Dont companies want the work?
Discussion
two weeks ago I called 4 companies to come and give me quotes for cutting the tops off 15 trees in mine and 2 other neighbours gardens. Previously I had written to the council asking them to confirm there were no Tree Preservation orders on any of the trees, which they confirmed.
I asked the companies for the quote to be split so I could apportion the cost between the three of us, took photographs of the three gardens to identify which trees in each were involved. I gave each company copies of the photoes, the letter from the council, the names and numbers of the neighbours and confirmed I would pay the bill and get the cash off the guys either side. Simple so I thought...
Company 1 came the day after, said he would pop a quote in the post, not heard from him since..
Company 2 came, said thanks for the photoes, saved him doing his own, the quote came after 3 days (its £2000 to give an idea of the size of job)
Company 3 came, but I had to call as he missed the appointment twice... looked and said he would quote... nothing.
Company 4 came and looked, said he was a one man band and some of the trees were too big for him, fair enough.
Company 5 (called after company 4 decided not to quote) came, looked and said he would charge £1800. I said pop me an itemised quote in the post and I will get back to you. nothing.
I thought there was a recession on! At the moment, company 2 will be getting the work!
Before I commit to company 2, Am I doing something wrong?
I asked the companies for the quote to be split so I could apportion the cost between the three of us, took photographs of the three gardens to identify which trees in each were involved. I gave each company copies of the photoes, the letter from the council, the names and numbers of the neighbours and confirmed I would pay the bill and get the cash off the guys either side. Simple so I thought...
Company 1 came the day after, said he would pop a quote in the post, not heard from him since..
Company 2 came, said thanks for the photoes, saved him doing his own, the quote came after 3 days (its £2000 to give an idea of the size of job)
Company 3 came, but I had to call as he missed the appointment twice... looked and said he would quote... nothing.
Company 4 came and looked, said he was a one man band and some of the trees were too big for him, fair enough.
Company 5 (called after company 4 decided not to quote) came, looked and said he would charge £1800. I said pop me an itemised quote in the post and I will get back to you. nothing.
I thought there was a recession on! At the moment, company 2 will be getting the work!
Before I commit to company 2, Am I doing something wrong?
buzzer said:
Pothole said:
just think a bit longer about it and I'm sure you can work out what's happening here.
Go on, give me a clue!!Scenario 1: he does not have the social skills to look you in the eye and say 'This job is not worth my while but thanks for offering it to me.' So he says 'I'll get back to you with a quote' and buggers off never to be heard from or seen again.
Scenario 2: he is a bit rubbish at the business side of the business as he only went into it for himself so he wouldn't have to work for 'the man' and could take 'all the profits' for himself, so he simply forgets about you and your job while he stumbles from one near-disaster to another before losing the business and his house through overstretching himself, or falls out of a tree and lives the rest of his life on benefits, eating all his meals through a straw.
etc, etc, etc.
Pothole said:
Scenario 2: he is a bit rubbish at the business side of the business as he only went into it for himself so he wouldn't have to work for 'the man' and could take 'all the profits' for himself, so he simply forgets about you and your job while he stumbles from one near-disaster to another
This I think. The genes for placing one brick on top of another are not the same genes used for writing quotes or general communication 
(And if the man has both sets he will charge double anyway!)
BoRED S2upid said:
Save yourself £2000 pop off to speedy hire get their biggest petrol chainsaw and shout timber!
Yep... You can them spend the other £1850 paying for the fence and roof repairs to next door when the tree falls the wrong way....I took down a huge apple tree (it was diseased) last year... Me, my Brother in law, and father-in-law.... Chainsaws, harnesses (I am trained in Harness working for my day job) and big rachet straps were the order of the day.... Hugely enjoyable!
buzzer said:
Pothole said:
just think a bit longer about it and I'm sure you can work out what's happening here.
Go on, give me a clue!!But basically the others are right, some people just aren't up to it. Probably find their wives do their paperwork and write their cheques too.
Pure guess:
£2k isn't a great deal of work.
Its not like builders pricing £20k jobs which will keep them busy for months.
Its just a tiny job which will afford them a few days work.
I would imagine the majority of thier work is people just agreeing a price there and then for a few days work- not competing against various other companies, so if you gave them any inkling that you were putting it out to tender, as such, they probably just though 'I can't be bothered'.
As I said, pure guess so don't get annoyed.
£2k isn't a great deal of work.
Its not like builders pricing £20k jobs which will keep them busy for months.
Its just a tiny job which will afford them a few days work.
I would imagine the majority of thier work is people just agreeing a price there and then for a few days work- not competing against various other companies, so if you gave them any inkling that you were putting it out to tender, as such, they probably just though 'I can't be bothered'.
As I said, pure guess so don't get annoyed.
I helped the GF cut down a tree in her front garden last night, reason being (for all the tree huggers).
It blocked the light into her dining room & lounge & it blocks the light into the neighbours garden, it also scratches on the windows of her 2 young sons & keeps them up at night.
I got out a wood-saw last night, started with the higher up branches, maybe 2 inches thick, trimmed them off, worked my way down, sawing off all the branches, it now stands about 6ft high, it took about an hour, yes it was tiring, but not rocket science, (although it was only about 30-35ft high.)
It blocked the light into her dining room & lounge & it blocks the light into the neighbours garden, it also scratches on the windows of her 2 young sons & keeps them up at night.
I got out a wood-saw last night, started with the higher up branches, maybe 2 inches thick, trimmed them off, worked my way down, sawing off all the branches, it now stands about 6ft high, it took about an hour, yes it was tiring, but not rocket science, (although it was only about 30-35ft high.)
I've had a similar experience. Got a personal recommendation for a tree-feller fella, spoke to his assistant who said the boss would call me back. Took four weeks for that to happen, in spite of me chasing.
Came across very well on the phone, agreed a time when he'd come round to look at the tree (I'd be out at the time). Came home, expecting quote to be shoved through letterbox. Nothing. Called him, he said he'd post it. Three weeks later, I call again, he says he has been busy (and on holiday). Three weeks later quote arrives.
I instruct him to carry out the work and to get back to me with a date. Three weeks later, not heard from him. Call him again, three more weeks and he says he can do it four weeks later. I tell him to not bother as I wanted the tree chopped when it was dormant, not in full leaf.
Useless.
Came across very well on the phone, agreed a time when he'd come round to look at the tree (I'd be out at the time). Came home, expecting quote to be shoved through letterbox. Nothing. Called him, he said he'd post it. Three weeks later, I call again, he says he has been busy (and on holiday). Three weeks later quote arrives.
I instruct him to carry out the work and to get back to me with a date. Three weeks later, not heard from him. Call him again, three more weeks and he says he can do it four weeks later. I tell him to not bother as I wanted the tree chopped when it was dormant, not in full leaf.
Useless.
singlecoil said:
I wondered if it was just that they didn't like you (or the job) for some reason or other.
I think this is likely, and they may not have decided it would be more hassle than it's worth until they got to the stage of writing up a quote.I know a disproportionate number of tree surgeons for some reasons and in general they are better educated than you might expect from a trade.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff