quote

[welshgit]

I have been told by a few of my customers that when they have called other sparks for a quote they either don't turn up at all even though they have arranged a time, or they don't call back or submit a quote.

I'm not complaining as it has brought some work my way, but I find it shocking that other sparks could be so rude or disrespectful.

Tradesmen have a poor image already but this behaviour can't help. (Unless you live near me and I am quoting on the same job) :^O

Are there any reasons why this happens?

Guiness DrinkGuiness DrinkGuiness Drink

 

[sirsparkabit]

I have been told by a few of my customers that when they have called other sparks for a quote they either don't turn up at all even though they have arranged a time, or they don't call back or submit a quote.I'm not complaining as it has brought some work my way, but I find it shocking that other sparks could be so rude or disrespectful.

Tradesmen have a poor image already but this behaviour can't help. (Unless you live near me and I am quoting on the same job) :^O

Are there any reasons why this happens?

Guiness DrinkGuiness DrinkGuiness Drink

Yes fellow Dragon they only want the cream off the top of the milk so they don't bother with some quotes.

At their peril in the current climate i would say.

Make hay while the sun shines

 

[NozSpark]

I don't understand why people don't turn up when they said they would, all it soes is get them a bad reputation which is much easier to come by than a good one, also....

I priced (over the phone) to replace a couple of lights (with fan lights inc IR remote controlls) "

 

[Evans Electric]

There are quite a few about who don't or can't quote !1 They want the customer to pay up front for mats. and then do the work on a day rate. I've come across one or two who feel they should'nt supply materials.

They seem to find work !

By the way ,Nozo, I'd never quote without having a look first.

Deke

 

[batty]

Most of my work comes through recommendation. But if I am quoting for work I may not quote if customer says they are getting quotes for work and then they do not even have the decency to say you were to expensive. I feel it is a lot of work to put a quote together and then maybe not get the work. As a sole trader it is hard enough quoting for the work, doing the work and then having to do all the paperwork. But with talk of recession maybe things will change.

Batty

 

[Carter]

Agree that just not turning up is plain ignorance, is it too much effort even to call and cancel citing whatever reason you feel appropriate? Let's be honest here we are never going to compete with the thousands of saloon bar 'electricians' on price but what we can do is compete on quality, dependability and professionalism.

A well written and clear quote can tip the balance and on several occasions I've included CAD drawings such as this to give me the edge when a bunch of quotes land on the finance manager's desk / customer's kitchen table...

Shot at 2008-10-19

It works! It works because I've built up a library of standard CAD model components such as 5mtr lengths of Unistrut, standard 600x600 modular fittings, skt o/lets, fan types, steel enclosures even cable tray and hobs. It's a few hours with a beer of an evening to put one together and it never fails to impress a customer. It doesn't have to be milimetre accurate but it's a simple matter while walking round a quote, to do a rough sketch of the room layout along with a few measurements. It also 'adds value' in the customer's eyes and I've once been asked if I can do a 3D perspective printout (A3 size) for a client to frame up as a piece of art! Well if that's what you want mate...

 

[montybaber]

very proffessional carter Applaud Smiley

 

[RookieDI]

yeah, looks very pro.. what software did you use?

 

[Carter]

AutoCAD 2002 does it f' me, can happily spend hours in 'Flatland'.

 

[Apache]

You can make similar pics in google sketchup for free should you wish

 

[PAUL M]

i have never let a customer down or not turned up for appointments ,i have on the odd occasion been late but have allways rang to explainApplaud Smileyi have however more than once turned up to a customers house or shop to quote and nobody has been in:O so it does work both ways.Guiness Drink

 

[RookieDI]

You can make similar pics in google sketchup for free should you wish

thanks for that Apache,, much appreciated, will give it a try

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

i have never let a customer down or not turned up for appointments ,i have on the odd occasion been late but have allways rang to explainApplaud Smileyi have however more than once turned up to a customers house or shop to quote and nobody has been in:O so it does work both ways.Guiness Drink

I would ditto that m8!

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

AutoCAD 2002 does it f' me, can happily spend hours in 'Flatland'.

flatland is a nice place me thinks also!

 

[heathelect]

I have been told by a few of my customers that when they have called other sparks for a quote they either don't turn up at all even though they have arranged a time, or they don't call back or submit a quote.I'm not complaining as it has brought some work my way, but I find it shocking that other sparks could be so rude or disrespectful.

Tradesmen have a poor image already but this behaviour can't help. (Unless you live near me and I am quoting on the same job) :^O

Are there any reasons why this happens?

Guiness DrinkGuiness DrinkGuiness Drink

I agree, many of my customers say they had arranged to meet a tradesmen to get a quote for work, and they never turned up or sent a quote, ive had loads of rewires off the back of a supposed small job, so always go and quote, if youre going to be late ring and let them know, its only common courtesy, by the way its not just sparkys who dont turn up its all trades.Guiness DrinkGuiness DrinkGuiness Drink

 

[tony.towa]

Like a lot of other people here, when I started it was more difficult to contact people if you were going to be late or if a problem had arisen (looking for a phone box that worked). In this day and age, with mobile phones, there is no excuse for not contacting the customer and letting them know if you are running late or not going to be able to make it.

Long make the ignorant remain and open the doors for those of us who care.

 

[sparkyork]

very true, the ammount of work i get where the customer tells me "you know 4 people should of looked at this job but your the only one that came!!" crazy world, crazy fools! lol

 

[Carter]

You can make similar pics in google sketchup for free should you wish

Thanks Apache. Had a look, had a bit of a download, had a bit of a mouse around on it. The rendering looks a lot quicker and user friendly than aCAD's I'll give it that but it feels a bit.... I dunno...aCAD seems a whole lot more 'meaty' if you understand what I mean, mind it should for the 'kin price! Might come in handy though for importing drawings drafted in aCAD for quick 'n easy rendering. I'll give it a crack. Applaud Smiley

 

[Apache]

Thanks Apache. Had a look, had a bit of a download, had a bit of a mouse around on it. The rendering looks a lot quicker and user friendly than aCAD's I'll give it that but it feels a bit.... I dunno...aCAD seems a whole lot more 'meaty' if you understand what I mean, mind it should for the 'kin price! Might come in handy though for importing drawings drafted in aCAD for quick 'n easy rendering. I'll give it a crack. Applaud Smiley

No problem mate