Do others filter the potential time wasters?

[peterhyper]

I am sure there are far more time wasters contacting me than a few years ago, or is it just me being grumpier in older age. I think I'm usually good at sussing out the time wasters and I would say that around a third of the people who contact me I don't even arrange to quote them as I believe they will be wasting my time. I will dismiss anyone that sounds obnoxious and perhaps I'm fortunate that I don't need to work 5 or 6 days a week anymore, so just 3 days work a week I'm happy with (I don't do rewires anymore as I can't be ar**d with the hassle).

I get the majority of the jobs that I actually quote for which is good, and hopefully my filtering out the potential time wasters saves me a lot of time.

Do others do similar to me with regards filtering the potential time wasters out?

 

[Rpa07]

I try and make my first hour £30 but sometimes the job is too easy and in those instances that I lose out a bit I always end up getting more work within a week or two. It’s another word of mouth as well which is (near) priceless.

 

[PEG]

Never advertise,never work for anyone unknown-unless brokered through an outfit that will stand any unpaid costs,never use find-a-whateverthing,never fail on an intended task,never barter.....the list is lengthy

Can i be the new government small business adviser,yet?

 

[Risteard]

I'm sick of all the idiots who think that it's reasonable to ring today about a new kitchen which is going in in a day or two's time and other such nonsense.

 

[sparkdog]

I always give estimates, never quotes.

 

[The Ghost]

People ask for my card. I always say never had or need one I have enough work. I have always got work in London, Scotland and Bristol and wherever I go. I suppose I have been very fortunate. Over forty years I have had three "memorable" customers which odds wise is way beyond incredibly lucky considering some of the stories and frequency of troubles I have heard from other trades. There is a class of person out there who are premeditated, professional welchers who know they are not going to pay and know how to use the law and spurious complaints to stymy any redress. I can just about spot them now.
Contract and deposit is a golden rule with me especially domestic. Under contract law standard terms commercially are advances for "materials on site" (JCT) which I usually insist on, but have never had trouble in a commercial context.

 

[peterhyper]

Some interesting feedback, I like the one where you only give estimates and not quotes, but the only problem in my experience is that people want to know what the actual cost will be. With faults I only charge by the hour, or with replacing lights I do the same. I often give people 2 quotes for the same job depending if let's say they are hanging a big/heavy light and I have to go above to support it if sufficient support isn't present.

I also love the people that say "how much for cash." My reply is the "same as a cheque or bank transfer."

I don't take deposits from people as most people don't like giving them and filtering out the time wasters it usually works. I don't mind people cancelling me at the last minute when they have a genuine emergency, but I don't book a second visit if they cancel with a silly reason.

I don't mind doing a little extra 5/10 minute job for a decent customer especially if they offer to pay you (I don't usually take extra for good customers), but the ones that want you to put their new lights up for free when you have finished the little job you went to do get the cold shoulder from me (I tell them I have another job to go to and I can book them in another day - usually when they realise they will have to pay they tell me they will get back to me and never do).

I occasionally get people who try to con me into believing that parking is fine where they are ("you should be able to park outside okay") but I usually know the area and that they are surrounded by permit parking or meters so I wind them up and tell them how much extra I charge for any additional time finding a parking space and walking to and from their property from my vehicle. If someone is honest about the parking situation near their property I will try and accommodate them if I can, but I hate the liars who know it's as good as impossible to park near their home.

I could go on n forever, but in reality most people are decent and willing to pay the going rate, but we always remember the idiots.

 

[Wilko]

I'm sick of all the idiots who think that it's reasonable to ring today about a new kitchen which is going in in a day or two's time and other such nonsense.

Perfect, isn't it !
Friend of Wifey manages a kitchen and bathroom business. She's all set up so there's been no work for Wilko so far. Then she rang late in December desperate for help that day ... love to (I said) but I'm a bit far away today, sorry. Still no work for Wilko

 

[JK-Electrical]

Its the people who seem offended when you give a really competitive quote and then turn around and say i will think about it or ask you to reduce it more. they dont realise you have overheads, taxes, professional fees and insurance to pay for. its not all going in your pocket. they seem to think you are out to have them over. Its better when people refer you as then they seem to feel comfortable.

Like the landlord who called me earlier in the week to get a price for an EICR on a two-bedroom house. I quoted him £125.00. He then tells me that he's already got a quotation from someone who'll do it for £80.00 and asks me if I can match that price. I tell him that I have a fixed-price tariff for domestic EICRs and my price is final. He enquires as to why I am £45.00 more expensive than the other guy. My reply was that my price is correct and that he should phone the other guy and ask him why he's £45.00 cheaper.

He then asks me for to quote for installing two hard-wired, interlinked smoke alarms and a hard-wired, interlinked heat alarm. I tell him that I can't quote prices over the phone for jobs that I haven't seen and that he should budget between £175 and £250. He tells me that he's got a quote for £125.00 so is going to go with that. At this point I said "okay" and terminated the call. I've better uses for my time than to waste it on haggling skinflints who want everything done on the cheap.

 

[peterhyper]

I just had a guy call me at 7.59am today (it's Sunday) for me to to around and give him a quote as a couple of sockets haven't worked since he moved in. I told him it's not quite 8am on a Sunday morning and I thought it might be a family emergency getting a call so early on a Sunday morning, so I don't want to give him a quote and he can find another electrician!

Fair enough if it was an emergency call out, but for a bloody quote that time on a Sunday is ridiculous. Anyone that calls me at silly times for a quote gets filtered out with their number blocked, because you know you aren't dealing with somone reasonable to start with and I won't waste my time.

 

[RWJ]

Love those customers that get you round to do a simple job, then when you turn up they want another 4 "simple" jobs doing for the same price!!! Knowing full well this was the plan all along.

As above people that ring on a evening thinking you want to give advice about their new sockets they want to buy from B&Q.

Had one a while ago, we'd already done a few jobs for the customer EICR for the property they were selling, supply to shed in new property, additional sockets, new bathroom light etc.
Sunday evening at 7:45 I get a call on my (work) mobile from the customer, I'm not on call so they hadn't rang the office number. They leave a voicemail saying they were thinking of having downlighters in the kitchen. The next day I called the customer, it was about 10:15 while your love song was on, I wanted to get in before POP Master! The customer tells me "not to bother" as the other electrician had already been out had a look and was doing the job on Wednesday. From her attitude I was obviously wrong for not answering the phone / going round there and then to have a look. Good riddance!

I've also had others ring at 8 on a Sunday morning just wanting advice.

 

[Wilko]

Sunday evening at 7:45 I get a call on my (work) mobile from the customer, I'm not on call so they hadn't rang the office number ... I've also had others ring at 8 on a Sunday morning just wanting advice.

I've had a few jobs where 24/7 was expected, but not paid. In the end it did my head in as it was often abused by the Customer. I'm sure I'm not on my own in this experience... I recall that an NHS after hours Doctor got called out to a home to provide emergency health care to their wifi

 

[Pete E]

Sadly, you also need to consider the other side of the coin. People are tired of being ripped off by dodgy "tradesmen" whether its builders, plumbers or sparks.

I am not sure whether shows like "Rogue Traders" help or whether it blows such problems out of proportion.

Personally, over the years, I have found many plumbers and electricians unreliable ie don't turn up to do work when promised and compound the problem with little or no communication.

I try to be understanding given that its not always easy to plan a working day and I appreciate they can get stuck on jobs, but a phone call or even a txt to say they are running late or can't make it at all would go a long way to alleviating that.

A few years back, I was recommended a plumber and used him two or three times, but while he was a really personable guy, his work was shoddy and he was unreliable. He got the hump one day when I eventually got hacked off and binned him off without paying for his last shoddy work....

As for quotes ect. from a customers point of view, some tradesmen do seem to "negotiate" ie start by chancing their arm with a higher price and then come done, and many do offer a better deal for cash, so don't be offended when a customer tries these approaches.

Since moving into my present house, I have found a local plumber who I trust. His quotes seem reasonable, I have been more than happy with his work and his time keeping while not 100%, is better than many...I pay in cash on the day, and always make sure he has something for a drink as well plus I have recommended him to a couple of friends as well..

He must be happy with me as a customer as although he is always busy, he usually manages to fit me in if the job is urgent....

So before people here moan about customers, remember its a two way street although you personally might be a good tradesman, there are many out there who are not...