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doubting my pricing (oilies)

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Discuss doubting my pricing (oilies) in the Boilers area at Plumbers Forums

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TFGplumbing

Plumbers Arms member
Plumber
Gas Engineer
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Customer asked me for a verbal, on the fly estimate for the following:

x 3 bed ex council house

To remove existing solid fuel boiler, cylinder & gubbins
To supply & fit 1300lt bunded oil tank harlequin ITE (bottom of garden)
To construct suitable base for oil tank.
To Install oil supply pipe work (at least 15 meters worth of trenching)
To supply & fit 12/18 Heat slave (std flue kit)
To supply & fit room sat & prog (comfort + external stat)
To relocate boiler to out house/extension. (at least 30M of copper to go in hw, cw, fl & Rt)
To remove existing rads( existing ones fooked)
To supply & fit 7 new radiators all requiring pipe mods.

I said okay, between 6k-7k

So nip over today to fix their oil boiler at their other home. Asked would you like a written quote above works. ''Oh no thanks we got some one else'' which did pee me off a bit.

Is my estimated price OTT?

I know you cant win them all but, so far all my oil install prices have gone down really well.

Okay thanks guys
 
I'm confused - help me out here...

If someone was going to spend that kind of money, would you not expect them to get 3 or 4 quotes? I would certainly recommend that they did!

So if people are getting (say) 4 quotes, then 3 out of 4 are going to miss out. Probably 2 out of 4 will be taken to the "last round" and the other two will be eliminated early.

This shouldnt be a surprise, because its completely predictable. This should only affect your thinking or your pricing it it happens 7 or 8 out of 10 jobs.

If it never happens, you are almost certainly the idiot who is selling his labour way too cheap.

so chill out mate.
 
Ray Stafford said:
I'm confused - help me out here...

If someone was going to spend that kind of money, would you not expect them to get 3 or 4 quotes? I would certainly recommend that they did!

So if people are getting (say) 4 quotes, then 3 out of 4 are going to miss out. Probably 2 out of 4 will be taken to the "last round" and the other two will be eliminated early.

This shouldnt be a surprise, because its completely predictable. This should only affect your thinking or your pricing it it happens 7 or 8 out of 10 jobs.

If it never happens, you are almost certainly the idiot who is selling his labour way too cheap.

so chill out mate.
Click to expand...

I do believe Ray's Mrs is holding out on him. Not often he flashes up :)

Apart from that, not a truer word spoken
 
I'd say your a bit cheap to be honest. I would of been 9k ish.

I never give a rough estimate when I go there, as all they hear is the number and not what you say you are doing for that figure. I always say I will get an estimate to you and then they see what you are doing for that money.
 
Ask them what they have been quoted by the other party......just out of quriosity of course...regards Turnpin:yesnod:
 
Never worry about what others are quoting, just what you want to do the job, no point chasing work on cost its the road to ruin.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I got the buzz for that job, I was keen.

Not to confident on pricing oil installs
 
turnpin said:
Ask them what they have been quoted by the other party......just out of quriosity of course...regards Turnpin:yesnod:
Click to expand...

I just keep telling my self, the builder has given a price & hes going to do an asshole job of it probably wont even put a fire valve on it **shudder**
 
Like anything the more you quote the better you'll get at it. I generally spend up to an hour with a customer doing a quote but I know the price within 5 mins. I never, ever, ever give any kind of estimate or even rough idea of price at that point; price is only ever given with the formal written quote a few days later.

After that hour most won't don't another quote and will go with me regardless of the price I ask. Be professional and above all else be likable and you'll get the job. I did a post a while back about the amount of effort I go into with quoting and really it's not a lot compared to how much dollar I make if I get the install.
 
Ask yourself how much money out of what you would have charged was going to be yours.
My first thought tbh, was that was a high estimate, but guess the big materials are already over half that amount.
I was to price a full heating oil job that was mine if I had have wanted it. I was thinking of a 70/90 Vortex with vertical flue out through roof, bunded oil tank with proper base, good quality plenty output rads, all copper pipes, cylinder and proper controls.
Woman got a guy who used a std eff boiler (still were available) with cheap low level flue, single skinned tank & just on ground beside back door & flue! No controls - just single channel programmer but trvs fitted. Fire valve fitted indoors beside boiler.
Woman told me later the guy does this work all the time.
 
Hiya LPC

I usually only ever do written quotes via e-mail; but people have be asking for ball park estimates. I'll stick to my guns in future and only do proper quotes i think.
 
As LPC says, you got to explain your price. If you don't, the customer will often just go with cheaper quote or maybe another plumber who talked the talk better. Builders often steal the work by telling people they are experts and will do it cheaper etc.
Still can't win them all as some people are thick.
 
TFGplumbing said:
Hiya LPC

I usually only ever do written quotes via e-mail; but people have be asking for ball park estimates. I'll stick to my guns in future and only do proper quotes i think.
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No no no. Detailed quote on nice quality paper with a brochure or printed info leaflet on every part of what you are supplying. Ask boiler manufacturer to send you a box of brochures (Vaillant send me a box every few months automatically now). I include a printout on Magnaclean, the controls, a powerflushing leaflet explaining the benefits. Even a printout from Inta about their thermostatic valves that I fit. Put it together with a paperclip and put it in a quality A4 envelope preferably with the recycled paper logo on it.

Then, and I cannot stress this enough, go to their house, knock on their door. Ask them how their day was, mention the weather and ask how their dog is and stroke it. Then hand them the envelope, make more chitchat and go.

I like to go around 8-9pm when they are relaxed but not about to go to bed.
I could go on for a long time about how I quote. I get 19/20 installs I quote for. I am not cheap.
 
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LPC said:
No no no. Detailed quote on nice quality paper with a brochure or printed info leaflet on every part of what you are supplying. Ask boiler manufacturer to send you a box of brochures (Vaillant send me a box every few months automatically now). I include a printout on Magnaclean, the controls, a powerflushing leaflet explaining the benefits. Even a printout from Inta about their thermostatic valves that I fit. Put it together with a paperclip and put it in a quality A4 envelope preferably with the recycled paper logo on it.

Then, and I cannot stress this enough, go to their house, knock on their door. Ask them how their day was, mention the weather and ask how their dog is and stroke it. Then hand them the envelope, make more chitchat and go.

I like to go around 8-9pm when they are relaxed but not about to go to bed.
I could go on for a long time about how I quote. I get 19/20 installs I quote for. I am not cheap.
Click to expand...

Hats off to a proper professional. :)
 
Thats a very personal service LPC; and must be confidence inspiring for your customers, never thought of doing it that way on proper paper rather than e-mail.

I do a similar thing on email doing by pdf links for the products i've spec'd so they know what their getting etc
 
TFGplumbing said:
Thats a very personal service LPC; and must be confidence inspiring for your customers, never thought of doing it that way on proper paper rather than e-mail.

I do a similar thing on email doing by pdf links for the products i've spec'd so they know what their getting etc
Click to expand...

I will never email a quote because you want the customer to be your friend. You want them to know that by working for them, you are doing them a favour. They are bloody lucky to have you! You can only get that with personal contact so the more of that you have the better.

Who are they more likely to like? You, who spent an hour with them (mainly just chatting) at their home putting them at ease and detailing every aspect of the job. You who then turned up after a hard days work at 8pm and asked how their day was? Or the other guy who spent 10 mins having a gander around then emailed a quote with some links.

To be honest, it's people just emailing and doing a scabby quote on a bit of paper that is the reason that I'm so successful doing it my way. If everyone did what I did it wouldn't work but I am good at chatting to the customers.

If they live too far to make it practical to hand deliver, send it recorded delivery via Royal Mail.
 
How much does your materials come too say 3500 ??
 
The problem this custard will have is he probably done a stupid verbal with someone else who will bump the end cost up once the jobs done, it's his own fault ,,
 
Materials + 20%

Labour £x day x how many days? (my day rate varies; bigger jobs it's less because that's the way it is. Combi swaps are the most profitable)

+10% because because


price!

I don't give breakdowns at all. If customers want to look up the price of the materials they can but I don't provide those figures. They get one number.
 
I agree with the professional quote, with brochures etc... I often drop them off by hand too if its local but I ain't going round in the evening, knocking on there door & sweet talking them!! That's a bit overly friendly for me but if it works for you that's great!
 
Giving them a detailed estimate with brochures and other literature on what's on your estimate will sometimes backfire as it is too much information and some people will use that for quotes against yours. They will be so reassured when others will quote much lower than your estimate for your exact specification and take other plumber.
I know this doesn't always happen, but annoying when they use your time and experience for other quotes against you.
 
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