Free quotes

[ballandco]

Is it just me or whoever made up giving free quotations to customers some sort of idiot. The amount of free quotes customers are getting are a joke it's no longer 3 quotes it's more like. 5 or 6 . I went to a boiler swap the other day the lady said I am her 10th quote for a straight forward combi swap lol , it was the quickest quote I ever did def won't bother typing that 1 up . The other thing is all these people want it doing after there working day but it's Alrite for us to crack on all night for nothing . Let's start charging for quotes again and stop wasting our time ??

 

[Leo21]

I'm with you on this, I quiz people before I go out.
When do to want it doing? Where did you get my number? I ask what they're after and give a rough idea of price. I don't even bother quoting for small jobs, a rough idea with an hourly rate.

 

[woodsy]

Like your thinking and agree but won't happen except on a personal level. I've got to be honest and I ask before I go now as if it's somebody just wanting the cheapest quote then I decline to go as my time is valuable to me .

 

[ballandco]

Like now I've got a fella ringing up for a quote for an outside tap, can I quote after 8 pm ?

 

[brum]

Is it just me or whoever made up giving free quotations to customers some sort of idiot. The amount of free quotes customers are getting are a joke it's no longer 3 quotes it's more like. 5 or 6 . I went to a boiler swap the other day the lady said I am her 10th quote for a straight forward combi swap lol , it was the quickest quote I ever did def won't bother typing that 1 up . The other thing is all these people want it doing after there working day but it's Alrite for us to crack on all night for nothing . Let's start charging for quotes again and stop wasting our time ??

Im sure our competitors would too

 

[Ermintrude]

Like now I've got a fella ringing up for a quote for an outside tap, can I quote after 8 pm ?

Yes midnight

 

[hammers4spanner]

I blame the amount of plumbers around now all scrapping for work. I won a pack few weeks ago where the cust had numerous quotes. I dropped my price to see if I get it and surprise surprise I got it because I was cheapest

 

[smtplumbing]

see if i find out there is 10 quotes am out of there i walk away

 

[village idiot]

I blame the amount of plumbers around now all scrapping for work. I won a pack few weeks ago where the cust had numerous quotes. I dropped my price to see if I get it and surprise surprise I got it because I was cheapest

I hope you phoned her and informed her that you have just checked your diary and realised that you are fully booked for the nest TWO months, sorry.

If you did the job, then you should be ashamed of yourself as you are no different from ''them''.
The minute I realise a customer is after the cheapest quote, I am out the door.
Also if a customer wants me to match a quote so I get the job, I tell them NO

 

[brum]

that's the way it is just now im away in Glasgow following someone elses work the work is abso ........rubbish and they have taken a good coin for this work they hired because he was cheap.False economy as we all know paying twice for the same job muppetts.
Hey ho that's the way of the cheap route goes maybe I was £25 per hour and too dear so they went for maybe £10 per hour and in the end payed a lot lot more

 

[Ermintrude]

We love taking the zip. Wait for few weeks and tell them you have a free boiler that would be perfect and you could do it for £150. And hang up.

 

[mfgs]

I can see the frustration. I personally see it as a bit of a challenge. If they say they have had x amount of previous quotes etc. I just try and sell myself to them. I wont drop my prices for anyone except a handful of friends and family, so I refuse to get in to a price war. I will however try and make myself and company appear superior and try and win the job regardless. Its quite satisfying knowing there were 6,7,8 other people quoting and I won the job, without having to be the cheapest.

 

[Leo21]

I make a point if telling them I'm not the cheapest. Soon sorts it out.

 

[village idiot]

I just feel sorry for what the ''unsuspecting'' members of the public are letting themselves into? If I recount to you what I have had to make good in the past week (job done by a plumber), you will be climbing up the walls.

 

[Best]

I think same as mfgs on this, - when out at a potential customer who says they have other quotes, sell yourself to them, or you are wasting your time.
You are only another plumber in their eyes & all they are waiting for is the numbers at the bottom of your estimate.
Firstly confuse them when they say they have already got quotes - ask them fairly technical questions like, does the other quotes include a system flush with chemicals? What chemicals? What, if any magnetic filter? What brand of rads? What type of pipework (plastic or copper) ?
Usually those questions make them think a bit.

 

[hammers4spanner]

I'm finding its all about the bottom price here, most don't care for power flush ,chemicals Tec etc all they see is cheapest .
Plymouth is saturated with plumbers even other trades say so everybody knows about twenty plumbers here.
You get away with the odd priced accordingly job but not very often

 

[cr0ft]

As I've got busier I've learnt to become very selective with what jobs I go out and quote for. I don't go out and quote for anything under 1 day of work, they get an estimate on the phone and are told the price will be confirmed prior to us starting the job (once we attend the property) and they can refuse if it's going to be more than the estimate.

For larger work of course I need to go out and quote. Again, I am very selective on what jobs I go to quote for. Customers will quite often tell you on the phone whether they are after the cheapest job (I don't bother going round to quote) or whether they want 'one person to manage the whole project and take the stress away'. The latter is a premium customer and well worth spending the time quoting.

Occasionally a customer plays their cards close to their chest on the phone. When I get there I find out they are after the cheapest quote. I make sure if I do a quote that mine is the same price as normal. I also don't spend very long typing up the quote. If a customer pushes the cheapest person line all the way through the quote I walk out, like last week.

 

[Ermintrude]

I just feel sorry for what the ''unsuspecting'' members of the public are letting themselves into? If I recount to you what I have had to make good in the past week (job done by a plumber), you will be climbing up the walls.

Now now village. It's not his fault his work is poor kris is Scottish like Ian they are all rough... It's nature not nurture for scots. At night you can see them all looking over the wall at our "magic fire" - streetlights

 

[Ray Stafford]

Now now village. It's not his fault his work is poor kris is Scottish like Ian they are all rough... It's nature not nurture for scots.

Hang on! What about the immortal words of Samuel Johnson

Much may be made of a Scotchman, if he be caught young...

 

[Ray Stafford]

I just hope none of you phone round merchants asking for free quotes until you find the cheapest price...

 

[hammers4spanner]

I just hope none of you phone round merchants asking for free quotes until you find the cheapest price...

Exactly !!

You would never get any work down here if your charging the old rates .

 

[oz-plumber]

I just hope none of you phone round merchants asking for free quotes until you find the cheapest price...

Don't phone anymore, all pricing is online through your account.
Although, this is negotiable.

But I must say, that whoever has the lowest price, is the one that gets hammered the most for a better price.

Nothing better to keeping a rep on their toes than have them turn up and see a pipe rack full of pipe, a fittings rack full of fittings
and half a dozen boilers on the floor.
Particularly when they realise that they haven't sold you any of the goods.

The next month, we usually buy off the rep that has had a visit. Unfortunately we rarely buy off the same supplier two months in a row.

They must know where to come when they need to boost turnover.