First off I hate giving estimates to most people who are in real estate because they only use it to get a better selling or purchasing price on a home and never call to get the work done.
I’m here outside of New Orleans and have over a years worth of work on my books. I had this customer (who’s in real estate) call me one week after Katrina to do some demo work on her house. When I told her at that time it would be a few months before I could do it she said no problem and had someone else do the demo but still wanted me to do the repairs so I put her on my books.
I called her last week telling her that my men would be free this week to start her job and I would get her an estimate before I started. This customer lives next door to my mother-in-law and she told her this past weekend that she only wanted my setimate to get more money from her insurance company and was going to let someone else do the job chepper and pocket the differenc.
I talked to my customer Sunday night about this asking her if she wanted me to do the work because I heard that someone else was doing the job and she said yes I was still on. I than told her we could meet today and sign my contract so we could get started Thursday.
We met today and I gave her my contract to sign and before I knew what happened she told me that she would have to get a copy of it to her insurance company before I could start and rushed me out the door.
I didn’t think much about it until tonight as I don’t have a signed contract with her and my men are ready to start on her house in the morning and I can’t get intouch with her.
I now know that I was used and it just ripps my arss because I confronted her about this last weekend and she said week could start this week. Now she has to run this by her insurance company is total BS.
What can I do in the future to keep people from using me like this? I hate to have to charge for an estimate for people wasting my time but I also don’t feel it’s right when people use me like this.
busta :0)
Replies
Call her and tell her exactly how you feel. And tell her you are going to call her insurance adjuster too. Hopefully you underbid the job by several thousnd dollars :)
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
You need this customer like you need a hole in your head. She's nothing but trouble. Have your crew spend the days they're not "working" on this job network and hustle up paying customers. They shouldn't be very hard to find in your neck of the woods.
Hand deliver a bill to her for your time preparing the estimate, making it clear that you aren't going to leave her doorstep without a check. Be firm. When she trys to argue, just ask her how she is able to justify to herself jerking you around like that? keep eye contact with her while she is wrestling with the answer. Be firm... You may not get a check but you might just get something to click in her greedy, "me first" little brain.
What would I do?
Learn my lesson and get back to profitable work. It seems like you saw this one coming. There are plenty of stealth characters out there but most give themselves away in the first conversation if you pay attention.
I've never actually charged for an estimate but I've said that I do a few times to folks who seemed like tire kickers. Or what I actually say is that I will give them a ballpark figure over the phone but if they want a written estimate there will be a fee. The result being that they left me alone to focus my limited time and energy on paying work.
Life is short and man,... youve got a lot to do down there! Bon temps roulette!
Tom
being on the gulf coast,after a storm, that will be 70% the typical job. so charge for the esitmate, charge highly, $250-500 or more. Everybody else is.