When Customer Says You're Too Expensive

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

This is what we say:
"We're booked up with work for months so we are not too expensive, we may be out of your budget.
You say you had another quote and it is significantly cheaper.
Have you thought perhaps the other quote is too cheap?
Why not phone them and ask them how come they are so cheap."

Recently we had such a call.
We didn't drop the price at al.
And we did get the job!

 

[SimonG]

I normally say 'no problem, hope you get sorted'. Then they will start on with the dropping the price etc. At which point they get a 'goodbye'. Anybody chewing on about the price before you start is going to be a real pain at the end of the job when you want your money.

 

[kirkgas]

When faced with this i never drop the price, as that proves you have over priced it in the first place! but i ALWAYS leave a business card, and say "just in case the cheap guy won't come back to fix the problems"

 

[Sparkgap]

We've had customers come back saying they've had a much cheaper quote. Sometimes it's firms 'buying in' work to keep their blokes going, other times the firm has missed something minor such as boilers or pipework :lol:. Had one customer accepted a quote from a new firm which was 2/3 ours, then came back to us before the job was 1/4 done as the other lot had gone bust!

 

[Ollieg]

I'm reassuringly expensive!!!!!!

 

[Ollieg]

If you wanna haggle go down the market!!!!!

 

[Rickster123]

I'm reassuringly expensive!!!!!!

I'm going to get that on the side of my van!

 

[Barry98]

We have something similar


when they rings and ask us to lower our price as they've had a cheaper quote , I say yea course no problem where would you like me to save the cost

on materials or the quality of our work.


ooo no I want them as per your quote


well you have our price then


id say 80-90% go with us

 

[secret squirrel]

This is a difficult point because I hate having to haggle but depending on what it is I will haggle, this is very hypocritical.

I will haggle over the price of a car or if I am in a shop, buying a new tv, I will haggle over luxury items.

I also search the internet for cheaper prices then go to the shop armed with this information, I explain that, I understand that the local shop can't match the internet price but I ask how close can they get to it!

This is all done with good humour and in person, never on the phone! your approach and character don't come across on the phone but do in person.

The last time this happened to me I asked to see the other quote, it was a bathroom, I had taken the side panel off of the bath it had been leaking and the floor needed to be replaced, the other quote hadn't taken this into account, I explained this to the customer and they said they'd go for the cheaper quote. I wished them all the best and left.

I think for me its the way the conversation/haggle is conducted, in an aggressive manner "your ripping me off" or "Mate, help me out a bit,"

Its easy to compare a tv, I want a Sony 32 CDI, I can get it for £400 incl delivery. You have a place to start.

This job is different: I quote for a glow worm, you quote is for a WB, I quote for plastic pipe, you quote for copper, all most people look at is the bottom figure.... they don't know the difference (or care) whether its a WB or Ariston, they all do the same.........

People begrudge paying for boilers etc, they are not glamourous there shiny new is, "look at my shiny new mercedes everyone, look how well I am doing" not the same if you say to someone "look at my shiny new boiler, heats the water in seconds, the heating is lovely, my radiators are really shiny"

I try not to take this personally or as an attack on me but it is difficult.

 

[Ollieg]

I'm going to get that on the side of my van!

That's mine!!!! 🙂

 

[Ray Stafford]

Used before on the Forum, but still a goodie:

 

[Rickster123]

It depends on the job. If its 50 quid on a boiler change then I might listen. If its a fiver on a toilet siphon then they can poke it!

 

[hammers4spanner]

pay carp get carp

 

[mjt]

HAd a production manager guy from a factory wanting a refrb n the restroom - put in a quote - he rang me up saying he had a budget of x amount and my quote was about £200 over that - could i do anything like use cheaper materials ?

From his tone I knew he wanted to give me the job so i said I'd se what i Could do. So i managed to squeeze a bit out of the merchant and dropped my labour by £70. He was made up I still used as stuff and didn't really lose much

 

[nicro3]

If your busy then its a sellers market, if not its a buyers.

 

[mjt]

£70 on a +£3k job is worth it least he let me know but I guess it wasn't his money

 

[Dotty]

£70 on a +£3k job is worth it least he let me know but I guess it wasn't his money

More often than not though a little wheeling and dealing like that leads to more work in the future which more than pay's back that £70

 

[jase158]

don't mind haggling as long as I still get a good day rate, usually its the materials they cut back on, less tiles, cheaper bath etc, but If somebody is blatantly taking the mick then I will walk away. had a quote the other day, custard said "your young" as soon as I walked in, moaned about my phone manner asked how much and when I gave a rough price she said "your the same price as British Gas" I was so shocked I didn't know what to say, but should of said "go and get a quote from BG" I quoted £4000 in the end, well over my estimate as definitely didn't want that job...

 

[CXR100]

Farmers ar the worst for haggling! never had one not doing it yet , or they say "how much for cash then" after you name your price, to which i reply with a smile "that price was for cash" , that usually ends it!

 

[SimonG]

Always add a bit on for farmers. Then give them half of what you added. There happy, your happy sorted.

 

[Niallmat]

Farmers ar the worst for haggling! never had one not doing it yet , or they say "how much for cash then" after you name your price, to which i reply with a smile "that price was for cash" , that usually ends it!

Farmers are terrible like! They claim poverty! You always see them in nice machinery an that! I was with a heating firm and did a big job for a farmer, he agreed a price and we did the work, I found out a few week later they where refusing to pay the full amount!

 

[Plumb08]

I was always told that If you pay peanuts you get monkeys.

 

[lame plumber]

on any bigger job I do an estimate and get customer to sign agreement for work to go ahead and cancellation procedure if less than 7 days cooling off period and work is starting. Its a door to door salesman type agreement as required now for all of us under trading standards requirements and if the blighters then refuse payment etc youve got a simple contract with their signature to use in court process and your ahead of the game already.

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

and when I gave a rough price she said "your the same price as British Gas" I was so shocked I didn't know what to say, ..

We get similar on the phone...They've called Heateam, WB , BG or who ever and then they call us and tell me on the phone that that other company are too expensive. That i why they are calling us. I reassure them that we will almost certainly charge a similar price and might charge more!
Why assume we will be cheaper? Our materials may well cost more than those big firms.

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

This is a difficult point because I hate having to haggle but depending on what it is I will haggle, this is very hypocritical.

I will haggle over the price of a car or if I am in a shop, buying a new tv, I will haggle over luxury items..........
I think for me its the way the conversation/haggle is conducted, in an aggressive manner "your ripping me off" or "Mate, help me out a bit,"....

I think you make some good points.
Actually we do "help out" customers who seem like they will be nice to work for but can't afford the higher prices.

No-one wants to spend money on new heating - that would just be just strange!

Most of our work is bathrooms and general house renovations - these are luxuries to some extent -
I think some if the "your too expensive" comments come because people don't realise just How expensive these things are and then are not comparing like with like when they get a cheaper quote.

For the most part I don't think we can just slice off a chunk off the profit when we send out a quote for £10,000 bathroom - as other have said we would have to change the quality of the materials - which can easily be achieved but customers rarely do that - if anything they usually end up spending more.

Perhaps we price things too low! 🙂

 

[Centralheatking]

The most important part of what you are posting about is really - THE DEPOSIT !

For new domestic customers and small commercials I always write a contract and
have a deposit up front - boilers can cost £1000 - I dont leave them in peoples
homes without some commitment from them.

Its the best way - a deposit is a legal agreement for my outfit to complete
and the customer to pay the final - it also gets them into the idea that
we are working together - and real money has to change hands

Its just our way - under £300 no but above ALWAYS

centralheatking

 

[Centralheatking]

I have been known to drop £500 over a £7500 luxury bathroom ONCE then I got home and KICKED THE CAT and had a think and got it all back in spades on extras

More often than not though a little wheeling and dealing like that leads to more work in the future which more than pay's back that £70

 

[CXR100]

if the house isnt that nice, old tv, old clothes ect ect and you can see they are struggling i usually go a bit cheaper, because they are allways repairs , bursts leaks ect, i just cut £20 off for example, then the next huge house i get a bathroom job and a nice bmw outside and a huge plasma in the living room i just charge them a bit more!

 

[lame plumber]

if the house isnt that nice, old tv, old clothes ect ect and you can see they are struggling i usually go a bit cheaper, because they are allways repairs , bursts leaks ect, i just cut £20 off for example, then the next huge house i get a bathroom job and a nice bmw outside and a huge plasma in the living room i just charge them a bit more!

and guess which one will pay up immediately or before the jobs finished, not the beemer owner but those that are struggling along, so I dont mind doing a deal for people like that🙂

 

[Wet dream]

We but this on are adds

The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten

Says it all and filters out the divs you never wanted to work for anyway

 

[AndyJ]

WOW! Appreciate and understand the views expressed here about not dropping your prices or being asked to haggle in order to get the work but I'm shocked at the general attitude revealed in these posts towards your customers. Not all of us are tight devils looking for someone to work for slave wages .... but it seems, judging from this thread, that there exists in the plumbing world a widely held pre-conceived notion that the customer is in some way mentally deficient, naturally deceitful and an overall thoroughly bad lot. Heart warming!
Thanks for the 'heads up', I'll now treat all future contacts with the plumbing fraternity with a great deal more suspicion than has been my practice up to now.

 

[Dotty]

WOW! Appreciate and understand the views expressed here about not dropping your prices or being asked to haggle in order to get the work but I'm shocked at the general attitude revealed in these posts towards your customers. Not all of us are tight devils looking for someone to work for slave wages .... but it seems, judging from this thread, that there exists in the plumbing world a widely held pre-conceived notion that the customer is in some way mentally deficient, naturally deceitful and an overall thoroughly bad lot. Heart warming!
Thanks for the 'heads up', I'll now treat all future contacts with the plumbing fraternity with a great deal more suspicion than has been my practice up to now.

Are you reading the same thread? Where did a terrible attitude towards customers arise? You seem to labour under the impression we work for the love of the job.

We don't. There's insurances, trade registrations, tool upkeep, van upkeep, ongoing training, fuel, tax, registration body fees and so on. That's before we can consider our wages.

Please post up where you live as you actually drop into the small bracket of customers you describe us as viewing all customers.

And your first post too, digging up an old thread. Hmmmm.......

 

[kay-jay]

should have been in the arms croppie

 

[hammers4spanner]

i dropped my price for my girlfriends mate other daymoved some rads for here so drained system and refilled checked all rads and off i went ,

later that eve she phoned said i missed a rad and it was cold and she didnt know what to do so tried to explain and got no where .

so today i go back a 35 mile trip to do this no extra charge and price was cheap in first instance ,if i charged full rate i'd be happier but hey ho it happens no complaining to much

 

[cr0ft]

and guess which one will pay up immediately or before the jobs finished, not the beemer owner but those that are struggling along, so I dont mind doing a deal for people like that🙂

Just finished my 2nd job for a really nice lady who lives in an estate in Lincoln that is known for being rather deprived to say the least. The lady is riddled with arthritis but couldn't be nicer. She has tipped me more in tips than all my other customers in the last year combined.

I am starting to agree that those with money are the least generous tbh.

 

[IDCHAPPY]

There's a lot of truly nice people out there that are grateful for our help and assistance and for us it's extremely rewarding to help these folk, there are a fair amount of snakes though unfortunately...

 

[Dotty]

should have been in the arms croppie

Probably originally yeah. But then no prices have been mentioned.

 

[kirkgas]

When someone tells me I'm not the cheapest quote I say "good because I plan to do it properly using good equipment and if there are any problems I will resolve them right away, if I was too cheap you wouldn't be getting good service would you, here's my card feel free to give me a call if you go for the cheap option and need it fixed if the original person can't come back"

 

[kirkgas]

The reality is "how much for cash" should be £20 more as banks now charge you to put cash in

 

[kirkgas]

I suppose it is a bit hypocritical to moan about them haggling as I'm sure we all so when buying cars etc, same with comparing quotes for flights and car hire etc, however when I'm getting work done I never haggle, but that is because I have used the same people for years, I tell them what I want ask for advice on the options if appropriate they get me price A and price B I decide and pay them, I wouldn't embarrass my self by asking if the could do anything with the price because I know their work and trust them to do a good job for me
If anyone asks me " can you do anything with the price" I say "yes I can add £50 to it no problem"

 

[acecharly]

Id say the main problem with a lot of customers is that price is there only thought. You have to get them thinking about something else, such as the quality of service, how fast you can get out to them, that you will be there for aftercare if anything ever goes wrong etc. Definitely never get in an argument about the price or you have lost before you start.

 

[gasmanrob]

Andy j

This forum and others alike are riddled with people posting under titles such as am I being ripped off? Or disaster please help.

more often then not the disaster please help posts used the cheapest quote they had,

the am I being ripped off are rightly querying if the high price they were quoted was fair.

but we give advise and try not to pass judgement on their views of tradesman much as we would hope you wouldn't pass judgement on us for defending our prices.

the majority of us on the forum come here because we care, why else would we spend our out of hours time talking to other plumbers and general public. As a result you can be assured that we fit the best products we can for the clients budget and in the event that a problem should arise we will stand by our work and rectify it should it be needed. If not it would be easy to come here and shame us in front of everyone and that would be more then embarrassing to any of us.

i would suggest that perhaps you have a read back through the forum and read the advise given to people who have suffered the work of amateurs and weekend warriors.

in fact there are even a few posts where people have offered to attend elderly relatives of people posting for the price of a cup of tea.

Not such a bad bunch after all.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

well said rob

 

[Best]

WOW! Appreciate and understand the views expressed here about not dropping your prices or being asked to haggle in order to get the work but I'm shocked at the general attitude revealed in these posts towards your customers. Not all of us are tight devils looking for someone to work for slave wages .... but it seems, judging from this thread, that there exists in the plumbing world a widely held pre-conceived notion that the customer is in some way mentally deficient, naturally deceitful and an overall thoroughly bad lot. Heart warming!
Thanks for the 'heads up', I'll now treat all future contacts with the plumbing fraternity with a great deal more suspicion than has been my practice up to now.

Yes, as you say, "not all of" you customers are "tight devils" - but how is a plumber to know which customers are not skinflints? A lot of people are very mean, whether on low or high income & will not sacrifice their lifestyles but will want tradespeople to work for very little.
"Mentally deficient, ....deceitful, ... thoroughly bad," is your words, but sometimes true of a lot of customers.
My experience of people is a lot are deceitful to some extent & only interested in themselves.
A lot try to avoid full payment if any at all. That I would call Bad.
As to mentally deficient, - many customers are lacking in basic reasoning or education sadly & that's a fact. They must assume us plumbers are mentally deficent to believe the lies they tell us!!
It's a pity that many of them can't work out simple maths & realise that costs for a qualified man in a van is more than £10 hour.
You say you are now going to treat plumbers with suspicion? - I agree you should & you should treat anyone in the future who is ever in any field, a customer of yours with suspicion also & be careful what every word they utter is actually leading to.
We have had the "heads up" about a lot of customers out there long ago, - it's called experience.

 

[stevetheplumber]

there are certain customers you know will be asking for a discount as soon as you give them a price just stick enough on to give them the satisfaction of getting the price knocked down to where you wanted it anyway every ones happy

 

[cr0ft]

Interesting thread. Had an existing customer get in touch today. Have just quoted them for a replacement shower enclosure, tray and shower panelling. Amazing how his budget was a nice round figure just a bit lower than my quote.

Upshot of it was he was asking for around 16% off the bill which would have meant me taking a 50% cut in labour for the job. Politely declined but instead offered to fit a few lights for him around the house which he had previously asked me to do..

I was tempted to tell him, no worries, lets put the job off for another month or so so you can save up the extra and get it done then...

Will see what happens but for me I am in the lucky position of being able to say no to work. Times were not always so good, especially in 2009 when I started my business!!

 

[cr0ft]

Just got a call this evening. Got the job he tried to negotiate with me on yesterday. Amazing how he has finally found another £280 overnight!! Call me cynical but I suspect he wasn't being entirely honest with me yesterday..

 

[jim fennessey]

just ask them if they can afford you, if not good by next to many chancers out there,wanting everything for nothing

 

[Barry98]

When the ask me to drop price I reply - where would you like me to save the cost on the quality of the materials I use or the quality of or workmanship ?

Cue the tumbleweed

 

[IDCHAPPY]

We have something similar


when they rings and ask us to lower our price as they've had a cheaper quote , I say yea course no problem where would you like me to save the cost

on materials or the quality of our work.


ooo no I want them as per your quote


well you have our price then


id say 80-90% go with us

When the ask me to drop price I reply - where would you like me to save the cost on the quality of the materials I use or the quality of or workmanship ?

Cue the tumbleweed

Cue the alzheimer's :50:

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

WOW! Appreciate and understand the views expressed here about not dropping your prices or being asked to haggle in order to get the work but I'm shocked at the general attitude revealed in these posts towards your customers. Not all of us are tight devils looking for someone to work for slave wages .... but it seems, judging from this thread, that there exists in the plumbing world a widely held pre-conceived notion that the customer is in some way mentally deficient, naturally deceitful and an overall thoroughly bad lot. Heart warming!
Thanks for the 'heads up', I'll now treat all future contacts with the plumbing fraternity with a great deal more suspicion than has been my practice up to now.

It has been said by others too, in my experience and in my opinion the majority of customers are decent people, respectful of tradesmen, honest, pleasant, etc. A minority aren't nice because they don't pay, haggle after the job, sabotage the work or their house after it is done so they can try to make an insurance claim - against our insurance! And create serious problems for our working futures that they never even thought of.
Some lie - they say something was working when we arrived so we must have broken it - but really it could never have been working for months - eventually they admit this when expert plumbers present them with evidence.

Now the vast majority are good but the tiny minority really create a big head ache for us - taking way too much of our time and costing us money. If we have never worked for you before we don't know if you are part of the majority or the minority. So with experience plumbers/ heating engineers and other tradesmen will enter your property with some suspicion and will do what they can to protect themselves.

Unfortunately programmes like Rogue Traders are all one sided - you would be amazed home many Rogue customers there are.
Even if they are only 5% of households that is still something like 1,000,000 homes out there with residents willing to rip us off!

 

[jase158]

Got a customer, agreed price for power flush, cylinder, boiler and 4 rads replaced and all new controls and pump.
Finnished job 2 days early and is now demanding discount!! Because I stated 6 x labour at £200. Apparently this automatically means days and automatically means I have to give him discount for finishing early? £800 for all that work, going to wickes later to buy post Crete!!!

 

[stevetheplumber]

if possible always give a all in price failing that a lump sum for labour

 

[jase158]

Customers are a pain in the backside!! It was an all in price, 6 x labour at £200 = £1200. Not hard. Not days, not minutes, labour. I said that this also included sourcing materials, guarantee, collecting materials, registering boiler, 2 visits prior to arriving and they said no!! They ain't gonna pay it!! Surely if you agree the price, you pay the price? Correct me if I am wrong??

 

[IDCHAPPY]

It could take you 5 mins, if you agreed on the quote then you are a total douche not to pay the cost IMHO 🙂

 

[Dotty]

Customers are a pain in the backside!! It was an all in price, 6 x labour at £200 = £1200. Not hard. Not days, not minutes, labour. I said that this also included sourcing materials, guarantee, collecting materials, registering boiler, 2 visits prior to arriving and they said no!! They ain't gonna pay it!! Surely if you agree the price, you pay the price? Correct me if I am wrong??

Did you have your t&c's on your quote including action to be taken in the event of non payment?

Once the quote is accepted then so are the t&c's.

 

[gasmanrob]

Had something similar before..

priced to change a diverter valve on a vaillant you know the big brass one at the rear said it would be £x.

Customer agreed
came back with the part a day later customer asks how long do you think it will take I said possibly 2 hours...

anyway this job went like a dream took 30minutes tops,
customer now wants discount as I'd said it would take 2 hours.

reminded customer that the price I had given was for "the job" not parts and labor not an open ended £x per hour. And had the job been a pig and it had taken 4hours would they have paid me more?

I then explained that sometimes jobs do go well but other times they go spectacularly wrong, for example had I of drained it then been unable to separate the valve from the boiler or re filled it and found the pressure gauge was blocked or that the servo had also blocked up I would have sorted it as it is part of the job.

Customer agreed and paid in full, we didn't fall out at all and I still do work for them only now they have the understanding of what I will do and how I work

 

[cr0ft]

Customers are a pain in the backside!! It was an all in price, 6 x labour at £200 = £1200. Not hard. Not days, not minutes, labour. I said that this also included sourcing materials, guarantee, collecting materials, registering boiler, 2 visits prior to arriving and they said no!! They ain't gonna pay it!! Surely if you agree the price, you pay the price? Correct me if I am wrong??

Did you title your breakdown of costs quote or estimate Jase? A quote is a fixed price whereas an estimate is of course not. If it was a quote then the customer has no grounds for complaint and I would suggest the usual small claims route.

In future I would just put down 1 unit of labour at X on your quotes, this stops customers trying to do this. Everyone of course asks how long a job will take (and claims it's not for price reasons) so I just give an estimate of time but say the price is a fixed price irrespective of how long it takes.

If it was a quote then stick to your guns and go to court if you need to, you will get your cash back and will lose the customer, whom I am sure you don't want to work for again anyway.

 

[leek]

Dont think this is a really fair assessment Andy.

Most of my customers are lovely people, who I have known for many years now, and I hope they keep coming back to me because I treat them fairly. I too, like a lot of the chaps on here will help those who I feel genuinely need it.. like the old dear up the road who pays me in biscuits.

I do find it really hard when customers ask 'how much for cash?' like someone else pointed out it actually costs more in charges to bank cash, and its not like I can pay cash for materials and expect a discount. About a year ago I had a man in a really lovely area try and haggle over a power flush, I very politely said it was not possible for me to do it for any less - I anticipated him being a total pain in the backside, but in the end he apologised to me for trying to reduce the price as he didnt realise how much work was involved. Since then I have had lots of repeat work. Perhaps that is a lot of the problem, customers do not always realise how much work is involved, it seems harsh for you to call them mentally deficient, some just have no knowledge or experience of plumbing work.

Sadly your attitude would only make me hesitant to deal with a customer like you, thankfully I am busy enough that if I was to feel uneasy I would just pass the job on, not so nice for those who need the work though eh?

WOW! Appreciate and understand the views expressed here about not dropping your prices or being asked to haggle in order to get the work but I'm shocked at the general attitude revealed in these posts towards your customers. Not all of us are tight devils looking for someone to work for slave wages .... but it seems, judging from this thread, that there exists in the plumbing world a widely held pre-conceived notion that the customer is in some way mentally deficient, naturally deceitful and an overall thoroughly bad lot. Heart warming!
Thanks for the 'heads up', I'll now treat all future contacts with the plumbing fraternity with a great deal more suspicion than has been my practice up to now.

 

[Ermintrude]

Slap the muppet.Fine i will remove all my work and add the sludge back in to system. Had a woman complain about a megaflow - she asked for it. Snow outside and very cold. Said fine mate got in van drove round gave her cheque back and said we will have it all ripped out in 2 hours. Sorry for the trouble we have caused you. She soon shut up gave is the cheque back and managed to live with the oversized product she asked for.

[oops thought this was arms]

 

[SafeGasInstall]

i am sorry but 6 x 200 what does it mean jase ?

 

[jase158]

6 x labour
it means that the job is split into 6 parts
powerflush
boiler
controls
cylinder
1 x replacement of 4 rads
preparation and finishing off the job, guarantee, registering the boiler

 

[SafeGasInstall]

thank you , I got confused tbh

I would have given a full price for the job
On my quotes i do :
List of work
then list of specific materials and their guarantee and total cost for the job

 

[jase158]

You have got way too much time on your hands, why happens if somebody changes there guarantee?
I quote 20-30 jobs per month if I was to quote that then I would spend all day quoting. I am a plumber because I enjoy plumbing not doing paper work all day.
tbh it is my mrs who puts x 6 on there as I told her it was 5 days and to book 6 as you never know what you will find. She likes to put something on there so she knows exactly how many days to book in when they go ahead.

 

[jase158]

But my point is that nowhere on the quote does it say days, so why would anybody assume that it was days?

 

[Ermintrude]

They are just chancres.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

You have got way too much time on your hands, why happens if somebody changes there guarantee?
I quote 20-30 jobs per month if I was to quote that then I would spend all day quoting. I am a plumber because I enjoy plumbing not doing paper work all day.
tbh it is my mrs who puts x 6 on there as I told her it was 5 days and to book 6 as you never know what you will find. She likes to put something on there so she knows exactly how many days to book in when they go ahead.

boiler guarantees only very from
5 years
7 years
8 years

aint no brainer 🙂 ha ha ha

 

[SafeGasInstall]

But my point is that nowhere on the quote does it say days, so why would anybody assume that it was days?

cos you aint got much time to prepare your quote and explain to customer all on survey

 

[jase158]

Except worcester may reduce it back to 2 years if you quote at the wrong time, they will be expecting a worcester with 5 years.
what about, taps, showers, sanitary ware etc?

 

[SafeGasInstall]

I only supply and fit central heating mate , wb guarantee is 5 ,7, 8 for me
i dont do bathrooms

 

[jase158]

cos you aint got much time to prepare your quote and explain to customer all on survey

Explain what? If I give a price, this is the price, you agreeing to it, means you understand it. I clearly put at the bottom of every email "if you have any questions please fell free to get in contact" I am not psychic, I can not read minds. I give price, customer asks questions, they either agree or disagree, I don't force them, I don't hold there hand, I don't cuddle them, I don't force them to do it, they choose to go ahead with it. They don't want to then don't go ahead. You agree price then pay, simple

 

[jase158]

I only supply and fit central heating mate , wb guarantee is 5 ,7, 8 for me
i dont do bathrooms

And you moan that your not busy!!
beggers really are choosers.
what happens if there is a power shower in system? You just cap it and leave it?

 

[SafeGasInstall]

ha ha ha ,

"power shower in system" ???

sorry I dont understand this too

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Explain what? If I give a price, this is the price, you agreeing to it, means you understand it. I clearly put at the bottom of every email "if you have any questions please fell free to get in contact" I am not psychic, I can not read minds. I give price, customer asks questions, they either agree or disagree, I don't force them, I don't hold there hand, I don't cuddle them, I don't force them to do it, they choose to go ahead with it. They don't want to then don't go ahead. You agree price then pay, simple

knowing how to do this will help anyone really

 

[Ermintrude]

We when were smaller had a pro former quote, filled it in on day . Two copies one for us - signed and accepted by custard and one signed by us accepted by custard.

Now it's all done electronically. Google cal for appointment, survey details stored on notes bit any photos on g drive.

Tart sends out formal quote.... Which is cut and pasted in to g notes on job . Oh it's so streamline..... Till you see stock rooms or the waste store . Last week we had a mountain of boxes probs 200 duotec and ecotec boxes mixed in with a few logics and all the installation debris...... No metal not even a screw tho? Strange ???

 

[SafeGasInstall]

We when were smaller had a pro former quote, filled it in on day . Two copies one for us - signed and accepted by custard and one signed by us accepted by custard.

Now it's all done electronically. Google cal for appointment, survey details stored on notes bit any photos on g drive.

Tart sends out formal quote.... Which is cut and pasted in to g notes on job . Oh it's so streamline..... Till you see stock rooms or the waste store . Last week we had a mountain of boxes probs 200 duotec and ecotec boxes mixed in with a few logics and all the installation debris...... No metal not even a screw tho? Strange ???

how many fitters do you have working for you ?

 

[jase158]

Changing the subject completely!!
how long did it take to become accredited by worcester, I have been trying for last 8 months, local rep has spoken to me once in this time, couple of texts and an email, still no idea of if or when they will accept me!

 

[SafeGasInstall]

they only welcome the best fitters jase 🙂 lol

 

[jase158]

What are you doing on it then?

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Ha ha ha ,

Visit my web site and see for your self

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Don't forget when I was fitting ch systems you did not know where the front door of your ft college was 🙂 lol

 

[jase158]

Anybody could stick that on there website!!

 

[jase158]

Ha ha, doubt that!!

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Sorry Jase I did mean to say , you to see my web and see the FB updates with all my install work mate

 

[gasmanrob]

Jase just blow him will you he is practically begging for someone to come along and re assure him.

 

[Ermintrude]

how many fitters do you have working for you ?

6 full time Subbies when req.

 

[Hybrid]

I don't think I put up enough of a fight. I just remind them there's always someone cheaper and leave them be to make their mistake.

Once when I was experiencing some hard times I got a few quotes to felt, batton and tile my roof. Of the three I could only afford the cheapest even though I wasnt overly impressed with the guy.
With a pregnant wife to think of and winter imminent I had no choice but to pay my moneys and live with the consequences. Incidentally the chimney flashings leaked and I had to fix it myself :lol:

 

[SafeGasInstall]

6 full time Subbies when req.

Don't move place then mate , just take wife on holiday and she will be happy there

 

[Ermintrude]

I'm in a partnership and getting fed up with wiping peoples arses and dealing with stupid calls

 

[SafeGasInstall]

I understand now ! Then get shares out and make a move then ! There is lots of work to be done in London

 

[gasmanrob]

Problem with London is running cost hit the roof. I keep thinking of chasing more work in town but by the time I leave at the crack of dawn pay the extra fuel congestion charge and parking. Then sit in 2 hours of traffic to get home any extra that I could charge is already gone. I find I earn the same money in kent as I would in London

 

[SafeGasInstall]

my only work is in London so we will be going buck to my old area Ruislip as I am spending silly money on diesel really

 

[Ermintrude]

U moving back to big smoke Stan ?

 

[oz-plumber]

It depends on what the job is.

If you want it - negotiate, if not fob it off.

You can generally tell if a customer is genuine with the figures they have in the first 2 minutes of a phonecall, and you should know whether or not these figures are achievable from your quotation.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

We are 50/50 to be honest .... But thinking of going back as I do too much of a long drive each day ! I cover like 200mils a day

 

[lame plumber]

I get miffed if I cover 40 miles a day, and the scenery around me is great 🙂

 

[SafeGasInstall]

I get ****ed off if I cover 40 miles a day, and the scenery around me is great 🙂

I will be too if I was driving a landy LP 🙂 pmsl

 

[Ermintrude]

Stan not thought about going other way - Northampton, Banbury Oxford? Or even Leamington spa Stratford and Warwick?

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Don't know anyone there pal , I personally will go anywhere where there is enough so I can proved food on the table for my family tbh

 

[bert large]

What sort of day rate are you chaps in London getting ? Not that I'm after work there, just curious.
I'm in the sleepy South West & like the laid back attitude to work here.