Do tradesmen really deliberately quote inflated prices

Leif

baldelectrician wrote: »

I have 2-3 jobs a year that I will not take further due to a gut feeling

The last time I didn't follow my gut it cost me- I have taken the customer to court, had a decree and still haven't been paid- this guy also owes the builder who referred me to him £1000

This client also has 3 other unsatisfied court judgements (he is a landlord)

I am in a legal dispute with some cowboys who owe me several thousand pounds. I was not easy with their oily sycophantic manner, but I went with them. As you say, that sixth sense is invaluable.

robatwork

gas4you wrote: »

I too am very picky about which customers I do work for.

I agree it is a sixth sense.

I would usually avoid any that use a forum such as this.

Thanks for the morning laugh!

noelphobic

Leif wrote: »

I understand where Phill99 is coming from. I arranged for a stove shop to do a survey, for which they charged £30. The chap came round, and I felt very uncomfortable in his presence. He was arrogant and condescending, and basically creepy. And he gave me some BS about a plasterer working for beer money, and then ringing him up and inviting around to MY house. Needless to say they did not get the job. I imagine the same happens but the other way round.

I can understand why someone wouldn't want a job and also why someone wouldn't want someone working for them. What I struggle to understand is why someone would deal with this by quoting an inflated price. What happens if the customer accepts? Do you do the job or come up with another excuse? If you think they might be a bad payer then they will be a bad payer whatever the price - in fact the higher the price the less likely they will be to pay.

It is generally easier if you are a customer. If you don't like the price quoted or the person then you just don't ring to accept it.

I've had some really good people do work for me but I have also had some disasters. I treat people who do work for me well so it really annoys me when they don't return the compliment

noelphobic

phill99 wrote: »

I've even out priced jobs simply because the house was so disgustingly filthy, I won't work in there.

What do you do if they agree to your price and still want you to do the work?

noelphobic

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Good Craftsmen are able to sniff out a potential customer who is a t*sser/timewaster and they blank them. Personally i would simply quote my price and they either take it or leave it.

What do you do if they take it?

phill99

noelphobic wrote: »

What do you do if they agree to your price and still want you to do the work?

Then you do te job, but with the knowledge that you are going to get peed off with it, but you have added a healthy margin which acts as compensation.

leveller2911

phill99 wrote: »

Then you do te job, but with the knowledge that you are going to get peed off with it, but you have added a healthy margin which acts as compensation.

Ditto..............


Nothing worse than people not even bothering to quote and as you say a little extra money helps.I've always found that those who don't bother to quote never get asked to quote for other work and if you do get the job and the customer is happy they pass on your name to their friends and you get tend to get the better work too so doing the sh1te jobs can pay off in the long run.

Touch wood I've always been paid and so far been able to sniff out the customers who are chancers.

gas4you

If my sixth sense comes into play and a high quote is accepted, then I would do the job, but only with a 50% deposit up front.

I can lay in bed all day and earn nothing.

noelphobic

leveller2911 wrote: »

Ditto..............


Nothing worse than people not even bothering to quote and as you say a little extra money helps.I've always found that those who don't bother to quote never get asked to quote for other work and if you do get the job and the customer is happy they pass on your name to their friends and you get tend to get the better work too so doing the sh1te jobs can pay off in the long run.

Touch wood I've always been paid and so far been able to sniff out the customers who are chancers.

If you don't quote and then don't get asked to quote for other work why would you be bothered? If you don't want to work for them then on one job then why would you want to work on another. Plus I would imagine if you have quoted an inflated price and they have accepted it then they would still be less likely to recommend you to friends and friends would be put off by the fact that you had charged over the odds.

leveller2911

noelphobic wrote: »

Plus I would imagine if you have quoted an inflated price and they have accepted it then they would still be less likely to recommend you to friends and friends would be put off by the fact that you had charged over the odds.

But what is "Over the odds?" I charge more than some locally but less than others so what is "over the odds".I could quote higher than normal and still be cheaper than some local Joineries.

My point is in the past I have quoted higher than I usually would because I don't want that type of work.Now having had the quote accepted I carried out the work, the clients were happy to recommended me to friends who wanted work done that I do like to do so it was a benefit.

Charging more than you usually would for work is a world away from charging "over the odds" when for instance a self employed sole trader would charge a fair bit less than a company with large overheads would charge.

I think your confusing quoting higher than usual due to no wanting a certain type of work with rip-off chancers who charge £2k for replacing a few broken tiles.Prime example why people should always get a number of quotes and go with the tradesmen they feel most confident with.

Oh and anyone who says they don't quote high for work they don't want is a liar.;)