How do you negotiate prices with plumbers, handy men, builders etc?

LiveOnce

Hi all,

Plumbers, builders, handy men are notorious for ripping people off. How do you go about negotiating prices with them so they don't over charge you and can get a decent deal?

I feel like I need to learn this but not sure how to play the game.

Any tips please?

HouseBuyer77

Getting three quotes from three separate people is often a good idea. You can also ask on the forums here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=94 to see if the quote you've got is reasonable. Googling for 'how much does it cost X' can sometimes give you information too.

Personally if I receive a quote from someone and I decide it's a rip-off I simply go with someone else. If they're willing to charge me some stupid price in the hope I don't realise it's a rip-off it's not someone I want to do business with.

t0rt0ise

Not quite what you've asked but I use this website http://www.freeindex.co.uk/ where you state what you want and tradesmen offer quotes. They tend to fight amongst themselves to give a decent quote. They also depend on good feedback reviews to get more business so don't rip you off.

kinger101

I think you are being a little unfair. The vast majority price competitively. Getting them to give you a quote in the first place is half the battle.

kinger101

t0rt0ise wrote: »

Not quite what you've asked but I use this website http://www.freeindex.co.uk/ where you state what you want and tradesmen offer quotes. They tend to fight amongst themselves to give a decent quote. They also depend on good feedback reviews to get more business so don't rip you off.

I'm quite skeptical of those sites. Decent tradespeople have no difficultly finding work via recommendation, and don't need to pay for leads.

marksoton

LiveOnce wrote: »

Plumbers, builders, handy men are notorious for ripping people off.

As a construction professional i find this comment quite insulting.

There are rip off merchants in virtually every sphere of life.

Clutterfree

LiveOnce wrote: »

Hi all,

Plumbers, builders, handy men are notorious for ripping people off. How do you go about negotiating prices with them so they don't over charge you and can get a decent deal?

I feel like I need to learn this but not sure how to play the game.

Any tips please?

They are not notorious for ripping people off.
However, with ALL professions there will be cowboys, etc.

The best piece of advice I can give you is always try to go by a recommendation from friends or family. They would have dealt with the tradesman so would know if their work is up to standard and if there were any unexpected "extras" added to the final bill.

My husband is an electrician and he has told me that a quote usually costs more than if he just does the job and invoices them after. Why? Because if he is pricing a job then he has to allow for the "worst case scenario" so that he is not out of pocket. If he invoices them afterwards then he charges for the actual labour and materials used.

Obviously, I wouldn't recommend getting someone in who you've never used before because you could indeed get ripped off which is why I suggested going by a recommendation. My husbands regular customers don't ask for quotes because they know he is fair.

Hope that makes sense.
Good luck!

Hoploz

Frankly my hit rate on even getting someone to call back is pretty low. People don't bother phoning back, or don't bother showing to look at the job. Then they don't get back to you with a price. Just getting a bl00dy price is almost impossible, so tbh on occasions the bloke who got that far got the job!

I have relationships now with a plumber, a carpenter and an electrician, and I hope to hold on to them! Even now the plumber is constantly too busy and takes forever to come, though usually does in the end, so I have a back up plumber too! I always make sure I pay them promptly too, hoping that'll help.

Therefore I have absolutely no chance of getting the 'best price' out of anybody - I just have to be grateful to get any job done at all! But I have confidence that I'm not being ripped off as I've known these guys for years now. That is the key.

Hoploz

.... And due to inability to get people to do some jobs, we've got on and learnt to do a lot of things ourselves, mainly out of necessity but with the added benefit of saving money too!

For example, I was quoted £2000 for bespoke wardrobes in my son's awkward attic bedroom. Bought a table saw and adapted some shop bought ones by ourselves and saved £1500!!

phill99

If someone asks me for a lower price I refuse to deal with them. I find it insulting as they refuse to value experience, training, expertise, professionalism and skill. I can guarantee that you will find someone that will do it cheaper. However, if you want to go with an eastern European who today is working as a roofer, tomorrow as an electrician and the day after as a waiter, then you go right ahead. But when it all goes pear shaped and you get a professional in, expect to pay double as we have to sort other peoples messes.


I find it bizarre that people will pay Anglian Windows, Everest, B&Q, Wren Kitchens etc a small fortune for an overvalued product and think nothing of it. Now who is being ripped off?

G_M

Make sure you understand the difference between a 'quote' and an 'estimate'.

A quote is a fixed price. An estimate is a best guess as to what i might eventually cost.

If you want certainty, get a quote, but as clutterfree says above, an estimate may have the advantage of being charged on actual time taken which may be less that the contractor calculated for his quote.

Up to you which you prefer as long as you understand the difference.