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Re: Free Estimate.
Absolutely right Andy, its the only way to work, & 90{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of people appreciate it… as for the other 10{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} :rolls: Well, when they ring back after three years, they’re usually shocked i have such a good memory 😯
Re: Free Estimate.
I’ve written extensively about free estimates and no call out charges ages ago. I hope I’ve been balanced and covered most bases. The reason for writing them has been to try and persuade the general public that engineers charging for estimates and call out charges is not only acceptable, but it’s wrong to expect it for free and that (in the past at least) they were much more likely to get a cowboys if they pursued the free estimate no call out way.
I just put a Blog article up to see if anyone had any comments http://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/wordpress/free-estimates-and-no-call-out-charges-are-they-realistic/
Re: Free Estimate.
I got a rare as hens teeth repairs@ emailed request today and in their comments section of the email: “do you do free estimates?”
I’m not even going to bother to go to the expense of phoning that one! :rolls:
Re: Free Estimate.
Martin wrote:I got a rare as hens teeth repairs@ emailed request today and in their comments section of the email: “do you do free estimates?”
I’m not even going to bother to go to the expense of phoning that one! :rolls:
I can understand that, but many people can be dissuaded about free estimates quite easily. I found most people accepted my (admittedly nominal) call out charge when I explained it allowed me to be honest about whether the machine was worth fixing or not.
Besides, just not calling them looks bad on repairs@
agreed… at least be honourable to the repairs@.. but then thats about the mentality of some people
i thought free estimates were a thing of the past
i NEVER ask anybody to work for me for nothingRe: Free Estimate.
Helo you’re in Preston aren’t you?
I still get about 8 or 10 calls a week iffing and butting about £15 to diagnose faults on their appliances (if its likely to be a write off) and then cancel later in the day or you get ‘I’ll call you back :rolls: ‘.
TCRe: Free Estimate.
Never done them and Never will..
we have a fixed service charge that covers the call out charge and all labour charges, for that charge i could be there doing a tub change or simply taking the cooker of automatic timer it all costs the same.
as a friend of mine once said “service up to a standard not down to a price”..
we are now in our 30th year so we must be doing something right 😀Re: Free Estimate.
No one would willingly give a service for free if they believed they could charge for it with out repercussions.
Some presumably do so reluctantly believing they have no choice because everyone else offers free estimates or because they believe they would hardly get any work otherwise. This may be true but it also may be false and they lack the confidence to charge.
There are hopefully few, but presumably some, that are happy to do so because they can charge those that have things fixed a lot more than they would otherwise have needed to, which covers the costs.
I’m with those who would rather go out of business than be at the beck and call of customers who have no respect for my services and insist on using me for their own ends. I suppose it’s an emotive subject. My views are coloured from the 80s and early 90s when the trade was rife with cowboys taking £8000 full page ads in Yellow pages offering everything a customer could want apart from actual free repairs and proceeded to rip them of left right and centre.
Things are different now – aren’t they?
Re: Free Estimate.
Yeh I can do free estimates madam , all you have to pay is for my time, experience, traveling, vehicle wear and tear, office staff , 40 odd quid should cover that side of it :rotl:
Re: Free Estimate.
Had a pub landlord ring from 20 miles away saying “can you give me a free estimate?” I said no problem “if you give me a meal for two and a decent bottle of red it’s a deal” he said he’ll speak with his wife and ring back 🙂
Re: Free Estimate.
i hate to go against everybody but we do no call out charge and get between 30 and 40 calls a week
of that 2 or maybe 3 we dont repair or sell a machine too
on the other hand another guy with an ad in y/pages next to ours with a call out charge of £40 gets 5 to 10 calls a week
now you work out which is the better way to do business
i go out for meals with the wife in the evening he is driving a cab
i know what i preferRe: Free Estimate.
petalpop wrote:i hate to go against everybody but we do no call out charge and get between 30 and 40 calls a week
of that 2 or maybe 3 we dont repair or sell a machine too
on the other hand another guy with an ad in y/pages next to ours with a call out charge of £40 gets 5 to 10 calls a week
now you work out which is the better way to do businessRed rag meets bull time on this one I suspect? :rolls:
Firstly, whilst you get between 30 & 40 calls per week I doubt you’re in any position to realise what amount of work your “other guy” actually gets as he’s hardly likely to admit that to you anyway? Anyone can profit from undercutting the competition and it appears from what you say you are doing nicely from that, and fair play to you my friend. We all are standing on a level playing field after all said and done.
But your comments have at least emphasised that there is little difference between what some choose to call ‘no call-out’ and others call ‘free estimates’. Same difference, same (to put my cards on the table if you like) foot in the door business technique adopted by all types of businesses that venture into customers homes.:?
However, that’s at it may be, but if your “other guy” is happy with his lot then fair play to him. He has enough time on his hands to do taxi work and may prefer that vocation anyway? But on the other hand if it suits him to start doing no call-outs and reel in more custom you may be dining out less often in future…who knows???
Business is business and we is all different that’s for darn sure! 8)
Re: Free Estimate.
petalpop wrote:i hate to go against everybody but we do no call out charge and get between 30 and 40 calls a week
of that 2 or maybe 3 we dont repair or sell a machine too
on the other hand another guy with an ad in y/pages next to ours with a call out charge of £40 gets 5 to 10 calls a week
now you work out which is the better way to do business
i go out for meals with the wife in the evening he is driving a cab
i know what i preferYou can’t put down the differences in your businesses to one offering free estimates and one not. There could be dozens of reasons why you apparently do better including attitude, drive, personality, quality of actual advert, size and position of ad and engineer skill, how you are with customers and what prices you quote etc.
With so many machines beyond economic repair I don’t know how you do it. If you are getting very few actual estimates you are doing very well. My experience was that it was unacceptably high.
Re: Free Estimate.
EXACTLY.
Ive been at this game quite a number of years.. BUT only six months in my “new” town ( recently moved back to my hometown ) was THRIVING in my OLD town.. didnt need to advertise etc.. NOW im kind of in a NEW AREA .. had a customer ring me few weeks ago.. she apparently rang the local repairs centres ( 2 of them that have been here donkeys years ).. asking for quotes on new bearings… she went with me ( although my quote was the cheapest ) for ONE REASON ONLY.. i actually asked for her model number were the local well established shops didnt.. she said although u were the cheapest quote the only reason i went with u was u asked me for the model number so u could source the parts and give me a exact cost were the others just thrown a price at me, it gave me peace of mind she said. 😉
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