Quotes

[bunnycd]

I just don't get it.

I have had 3 carpenters here already today who was not willing to quote without seeing the job. So an "open house" today.

Well it's 4 boxes in my kitchen because I need some kitchen flatpacks put together, the shop said will take someone 45 mins for each box so I have already said it should take them day and I want them to put up on the wall 3 already made up cabinets.

So, I have had 3 guys come here to look at 4 boxes but they did not even open them / look inside.

Quote 1: £1,454
Quote 2: £160
Quote 3: £545

I just think it is a waste of there time, plus what veration in price.

Does anyone know why they do this? surely they could have quoted roughly without staring at 4 boxes?

 

[Ian]

Any decent tradesman/woman will always go and look at a job before pricing, you could live in an old cottage with walls that are all over the place which would require more work. I will never give a price over the phone, nor will most people on here.

 

[doug boardley]

same as Bri from me

 

[Stewart]

As above for me too. Also compare what they are actually going to do in their quote, as this may explain the differences.

 

[bunnycd]

Fair point about putting the cabinets as they don't know what walls they go on, but if he asked I would have said it is part of our new extention and the walls are fine.

Sorry a rant from me because it gets on my nerves...

I just think it is quite an old fashined approach to work and it is quite inconvenent and too dangerous to keep having tradesmen after tradesmen coming to my house to quote on constructing units that are in boxes (I have already had a con artist take money from me and never seen him again) plus I have a baby to look after.

I have decided to not recruit anyone unless they can provide a basic estimate over the phone now cause most of the time people try to rip me off because I am a women with a baby at home and they think I don't know the cost and time of doing work.

 

[Gazzer]

I have been bitten a few times by being pressured into quoting over the phone and most of the time when I do get asked its another tiler wanting to know my rates.

AS for your quotes they seem to vary a lot, did anyone give you a time scale for the work.

 

[Del W]

Had a call today about a bathroom floor,I doubt it is more than 4sqm,its a new build,but untill I look at it,who knows.

 

[Martyn Leeds]

I'm with the 'need to see it before giving any prices' posse.

"its only a small bathroom, small ceramics & walls are fine etc" - but when you get there its wonky walls, large format stone or glass mosaics

I always try shoes on before i buy them, and clothes, test drive a car etc.
Its the same (but different) when it comes to looking at jobs as well

 

[Lodger]

I too like to look at a job before pricing it. I have herd it all with customers saying "it's a simple job" and it ends up being more involved then they imagined.

 

[enduro]

Had one last week..guy phoned said he had 15sqm basic tiles on a bathroom wall and wanted a price over the phone. Said i need to look so he kept saying give me a ball park figure...No i said i need to look, so he agreed, when i got there they were marble tiles, shower with a niche that needed 6 holes drilled for led lights loads of boxing in with wall mounted wc etc...loads of cutting.. all cutting outside and the ensuite was on the 2nd floor.

 

[White Room]

As above, how many times I've been bitten or sometimes it could be another tradesman getting a feel for what he should be pricing..

 

[Martyn Leeds]

... with white carpets going up the stairs and in the bedroom??!!

 

[strummerman]

I just don't get it.

I have had 3 carpenters here already today who was not willing to quote without seeing the job. So an "open house" today.

Well it's 4 boxes in my kitchen because I need some kitchen flatpacks put together, the shop said will take someone 45 mins for each box so I have already said it should take them day and I want them to put up on the wall 3 already made up cabinets.

So, I have had 3 guys come here to look at 4 boxes but they did not even open them / look inside.

Quote 1: £1,454
Quote 2: £160
Quote 3: £545

I just think it is a waste of there time, plus what veration in price.

Does anyone know why they do this? surely they could have quoted roughly without staring at 4 boxes?

if it was me i would charge you £45 a unit

 

[Andy Allen]

what if some one quotes you cheap on the phone then doubles the price when he sees the job, sure you wouldn't be happy with that.......as for the quotes you got........1 and 3 dont want the job and number 2 dose.....simples!!!

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

I agree with most above, I need to see (survey) each job. I can't quote over the phone.

 

[One Day]

I had a guy call me at 11:50pm one night and he told me he had a small kitchen floor for me to do.
Install ufh and tile. He TOLD me he would pay me £400 as it's only a small job.

I honestly thought it was a wind-up. He even sounded like the Fonejacker's arabic "dooved" guy!

He called back a few weeks later and tried again!

 

[bunnycd]

That's late calling at 11:50pm what a nutter.

 

[Stef]

you say you have already been ripped off for money. why is a tradesman asking for money up front & why are you paying him before the job is done? A tradesman should never give a price without 1st looking at the job, Might get a GUESSTIMATE over the phone but thats all it would be, i have done this in the past & it just leads to a lot of hassle.

 

[White Room]

you say you have already been ripped off for money. why is a tradesman asking for money up front & why are you paying him before the job is done? A tradesman should never give a price without 1st looking at the job, Might get a GUESSTIMATE over the phone but thats all it would be, i have done this in the past & it just leads to a lot of hassle.

As you say that can be more hassle than it's worth..

 

[bunnycd]

I think you need to read my thread. The job was putting up some kitchen flat pack units from B&Q which I sent them all the link to the item online. They came in looked at 4 brown boxes then said they will send me a quote in writing on e-mail. So I stayed in all day for 3 blokes to come in and look at 4 boxes, I just dont get it, surely they could have given me a price over the phone or via email. It's also not good keep having people here when you have a small baby and dogs to look after who wants to sleep but when they come the dog barks. I have decided to wait and get my hubbie to do it after his exams, should take him a day. I understand why you would want to see a tiling job, as the floor can be in any state.

 

[Colour Republic]

Bunny it does sound like a fairly small job and I might have been tempted to give you a guestimate over the phone but nothing concrete without seeing it. How would you feel though if I gave you that guestimate and then when I turned up to do it, it wasn't how you described so I added extra charges. Would you feel ripped off? Would you think it's because you are a woman?

You sound pretty annoyed that you had to stay in all day with a baby and dogs barking. It is an inconvenience but then so is going to price a job knowing full well that 3 others are going to look at it; the job can only be done by one right? It is what it is.

What's more the fact you have a small baby and barking dogs is not the tradesmen’s fault.

You'll have to forgive me here as i'm going to assume you were as mad when you met the tradesmen as you appear in this thread.

The £1,454 price seems crazy for what you describe, but then if he turned up and you had a face like thunder, told them you'd already been ripped off by one tradesmen and it wasn't going to happen again! Baby crying, dogs barking he might just have thought I don't need to work for someone like this and work in an environment which can be stressful. I know what I’ll put in a crazy high price she couldn't possibly accept. I have a feeling that Mr. £545 thought I’ll put in a high price in the hope she doesn't accept but if she does I can put up with it as it's paying well. The £160 is a guy thinking hey it's a day’s work I'll charge a day’s money, it's all work at the end of the day.

That said it could be much more than a days work, in which case Mr. £545 is a realistic price including sundry materials and Mr. £160 is either very desperate for work or chancing it as a carpenter


The reason they came round was not to look inside the boxes, it was to look at where you wanted them fitted and any difficulties in doing so.

You say it's 4 boxes and 3 already made up. Are these all wall units? If any of them are base units they are going to need worktops cut and fitted too, I’m guessing they can't be base units or you would have mentioned worktops.

 

[widler]

i would never price over the phone,never.
if they insist i just tell them to ring someone else.
how anyone can price a job without a looksee is beyond me.im not having a go at you bunny,but a goood tradesman will want a look before giving any price.

 

[bunnycd]

They are freestanding units and not fitted anywhere. They could have just taken the units (4 pieces of wood) and erected them outside. "You'll have to forgive me here as i'm going to assume you were as mad when you met the tradesmen as you appear in this thread." that is an assumption that is not correct.

 

[widler]

They are freestanding units and not fitted anywhere. They could have just taken the units (4 pieces of wood) and erected them outside in my lovely massive garden which has a 100sqm patio area, especially as the sun has been shining. In fact the time spent with them coming here to quote + travel they could have just put them up. I was laughing at your assumptions, that was just not the case, I do not advertise that I get ripped off and my house is a country residence, which is calm and tranquil apart from my dog who barks when someone enters the house. I will be giving the work to the £160 a day one or get my hubbie to do it once he is back from business.

save yourself some money bunny,and get hubby to do it

 

[Gazzer]

I am almost willing to say that I will do it for a days money as I feel this thread is going no where.