Why don't contractors / vendors care about making a sale?

[jonny_rizzo]

Why don't contractors / vendors seem to care about selling a product or service?

I don't know if its because business is so good right now that they don't need my money, or that they are over stretched and can not accept any new clients, but I am completely amazed at how contractors and vendors do not seem to care about making a sale.

I'll call them up saying that I'm interested in getting a particular job done. The receptionist takes the message and says she'll forward it to the sales/service department, and half the time they don't bother calling me back. I end up having to "chase" them for days calling them over and over until I finally get a response.

Others don't seem to care about finishing the job, and getting the rest of their payment. This summer I paid a company to replace all of my windows (a $8,500 job). They replaced all of them except for two (one was the wrong type, the other was broken upon arrival). So we agreed that I'd pay half of the job now, and the other half when the final two windows would be installed (this is what they had suggested, not me).

Long story short, 4 months later, and countless, countless aggravating phone calls on my part to finally get them to come over and finish the bloody job, they got the remaining of their $3,500 payment (they had already received $1,500 down-payment when I signed the sales contract before they started the job)

Total time it took them to finish installing the final two windows? About 2 hours.

2 hours of work to bring in $3,500 is a pretty sweet deal. If that was me I'd be there in a second.

Why don't they care? It seems to me if I walk into an electronic store and say to the first salesman "I'm here to buy a new TV. I'm looking to spend about $2,500", it won't be long before I'm walking out of the store with a new TV. If I call an investment firm and tell them I'm looking to open a new investment account with them, I have an appointment booked by the end of that same phone call.

If I call a heating contractor and tell them "I'm interested in getting a new furnace installed", it takes days before somebody calls me back to book an appointment for an inspection / quote (which will be booked next week). And that's if they ever call me back.

I've spoken to various friends about this issue, and they've had the same experience. I don't get why this seems to be so prevalent in the home renovation / construction industry.

[Larry Bud]

Because the vast majority of contractors out there are sleeze balls.

[Bob]

Contractors are no worse than customers. How'd you like to look at job after job, spend hours on travel time and estimating, and later find out that the customer did the job himself, using much of the info you or other contractors gave him?

[trader4]

"I don't know if its because business is so good right now that they don't need my money, or that they are over stretched and can not accept

any new clients, but I am completely amazed at how contractors and vendors do not seem to care about making a sale. "

They're kind of one and the same thing. Business is strong right now with all the building and home remodeling going on. So just about all of them have plenty of work. Of course that doesn't excuse the way they do business. They should at least let you know they are too busy to take your work, not leave you hanging.

A friend of mine was trying to find painters to paint the whole exterior of his house in the boondocks north of Albany. Even there he had the same problem. Call, leave mesg, no one gets back to him.

This will all change come the next recession.

[Charles Spitzer]

because they can afford to do so.

[coorslte]

/snip/ Unfortunately that's the real world. By the time my company (technology) responds to an RFP we have told them the solution, the platform for the solution, the OS, the network required and given them a high level project plan. We have had a few clients over the years say "I'll just do it myself".

[Larry Bud]

Hardly the same as getting ripped off by bad contractors. Just because you give an estimate and suggestions to a customer doesn't mean he's required to hire you.

However, you getting hired and paid by a customer DOES mean that you're supposed to finish the job correctly.

[Pop]

Actually, IMO, it's mostly because the people the public deals with aren't the ones who "own" the company or name. They don't care and are just there to pull in pay checks. I've found I get a lot better results from the sole proprietors than the bigger guys. The only problem there is finding one you can trust and are sure will be there tomorrow. So far so good, but ...

Pop

[Pop]

Sour grapes

[Pop]

Are you a contractor with that problem? Is so, you need to reconfigure how you do your estimates. If you're not, then, well, you don't know what your'e talking about. Do you?

Pop

: > Because the vast majority of contractors out there are sleeze balls. : >

: :

[Pop]

: /snip/ : Unfortunately that's the real world. By the time my company : (technology) responds to an RFP we have told them the solution, the : platform for the solution, the OS, the network required and given them a : high level project plan. We have had a few clients over the years : say "I'll just do it myself".

As I said once before, you have to learn how to do an RFP then. Besides, that's computers, not home repair. And not on topic. I"ve done a LOT of RFP's and also RFQ's et al, but I don't give away the store doing so. You could probably benefit from a good seminar on the topic. Education never stops and only change is constant.

Pop

[Pop]

I might sound pro-contractor, but I'm not, really. I'm neutral as far as contractor's go. I use them if I have to and am usually happy with their work, but if I can avoid one I do because a lot of times I can't afford them. I find VERY FEW that give away the store when they do an estimate, or especially an RFP as one persin indicated.

Pop

[gfretwell]

In SW Florida they simply have all the work they can handle.

[scott21230]

Wait until the housing mania ends, then they will call you back.

[Proactive]

about selling a product or

I am a contractor and registered here just to respond to your message. I have a small company that does home repairs and improvements. I take pride in responding to clients / potential clients in a timely manner. I never forget that by calling me, they have gone out of their way to give me an opportunity to earn their business. I?m sorry that you have been disappointed in your efforts to hire a dependable contractor, but as you are already aware, unfortunately yours is not a unique story.

From a contractor?s perspective, I could tell you all sorts of stories about difficult clients? but there is no point. Every client deserves the very best service my company can provide.

I can tell you it is a difficult balancing act to schedule all the activities involved in this business and manage resources to remain profitable.

99 percent of my business comes from referrals. Hopefully you will find someone you can trust and depend on in your area. And when you do, make sure you give is name to everyone you know. He will appreciate it and so will they.

[buffalobill]

if the windows were a custom size maybe their manufacture explains some of the delay. bonus your carpenter 10 percent for early completion before your desired due date. good contractors keep booked well in advance to keep their crews busy. it recently took me a month and a half to get custom cut window blinds delivered the "next day". sometimes you're not leaving the store with that new tv until you buy an extended warranty during the hour it seems to take to bring it around to the front door for you. if you find a good roofer or carpenter or plumber or hvac man or painter or electrician, try to give him a full day's work and a good tip. and more jobs.

[trader4]

This will all change come the next recession.

"Not likely unless gas/oil gets a lot cheaper. Most of the time that means they can't get a decent return on their investment so they don't want the jobs. It's human nature to take the easiest ones first. Unfortunately. "

What does any of this have to do with the cost of gas, oil, or anything else. Like any business, those costs get factored in, added on, and passed along to the consumer. And how does a contractor even know which job is easy, unless he returns a phone call? It's not that folks won't pay, it's that they don't even get to that stage. And I have seen this change with every recession so far. When that time comes, these guys are banging on doors looking for business.

[RobertM]

Then why do they keep advertising? I just called three contractors to have a job done. Two have ads in the local newspaper, but they didn't return my calls. I understand there are some bad customers, but that doesn't justify a lack of courtesy. The third one returned my call the next day, then stopped two days later to quote the job and will be here next week to do the job. I've seen his work, it's good and the price is not the lowest but it's fair. This is the definition of a professional.

Bob

[Bob]

[Charles Spitzer]

even that's no guarantee. my gym is doing a $1million expansion. the general contractor they had lined up and had already done some of the prelim work (starting to get permits, plans, etc) just backed out. his excuse was that he just got a $5million contract elsewhere. i don't know where the lawyers start to step in, but it's probably going to happen. do they really want to have someone they're suing finish the job, or there might be penalties in the contract that they'll just pay because the other job will pay better?

regards, charlie