[background]We need our fascia & guttering sorting. So salesman pops round today, gives us the spiel on the company and kit they use & a quote/s. Now the quote/s has three different levels, on varying level of kit BUT as were the first in the area to potentially take them up, they'd like to use us to advertise (board on the wall for 2/3 months) and we can have the best for less than the cheapest quote.[/background]
[actual question]My question is.. how much is this all sale spiel and a more honest tradesman would just give us the best price anyways? Or are we potentially saving ourself a decent amount of cash? (does this happen?)
I know what the obvious answer is but wondered if I was being too cynical?[/actual question]
Get a tradesman in...recommended by a friend. These "we'd like to use you to advertise" things are generally bullshit.
Put the prices up here and you'll get an idea of what kind of vfm you might be getting.
I know someone who used to sell windows. They would pitch in high and offer the "new to the area" thing to get make a slightly lower quote seem more reasonable.
GOLDEN RULE!
ALWAYS ALWAYS get 3 quotes!
Never get work done without a written quote, and be VERY aware of blokes that come round, have a quick look, and say "£1500 for the lot" or something similar.
You want them to come round, measure up, ask questions, go away and price it up properly, then send a written quote.
Salesman generally means walk away.
Find a local tradesman - ask around your friends and family.
My wife made the mistake of taking up a cold caller on their offer to send a "kitchen designer" round to dive us a quote. He was a total total ****.
Did they try to sell you a finance package as well?
We had Anglia round to quote for a similar job and their APR was ludicrous - the salesman kept trying to push it as so was shown the door
I cycle with our builder/s (gunna do our extension - done a previous one for me before), but they're 'general' builder, so wondered if a company who specialize is this sort of thing would be a better choice?
Quotes from memory as he doesn't seem to have left it with us, though we wouldn't start work without a written quote (guttering/fascia/soffit on 3 bed house with extention):
3mm PVCu - 2600 (ontop of orig woodwork)
6mm PVCu - 2800 (ontop of orig woodwork with repairs as necessary & replace felt with plastic)
9mm PVCu - 3200 (remove & replace woodwork with PVCu)
Deal 2500ish for 9mm PVC & work
Yeah will get another quote, but wondered about the 'deal', though to be fair the company as a rule looked very organised and professional - but my own personal rule is "I just don't trust salemen".
Cletus: He offered us a 12 month interest free deal but wasn't pushy about any of the sale, just that the 'offer' would be limited time-wise
Our kitchen guy couldn't have cared less about the kitchen, but was very keen to sell us the finance, even though we had the cash.
