. Who's with me on pushing back?

same here, been quoting higher for those Tesla hookups and half the time they walk.

goddamn infuriating when a customer calls back after going cheap and now their panel's fried from a bad install. had to fix one last month, cost them double what i quoted originally.

bundle it with a referral discount, like 10% off next job if they send a buddy your way. works for my painting gigs, might help with the pushback.

how do you explain the rate hike without losing the client? i always freeze up on that part.

been there, clients act like $2k for a charger is robbery when they drop 50k on the car.

NGL, i feel your pain every time i see another underpriced ad on nextdoor.

customer wants a charger but skimps on the upfront, then cries when the electrician u video they watched shows why it's not cheap.

i just laugh and tell 'em 'you get what you pay for, or in this case, a fire hazard.'

drop the price a bit for referrals, say $200 off if they bring in a neighbor for the same install. gets the word out without tanking your margins.

don't ever lowball EV work, saw a guy get sued after a install went wrong. stick to your guns.

man, the struggle is real with these rate hikes.

every time i try to raise 'em, some yahoo undercuts me and i lose the job.

sucks, but we're all in the same boat with these cheapskate homeowners.

screw the lowballers, they're the reason insurance rates are skyrocketing for all of us legit sparks. time to union up or something.