The underpricing thread.

[Mark Bolam]

We've all done it.

 

I cocked up today when we had a brutal day on a Macrocarpa takedown which I'd priced as an easyish half-day.

 

My groundy and I viewed it over a gate about 50 yards away, and both thought the same. God knows what we were on. Sunny day, no wind, didn't look much.

 

Got there this morning and you know when you get that sinking feeling?

 

Paving slabs, rock cairn and shrubs in dropzone, massive stem at the back we had both missed completely, really gusty blah blah blah.

 

Luckily everything was staying. Massive load of chip and a 32" butt ringed up with the 440 with an 18" bar. Dropped the stem at about 15' at 4pm, off site at 530.

 

I didn't lose money, but it could have been nasty! The very nice doctor we were working for said he'd pay more if we had underpriced it, but that's not how I roll.

 

Come on fellas, let's hear your cock-ups and reasons why! (mine was not looking at it properly, which is rare for me).

 

This thread isn't about whingeing about losing out to others doing jobs for a cheaper price, it's about jobs you have caught a cold on, and reasons why.

 

Perhaps we might even learn something!

[RobArb]

I priced a large sycy removal a few years ago, back garden job bit of hold and chuck, chog the stem down, boobs your uncle:biggrin: I priced it for me to climb and to bring in a fella I used for van, tools and chipper. I told him it was easy and we'd get it all on his fuso. It was raining heavily when I quoted:001_rolleyes:

 

Few weeks later, turned up at the job, I got there a bit before my guy turned up with van so started to climb to get my anchor to save a bit of time.... Doh!

 

Tree was bigger than I thought, woulda been 2 loads of timber easy, tree was over 4 back gardens with hardly any access and 2 of the gardens had pristine sheds/summer houses under neath which I hadn't noticed...!

 

Took me two days instead of the one I'd quoted for, had to pay my guy for those days, and it could of been worse as the client in the end kept the timber... I didn't make a penny that weekend:blush:

 

We live and learn:biggrin:

 

Sent from my Galaxy S2

[treesnatcher]

got a row of connies to put a price on by morning. guess about 500m, been topped before and on average 20 to 30ft to come off.i usually know exactly how long it will take us. but not sure on this one. Thinking 7-8 days. I hope not but it may just be joining this thread.

[Ian Flatters]

Made a mess up on an load of lime pollards, viewed it at dusk, gave a good price. Turned up and well lets say how on earth did i miss 6 phone lines. Stripped it out and made a loss with a half a day over run, but as someone said to me once.

 

Tree pricing isnt as easy as it looks, you will mess up, you will make a loss occasionally, you will break something and you'll do it all for the love of the job.

[john p]

my main loss comes when i have a day when i try and squeeze a few 'small' jobs in,always underestimate set up/clear up on the little ones,price em think blah blah 2hrs when in reality with travelling/faffing about there about 4 hrs.They nearly always catch me out!

[DN22 Gardening]

priced to re-pollard some h/chestnuts a few years back.

 

Thought, easy, i'll p**s it in a day. with the messing about to gain entry to the site every day it took me three !!!!

 

Lesson learnt !!

 

Always double check everything now but still get the odd balls up

[Andy Collins]

Last year I cocked up on a large oak, by around half a day, for 3men, luckily it was summer, I had good guys to work with and we stayed and finished late, very late, just had to go and shift the sawdust the next morning. client offered me extra, which I declined, so he gave us £150 bonus, in separate cheques so each man got his own. Which was nice. Very nice. He was a very nice man.

Most occasions if I drop one, I break even rather than run at a loss, so it's not too bad as a rule.

[Le Sanglier]

One Saturday morning at 10ish turned up to price some conny removal in a back garden, customer was a honey in a bathrobe, she smelt like a newly mown meadow in early june, she smiled knowingly and sent me out to the garden to inspect the trees. Upon my return to the house I managed to splutter that I would take the lot out for 250 quid.....3 days later I was still ferrying the stuff to the burn site (pre chipper days)

Moral; don't quote with your you know what. I never saw her again, husband posted the cheque.

[Mark Bolam]

got a row of connies to put a price on by morning. guess about 500m, been topped before and on average 20 to 30ft to come off.i usually know exactly how long it will take us. but not sure on this one. Thinking 7-8 days. I hope not but it may just be joining this thread.

 

Run!

 

Never mind the money, every time a job like this pops up you are working for complete retards.

[Ty Korrigan]

One Saturday morning at 10ish turned up to price some conny removal in a back garden, customer was a honey in a bathrobe, she smelt like a newly mown meadow in early june, she smiled knowingly and sent me out to the garden to inspect the trees. Upon my return to the house I managed to splutter that I would take the lot out for 250 quid.....3 days later I was still ferrying the stuff to the burn site (pre chipper days)

Moral; don't quote with your you know what. I never saw her again, husband posted the cheque.

 

Like, you are ssssooooo weak dude! hhhhhhh!

Ty