I was actually writing about a similar thing on my blog when this topic popped up in my inbox. We offer pressure washing services, and a lady called us asking for a quote on work only because of a run-in she had with a guy who had been driving around her area with a cheap £100 pressure washer, who had then proceeded to pressure wash a small section of her driveway, then knocked on her door to say, "excuse me madam, I've just pressure washed a bit of your driveway and it looks a lot cleaner. For £50 I will do the rest"
She told him where to go!
But once she saw the area which had been cleaned, it did make her realize that the driveway was worth cleaning, so gave us a call.
Of course, we can't compete with silly prices like that, but then as the topic starter has already said, these guys don't have public liability insurance, do not have the right equipment, and offer no guarantee of work.
It's like anything really.....I tend to try and buy appliances for my home from John Lewis.....it's not a snobby thing or anything like that.....it's just their customer service (so I've found personally) is exceptional, and they are very customer driven, and I know that if something goes wrong, they won't try to fob me off. OK so I pay a little bit more than if I spent 30 minutes searching price comparison websites on the internet, but is saving a few quid really worth the hassle in the long run?
for some it might be, but for me I'd rather just pay a fraction more, and have a bit of peace of mind
I also prefer to support British tradesmen and industries.... people who (just like me) are trying to earn a decent living, and pay their taxes (even if they are too high, but that's another topic!) and just want to play their part.
Cash-in-hand, no receipt services are a bit like playing Russian roulette.....you might get a bargain....but if you don't, then you don't have any right to comeback.
