Just accepted an 'urgent' job without actually doing a personal survey and wondered if anybody thought that it may be dangerous thing to do. When I started out, I made a decision to give a written survey 'every time’ because the spoken word can always be denied. If something goes wrong, the customer may say they weren't informed, and it would be hard to prove otherwise after you have finished. I consider this to be a very important part of the Floorfixer wood floor restoration service; after all, hidden dangers can lurk around every corner – and sometimes even under the floorboards! I personally feel that you cannot give a fair price until you know exactly what is involved. You can feel a little awkward carrying out the survey if you haven’t done anything like that before, and carrying out various tests prior to discussing costs with the customer can seem a daunting exercise, but if nothing else it helps to sell the job. My current routine is to discuss what the customer wants and to find out what their expectations are. I then carry out a general walk-through inspection with the customer discussing any likely problems, expected outcome of the job and timescale before mentioning costs. If the general (ballpark figure) quote is acceptable, I then carry out any necessary tests to ensure problems will not occur on the day. However, I sometimes have to walk away from the job, having agreed on a general price because I have subsequently discovered a problem I hadn’t noticed during my initial walkabout. The extra charges sometimes make it too expensive for the customer and they say they couldn’t afford it after all. I find that this method shows a high level of professionalism. It helps to justify the price and prevents any unwanted explanations during the job. Some of the jobs I have quoted for, the customer has told me I was not the cheapest but I got the job because I either turned up to price the job or that I seemed to know what I was doing. I’m sure some of the old timers and those covering a massive area don't do an intensive survey/inspection. This may be because they have the experience to know what is required without doing a full inspection... but I am sure they will correct me if I am wrong. Perhaps they have a caveat in their agreement which includes certain conditions and the quoted price may be dependent on what is found when the worker arrives? It would be nice to know how other people carry out their pre-restoration inspection/survey. It would help not only those new to the business, but also some ‘old-timers’ who might have fallen prey to bad habits. PS. For those who prefer to know - yes I did take a breather (cuppa), and yes - the spellchecker is still working OK! Bob www.floorfixer.co.uk
I get a plan if I am lucky, bill of quants if they are feeling generous and thats it, and I take the job based on these plus the spec, Normally the contract states that everything is down to me, If anything is outside this then I can sometimes get extra, But it's contract not domestic so you do have a formal contract.
Yep, i`m the same. I often get the chance to do a site survey, when the job has started though, and most sensible companies will listen, if you tell them that 6mm of latex is required, rather than the 3mm you priced for etc. Once we fit the flooring, the responsibility is ours, so best to speak up beforehand. All subject to physical re-measure also.
We always tend to do site visits and surveys. As you say if a ball park figure is needed or needed before the customer has a meeting before we can get to site we can give them a price but only subject to a site visit. I worked for a big refurbishment company and found that they were asking customers for pictures and basing the quote on the pictures only. Unfortunately more often than not the job turned out to be a nightmare and ended up costing the company more than they made or they broke even.
The 'urgent' job turned out to be a 'doddle', but I'm still intending to carry on as before by insisting on seeing the actual floor before committing to taking it on and quoting for it. Bob www.floorfixer.co.uk
Sometimes it works in your favour because you tend to build in the price for any problems you might have and either include them or give extra over rates, Sometimes you get a result !!
