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Tradesmen, why wont they quote?

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Vectis said:
Going back to the OP, I'd think at least a part of the problem is that you haven't actually bought the house yet
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Thats fair enough and a goo point, it doesnt take much to say that though does it.
Vectis said:
I expect, like me, many of them are wondering why you need a quote - or even a ball park figure - for the work right now. You seem to already be expecting the price to be around £300 - £500, what else do you need?
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Vectis said:
Nothing now, im happy. Im just surprised it took about 13 emails to 10 different people to get 3 quotes. I thought we were in a recession and people were after work.

You can't commission the work yet and even if you do buy the property they will still need to come round and give a firm quote.
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I agree, all i wanted was a rough guide to allow me to set the money aside.

If i get emails from people saying were looking for a mortgage can you help, i would never turn around and think pfft email waste of time i dont want that. If i dont get anything from them, they may refer me on to someone else in 6 months or 6 years.

If i dont want the business (ie too much work for too little reward) i reply saying its not something i can help with. Short and sweet, doesnt cost me anything.
It doesnt cost anything to sit there for a couple of minutes, they know how long it will take to fit a door, they know what their cost is and to say otherwise is a load of rubbish. My step dad was a joiner (we dont speak anymore otherwise he would be doing it), if i said how much to fit a door and frame or 5 internal doors he would know the cost without a shadow of a doubt.

I didnt want a legally binding quote, my other thing is... why have an email address on their websites or forms if they have no intention of replying?

Either way, ive had a couple of replies that have made me see it from the other side... i wouldnt say i agree (in my mind you jump on any opportunity) but im happy to accept they have heir reasons.
 
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Have you tried the more personal approach of phoning them? Emails, although convenient to the sender, can often come across as a little impersonal and faceless. To be honest in my opinion they're not much better than text messages.

Dependant on the size of their business a lot of the owners of small contractors often still work on the tools out on site, especially in times like these (to minimise overheads) so they may not have had chance to reply. As already suggested they may have regarded your enquiry as speculative and small time and thought its not worth bothering with, you are a member of joe public, is it going to offend you by them not replying to you? Yes certainly. Is it going to affect their future business, have you got any large projects for them in the future? Possibly not. You are correct it would be courteous for them to have replied stating they weren't interested.

Perhaps some of them are just too busy already, or away on holiday.

I would provide the following info to them...

Photo of inside and outside of door opening
Structural opening size (masons opening size)
Material type requirements, PVC, wood etc
Locks and glazing requirements
Ironmongery requirements

You have suggested that the work may only take half or a full day. For a rough budget price could you not look at B&Q or online websites, find the cost of the door and frame you want and then add say £150 for fitting. This should give you an approx ball park?

Regards,

M
 
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Matthew_28 said:
.... a little impersonal and faceless. To be honest in my opinion they're not much better than text messages.
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BINGO! (IMHO)

Email's fine if you need a 'paper trail' at a later date for some reason, but if not, just get on the blower and sort it out please.

Thanks.:)
 
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My opinion wont change, but i can see the other side of it. It just makes me think they are tarring everyone with the same brush. Im still in the camp that they are losing business because of it - but thats not my concern, mine is getting my door done by someone willing and able at a reasonable price (note reasonable... not cheapest).

Anyway i appreciate the replies, i will be booking it in with someone who has given me an estimate albeit with a few caveats.
 
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I offer a bit of a specialised trade to private customers and I reckon at least 50% of my business comes via an initital email enquiry. If I regarded people that enquired via email for an estimate as time wasters, I'd have gone bust ages ago...

Whilst I 100% agree with being able to have the instinct of who is genuine and who is a time waster, the fact that they have emailed rather than phoned me is almost irrelevant yet some on here are swearing blind the opposite.

strange thread:|
 
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I've skipped to the end of this thread to give a simple reply;

How long is a piece of string?

Any decent trades person or company wants to inspect the property and project to ensure they quote accurately.

How pissed off would you be if I quoted you £10 to do it then came out, started and said I needed another £490 because I found another problem.

Don't waste their time and they won't waste yours.

Buy the house, invite 3 round and ask for written quotes then make an informed decision.
 
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khalid1 said:
I've skipped to the end of this thread to give a simple reply;

How long is a piece of string?

Any decent trades person or company wants to inspect the property and project to ensure they quote accurately.

How pissed off would you be if I quoted you £10 to do it then came out, started and said I needed another £490 because I found another problem.

Don't waste their time and they won't waste yours.

Buy the house, invite 3 round and ask for written quotes then make an informed decision.
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we're talking about replacing a door here for under £500. Any decent tradesman knows how much that will be ballpark wise without seeing it and thats all the OP was after.......
 
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It's not that simple and it shows by the lack of response you've had.

I work for a joinery firm and they'll give you a ball park over the phone but will never quote and that's common in the industry.

It's not that they don't want the work it's that they want to provide an accurate price and avoid time wasters.
 
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ok so I get an email from a potential customer and I reply along the lines...

"Hi Tom, many thanks for your email enquiry. If you can email me some images of the door in question I would be very happy to email back a rough idea of cost.

Regards

Tom Bloggs
www.bloggs.co.uk"

the above email took me 52 seconds to write and send. You surely are not telling me that tradespeople are not capable of doing this. If the person then doesnt reply, it increases the chance that they are a time waster. If they reply, you email them a rough estimate.

The alternative as most are suggesting on this thread is ignore the email as its bound to be a time waster when all it takes is 52 seconds to give em a chance to prove themselves serious:|
 
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Hello everyone.
I'm new here so please be gentle with me. I promise, It won't take long before I get the hang of it(this forum)
As a builder, I agree and don't with some of the things posted here.

I always want to see the job before I could give a price over the phone or email.
Saying you need a new back door is too simplistic. What type of door? sizes?
is the brickwork sound? 1 lock? 2 locks? multi locks? glazed? UPVC or hard wood?
What about making good to the plaster and painting ?

These are all factors we must consider. If a builder say's I'll do it for 100 quid without taking a look at the job. delete his number and run fast as you can.

Someone said fickle and not business minded? why do you think i'm here?:D
 
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KERSLEY said:
Hello everyone.
I'm new here so please be gentle with me. I promise, It won't take long before I get the hang of it(this forum)
As a builder, I agree and don't with some of the things posted here.

I always want to see the job before I could give a price over the phone or email.
Saying you need a new back door is too simplistic. What type of door? sizes?
is the brickwork sound? 1 lock? 2 locks? multi locks? glazed? UPVC or hard wood?
What about making good to the plaster and painting ?

These are all factors we must consider. If a builder say's I'll do it for 100 quid without taking a look at the job. delete his number and run fast as you can.

Someone said fickle and not business minded? why do you think i'm here?:D
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I agree with this statement. You can't quote building work blind.
 
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What type of door? I told them
sizes? I told them
is the brickwork sound? Fair enough, this didnt come up.
1 lock? 2 locks? multi locks? - I just said a lock.
glazed? I told them
UPVC or hard wood? I told them

If someone quoted me £100 i would be running a mile as i know the doors cost more than that.
 
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Whether the job is an easy one or not isn't really the point. Every trade knows that it has the potential to be a pain. The very old door frame could easily be held into some brickwork which is completely shot, not square, and with an old timber lintel thats past its best.

Add to this the fact that the op was emailing for quotes ( which always has alarm bells ringing) rather than calling to arrange appointments, and the fact he doesn't own the house.

The response he got was not at all surprising. Long gone are the days when decent trades scrape around for work. These days if you want a good one, for a fair price, you have to work a bit harder. :)
 
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tony84 said:
What type of door? I told them
sizes? I told them
is the brickwork sound? Fair enough, this didnt come up.
1 lock? 2 locks? multi locks? - I just said a lock.
glazed? I told them
UPVC or hard wood? I told them

If someone quoted me £100 i would be running a mile as i know the doors cost more than that.
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So on what basis was you going to engage somebody to do this job?

Price, price or price?;)
 
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Matthew_28 said:
Have you tried the more personal approach of phoning them? Emails, although convenient to the sender, can often come across as a little impersonal and faceless. To be honest in my opinion they're not much better than text messages.
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Nope. Text messages from potential customers, which seems to be happening more and more, are still far more worthy of a relply than most Emails :D

At least the person divulges their number when texting, as oppose to many emailers who choose to leave off their number :|
 
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tony84 said:
If i get emails from people saying were looking for a mortgage can you help, i would never turn around and think pfft email waste of time i dont want that. If i dont get anything from them, they may refer me on to someone else in 6 months or 6 years.
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I don't think your analogy quite works really. You are charging your potential customer for your service so you know they want a mortgage.

With people who have yet to buy their property who require a trade to pop around and advise them on the situation, they may very well change their mind about buying the property should they hear things they don't like.

This is why we don't offer free quotes to people who haven't bought. They basically want a free survey in most cases.

I've had some ridiculous, ridiculous emails from people who have yet to buy.

They use terms like "This is far from speculative"

You don't get more speculative than asking for quotes on a property you do not own!
 
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Lucan Unlordly said:
So on what basis was you going to engage somebody to do this job?

Price, price or price?;)
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Not on price at all.
I want 3 quotes to get an idea of price. I chose the people i would be happy to use based on the info on their websites or that i had read elsewhere.

The person im going with spent the time to write a repponse which probably took 10 minutes, he put a few caveats in there and a few different options. Despite me saying wooden he offered me a cheaper alternative doing it by UPVC.

He took the time to put a small but detailed response together with different options and prices etc. As far as im concerned hes put the most effort in on the off chance he gets a job out of it (albeit a small one on the grand scheme of things)... it could be that he quiet and rubbish at his job but the fact hes spent the time helps to build trust.
 
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tony84 said:
Ive emailed 10 local tradesmen.

Rant over now.
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Theres your problem right there .... Tradesmen ie' builders would never check emails , they are not the brightest sparks in the world and most there websites are diy crap that chances are they never even got the things anyways ..

Try ringing local place next time , tell them you have lots of bits to do , but first a rough idea on price of the door etc..
 
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Big Pete said:
Theres your problem right there .... Tradesmen ie' builders would never check emails , they are not the brightest sparks in the world and most there websites are diy crap that chances are they never even got the things anyways ..

Try ringing local place next time , tell them you have lots of bits to do , but first a rough idea on price of the door etc..
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Really! I would suggest you spend some time practicing your English skills before saying trades 'are not the brightest sparks'.
 
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tony84 said:
Not on price at all.
I want 3 quotes to get an idea of price. I chose the people i would be happy to use based on the info on their websites or that i had read elsewhere.

The person im going with spent the time to write a repponse which probably took 10 minutes, he put a few caveats in there and a few different options. Despite me saying wooden he offered me a cheaper alternative doing it by UPVC.

He took the time to put a small but detailed response together with different options and prices etc. As far as im concerned hes put the most effort in on the off chance he gets a job out of it (albeit a small one on the grand scheme of things)... it could be that he quiet and rubbish at his job but the fact hes spent the time helps to build trust.
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So, you've decided who you'll use with if this ever goes ahead? Can I just say....thank goodness for that! I'm glad we got that sorted out :rolleyes:
 
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Big Pete said:
Theres your problem right there .... Tradesmen ie' builders would never check emails , they are not the brightest sparks in the world and most there websites are diy crap that chances are they never even got the things anyways ..

Try ringing local place next time , tell them you have lots of bits to do , but first a rough idea on price of the door etc..
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You do realize that it's abundantly clear you have problems with spelling and grammar, and also that many of your posts are deliberately derogatory and narrow-minded?

If it's attention you seek, why not just come out and say it instead of flailing around in the margins of your own self-importance?
 
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Now this may have been said but a lot of tradesmen, myself included don't mind quoting via email but only with existing customers, I like to check the job and customer out it is my reputation on the cards, and you may be genuine but a lot are not so if the quote has to go up due to issues not known and the customer happens to be the local gossip then that could be a lot of work lost just for trying to help out!
I know this doesn't help you but this is how I feel I have to work these days
 
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LED Lightworld said:
Really! I would suggest you spend some time practicing your English skills before saying trades 'are not the brightest sparks'.
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Well there not the brightest , hardly experts in emails are they ?? so who rocked your trough ? fact is email to a self employed chippy is like trying to order a takeaway ice lolly .. and that`s a fact..

simon field said:
You do realize that it's abundantly clear you have problems with spelling and grammar, and also that many of your posts are deliberately derogatory and narrow-minded?

If it's attention you seek, why not just come out and say it instead of flailing around in the margins of your own self-importance?
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I speak as i find , and are you the resident English teacher ? how i chat is my own choice , my posts are always correct.. so why you feel the need to raise rude remarks against my posts in some attempt to gain favour is beyond me .. but i guess you feel slightly better for posting it .. so hey if it floats your boat then what the heck :rolleyes:
 
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Unfortunately Sir, you are not speaking, you are pressing buttons with nice big letters on them :)

I am not an English teacher, I do however find it a tad hypocritical to label a certain group of tradesmen as "not the brightest", whilst not being able to spell or use punctuation and grammar in the way which you were taught at school.

And finally, to assume that "the big Pete way is the only way and I'm right and I tell it like it is!"

No Pete, no. You tell it how you see it, and it's polite to accept that sometimes you are completely and utterly wrong.

It's not hard :)
 
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Big Pete said:
Well there not the brightest , hardly experts in emails are they ?? so who rocked your trough ? fact is email to a self employed chippy is like trying to order a takeaway ice lolly .. and that`s a fact..
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From a not too bright tradesman I hate to point out that you may have meant 'they're not the brightest', not as you have put 'there not the brightest'. There- where?
 
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Anyhow, at least we've established that Pete isn't a tradesman.

In my opinion the whole email vs phone debate is a good one because it is a reflection of how we communicate in these modern times.

I just think that if you want to save time and say the same thing to, or ask for a quote from, many different people then email is the way to go.

Or, to have a paper trail in black and white, should it be needed.

Apart from that though, I do feel that some folk "hide" behind the veil of email, and that ultimately a chat on the phone is best.

I'm done, cheers :)
 
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simon field said:
And finally, to assume that "the big Pete way is the only way and I'm right and I tell it like it is!"

No Pete, no. You tell it how you see it, and it's polite to accept that sometimes you are completely and utterly wrong.

It's not hard :)
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YOU are bang out of order big time !!!!! :mad: I am right ALL the time so do not be so insulting.. :rolleyes:

LED Lightworld said:
From a not too bright tradesman I hate to point out that you may have meant 'they're not the brightest', not as you have put 'there not the brightest'. There- where?
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well boo hoo ,good for you , you have a spell checker installed , well done but can you make money ? nah most unlikely as your way to concerned with spell checking, on forums . :D
 
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tony84 said:
Im not going with UPVC... im just saying he made other options available.

Yes all is sorted, it will be going ahead. The mortgage is done and dusted just waiting on the contracts with solicitors.
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So how much is it going to cost..door?....and labour?
 
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I'm not one to start controversy, or trouble but...




Is Big Pete a Tradesman? :D

Only jesting with ya there fella! Hold ya horses their ;) (No pun intended... obviously :D )
 
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I been in the building trade for over 25 years. I pay 2 carpenters, 1 plasterer, 1 plumber, 1 electrician, 3 multi trades and a few young trainees every week.
It's not easy, But we get lots of work year in year out. I guess that's because i'm not a bright spark? Or I don't reply to emails or can't?
 
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I been in the building trade for over 25 years. I pay 2 carpenters, 1 plasterer, 1 plumber, 1 electrician, 3 multi trades and a few young trainees every week.
It's not easy, But we get lots of work year in year out. I guess that's because i'm not a bright spark? Or I don't reply to emails or can't?

This forum is better then Project Avalon. lol
 
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Yeah when calling trades people not very bright you need to make sure you don't write it like a complete numpty.

It isn't anything to do with spell checker either.......you spelled the word correctly but used the wrong word completely.
 
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