OK, before we start on the personal attacks, I run a company. I deal with different businesses every day in a variety of industry sectors. I personally know business owners who run companies varying in size from 15 to
500+ employees. They operate anything from IT companies to telephony services, estate agencies, engineering outfits, accountants, the list goes on... The ONLY sector that has the cheek to even contemplate charging before giving you a price is the building industry!So? It's like saying "It costs me money to put a car showroom together so I'm going to charge everybody an entrance fee before letting them in".
Ah, well - I think we've hit the nail on the head (pardon the pun)! I.e. - there's so much work out there you can pick and choose the easy jobs and / or the jobs which offer zero competition.
But that's fine. I certainly wouldn't expect 3 plumbers who had given me a price over the phone to then EACH carry out a site survey. That wasn't my point though. My point is that if a price can ONLY be given by attending site (which was the case in my scenario) then the builder should meet the cost of that.
I totally agree - there's nothing more annoying than wasting time with barterers or people who constantly come back expecting you to lower the price 'cause they've found it cheaper elsewhere.
Again, totally agree and people like that deserve what they get. However, not every industry is in such a fortunate position that they can afford to turn away work 'cause it's a bit more hassle. As I say, a LOT of people have been bitten by cowboy builders over the years and I have every sympathy for genuine customers who just want a good job for a reasonable price. I have no sympathy for people who don't realise how good they've got it and treat their 'customers' like something they've just scraped off their shoe.
Andy