Is this quote reasonable?

[JohnW2]

Indeed it very, very obviously does.

Another person making a statement which, although quite possibly 'correct' is "very very obviously" not necessarily correct!

I could certainly show you quotes I've received relating to just "installation" which definitely do not include the cost of materials (which I was going to separately source)!

 

[ebee]

An estimate such as a quote must be clear what it includes, in its simplest form that would mean either supply & install or merely to supply or merely to install.

It need not go into detail about the individual cost of every item etc (unless their is a reason by particular contract or perhaps it is unscheduled work such as emergency repairs etc) , the only time I would go into greater detail is when I might be required to as a sub-contractor - my main contractor might need this information so he can demonstrate due diligence in ascertaining what part of the final invoice is the cost price to me then he can exclude it from his calculation of any deduction for tax as required by HMRC (some might take in on trust to just give them a figure out of the total, some might need a bit of detail)

 

[pete01]

Another person making a statement which, although quite possibly 'correct' is "very very obviously" not necessarily correct!

I could certainly show you quotes I've received relating to just "installation" which definitely do not include the cost of materials (which I was going to separately source)!

I think you are forgetting that you know a lot about electric stuff, the average person doesnt....trusting a customer to get the correct materials could be a disaster.

 

[ebee]

I think you are forgetting that you know a lot about electric stuff, the average person doesnt....trusting a customer to get the correct materials could be a disaster.

Exactly , that is one main contributing reasons I pretty much worked on supply and install only for the majority of stuff. The exception is say for instance someone wanted sockets switches light fittings of a particular type or finish I would often lend them a catologue of my preffered brands, give a little advice on the do`s and dont`t`s and inspect what they had got and of course warn them if any need changing then it`s likely an extra cost.

I had a customer who was in a "trade" who wanted to use his trade account through his business so wanted a list of what he needed to get - a non starter really because I worked out the cost I would normally charge then a small extra for the additional time creating that list and a bit for the changes I knew as certain, then I produced an estimate for the house rewire. I never got the instruction to proceed.

Years later, same customer, wanted an intruder alarm, I got that job!

On doing the alarm and a few extra electric bits too I was speaking to the lady of the house and she mentioned in passing who did the rewire and what it cost. I was flabbergasted.

Turns out the Electrician who quoted them did basic rock bottom then once accepted talked them into loads of extras at sky high prices and subcontracted all the labour to another electrician whom the customer never wanted in their house because of standards of previous works they`d had in the past with the same bloke. I had mentioned the price I would have originally charged for the complete works and she was more that a bit shocked. LOL.

 

[JohnW2]

I think you are forgetting that you know a lot about electric stuff, the average person doesnt....trusting a customer to get the correct materials could be a disaster.

I agree totally.

However, even in relation to an area ('electrical stuff') about which I know a little, I would not dream of asking a tradesperson to install things without him/her having provided some input, and agreement, into the choice of materials. However, in some fields I have contacts which enable me to purchase materials much more cheaply than a tradesperson could ever manage, hence the sort of situation I mentioned.

In any event, much more widely, including in disciplines about which I know very little, with the single (rare) exceptions when manufacturer and installer are one and the same, I would never normally accept a quote which did not explicitly detail, and cost, the materials which were going to be used, in addition to the charges for labour. Since so many customers judge quotes only by the bottom line £££ figure, if it is a global quote (without explicit detailing and costing of materials), there is a temptation to quote on the basis of the cheapest and nastiest materials that can be found, just to keep the total cost down!

 

[ebee]

I answer to that one John there are certain materials I prefer and some I would never touch, I always use my favourites for cost and reliabilty , reliabilty and safety being paramount.
If asked I tell the customers the brand and if they have another preference I will advise them accordingly. I never itemise each socket, switch, ceiling rose, etc etc etc.

I would never walk into a shop/supermarket and ask how much they paid for goods and how much their mark up (or how much their mark down is for "loss leaders" either).

If want to buy goods only I ask the price and if I cant see the brand type etc I usually ask,
If a customer wants to buy goods only I would do likewise, no problem.

If a customer wants labour only I would not normally give the hourly rate (there is a reason for that) but I would give the total price for labour.

I would not walk into a car showroom and ask for a price of all the component parts and also the price for the labour the factory charged for building it together, then the salesman`s bonus and all staff wages and business costs and profits.

All I want to know is the total price for the car to be sold to me, either from the showroom premises or delivered to my home, ready to drive.

It would infuriate me if they said plus number plates, plus delivery (to the showroom) , plus pre-fiight checks, plus a clean and polish etc etc etc.

I just want to know the price, its spec and probably its brand (or type etc) whether its a socket or a switch or if its a Rolls Royce or a Skoda or a Yugo or a VW etc.

If I wanted a Mars bar or three at the shop I would want to know the cost of the mars bar, how many I got and if there were any special offers like BOGOF or a saving might be made for buying 3 or if they actually charge you more for buying a three pack of exactly identical items (that happens more times than folks might think - Arkwright`s comment "Mrs Brown I got a speciasl offer this week , a large tin of beans for the price of two small ones! is not always a joke. LOL)
and the classic case quite common they have not charged at the till the price on the shelves or they charged you for 10 but you only bought 1.

I would never get into a race to the bottom on prices (I would never aim to be the most expesive either or charge more because a customer looks like he could afford it) .
I would never price cheap for the initial job then charge OTT for additions, if a customer gets a job for one price and asks for additions of approx equal goods and labour then he would expect to pay approx double and I would expect to charge that unless there are reasons the customer might not realise the cost might be a little more or even a little less.
I`m sure I mentioned the time I charged a customer exactly what I had estimated for two seperate jobs because he wanted both but some of the labour intense time and trouble was duplicated.
All because he never offered me a brew essentially - and he was a trader (a very small firm of joiners/carpenters).

Some of this was mentioned in the present tense, athough should really be past tense because I have retired, essentialy (I still do a very small amount of private jobs or reserve the right to do so to help friends/family/past
customers but I usually pass it on to one of my own circle of traders I can trust).

PS - I bet most of you thought I`d stopped rambling on recently, nope I still might do now and again!