Are boiler fitters inundated with work?

[andytheplumber]

If you said to the customer your not interested. they get irate.

 

[transam]

Putting in a high price just for the hell of it is basically dishonest and cowboyish isnt it?

why not just say you dont want to do it and be done with

So when u finally get X amount of installer's to come around to give u a quote will you tell them at the time , I will not be useing u for what ever reason ??? or will u get back to them later & tell them , or will u wait for the written quote's to come through the post knowing full well u are going with someone else ??? Is that dis- honest ???

 

[mehran]

Putting in a high price just for the hell of it is basically dishonest and cowboyish isnt it?

no putting a very low quote then never showing up is basically dishonest and cowboyish. it is a common tactic around our bit if the customers being a cheapskate. a sort of scorched earth policy, it sowers the job for other installers.

I have no doubt you will feel differently.

Well that utter B*****X im afraid i have merely left my details on answer machines saying that i am interested in getting a new boiler/system in a polite way.t

no one likes being told they sound like an arsehole on the phone not saying you do though.

 

[namsag]

Space cat we are here to provide a service and to work for who we choose if yu have trouble finding someone that may tell you something

 

[ChrisR]

Quotes aren't free for installers to give. They cost probably 2 - 3 hours on average, unless done over the phone. Often people expect an evening visit too.

If a plumber has enough work from regular customers, and he gets asked to give up that amount of time by someone who is maybe getting 3 other quotes, it simply isn't appealing.

There are lots of really poor quality plumbers out there. So if a plumber is middling or better, customers tend to keep using him, and he stays busy because word spreads. And then he's much more likely to get the job, from a referred customer.

It may not seem "fair" but a plumber is in business to earn his living, not to be "fair".
So, work the system. Don't stick pins in Yellow Pages, get some recommendations.

 

[spacecat]

Sorry I had know idea u were all mystic megs and could deduce so much about a person from a simple ' I am interested in getting a new boiler please call me on this number!'

Or indeed that you were such sensitive emotional souls.

Maybe I should send flowers and take u out for a drink first you know take it slow and see what happens.

Nb if someone gave me a quote and I had had a 'better' one not necessarily cheaper o would tell them at the time

 

[Gasman77]

Chill out mate, you're coming across as insulting. Not a good way to get advice, and I go to quotes all the time. If I don't like the customer I won't quote, remember its a 2 way thing - you're not the only person in your area that needs a boiler.

 

[spacecat]

I'm not asking for advice I'm just asking a question.

I'm sure I will get it sorted sooner or later I just find it incredulous that some one advertising for work completely ignores enquiries about it

 

[gas4you]

I must admit, from what is posted in this thread I would tend to side with the OP.

If I get asked to quote, then I go and quote. Yes I have lost out in the past to 'time wasters' but that is the risk you take in this job. It comes with the territory. I've now got to go on a 100 mile round trip this morning to quote for a boiler. I can't see a problem with that, it just gets reflected in my prices.

I agree though, that often you can get a 6th sense of what a prospective customer may be like, but if I detect a slight 'awkwardness' I just increase the quote to allow for any possible 'hassle', but the customer always gets a good job done.

 

[gas112]

work that tight you have to travel that far. Would have to be a gtee`d big big payer to even contemplate it

 

[Nige F]

Where I live houses change hands for between £450-500k so its not exactly Helmand province

They`ll soon fall

Hope you`ve paid the mortgage off - I have

 

[Nige F]

Quotes aren't free for installers to give.
There are lots of really poor plumbers out there. .

££ or quality of work

 

[Corgigrouch]

work that tight you have to travel that far. Would have to be a gtee`d big big payer to even contemplate it

Or another way of looking at it is that the customer knows that the quality of his work is good and would prefer that he did the job (Dependent on the quote)

No issue with traveling as long as the customer understands that this must be factored in to the price.

Sometimes we all get the feeling that the customer is going to be "One of those" and so you have to assess how much extra time the hassle will cost you in time and allow for this in your quote...

 

[ChrisR]

It's not a question of siding with anyone, but some people seem to think they have a right to a free quote on demand. They don't.

If a plumber doesn't fancy going to where you live, or has his family time already booked so doesn't have time for evening quoting, or is just busy enough for the next couple of weeks, he has no reason to come to you.

 

[gas4you]

work that tight you have to travel that far. Would have to be a gtee`d big big payer to even contemplate it

Far from it, too much work at present. I'm always looking to expand my area of coverage, if different areas picked up, then I could employ someone to cover different areas.