Turning down work

[forestboy1978]

Yeah I've been making  a conscious effort not to also for those very reasons but I still find myself doing it on occasion. Lately quite a lot. Dunno why but I've just been getting lots of crap non profitable work come at me last month or 2 and in most cases they people have been really nice which I hate. Much prefer dealing with bastards in a strange way.  

[tree-fancier123]

16 hours ago, Stubby said:

He came round looked and said yea I will get back to you with a price . A couple of weeks went by ...nothing

I went to quote and the lady said the first people did exactly the same - I had followed her through the front door and looked around the garden at some overgrown bay to top at 6 inch dia and an ash to top, a swimming pool to avoid but not too bad. I said to her 'I can't think why they wouldn't have wanted the work'.  It was only that evening it dawned on me their house had extensions on both sides and no side gate. I didnt try to renegotiate, man of my word and all that. But that drag one ton brash through the house taught me a lesson hopefully.

More generally I will explain in detail and try not to be vague -  e.g 'Sorry I haven't got the staff for a big roadside tree' or 'No thanks that hedge needs a tractor flail' One mowing customer even asked me if I'd be interested in fitting a new kitchen - I said I'd like to, but didn't want to risk cutting something wrong and losing money on the job.

Can't you just take the time to explain in detail why you think a job is going to be difficult and would require you to submit a price way above what you normally would?

[tree-fancier123]

'optimize conflict resolution' wtf

belongs in the same pile of shite as other management speak e.g 'We are rationalizing our suppliers'

[oldwoodcutter]

I can usually smell a dodgy customer or an even dodgier job a mile off. For dodgy jobs I massively overprice them, like adding a zero on the end of the price ( which is accepted fairly frequently) For dodgy customers I give them a stupidly low price, and when they accept 6 weeks later, then say I’m sorry we’re too busy to do it this side of next year .
And I’m thinking to myself ‘do it your blinkin self mr muppet’

[forestboy1978]

11 hours ago, tree-fancier123 said:

Can't you just take the time to explain in detail why you think a job is going to be difficult and would require you to submit a price way above what you normally would?

Sometimes do. Sometimes it comes off like you're inflating the problems to prepare for an inflated price. To avoid it I sometime just say sorry no it's not a straight forward job and it has a high risk reward ratio and I just don't need to take it on. Goes either way though even that. 

[forestboy1978]

Local council estate near me that I get the odd call from. Don't like working there cos they likely will go for the lowest quote and also I can't leave anything lying around out of sight for a moment. 

 

How does one go about declining work that is 2 miles from your front door but is a bit of a pikey area?

 

 

[stihlmadasever]

17 minutes ago, forestboy1978 said:

Local council estate near me that I get the odd call from. Don't like working there cos they likely will go for the lowest quote and also I can't leave anything lying around out of sight for a moment. 

 

How does one go about declining work that is 2 miles from your front door but is a bit of a pikey area?

 

 

You say No thanks...

Pretty simple init

[Shane]

Either price yourself out of jobs with high quotes or save everybody's time by telling them you don't work on the estate because every time you do you' had stuff stolen.

There's not much they can say to that, they would probably agree anyway.