[Andy Foster]

I've been stung a few times by quoting over the phone and I try to go out to all quotes now.

However, there are people around who would sell there left test!cle for £120 for a days work, you have to remember that it is about 4 times the minimum wage (5 hours  for £120 - £24/hour) so feel miffed if you must, but remember, that it is £120 you didn't have before and if work dried up tomorrow, would you do it for that amount?

I am a member of a breakfast club too and I don't offer any discount for the members even if they expect it... if they say anything just ask them if the financial advisor in the group would give you a discount off your mortgage if you got it through them!   Soon shuts them up!

Still lesson learned eh?

Andy

[JandS]

Like Andy says £120 for 5 hours work isn't exactly being underpaid in this current financial crisis. it's a day and a half wages for some people although they don't have the overheads if they're working for somebody.

John

[Joe H]

Your right guys, £120 isnt a bad wage for an evening work up to midnight!

I think what is annoying is that the job was priced for a verbal description, but in actual fact the description didnt fit the actualities.

Worth having a mention to her and see if her conscience kicks in.

[Kinver_Clean]

Soon after I started nearly 30 yrs ago I quoted for an office 12 by 14.
When I got there it was yards not feet.
Always looked at commercials from then on!

Trevor

[markpowell]

Always quote domestics over the phone and commercial on a survey.
I simply wouldnt have the time to go out and quote every job and im sure most of you guys are in the same position.
90% of the time, the quotes on the phone are correct, 5% not enough and the other 5% too juch so it balances out.
Mark

[Ken Wainwright]

Paul

It may seem as though you've under valued your services at that rate, and you know you're worth more than the fee charged.

BUT, if you are an optimist, you've still been paid, rather than having being charged, to learn a very valuable lesson. "OVER THE PHONE IS ALWAYS AN ESTIMATE, A SITE VISIT AND AUDIT IS A QUOTATION" Plus communication breakdowns and bloops will always happen occasionally.

Don't worry about it. I can guarantee that you'll make the same mistake again in the future.  I'll admit that I still do occasionally

Safe and happy quoting
The Ken

[Amethyst]

I do both. However, as Ken says, I always tell the customer that I am providing an estimate based on the information they have provided. I then confirm that price (if it is still correct) before starting the job. If the information provided turns out to be wildly incorrect its a re-price with the customer having the option to decline. Commercial jobs always survey. I live in a rural area and, because of that it may not always be viable to pre-survey for the smaller jobs as you'd spend the profit travelling! Given the circumstances of this particular thread I think that on finding the job to be so different from advised I would have walked away and re-quoted. But its always easy to be wise after the event!!!!!

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Yes £120 isn't a bad wage for 5 hours work.

But we don't earn a wage as we are not employees - we run a business and we are in business to make profit.

You can't justify the price by saying that someone in employment would be happy earning that.

Steve

[derek west]

i'm with steve on this one
once you take running costs out theres not much left.
yeah yeah its better than nothing at all, but a lot in the chapter will then expect the same price and be put off purely because you can't give them the same price,
"you did hers for that much, why not mine" blah blah blah

i don't like to change my prices, i have regulars and if they got wind of this they wouldn't be happy.

i do occassionally quote over the phone, small job or to far type ones.
but overall, i lke to see what i'm cleaning before i clean it, and explain this in detail to the custy to convince them they need an on site quote. by time ive finished the phone call they wouldn't want a quote over the phone
derek
ps.. the job was from a bni type referal wasn't it?