Customers !!!!!Again

[phawley]

Hi Guys (and Gals)

With there being a few posts on here about tight customers I thought I might give you all a laugh.
I was contacted by a local housing association and asked if I was interested in carrying out all their handyman type jobs on 110 properties that they own.
I went along to meet them, gave them my hourly rates and appeared to be accepted.
That was untill I recieved the following e-mail.

Hello Paul

I have been given you details by one of my team xxxxxx whom you have been speaking to about possible handy work at out Project properties.

Below is a list of the prices that our current contractors offer for specific jobs , if you can meet the same costs then we would be happy to consider using your service instead as the contract with our current suppliers is up for review shortly.

Our current supplier charges us the following process for set jobs :

1.Lock change £47 including the lock

2.Curtain rail fitting throughout the property £35 ( plus the cost of the rails which we would supply )

3.Plumbing in of washing machine £55 ( plus the cost of washing machine which we supply )

4.Fitting blinds £10 each blind ( plus the cost if the blind which we supply )

5.PAT testing £18 per property

6.Electric cooker installation £30 ( plus the cost of the cooker which we supply )
[End Quote]

It,s taken me about the last hour to compose a suitable reply basically explaining that I am not a charity.

 

[jefoss]

they will jsut go to polish joe and he'll make a mint doing all 110 in 1 day

 

[phawley]

they will jsut go to polish joe and he'll make a mint doing all 110 in 1 day

If they were all to be done at one time it might be worth it but these properties are spread out all over Sheffield and could be up to 20 miles apart.
Also they could be one job a day, imagine travelling 20 miles to fit a blind for a tenner.

 

[JohnD]

As they say the contract is up for renewal I expect it is going to be renegotiated with new (higher) prices and the previous contractor might not be interested any more. Sending your their old price list is just a negotiating ploy, you have no way of knowing if it is true and you have no need to match it.

I suppose if you lived locally, and could potter about fitting in the jobs to your own schedule, you could get by. I suspect there would be some second-hand locks fitted at that price, though.

Maybe once you retire?

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

Those prices don't make any sense at all.

How can they say lock change £47, the lock might well cost more than that

Plumbing in of washing machine £55, OK if the pipework is already in situ but laughable if they mean plumb in pipework for supply and waste.

Time for a sharp exit methinks

 

[phawley]

Funny you should mention about the washer, This is part of the reply that I sent them.

Regarding your list of fixed prices, all I can say is that if you have an existing contractor to carry out work at those prices I would hang on to him very tightly as he is obviously working for zero profit.

Lock change £47 inclusive.? .... A good quality 5 lever insurance grade lock will cost around £30 and will take about an hour to fit depending upon the size of the lock previously fitted, leaving about £17 to pay for my labour, fuel etc.

Curtain rails fitted throughout the property £35.....Depending on the type of walls i.e tiles in kitchen or loose plaster which falls off at the first sign of a drill, these could take about 30 minutes each and there may be 4/6 in one property, 2/3 hours work for £35 ??

Plumbing in washing machine £55 ... That would be ok assuming that the taps, drain etc. were already in place if not we are talking another couple of hours work and parts to pay for.

Blinds £10 each ... So I may be asked to visit a property 10/15 miles away to fit a blind for the princely sum of £10, this would barely cover the travel cost.

PAT testing, as I explained at the meeting, I do not have the facilities for
this task.

Electric cooker installation ... You should be aware that since January 2005 any electrical work carried out in a kitchen or bathroom must be done by a Part P registered electrician and then tested and issued with a certificate confirming that the work has been carried out to the regulations.
Anyone who does this type of work without the necessary qualifications is breaking the law.
If you can find a qualified and part P registered electrician who will carry
out this work for £30 then please let me know and I will use his services.

I appreciate that you have a limited budget to work with but I am not a
charity and have to make a living. [End Quote]

A bit OTT maybe but I felt a lot better for sending it.

 

[Thermo]

very balanced and honest!

 

[gregers]

the reply is by far to long and in depth,
i would have said YOU HAVE GOT TO BE ....ING JOKING.

 

[Paul Barker]

the people who run these organisations are barely removed in the food chain from estate agents.

treat them with the contempt they deserve.

seek your work elsewhere.

 

[hairyben]

the reply is by far to long and in depth,
i would have said YOU HAVE GOT TO BE ....ING JOKING.

aye.

dear xxxx






kind regards,

xxx

 

[bengasman]

Did some subbing for housing association once, about 25 quid per address for landlord certificate. Might not seem like a lot, but as they insisted that THEY would make the appointments and accept the responsibility for that, I got a lot of 25 quids for sticking a card in the letterbox. Took them about 3 weeks to work out that it was not a good idea. That will teach them to pay peanuts.
Those were the days, start at 9, done by 11.30