Free quotes

[ians]

So i have a customer calling for a quote ... first question can you drive to site and do a quote ... second question do you do free quotes.

Lets discuss this ...

So a customer calls and requests I visit a site to discuss work required ... no problem when i am in the area ... its a simple job to install 2 double socket outlet points .. short 10 m runs ... surface in trunking ... no problem ...lets say R1500 (just as an example).

On most occassions they will request a per point price ... sorry i dont do per point ... been there done that.

Then we get the customers who request a free quote with a details cost structure ... if you are smart ... you will give a short description and a number at the bottom of the page ... why because many customer get you to do a quote ... create a bill of quantities then just pass it on to other companies to beat your price ... sucker been there got a few Tee shirts for that one.

There are the very few who are just looking for a budget to make sure they have the funds for the project ... most of my reguler customers would do it like this.

Then you get the customer who want you to design everything ... create a job description ... material list ... and expect it for free ... with the phrase ... "you will get the job" ... OK (not really )

lets hear what you think about "free quotes"

I have had some interesting cons...

the one who contacts you to do a quote and while you are on site if you can just fix a few things ... then when you send the quote ... he found someone cheaper

or the one who talks about the "the big One" ... the big project which is coming up ... so if you can do this one at a really cheap price ... he will make sure you get the "big one" .

or the one who works for a large company ... he offers you a small project at the company wuith long stories about all the big jobs in the pipeline and expects you to do a project in tens of thousands at home.

I am sitting here smiling ...thinking about all the cons I have had to deal with in the past 30 years ... one thing I can say as I sit here ... I sleep every night with a clear conscience ... one of the most difficult challenges i have had to face in the past 30 years of running a small bussiness is not allowing myself to bend to unethical means of getting contracts.

[Rifrug]

I also got the T-shirts and learned hard lessons, those unethical customers (con artists) will take your quote/report and shove it under the next fools nose and say you got the job if you can beat this price, than they will have the edacity to phone you to come and fix the mess afterwards. Those customers are not worth the time wasted, rather loose them and look after the ethical clients who is honest with you.

[adrianh]

On the other hand you have the artisan who charges R600 to come out and TALK A LOT OF $H!T

[ians]

So what do we learn from these experiences ... no free quotes unless ... it is a regular customer ... or the customer provides a detailed breakdown of work description and a bill of quanities.

Unfortunately as with everything ... you get the crooks on both sides.

Word of mouth is by far the best advertsing model by far ... the reference person becomes the middle man ... and basically is both parties insurance of a reduced con in the mix ... however it still happens.

[adrianh]

Word of mouth is by far the best advertsing model by far ...

This is also problematic. My architect is absolutely brilliant - really really great guy ....but one unhappy person gave him 2 terrible reviews on HelloPeter. The problem is that empirical personal interaction reporting does not necessarily represent the whole truth. The people doing my fence come highly regarded yet their workmanship is quite shoddy. What I am saying is that the opinion expressed by the word of mouth is just that - a personal opinion and the person expressing the opinion may not be qualified to make an objective judgement of the quality of work delivered.

I don't have answers - like you said: you get crooks on both sides.

[Jaws]

In my game WE pay to Qoute.

We spend huge money on proposals, with very low hit rate percentage as well. But its the name of the game.

[Derlyn]

It's not recommended to refer an existing client to someone offering a service other than yours.

The client uses your recomendation, the oke stuffs up leaving you with egg on your face and minus a client.

I don't do recemmendations, period.

Peace out .. Derek

[Rifrug]

I have done a free COC report before for a big international client, than when I dropped in two weeks later making a curtesy call as I parked another electrical contractor saw my bakkie with my logo he came to me with the report I done, even my logo was still on it, asking me for more information about my report as his company was doing all the work straight of my report. That report was about two weeks of inspections that I done for free. The contractor complained to me he won’t make any money as the prices were extremely low, It gave me a bit of pleasure as I know my prices were very low at the time. Afterwards whenever that client phoned me for quotes I would send a rough estimate with no bill of quantities.

[GQE]

HI ians

Newbie to the forum and have been reading a ton of posts today, you hit every nail on the head with this quotation crap, New clients/Builders in these uncertain times have become a problem. When I get a call from a random I always ask what happened to your last sparky and when you ask for there name they never seem to have those details.

In this industry time is money and I do believe we should be paid for our time, word of mouth has always been a winner as you know who to trust and who to tell "I'm to busy".

Hit rates on jobs has dropped dramatically and I have also caught out some clients calling my staff for small privates, those people will never see me again and I let them know it. Would be nice if the DOL could attempt to sort out the unregistered bakkie brigade but I recon that's wishful thinking.

Always great to see guys active in trying to improve this industry.

[adrianh]

New clients/Builders in these uncertain times have become a problem. When I get a call from a random I always ask what happened to your last sparky

I am building on to my house and this statement really bothers me. If a contractor gets clever with me he is not going to get my business. I would have thought in these trying times people would go out of their way to get new business rather than try to antagonize possible customers.

Of course people should be paid for their time on condition that they provide a service. I refuse to pay some idiot R600 to come to make place and spout a lot of $h1T - I will pay a professional for his time to provide me with a well documented PLAN (not thumb suck quotation)

[Rifrug]

“When I get a call from a random I always ask what happened to your last sparky”
When the client just want you to start urgent without properly looking at your quotation especially on a half completed project and without putting down some deposit you need to see the red lights flashing. Just wait for that deposit first before you offload any material and start installing. Some people build and do additions without paying contractors. It’s easy for them to suddenly deny you access from site when they decide they are not paying. You can end up standing in the queue at their lawyer for payment and get a few cents in the rand if your lucky. That is unfortunately part of the game and to spot them is not always easy.

[ians]

“When I get a call from a random I always ask what happened to your last sparky”
When the client just want you to start urgent without properly looking at your quotation especially on a half completed project and without putting down some deposit you need to see the red lights flashing. Just wait for that deposit first before you offload any material and start installing. Some people build and do additions without paying contractors. It’s easy for them to suddenly deny you access from site when they decide they are not paying. You can end up standing in the queue at their lawyer for payment and get a few cents in the rand if your lucky. That is unfortunately part of the game and to spot them is not always easy.

Been there done that and have a draw full of those Tshirts.

I had a customer get me to take over a job ...all the wires were cut flush in the boxes ... I had to use a long nose pliers to pull the wiring out the pipes (What a mission ... the alarm bells should have been ringing loud and clear) ... after 2 months of working there ... no payment ... went back and did the same thing cut all the wires flush with the boxes ... lost a lot of money on that project.

Contractors need to stop this crap of sending invoices and waiting for payment ... we need to set up a system where the job is completed and the bill is handed to the customer and payment made before leaving site ... you take your car for a service ... you pay ... you collect ... you buy bread and milk at the shop ... you pay ... you collect ... Pizza delivery ... you pay ... you collect ... its 2020 ... time to wake up and stop this crap.

When you get a call ... the first question should be ... "how will you be paying ... cash ... credit card ...(no eft unless an instant eft ) ... then ... How can I assist you.

If I had to add up all the bad debts in the past 29 years ... my house would be paid off and I would have reitred by now ... and I dont mean just the customer who didnt pay ... I am talking about the ones who short paid ... the companies I have sub contracted to ... with the same bullshyte ... we didnt make money on this project ... we will make it up on the next ( dont get caught with with crap) when you see the owner living in a 10 million rand house and his wife driving a 2 million car ... kids in private schools ...etc ... it thanks to suckers like us who bust our backs making tons of cash for them while they banging the sales rep in some B&B while his wife is playing mommy at the book club ... I could write a book on the bullshyte I have seen and had to tolerate.

It is simple you require my service ... you send me plan ... a detailed list of equipment required ... I will vist the site on my rounds to check a few things ... then send a quote.

If you dont have a clue what you want ... then expect the contractor to come up with all the solutions ... work out all the cabling routes ... load test the site ... do all the measurements ... make up a bill of quantities ... send it it to the wholesaler to cost ... you need get out your cloud.

I contact landys and Gyr ... I need to setup a meter already on site and link it to a network ... the requirements before they step on site ... pay some person R3000 cash up front who I have never met ... never been to site ... has no physical address only a cellphone number ... I also have to download the sofware mysellf ... it looks like we will be throwing out the meter and replacing it with a different make.

[GQE]

Hi Adrian.

I agree do your research on a contractor to see if he is in fact registered with the DOL, If so then you know you are getting a proper registered contractors that does pay workman's comp etc..

Go as far as to get references if possible, that would my advice.