getting undercut !!!!!!

[Taupotreeman]

There's a local guy here who just asks the price of the other quotes when he talks to the customer and undercuts the lowest price regardless of if he'll take a loss on the job. I think the basic idea is that he will increase his customer base and then slowly increase the prices again. It doesn't always work obviously as there is the danger that the customer will move to another outfit once you put your prices up but what I've found in general is that the customer gereally (at least around here) won't bother getting other quotes if they have a supplier they have used for years. This can end up costing the customer way more in the long run but they don't seem to care. No point dropping your prices (if your prices are competative) to match someone else. It's a quick way to go under.

[Rupe]

It happens on big contracts as well (H&S dosent even come into it) We priced a site clearance job . There were 3 quotes , £50k , £45k and £13k ! Guess which one they went with and then they had the cheek to phone me for help with a method statement

 

Wow, that a big difference!!

 

WHo asked for help with the method statement? The winning contractor or the client?

 

I wonder, if there were an accident, if the client could be held responsible for hiring the cheapest company? Of course it would not hold in domestic work but for site clearance, there should be a quantity surveyor type person with some idea of what to expect from an arb company, and wilffully dismissing two similar quotes (50 & 45) in favour of a 13K one could be seen as negligence, with or without proper method statements in place.

[Frankie Lawrence]

I woke up sunday morning with a hangover and started wacthing my neighbours take on a tree I quoted got the crown down and tried taking off large lumps from this sycie with a hired saw from the ground, took about 5 mins to cut this bit of. Made my day to wacth.

 

Then came the fell spent 10 mins trying to put a gob in with the bluntest saw ever no good and he gave up, im still waiting for the inevitable knock round to ask to fell there stick

[Rupe]

I guy down the road from my mums house has spent the last four weekend re pollarding a good size weeping willow out side his house. Would have been a friday finish job for most of us here but he obviously wanted to do it himself, and he has now done it. All with a scaffold tower, ladders and a b&q chainsaw. Fair play to him, must have been a good challenge. My mum said she saw him one day with double disco legs whilst up his ladder!!

[Stephen Blair]

There is absolutely no way you could know the profit margins of another company. You can pressume things to make it easier on yourself for loosing out but that's just a coping mechanism .

I have undercut many a job just to do it for the thrill, the wood, the fun or just to annoy other contractors, maybe just the mood I am in.lol

I have also done jobs 5 x quicker than what someone else would take to do it. If you have good kit then you can do this.

I am not in business to be all buddy buddy with my oposition, I have bills to pay and a family to look after.

[Treemon]

Wow, that a big difference!!

 

WHo asked for help with the method statement? The winning contractor or the client?

 

I wonder, if there were an accident, if the client could be held responsible for hiring the cheapest company? Of course it would not hold in domestic work but for site clearance, there should be a quantity surveyor type person with some idea of what to expect from an arb company, and wilffully dismissing two similar quotes (50 & 45) in favour of a 13K one could be seen as negligence, with or without proper method statements in place.

 

It was the client on behalf of the wining contractor (long story ) But yes i agree with your comments -especially when we have gone to the trouble of getting ourselves CHAS and Safecontractor

[Ty Korrigan]

I guy down the road from my mums house has spent the last four weekend re pollarding a good size weeping willow out side his house. Would have been a friday finish job for most of us here but he obviously wanted to do it himself, and he has now done it. All with a scaffold tower, ladders and a b&q chainsaw. Fair play to him, must have been a good challenge. My mum said she saw him one day with double disco legs whilst up his ladder!!

 

When in France...

Possibly the chainsaw capital of Europe.

Almost every one ones a saw and will have a go.

Its like some kind of weekend gallic rite to climb a tree in plimsoles smoking a gallois with half tank of muscadet swilling around in your head.

Brave bastards I say...

[Hodge]

Let em get on wi it mate:thumbup:

[kernowstu]

It was the client on behalf of the wining contractor (long story ) But yes i agree with your comments -especially when we have gone to the trouble of getting ourselves CHAS and Safecontractor

 

is that the same safecontractor scheme connoughts plc were doing:thumbdown:

[Rupe]

When in France...

Possibly the chainsaw capital of Europe.

Almost every one ones a saw and will have a go.

Its like some kind of weekend gallic rite to climb a tree in plimsoles smoking a gallois with half tank of muscadet swilling around in your head.

Brave bastards I say...

 

I like the spririt of it! And if there are some darwin awards handed out then tough luck for them! I fixed (not fitted) my boiler myself and re wired my house, none of its rocket science if you are logically minded you can do anything.