How Nigerian Technicians Bill their Clients

Many of us have had to haggle prices with technicians on various occasions because we felt they were overcharging us for their services. Recently, OPL Academy conducted a survey within its community of technicians to determine the factors they consider when billing their clients. The following are their responses:

Transportation

About 98% of the technicians who responded to the survey identified transportation as one of the factors that influence how they bill a client. They consider the cost a round-trip to their client’s location. If they have to go to the market to get the materials they need for a client's job, they factor  this in the cost of transportation.

Manpower

Sometimes technicians do not work alone; they need the help of their apprentice to run errands or other technicians with different specialties. For example, a plumber who needs to break the tiles of a bathroom wall to repair a broken pipe may bring a tiler with him to replace the tiles when he is done fixing the broken pipe. This extra manpower comes at a cost as the additional technicians need to be compensated.

Duration of projects

Some projects or repairs may take an entire day, several days, or even weeks to complete. Technicians think about how long it will take to complete a project or make repairs. According to the popular adage, "time is money"; the more time they have to spend on a task, the more money they charge. Fortunately, technicians in Nigeria do not charge by the hour, which saves us a lot of money.

Complexity of a task

The complexity of a project or repair also influences how much technicians charge their customers. Some tasks can be mentally and physically exhausting. As a result, they charge for the stress as well as their expertise, just like any other professional. 

Cost of materials

Most projects or repairs require materials, from replacing a burned-out electrical socket to repairing a broken pipe. In Nigeria's current economic downturn, product prices are constantly rising. When billing a client, technicians take into account the cost of materials needed to complete the project. 

Relationship with clients

Some technicians develop good working relationships with their clients over time and may decide to waive some costs for those clients.

When next you have to bargain with a technician, keep the things listed above in mind to offer these technicians fair wages and avoid underpaying them.

References

Photo source: Photo by olia danilevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-person-using-calculator-5466808/