What is the standard for builders’ testimonials these days?

benawhile

I am comparing two builders in order to ask one to undertake a two storey extension but they have not been able to provide thorough testimonials.

I asked 6 to tender for the job initially. 4 quoted extremely high to do the work, I wondered if this was due to either the oncoming lockdown or due to builders generally being very booked up at this time.

Of the remaining two one quote seemed a reasonable price and was personally recommended, albeit for a smaller project. On the other hand his initial quote was very simple, consisting only of a list of work and an all in price.

In the intervening time I found that this builder's website had expired and when I asked for more testimonials he advised me simply to contact people through his facebook page. He explained an inability to provide more detail as due to current data protection legislation.

The other quoted a good price and provided a fully detailed list of work and costs of all materials. The guy has been very fluent in discussing what is needed, and has already visited me twice, but again has so far provided the barest of testimonials, two email addresses from which I received only one response, after two weeks, very complimentary but with no photographs, and no address that I can check out.

I get the idea that people aren’t that bothered these days about answering requests by email.

I emailed back to the client almost a week ago to ask for photographs but so far heard nothing, and am calling the builder to emphasise that I need an address.

I feel some inclination to go to the next stage with the builder and start nailing down a schedule of works and payments anyway, because friends with past experience have warned me that if I go back to square one and ask 6 more builders to quote, the word might get around locally and I might lose credibility and end up with somewhere between no response or 6 more very high quotes.

Do people rely more on facebook and checkatrade websites these days?

And is our data protection law a reasonable excuse for not giving verifiable testimonials?

Risteard

If four out of six quoted around one price, then I would suggest that it isn't an "extremely high" price but more than likely the correct ball park price as to which you should be looking.

As for data protection etc. I certainly wouldn't give names and addresses of customers to someone. It's almost certainly a breach of GDPR for a start, as well as a morally indefensible thing to do in my opinion without prior permission.

Doozergirl

If four quoted within a ballpark and the 'reasonable' one can't provide a solid reference then I think there is an answer there. 

No one is breaking GDPR if clients agree to be contacted.   

Fancy showing us the plans and the quotes?  Or giving us an idea? 

benawhile

I have pm'd doozergirl with a few more details. I missed out that there is some interior remodelling required and quoted for as well.

fenwick458

benawhile said:

Do people rely more on facebook and checkatrade websites these days?

And is our data protection law a reasonable excuse for not giving verifiable testimonials?

people round here tend to go on word of mouth. do your own research, ask around about the 2 firms and see what you find out
data protection law sounds plausible yes, I'm not sure any of my customers would be happy about being contacted out of the blue to discuss the job i did. would probably involve a lot more work than you think doing it properly.
from the builders point of view it's just another list of jobs to do for which they don't get paid for. i mean sorting out names and addresses of people to contact 

DOH_a

Just from a Facebook vs Checkatrade point of view, wouldn’t you think FB reviews come from more honest people/accounts that can be linked back to that individual whereas anybody can leave a CAT review with no link back to them in any way?

Doozergirl

benawhile said:

I have pm'd doozergirl with a few more details. I missed out that there is some interior remodelling required and quoted for as well.

I need to see plans, please.  You have provided the size but whilst it provides a very rough guide, all of the prices are within a level of tolerance.   Your lowest price, taking VAT into account, is at the minimum of what I would expect given what people ask for these days (always glass and steel), especially given that there are two separate extensions in the scope and your location, but I'm talking blind still.  

It's no effort to email a couple of previous customers and ask them if it's okay if someone contacts them.  I think a phone conversation is probably better as someone taking photos and writing emails is really onerous on the client, especially if their house is lived in like mine is!! 

The most important thing is a recommendation.   

If you cannot get a previous client to sing their praises on a similar type of job then you're in potentially deep water.   Are these people genuinely experienced in your type of project?  They could be a good subcontractor and have worked on similar sized projects, but have they run many of them?  

I have professionals who would happily recommend us, and do!  Architect, structural engineer and building inspector have all put work our way and wouldn't think twice if I asked them to speak to a potential client.  It shows established professional relationships too.  There's more than one way to skin a cat.  

I understand that you have a budget, but with 3 of 5 quotes significantly over it, you need to be very careful.  £50k is a LOT of variance between top and bottom and three of them are very close in price at the top.  It worries me a bit that your preferred builders are the cheapest and you've dismissed the others as 'just putting in a price'. 

floppydisk1

Website testimonials aren't worth  anything, word of mouth is the way to go.. After all, do you think what I put to "  My " website and you just read whats there is more impartial and reflecting my work better than what  "YOU " ask my real previous customers ( and you can ask what you want )?  Also bear in mind, quite a large number of small builders, and most of busy ones, don't bother with website  as they work comes from word of mouth... Don't go for the cheapest one, go for the best recommended one ( not one with  best testimonials - best recommended !!! )

EssexExile

I looked around for similar work going on to what I wanted. Then I knocked on doors & asked what they thought of their builders. It served me well.