Hours spent pricing and doing customer site meeting....

[Leesparkykent]

Just a bit of a rant really....This one job that is pretty much mine as do all the builders work and the customer has confirmed that I'm doing the job.

6/7 bed house just around the corner from my house. 1st site meeting I Sit down with the customer for 2 hours and went through what ideas they have etc. I then spend about 8 hours pricing and doing a rough sketch over the drawings for positions.

Submit drawings and quote and customer comes back and says above budget.

Second site meeting I sit down with customers again for 2 hours and look at where we can make some savings...Doesn't go great as customer doesn't want to compromise as still wants the lot. Sharpen the pencil slightly and save them a few quid by scaling it down, choosing different fittings etc and re price which takes another 4 hours.

3rd site meeting tonight (another 2 hours) which I thought would be just striking the deal but customer wants to go over it again. He wants costs for different variables because he has a budget which he needs to stick with but builder has had a few unexpected issues which has ended up costing a few quid.

Money isn't an issue with the customer as he has pots of it but wants to strike the balance between build cost and what it will be worth once complete.

So now I have to wait for builder to nail down his final cost so then I can resubmit with whatever is left in the pot. So far I've spent 18 hours on the job and still haven't got the customer to sign on the dotted line.

It's really annoying as he's a nice chap and I do get that the cost has to be proportional to the end result but come on mate I'm nearly 20 hours in .....

 

[UNG]

He should have got the Architect to spec the job the positions of the fittings and which fittings to be used, would have made your job a lot easier.

Something like this,

View attachment 37766

IMO even with architect on board it can be problematic, the only advantage can be where the customer alters things and it is all done using architects instructions as it keeps the paper trail running through one person

 

[baldelectrician]

I always quote a 'per point' basis.

I had 1 extension / alteration which was costed at £1400 initially but she gave me the 'while you are here can you do this, that and the other'

She almost flipped when I told her the final cost and asked me how I came to that.
I asked her if she rememberd agreeing to the fixed cost per item and she said YES

I gave a breakdown via spread sheet with an itemised detail for every thing and she came over ' oh I see what you mean' and paid it.