Electrician Rates and Recommendations in Melbourne?

• 

  JimmyF on 07/07/2025 - 19:11

  -1

  haven't had to use an electrician before

  But you have a view on what they cost?

  but the invoice had no notes about any findings or diagnosis.

  Was the problem fixed? What was the damage?

  • 

    OzBarAnon on 07/07/2025 - 22:08

    -1

    As I said, I looked online for "average electrician rate Melbourne", read some Reddit posts, but those were a few years old and thought prices may have risen due to inflation, etc. so I decided to ask here.

    The problem was not fixed. If it was, I really wouldn't have cared about a timeline or estimate (I mean, an estimate wouldn't be necessary if it was fixed). What was the damage? I don't know for sure. No notes on the invoice, and from what my dad told me (I wasn't there, he was), it was very vague and along the lines of "house is old, will need to come back and investigate further"

    • 

      JimmyF on 08/07/2025 - 19:12

      -1

      As I said

      As I said, was the problem fixed? What was the damage?

      • 

        OzBarAnon on 09/07/2025 - 10:28

        -1

        I answered both of your questions in the second paragraph of my reply. It was not fixed, and I don't know the damage for sure

• 

  AndyC1 on 07/07/2025 - 19:22

  +2

  Call out is a bit low. The first 30 mins is high. The ongoing hourly rate is a bit steep.

  I would have expected call out to be $100 to $150 depending on which suburb you are in and which suburb they really are actually based in. The first 30 mins I would have expected to be $75 to $100 and then each 30 mins to be between $50 and $80. Parts are on top of this.

• [Deactivated] on 07/07/2025 - 19:23 Comment score below threshold.
• 

  big1964 on 07/07/2025 - 19:24

  I went through hi pages and talked to a couple over the phone to get an idea of what they charge.I find the trades that go through a francise charge more, I try to find someone that works on their own.

  • 

    Trying2SaveABuck on 08/07/2025 - 11:33

    I went through hi pages and talked to a couple over the phone to get an idea of what they charge.I find the trades that go through a francise charge more, I try to find someone that works on their own.

    Charge more? (maybe if you pay cash) but on the books 'No' and the service is 10x times better in my experience with the bigger players - found the independant domestic guys tend to bail/not turn up and have super poor communication

    Whilst you might think they charge more guys like Jims probably charge about the same (if not less) when to factor in they arent doing it for 'cash money' like most of the smaller players- ie they pay GST, tax, franchiee fees

    unless 'you know' the tradie it is a hell of a lot of headaches getting a Electrican/Plumber/Roofer to even turn up let alone give you a better price (on the books)

    • 

      big1964 on 08/07/2025 - 22:35

      $400 an hour and the guy didn't do anything is that good service?

• 

  youfnc on 07/07/2025 - 19:32

  -1

  Do you have any local friends you could ask? I’ve been lucky finding great trades through word of mouth. It might help your peace of mind that the trade knows they’ve come through a personal recommendation

• 

  SBOB on 07/07/2025 - 19:38

  $400 and the guy apparently didn't even give a timeline or estimate for a fix.

  so they spent an hour and didnt even work out what circuit was the issue or the cause of the problem (let alone fix the issue)?
  If so, Ill say the $ value shouldnt be your concern, but more their competency

  Id expect considering its just lights, that one or more of your light circuits tripped or fuses blew. I hope they at least checked these themselves before calling out an electrician?

  • 

    OzBarAnon on 07/07/2025 - 22:14

    A circuit tripped on the switchboard, but unable to reset it.

    • 

      zorodluffy on 08/07/2025 - 09:08

      -1

      1. one of your lights defective, shorting out

         -disconnect 1 downlight at a time until the circuit breaker doesnt trip, thats the defective one, replace

      2. the circuit cable for your down lights has a puncture somewhere and is shorting.

         -harder to find, probably should get electrician to find this 1

• 

  brad1-8tsi on 07/07/2025 - 19:53

  +3

  My sparky charges me $130/hr. $70 call out if I need priority service. Nothing if it's "anytime in the next few days".

  Funnelling $20k of work to him in 3 years gets a bit of a better rate.

  • 

    theHMASfriendship on 07/07/2025 - 20:32

    +2

    Nice post it as a bargain

    Spend $20,000, get 5% off on future jobs

• 

  brendanm on 07/07/2025 - 23:05

  Was this one of those dodgy franchise style things?

• 

  JIMB0 on 08/07/2025 - 08:07

  Was it the mob with blue vans that has featured several times on A Current Affair?

• 

  bbinc on 08/07/2025 - 08:14

  Same here bayside Melbourne. Downlights all dodgy (after State Govt free lights upgrade last year. I’ll be using a sparky I’ve had before. $220 first hour, $110 per hour after that. Quoting for other work.

• 

  TilacVIP on 08/07/2025 - 08:43

  Unless you know someone / recommended good local tradie, that doesn't charge a kidney, yeah $400 is a hard rip, all day every day.

• 

  scrambledeggs on 08/07/2025 - 09:14

  Typical rate for sparkie $110-$140 per hour + initial call out fee, depends on size of job.

• 

  Boioioioi on 08/07/2025 - 09:30

  +1

  That sounds like a rip off. He didnt even fix it? A good sparky should have some spare breakers in the van, that should be a simple swap….

• 

  Darayus on 08/07/2025 - 11:13

  Avoid tradespeople—such as electricians, plumbers, and roofers—who leave magnetic cards in your mailbox every few months. These operators often overcharge and target vulnerable individuals who may not fully understand the nature of their home maintenance issues.

  I recommend using local newspaper classifieds, strata-appointed electricians, or asking friends for referrals to trusted tradespeople. These professionals are typically legitimate and transparent about their call-out fees and charges before starting any work.

  Many of the so-called “free call-out” offers from these card-dropping trades come with hidden conditions, such as requiring you to spend at least $400 before the offer applies. Additional hidden fees are common.

  Some of these tradespeople are part of larger scams and should be avoided at all costs. For example, I’ve read about a plumber who convinced an elderly person to replace their entire toilet suite for $3,000 when only a simple washer needed changing. Fortunately, the person declined, as they got it fixed by their friend by simply replacing the washer.

  Always seek recommendations and clarify all fees upfront to avoid falling victim to these unscrupulous operators.

  • 

    OzBarAnon on 08/07/2025 - 18:46

    Avoid tradespeople—such as electricians, plumbers, and roofers—who leave magnetic cards in your mailbox every few months

    I see, that may have been the first mistake

• 

  apu on 08/07/2025 - 11:48

  It's fairly high. I recently used a sparky (sole trader) eastern suburbs of Melbourne and he charges $220 per hour, but factors in travel to the site as part of the first hour. Try to find trades who work alone and have a fairly new business on their own.

  But what are you going to do? The work has already been done…

• 

  Whatisthatvelvet on 09/07/2025 - 11:43

  Join your local area FB group. Ask for a recommendation or search for one in the group