Unforeseen circumstances? What have you come up against...???

[1shortcircuit]

I'm hoping this thread will help myself and others by learning about some of the unforeseen circumstances you guys have come up against after quoting for and agreeing on a price with your customer.

How have you addressed these situations in a way that has maintained customer satisfaction and protected you against taking the hit in your wallet and more importantly, protected your reputation?

Are there any that really stand out which you don't mind sharing please? perhaps you've seen some on a few occasions?

How have you protected yourself legally should this ever escalate to a customer deciding that they are not happy and have decided to decline payment for the work you have already done?

One situation that instantly springs to mind is when I was working as a mate for a spark last year and a couple of days into the job the customer asked how long it would be before they could get their car out of the garage because all power was off and they had electric power doors.... and lighting and numerous socket outlets down there too. This was never established before work commenced which I guess added a fair amount onto the agreed price.

Also, my brother wanted a cable run into his loft and dropped down into the bedroom. The consumer unit was in a cupboard which appeared to be directly beneath another cupboard that led straight into the loft... This was not the case, the cupboards were not completely in line and the ceiling of the cupboard above was a concrete slab that didn't go straight up into the loft. This was not a problem because my brother has helped me out a few times in the past and I wasn't charging him for anything anyway but it doubled the time I allowed and could have incurred a fair amount of additional charge if this work was being carried out for a customer.

Obviously experience has taught you guys to be thorough in your investigations and investigate certain areas in greater depth than others.

I appreciate any assistance your experience can offer but I also appreciate that your experience has been gained through many years of banging head against the wall and having to work it out for yourself. To those of you that choose not to share that is understood.

Thanks for reading

Regards

1SC

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I always worked to quotes, never estimates. Overall it all worked out about right. Most i won on, a few i lost, and some broke even. And on rewires i usually had enough to play with to cover a couple of minor additions. That was a master stroke, the amount of recommendations and additional work i got by not charging extra for a socket here and there has more than paid for itself.

Cheers.............Howard