Lost tenders

[jojam]

We priced a large job about 5 months ago.The prospective client asked us to number all the relevant trees and recommend a course of action.The work to quote for consisted of some crown lifting over a main road(30mph) and removal of 3 or 4 DED elms and a bit of crown cleaning.It was a commercial property ie hotel.We tagged all the trees and catalouged all the recommended actions.We then submitted this with quote to the client.A couple of months passed with no word so we made a phone call and it sounded promising.On driving past this week i noticed the job had been done by another contractor,i don't know who.I feel very disappointed!i think at the very least a thanks but no thanks would be due after the time we spent on the quote.Or do you guys think a small charge would be in order for carrying out a somewhat basic survey in order to quote.

[Stephen Blair]

forget it and learn from it jamie, you dont need those types of customers mate, a free estimate doesnt include tags imo, been there done that and had it thrown back in my face just like you, the most annoying thing is when it is done to YOUR spec.

[skyhuck]

I never do any work unpaid, I want the job before I will start anything.

[combined tree services]

that does take the p**s a bit , that really gets me when someone gets you in to number and survey all of their tree stock and then does not have the decentcy to contact you and tell you that they have had a cheeper quote on paper and would you be interested in discussing money with them . i trust you will charge for your time tagging the trees and inspecting them . Thats presumint that the other contractor worked from your schedual

[Ian Leach]

You should have charged for a survey and then quoted the work, just learn from it and do it next time.

[Stephen Blair]

he got you in to do the clever bit then just got someone else to beat your price, i went through a phase of that for a while, really annoying.

[Johny Walker]

thats not just a quote !!!, its a survey hes got too ??? ,hes cought you out @ your expence

[Johny Walker]

how slow is my typing !!!!!

[Tom D]

You've been done there mate. I had someone try the same thing recently, a firm of solicitors no less. They asked for my oppinion on a tree in their car park, i told them it was knackered and should come down, I gave them a price. A week later they rang back saying that the council wanted a report from an arboriculturalist, I said no problem, but I'd need confirmation that I had the job. They wouldn't give it! Needless to say I didn't write a report and have not heard since.

 

I know through the grounds maintenance guy that they already had someone lined up to do the job but he's not the report writing type, so I was being used basically.

[Mesterh]

If its a survey then I woulda charged since this has happened quite a few times to us, but at least we get paid for something.

 

Too late IMO to ask for money now though.