well thats annoying.

[obseen16]

Hey guys,

heres the story, viewed a house that a customer has just bought, its got nothing in it - no electrics no water no gas.

complete new install of everything, 4 beds wc 2 bathrooms and 2 kitchens (well ones a utility room)
Spent hours chasing round for prices and making parts lists and got the quote to her after 2 days, (i think in total it took me about 5 hours to put it together)

she calls me back after a week saying its to pricy can we quote to install central heating only as her hubby will do the rest.

ok another 1.5 hours spent re quoting. sent the quote over to her the same day.

customer comes back to me today, can you quote for just installing the boiler my hubby will do all the rads and water pipework. oh and we will supply the boiler to.

so i have gone from an original price of about 10k for a full install right down to £600. as long as the husbands work is up to scratch ill do the work as it was a word of mouth referral that got me introduced to them but i wont be very pleased if the husbands handy work leaks at every joint because he "didnt know he needed flux with the yorkshire fittings". lol

it grates on me that they asked me to quote for a full re-plumb then decided that they cant afford to pay a tradesman to do it so theyll have a go at it themselves because its so so easy to do. i can see their builder getting very upset with them to.

 

[SimonG]

I'd have said fine can requote but I'll charge you for producing it. I do a free estimate, but wont be messed around.

Make sure you cover yourself because you will have to install boiler and then come back and commission (will that include filling, pressure testing, flushing, inhibitor and heat testing) could be a real can of worms.
Plus how long will it take him, you'll probably end up getting pulled in all the time with "how do I do this, that and the other". Knowledge is a pricey thing, taken us a long time and expense to acquire!

But work is work, just be really careful.

We did 3 oil boilers like this, builder did the plumbing all in 15mm speedfit right back to boiler location, no 22mm anywhere. It was a combi as well just with 4 15mm pipes sticking out the ground, no tags for flow, return, hot or cold. Best thing was when we pressurised the system and the 2 speedfit elbows blew off the nice shiny chrome plated copper to the towel rails. Cracking indoor water feature for about a minute.

 

[johnmcginty]

Yes , how annoying charge them £30 a quote and take it off the bill if you get the work.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

very likely you wont get any work out of this people , even word of mouth some times bring the IDIOTS along to all of us!

 

[Blackcatgas]

Dont do anything for them at all, ignore every call you get from them from now on.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

good advice blackcatgas

 

[GQuigley67]

walk away

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

not worth the aggro IMHO time wasters should be shot

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Or double charged for the quote

 

[dontknowitall]

I feel for you on this one Obseen16.

Out of interest did you give lots of detail on the quote? I'm just wondering why the "customer" has now said they'll do most of the installation. Did you, for example, give radiator sizes, the bathroom details, etc? If you did they'll know which parts to purchase and will somehow manage to put it all together. Again, if you gave detail, perhaps next time you shouldn't give so much?

It's tempting to say leave this one but it could be that the customers will realise there's much more to plumbing than they appreciate and they'll change their minds and ask you to do it after all. If you burn your bridges now you're unlikely to get the job.

The part I'd be careful with is a) making sure you do a pressure test and then charging appropriately for any re-plumbing and b) not carrying out any warranty work unless you are able to supply and fit the boiler.

Best of luck!!

 

[SimonG]

Been caught like that before, too much detail in the estimate. If pricing off plan, the plans never go back with estimate, too many details on them, pipe runs, pe and rad sizing etc, etc. Only been asked once for them back once on a job I didnt get. Offered to sell them, but they ended up shredded.

 

[REDSAW]

perhaps hubby is now installing boiler too for £600,
now your down to commisioning it only....yeh right..lol.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

And he is doing full re wire to !!! Later on the house in flames !!!

 

[obseen16]

I feel for you on this one Obseen16.

Out of interest did you give lots of detail on the quote? I'm just wondering why the "customer" has now said they'll do most of the installation. Did you, for example, give radiator sizes, the bathroom details, etc? If you did they'll know which parts to purchase and will somehow manage to put it all together. Again, if you gave detail, perhaps next time you shouldn't give so much?

It's tempting to say leave this one but it could be that the customers will realise there's much more to plumbing than they appreciate and they'll change their minds and ask you to do it after all. If you burn your bridges now you're unlikely to get the job.

The part I'd be careful with is a) making sure you do a pressure test and then charging appropriately for any re-plumbing and b) not carrying out any warranty work unless you are able to supply and fit the boiler.

Best of luck!!

No i never go into great detail on quotes for this reason, under what the quote includes i basically write something along the lines of includes all pipework and fittings, includes 1st & 2nd Fix of all planned bathrooms and plumbing appliances, installation of new vented soil stack to planned location etc, i never tell them how to do it and i put at the bottom - parts lists are available on request (if they ever ask for a parts list i usually try and win the work before they ask for it but its very rare they ever ask).

if they ask me to commission the boiler after hubby installs that aswell i think id see red and say yes of course ill commission it, then go round and cap it off and with a sharp breath id say ooh needs re installing love, hubby broke the law!!!! ill do it for £1k lol

 

[Gray0689]

No i never go into great detail on quotes for this reason, under what the quote includes i basically write something along the lines of includes all pipework and fittings, includes 1st & 2nd Fix of all planned bathrooms and plumbing appliances, installation of new vented soil stack to planned location etc, i never tell them how to do it and i put at the bottom - parts lists are available on request (if they ever ask for a parts list i usually try and win the work before they ask for it but its very rare they ever ask).

if they ask me to commission the boiler after hubby installs that aswell i think id see red and say yes of course ill commission it, then go round and cap it off and with a sharp breath id say ooh needs re installing love, hubby broke the law!!!! ill do it for £1k lol

£1k your very cheap!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mikey456]

If he did that i reckon she'd say "Oh can you show me and him what bit is wrong? Sorry love its a trade secret" haha

 

[unguided1]

I agree with everyone else I hate blooming time wasters, you will probably find that if you get the job to do the heating, the husband will be there trying to do the rest of the job saying things like oh, can I borrow yer drill, how do I use your benders, have you got this and that fitting and at the end of it you will have done the whole job any way fer £600, walk away