[shammy davis jnr]

i mean how long is a pice of string this is my biggest pet hate you  could be talking to them for ten min but you know its comming dont you so how much will that be lol    its like the crazy frog ring tone does my nut lol

[LWC]

hehe yeh i agree

then they go cant you give me a ruff idea

no not really

well ish?

i really have to see the place first

i always say to them, look i really cant give you a quote over the phone a i could over quote it which you wouldnt be happy with, or alternatively under quote it which wouldnt make me happy 

[Trevor Knight]

We just refuse point blank and inform them that in order to us to comply with our insurance we have to do a risk assessment and therefore need to view the property.

No view - No quote!

[LSB]

i nearly always quote over the phone on domestic work ,
once i know what area and road i give a quote ,
if i dont know the road , then i probably wont take the customer as its obviously not in my area . 

[Helen]

Usual reply to "we need to assess the property" is why? so we just say that if we give you a quote over the phone(once you have weedled out of them where the property is!!) we could easily get it wrong and you wouldn't want to be paying well OVER the going rate now would you? If they are still insistant of a phone price then we politely refuse to do so. Their choice then whether to let us go round or not! Never quote blind, does no-one any good.

[Clive McDonald]

It is nice to be straight with people too.

The carpet people for instance seem to use bait and switch a lot, which I never like when I am aware that people are using it on me. I'm sure if you phoned for a quote, you would like just that, a quote.

Having said that I would prefer to go and have look.

[Paul Coleman]

We just refuse point blank and inform them that in order to us to comply with our insurance we have to do a risk assessment and therefore need to view the property.

No view - No quote!

Good answer Trevor.  Might start using that one myself.

[Paul Coleman]

I won't quote over the phone but I do tell them my minimum charge with a warning that it could actually be rather more than that when I actually see it.  It weeds out the ones who are after a really cheap job.

[Ian_Giles]

If it is on an estate that I know, I can usually give them an idea, and like Shiner, I tell them I have a minimum price.

If I don't know the area or the type of house then I insist on seeing the property to give a quote.
Mind you, after 23+ years I find that I often know the house even when it is in an area I no longer work in!!

Ian

[EasyClean]

i mean how long is a pice of string this is my biggest pet hate

It's twice the length from the center to the end.