How to quote!

[on31ll]

My girlfriends dad charges £120 a day to friends an family ! Charges about £260 a day normally for him and a labourer he pays £30 a day ! He has works months in advance ! Can happily turrn work away ! I cpuld go againest him and be £1k less than him i still would prob lose out ! You could have work with a year waiting list for customers and still not make a living !

Moral of the story ! Dont price yourself to low or you will forever be chasing for work ! Set your price and dont budge !

 

[Killy Bing]

Sent the quote. The jobs straight forward and ive covered myself in every aspect i can think of.

Well ill be posting up if i get it!

 

[peteheat]

Sent the quote. The jobs straight forward and ive covered myself in every aspect i can think of.

Well ill be posting up if i get it!

It's OK to keep posting even if you don't get the job, lost one myself way back when I was starting out, not so sure it was my fault thought I think the customer wanted something called value for money

However if you do get the job it's your round and I think there will be a lot of double brandy's (and similar)

Best of luck with it.

 

[Killy Bing]

I got my reply!
a big fat no!
Apparently twice the price as two other quotes he got.
apparently the same spec.......just seems fishy as the materials are over half the price.

either they will be working for free or not doing it to the spec hes asked, im afraid hes going to get burned but hey, not my problem

 

[Destroyer2813]

You couldn't of been twice the brikkies surley

 

[Killy Bing]

Mine came out at 6k

hes had two at under 3k (apparently) and the bricky at 8k

Im puzzled how they can do it at that price.

 

[Destroyer2813]

Either working for peanuts using cheap mat or robbing half the gear from a firm.

 

[TBServices]

Or he's full of s***.

 

[Killy Bing]

Regardless if he comes back. That's my price. Been a good learning experiance for me, not fussed I didn't get it.

 

[TBServices]

Good for you mate, don't lose sleep over jokers.

 

[gassafe]

[QUOTE=1king55;497111

pretty sure the jobs as good as mine!

i used to think that on some jobs, not anymore! The customers these days want one thing. Cheap!!!

its partly the reason I hate plumbing these days, I did not go self employed to fit crap boilers, with shoddy pipework to suit... I take great pride in my work, everything has to be immaculate, so when people keep saying I've had a cheaper quote then @@@@ em

 

[Killy Bing]

I think because I'm young and starting out he was expectinga cheap job which that quote was, just I'm not compramising on the quality of work. I wasn't taking a great deal for myself. Wish I could see what the guy who doing it uses and what it looks like tbh

 

[peteheat]

Don't beat yourself up over it, either he lied about the bricky's price which it wouldn't surprise me if he shaved up to 10% off.

While the bricky may not have the experience he does have access to subbies so a £2,000 mark up would sound right.

As a matter of interest what figure did you arrive at for materials?

I think the man may have confused a supply and fit price with an install only price?

Remember you did win regardless of the final result, you gained a lot of valuable experience in how to deal with customers.

Once upon a time I used to send a letter thanking the customer for the opportunity to quote, it did have a few extra lines explaining our maintenance service.

 

[Killy Bing]

For the spec he wanted the materials and the time frame of 6 days max.

materials after vat at trade price was around 3200, allowed 1700 for labour for another engineer(i needed his gas safe), an apprentice, a carpenter/roofer for one day and some for myself. My mark up allowed another 1100 to play with if i missed something and hey if im having the responsibility for the job i want more than peanuts!

the quote could have been a little cheaper if i had more experience.

see the issue with someone being half my price for the same spec.

im not mad and im happy ive got experiance from this.
ive won both ways.

next time i will be more prepared and better equipped.

 

[Killy Bing]

I thought i would bump this.

my friends just texted over some details for installing a boiler as he's only a plumber and would need me there with him .
customer has brought a ferroli modena?
Noticed the name and address and sure enough its this chaps place.
so i gave russ a ring.

Previous biasi boiler has fallen off the wall!
the installer who beat me on price, who is no where to be found.
said biasi boilers have the same stuff as a worcester in them.
had another guy go round and cut the gas off.

gas pipe is in tracpipe (saving grace as it didn't leak)
all plastic piping directly off of the boiler
all surface mounted and ugly as hell.

told him not to bother with the bloke.

best bit is, the boiler is lpg


bet hes wishing he'd used me right around now

 

[Destroyer2813]

I'd go round just to see the blokes face laugh at what he got and leave

 

[Killy Bing]

I'd go round just to see the blokes face laugh at what he got and leave

Not quite brave enough!

 

[Destroyer2813]

Would say is it cos he's bigger than you though most people are even croppie :hurray:

 

[Killy Bing]

The blokes fine but the wife.....

 

[northcarr]

Yup, he has his own reg. he just does all my bosses install work, my boss will only do servicing and boiler repairs.

i have my own pl at 2 million , I'm self employed.

My boss said its fine as ill learn my lesson to just do other peoples work.

frankly he totally dismisses my abilities, he just wants me to do the labouring + running materials about.

ive put up with ....bad circumstances in every way to get qualified, I'm lucky my parents have supported me so much.
In a nutshell he can gripe about it if i do well and laugh if it goes badly.
ive worked weekend and evenings to get the experience I've needed

I will be charging mark up , wages +profit!


Destroyer my work mate subcontracts to my boss to do all his installs and swaps.
im taking less money for myself to have him there as ive worked for 3 years for this and im not chancing it at all!


not quite a have a go hero

Sounds like you have thought well and truly about how this job will go and that's all of us can ever do when things go wrong and they usually do at some point the best thing to do is not stress about it and just keep going. Having seen your other post's you will be fine as said allow a bit on the price for unexpected.

 

[Killy Bing]

Sounds like you have thought well and truly about how this job will go and that's all of us can ever do when things go wrong and they usually do at some point the best thing to do is not stress about it and just keep going. Having seen your other post's you will be fine as said allow a bit on the price for unexpected.

this was just 7 months ago but it seems like an absolute lifetime away!

I don't really worry at all now about this sort of thing.

 

[rocketmanbkk]

Tell him you can fix it and charge him more than the last quote and that you only accept cash on completion.

It's his choice but could be a winner for you.

Remember, he who laughs last.

 

[Ermintrude]

F that. Cash on arrival

 

[lame plumber]

similar situation, quoted £1850 for a combi swap last year, never heard anything back. Got asked to replace a mixer tap today and went to place where I quoted, new boiler and this is what I found



and he doesnt seem to understand how a boiler works when you look at his gas rating readouts


but hey ho I was only £150 cheaper than him, and a builder mate has just gone back to repair the roof where he removed the old vert flue and made good. Seems next time I need to overprice for folks who have helped my daughter out over the last 2 years rather than trying to help them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SimonG]

Is that an opening window below the flue?

 

[tamz]

and he doesnt seem to understand how a boiler works when you look at his gas rating readouts
View attachment 16609

Seems to be working fine with the flow at 50 and the return at 59 :lol:

What a dogs breakfast.

 

[Ermintrude]

Looks a tidy job?

 

[Howsie]

Love the DHW and CH gas rates!

 

[Killy Bing]

Tectite on the cold....obviously coulent hoover the pipe out.


FOCK THE WINDOW

you can bloody see through both sides of the vent where hes put that damn flue though!!!

it isnt sealed?

 

[tamz]

Who cares. Not Jons problem as he is only there acting in the capacity of a poor plumber.

 

[billybob150811]

1.5m3 of gas x .094 = roughly 16kw and it will raise 12l of water nearly 40 degrees I want some of that gas

 

[armyash]

Great thread. remember reading it first time round, good to see an update.