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Cadgey123

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How do you guys react when a customer tries to drive you down on price?

I am struggling at the moment to deal with that side of things because I take offence a little, when I know they have every reason to barter with me.
I just know I am very fair on pricing so maybe should stop being too sensitive.
 
What did he think it would cost on his spreadsheet gavin?
If i recall correctly as this was a year ago the materials he had priced at just over Β£30 inc delivery! (2 sockets, a light pendant, switch and backboxes, T&E and clips all from ebay!) - I didnt have the heart to tell him i could have got them cheaper as his colour printout looked so well presented. He allowed labour at 2 hours as he felt it wasnt too hard or a significant job. when i quoted Β£45 per point which i thought reasonable he looked as if i swore at him.... people can be funny
 
If customer wants to haggle on price I stand firm. End of the day if I could knock money off it I'd have over priced in the first place.

And if they want to supply materials just ask them if they would go to the chip shop with a bit of fish and some potatoes and ask them to make them a fish supper
 
If customer wants to haggle on price I stand firm. End of the day if I could knock money off it I'd have over priced in the first place.

And if they want to supply materials just ask them if they would go to the chip shop with a bit of fish and some potatoes and ask them to make them a fish supper

I am going to use that now hahaha
 
I recently priced a refurb and extension at 26.5K...customer knocked me down to 24.5K...This was all priced off a drawing and itemised spread sheet the customer prepared. The customer has not compromised one bit and had absolutely every thing you can think of installed and changed the whole job from the original drawings/itemised spread sheet. I took weekly draws off the customer during the 1st fix to cover material, labour and profit and explained I couldn't price the job until the 1st fix was complete as he didn't know what he wanted and kept changing his mind...I've essentially done the 1st fix on day rate that I would normally charge the lads out at plus a bit extra. Completed the 1st fix and re-priced the job.....35K all in now.....told the customer 40K knowing he haggled me down last time.....haggles me down 3k.....I'm now 2K up on the job:D Serves him right for trying to negotiate my 1st price :eek::D
 
I recently visited a Bungalow, on the drive a rare classic car (30K)
the bungalow had been extended all round and the garage had been converted to a bedroom with ensuite
they wanted a few extra sockets installed, and a couple wiring correctly that were on extension leads, clipped in and painted over
I said I would like to carry out a series of tests firsts ( I neveer take on a job without a basic test)
test a socket in the extended sitting room, and the RCBO refuses to come back to life
he then admitted they had trouble in the past re setting it
off I go, get a replacement and install it and I charged him for one hour plus materials
not my fault
I noticed that in the older part of the house, there was only one socket per room wired in PVC with twisted cores so late 60s early 70s
the consumer unit had been fitted in the front hall, and the supply tails concealed with a plasterboard sheet, on battens, no metal protection, the earth cables came down from the roof ??
I had to cut away a layer of plaster to remove the lid of the CU
the earth electrode was not in evidence, and in the roof I could see right down to the consumer unit, the roof was full of junction boxes
in other words a real bodge, make it look pretty to sell it
I gave him a quite to install addtional socket outlets including making good the plaster and decoration ( yes I am old skool)
a new Consumer unit sited in a more sensible position, and earth electrode and general tidy up of the dodgy bits

he came back to me thanking me for my quote but saying it was much more money than they considered for such a small job ( a weeks work)
Again its that social class thing, he was retired and his pension is more than likely greater than my earnings
but he thinks tradesmen should not be paid much, I did notice a selection of power tools lying around and some poor remedial work done recently
they had only purchased the house about 18 months before, so why did he not have a full survey
oh the value of the house is nearly a million pounds with a 2 acre garden
I guess he was hoping I would come back with a lower quote
I dont even bother these days

on another job where we installed a complete new bathroom as well as new doors, tidied up the wiring, lots of small repairs and a full decoration job, the client said to me !! (He is a spit for Terry Tibbs and is a car dealer)
do you ever look at Barcodes ??
nope says I
Oh he said I scanned the barcode on the bath, and a firm up North can offer it 30 pounds cheaper!!
well I pointed out to him, I let him have the bathroom suite at trade price, and he would not have known what size bath to buy ( a real odd size)
and what about the sink and taps and toilet ?? and delivery from somewhere grim oop North ??
kind of shut his argument up
however all the way through the job, he was constantly moaning about how much tradesman charge
I did point out that we have thousands of pounds worth of specialist tools and 40 odd years of experience, and we had to hump all of that stuff to his job
he owns about 16 houses that he rents out ??

the last one he has decided not to pay me and my mate to decorate, but to do it himself
a text this very day is asking if I can recommend some on to re plaster the house
( its dry lines and he has scraped the tape and finish away, due to not leaving the steamer on long enough as he is such a tightwad)
I happened to be passing the house the other evening and looked in to see the mess he was making
my attitude is that I would rather sit in my garden and read a book than work for little or nothing, and I dont charge very much anyway
 
With experience you tend to get a feel for some customers and sort of have an instinct that they are going to haggle. They often give off tell tale signs or comments like "I've seen in screw fix or B&Q..."

I always over price these jobs, that way if I get it I'm quids in and don't worry too much about the problems I'm going to face during the job, which are guaranteed with these types of customer! Or I don't get it and am happy in the knowledge that I haven't been had over.
 
I have a standard answer to bartering types.

If you think you can get the same quality of materials and workmanship and the same standard of service for less money, then go for it... I would.

I will review a price if I think I've rushed the quote but more often than not if I've rushed it I've missed something off.
 
If they have two Audis on the drive, then they are vain and lacking in any commonsense and are only interested in their image
and want it all for nothing.
Just a rule I use that seems to work
That just reminded me of a customer I went to quote for once:
The house was worth a couple of million, there was a Porsche and a Ranger Rover parked in the drive both with 3 digit private plates. As I walked round the house the Lady owner showed me her new kitten she had just paid Β£2k for (one of those things that look like a leopard) very nice. Any how I called her up the next day with the quote, she thanked me and said would discuss it with her husband. I got an email a few days later saying the quote was too expensive and that they were working to a tight budget is there any chance I could sharpen my pencil? Hmmm... Β£2k for a cat but Β£580 worth of electrical work is too expensive and over budget.
 
That just reminded me of a customer I went to quote for once:
The house was worth a couple of million, there was a Porsche and a Ranger Rover parked in the drive both with 3 digit private plates. As I walked round the house the Lady owner showed me her new kitten she had just paid Β£2k for (one of those things that look like a leopard) very nice. Any how I called her up the next day with the quote, she thanked me and said would discuss it with her husband. I got an email a few days later saying the quote was too expensive and that they were working to a tight budget is there any chance I could sharpen my pencil? Hmmm... Β£2k for a cat but Β£580 worth of electrical work is too expensive and over budget.
Different priorities David, people can't see the electrical work, and from a great deal of experience, these "rich well to do people" perceive people like us with disdain because we don't drive around in the latest model vehicle, and of course we work with our hands and wear work clothes, if you think I'm bitter with the rich, you would be right, not because they have money and nice things, but because they look down on those who don't.
 

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