Clients that make you go hmmmmm.

[Mick Dempsey]

1 minute ago, MattyF said:

Double your price, you owe him nothing !

I put a days money on it, he said “that seems a lot” I just shrugged my shoulders.

 

I used the old adage (translated into french)

 

If you think it’s expensive hiring a professional, try hiring an amateur.

 

I normally hate those sort of sayings, but in this case it’s true.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

2 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Bit long winded this one.

 

A few weeks ago a client with whom I’ve had some dealings, disputes with neighbours, that sort of thing called for a quote.

 

I don’t like this guy and I feel it’s mutual.

But it’s local so I rock up, it’s a job in two parts, some large horizontal limbs over a garage off a couple of oaks to remove, and a largish oak to take out.

I price it in two parts and off I go.

A couple of weeks later I see the removal has started with the oak butchered a bit (lot) but it never gets finished.

He phones me to do the stuff over the garage, we set a date (yesterday) and I turn up.

The client explains that he got someone to do the oak for the butt, however he was clearly out of his depth and ended up cracking his sternum in two places, one break making contact with his heart, lucky to live.

 

Now, I’m reasonably fired up about this, sure the climber or whatever he was bears some personal responsibility for his own safety, but the client looking to save money wherever possible (clearly he’s not without judging by the car/house) has to shoulder some as well.

He is anxious to get the tree on the floor and gone, presumably as it’s a smoking gun litigation wise, asked me for another price. 
 

I suspect France being France there’s a court case coming.

Can't say I'd have any sympathy for the bodger nor the tree owner.  Whatever the price was before, it'd be the same (or higher) now....

[MattyF]

I put a days money on it, he said “that seems a lot” I just shrugged my shoulders.

 

I used the old adage (translated into french)

 

If you think it’s expensive hiring a professional, try hiring an amateur.

 

I normally hate those sort of sayings, but in this case it’s true.

Spot on with the sayings mate..

Really though Mick I don’t give a Fuck any more for doing folk favours , as you know it costs a lot to have nice kit to do a job efficiently and I’ve seen yours ....and I’d rather chase the work where it’s appreciated than listen to some prick tell me what I’m worth.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

57 minutes ago, Rich Rule said:

Estimated at 2 days with two men on site each day.  He agreed and asked the price.  I told him 500 per man per day, chipper will be 150 plus vat.  Total 1150 plus vat at 25%.

Am I missing the maths here?

 

2 days x 2 men @£500 / manday = £2k

+ chipper @ £150 (is that 1 day or per day?)

= £2150 or £2300 (depending on chipper days)

 

+ VAT

 

?  I must be mis understanding, £500 for 2 blokes sounds reasonable, £1000 a bit steep maybe.

 

 

[MattyF]

Had a job come in this week with some hat racked trees that we had already priced the whole job for ... for entertaining dealing with some one else’s waste the price has doubled to clear it up.

[Rich Rule]

13 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

Am I missing the maths here?

 

2 days x 2 men @£500 / manday = £2k

+ chipper @ £150 (is that 1 day or per day?)

= £2150 or £2300 (depending on chipper days)

 

+ VAT

 

?  I must be mis understanding, £500 for 2 blokes sounds reasonable, £1000 a bit steep maybe.

 

 

I live in Norway mate.

 

I just used a rough estimate of 10nok to the quid.  
 

So one day onsite with 2 men and chipper was 11500nok plus vat.  The second day, 2 men and chipper 11500nok plus vat.  
 

It costs a lot more to live here.  Wages are higher and at 3.50 quid for a loaf of bread you would go very hungry and very quick if you charged UK prices.

[lux]

Nice idea Felix.
 
Other things that does my nut in are clients who want a multiple tree quote where they want a breakdown of what each tree will cost.
 
Tell me what you want done, I'll give you a price, it's not pick'n'mix.

That annoys me too. If I’m going to a client to cut one tree my price will be higher for that one tree than if I was doing multiple trees at the same location. Simple economics of the logistics isn’t it. And breaking it down tree by tree in quotes gets really boring ...........

[Rich Rule]

It also gives them the opportunity to cherry pick jobs between contractors to try and reduce the price again.

 

nip that shit in the bud before they get started.

[Mark Bolam]

33 minutes ago, Rich Rule said:

I live in Norway mate.

 

I just used a rough estimate of 10nok to the quid.  
 

So one day onsite with 2 men and chipper was 11500nok plus vat.  The second day, 2 men and chipper 11500nok plus vat.  
 

It costs a lot more to live here.  Wages are higher and at 3.50 quid for a loaf of bread you would go very hungry and very quick if you charged UK prices.

But a load of logs is still £50, right?

[Rich Rule]

22 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

But a load of logs is still £50, right?

Free mate.  Get with the times.  Trees are everywhere, how can you have the brass neck to think you can charge for them.

 

One of the trees I took down for him was an oak.  Half the tree was dead standing.  He got a load of logs, cut to 30cm.  Bear in mind Silver Birch is seen as a premium firewood here...  1700 NOk for a pallet.  A pallet of mixed is 1500.  Mixed consists of goat willow, aspen, and 3 pine and 3 spruce logs.  I left premium oak, which if they actually realised how good oak, elm and beech is... for a pallet I should be charging 2 million NOk.