Getting quotes, what would you do?

Calleja

I've posted a roofing quote on the 'is this quote fair' section of this forum and its got me thinking about the process of getting quotes. Its recommended to get 3 quotes minimum for big jobs - I guess this way you get an idea if any of the quotes is an outlier (too cheap or too expensive) and it also gives you an opportunity to meet the workman which can be important to some people.


I've been recommended a roofer - my friend speaks very highly of him indeed and can reel off stories about all the good jobs he's done. The quote he has given me is a little high but I know nothing about roofs, other than they are usually expensive to fix. I have no way of getting on to the roof to look at the work he has proposed but the work he has quoted for is generally in line with my survey from a few years back.


So my dilemma - whilst I haven't tried too hard, this is the only recommendation I have (well, I got one other, but he didn't turn up...). So in order to get 3 quotes, I would most likely use a 'check a trade' type of website. To me, recommendations are very important. So is there any point in getting these alternative quotes under these circumstances? If the other quotes are way more expensive or similar, then its a no brainer, I'll go with the recommended guy. But if they are way cheaper, then I would probably be suspicious and still want to go with the recommended guy!


Whilst I appreciate there is some value in seeing what work they recommend and being quoted for similar work would be reassuring (I don't know what the issue is up there, I just have damp patches), given that this guy is in line with my surveyor, and given that I waste a lot of time waiting in for tradespeople that don't turn up, would you bother with the extra quotes?


By the way, if you have any knowledge on roofing, please head over to the quote post to give me some feedback on the quote!


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5638484


Thanks all!

comeandgo

Sometimes you need quality, not cheap and cheerful. I would go with the person your friend recommended. Have you googled him? He may come up on Facebook with comments from other people. I would not trust any reviews from trade sites.

trailingspouse

I disagree!! Recommendations might be a good starting point, but don't go with someone just because they were recommended by a friend. Why not I hear you ask!

- your friend may not have the same notion of what constitutes a good job as you do
- the job that the tradesperson did for your friend may be quite different from what you want them to do, and may present different technical challenges
- if it turns out that you are not happy with their work, it might harder to complain - telling your friend that their recommendation was rubbish could be awkward.

Find at least 3 tradespeople for the work you want to have done (including any recommendations), and invite them to come and give you a quote. Agree a date and a time for them to come round. When they arrive, note the following things -
- did they arrive when they said they would?
- did they turn up looking presentable, in a liveried van, or filthy and smelling slightly of drink (yes, it happened...) in a plain van that might have been white once?
- do they have sensible suggestions to make relating to what you want done?
- do they give a vague verbal 'guestimate', or do they go away and work out how much it will cost and send you a detailed quotation in writing?
- how do you feel about having them around your home, possibly using your loo?
- and finally - do they offer to take off their boots while in your home or (even better!) come prepared with plastic overshoes and put them on without asking.

If you find someone who ticks all of those boxes, pay them whatever they ask!

EssexExile

Somewhere between the two above! To get three to come round & quote you could well have to ring 20 & wait in a lot for people who don't turn up. Of the 20, five will turn up but only two will send a quote. Recommendation counts for a lot for me, having said that my plumber's decorator turned out to be useless!

adonis

trailingspouse wrote: »

I disagree!! Recommendations might be a good starting point, but don't go with someone just because they were recommended by a friend. Why not I hear you ask!

- your friend may not have the same notion of what constitutes a good job as you do
- the job that the tradesperson did for your friend may be quite different from what you want them to do, and may present different technical challenges
- if it turns out that you are not happy with their work, it might harder to complain - telling your friend that their recommendation was rubbish could be awkward.

Find at least 3 tradespeople for the work you want to have done (including any recommendations), and invite them to come and give you a quote. Agree a date and a time for them to come round. When they arrive, note the following things -
- did they arrive when they said they would?
- did they turn up looking presentable, in a liveried van, or filthy and smelling slightly of drink (yes, it happened...) in a plain van that might have been white once?
- do they have sensible suggestions to make relating to what you want done?
- do they give a vague verbal 'guestimate', or do they go away and work out how much it will cost and send you a detailed quotation in writing?
- how do you feel about having them around your home, possibly using your loo?
- and finally - do they offer to take off their boots while in your home or (even better!) come prepared with plastic overshoes and put them on without asking.

If you find someone who ticks all of those boxes, pay them whatever they ask!

This is an interesting thought, do you see a nice new sign written van and think he (or she even ) will charge top dollar, or if you see an old banger they will be cheap.
The state of the van used no guarantee of workmanship and I have seen overshoes used for the first couple of times but after a couple of trips to the van they tend to get forgotten.

But I agree with a lot of what you said.:beer:

Annie1960

trailingspouse wrote: »

I disagree!! Recommendations might be a good starting point, but don't go with someone just because they were recommended by a friend. Why not I hear you ask!

- your friend may not have the same notion of what constitutes a good job as you do
- the job that the tradesperson did for your friend may be quite different from what you want them to do, and may present different technical challenges
- if it turns out that you are not happy with their work, it might harder to complain - telling your friend that their recommendation was rubbish could be awkward.

Find at least 3 tradespeople for the work you want to have done (including any recommendations), and invite them to come and give you a quote. Agree a date and a time for them to come round. When they arrive, note the following things -
- did they arrive when they said they would?
- did they turn up looking presentable, in a liveried van, or filthy and smelling slightly of drink (yes, it happened...) in a plain van that might have been white once?
- do they have sensible suggestions to make relating to what you want done?
- do they give a vague verbal 'guestimate', or do they go away and work out how much it will cost and send you a detailed quotation in writing?
- how do you feel about having them around your home, possibly using your loo?
- and finally - do they offer to take off their boots while in your home or (even better!) come prepared with plastic overshoes and put them on without asking.

If you find someone who ticks all of those boxes, pay them whatever they ask!

If anyone ever finds someone like this, please let me know!

The other factor I would add is that some organisations get the traders to sign up to an ADR which both the customer and trader agree to use in the event of a dispute, which can be a good way to resolve any disagreements that may arise. Which? Trusted Traders have this, but there may be other websites.

I have used Rated People for fairly small jobs a few times in the past, and although I was generally happy with the work done, it proved difficult on each occasion to get any paperwork from the trader. All I ended up with was a mobile number and their Rated People listing.

I generally gave good reviews to most of these traders, but recall giving a bad review to one plumber, and this only stayed on the site for a short while. I assume it was removed by Rated People, so it's difficult to take these reviews at face value.

System

Calleja wrote: »

I've posted a roofing quote on the 'is this quote fair' section of this forum and its got me thinking about the process of getting quotes. Its recommended to get 3 quotes minimum for big jobs - I guess this way you get an idea if any of the quotes is an outlier (too cheap or too expensive) and it also gives you an opportunity to meet the workman which can be important to some people.


I've been recommended a roofer - my friend speaks very highly of him indeed and can reel off stories about all the good jobs he's done. The quote he has given me is a little high but I know nothing about roofs, other than they are usually expensive to fix. I have no way of getting on to the roof to look at the work he has proposed but the work he has quoted for is generally in line with my survey from a few years back.


So my dilemma - whilst I haven't tried too hard, this is the only recommendation I have (well, I got one other, but he didn't turn up...). So in order to get 3 quotes, I would most likely use a 'check a trade' type of website. To me, recommendations are very important. So is there any point in getting these alternative quotes under these circumstances? If the other quotes are way more expensive or similar, then its a no brainer, I'll go with the recommended guy. But if they are way cheaper, then I would probably be suspicious and still want to go with the recommended guy!


Whilst I appreciate there is some value in seeing what work they recommend and being quoted for similar work would be reassuring (I don't know what the issue is up there, I just have damp patches), given that this guy is in line with my surveyor, and given that I waste a lot of time waiting in for tradespeople that don't turn up, would you bother with the extra quotes?


By the way, if you have any knowledge on roofing, please head over to the quote post to give me some feedback on the quote!


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5638484


Thanks all!

It's a fine line really, if you're confident you're getting value for money and that they'll do a good job, it's your risk. But it's no more of a risk than getting three contractors that you have no feeling for to quote!
If you're comfortable with their quote and need the work done asap then I'm not sure i would bother with other quotes tbh (probably not the best money saving advice tbh!)
We regularly negotiate tenders for small projects where we know the contractor we want to do it, it's just a case of making sure the pricing isn't too far outside of market value

Calleja

Thanks everyone for the detailed responses! Good food for thought....the problems aren't urgent, they are long standing, so I don't really have any excuse not to at least get a couple more quotes, at least then I can be confident in my choice.


It does make me think though - I have a job where I can work from home, so actually, waiting in for a few quotes isn't an issue, although I still get frustrated at people who don't turn up (just say you don't need the work! Or call and say you've been held up! I refuse to use anyone who doesn't turn up when they say they are going to, so that narrows my options immediately!). But in my last job, I couldn't just take time off without at least a weeks notice as I worked to a rota providing essential care - and then it would annual leave. So I really don't know how some people manage to get stuff done in their house?!