some customers just live in a dream world !! lol

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Well maybe he'll call you back when the others have ballsed it up. Then charge him more to fix it. Pisses me right off. I quoted an empty house, all in materials etc was £1400 ( i know people moan about prices but that's what i charged ) Was about 4 or 5 days for 2 plasterers. When i told him, you'd have thought id just shown him some child porn or something. He said, my mate would do it for £400. I said, well he's a better man than me, get him to do it, and walked off. Three weeks later, " can you come and meet me at the house, got some plastering for you to do"...Well f'ck me, my 5yr old could have done better. All walls and ceilings looked like they had been artexed, no beads, loads of crazing. I just laughed and said this is what you get for £400 ( including materials )...Can you fix it it? Yea but its now £2000. and i want £1500 upfront...he gave it to me there and then.
 
Priced a house a few months ago for a friend of fella who works for us. Priced it at 7000, which was tight. He told me he had a price at 5,800 I said thats fine he's your man. I was thinking it would be dog rough at that money! The fella that works for us was down at the house lately and said its finished and looks very well done! Thats worse, when good men are willing to do it at that money!!
 
Priced a house a few months ago for a friend of fella who works for us. Priced it at 7000, which was tight. He told me he had a price at 5,800 I said thats fine he's your man. I was thinking it would be dog rough at that money! The fella that works for us was down at the house lately and said its finished and looks very well done! Thats worse, when good men are willing to do it at that money!!
Sign of the bad times
 
At the end of the day most plasterers look at a job and put a price in that is sensible and fair. The still are plasterers that go either way to the extreme. I have had the look from customers when you tell them your day rate after they have asked for a day rate basis. I don't believe I have ever over charged a job but on the other hand im not going to half kill myself to price along the lines of the numpties that charge feck all but don't know what they are doing. Some customers don't take into consideration what we also spend on the advertising for them to find us in the first place, collecting all materials of which I never charge my time or fuel as that's just me. At times I do feel as if us plasterers are not looked upon as tradesmen as ive been on jobs where all other trades just named there rate and that was a done deal. If I put a price in and don't get it I never worry as I know my price was in the correct ball park. The are plenty of chancers out there. My favourite example of this that springs to mind is a job I done last year.my price including material 560.As normal top quality clean and tidy job. When I finished the customers told me about the other quote they got was 1450 and they guy was telling them he is looking after them. Oh and don't get me started on the customer saying can you start next week as the other guy can..
 
Maybe they are just quicker
It turns out it was a fella who teaches in a tec and did it evenings and weekends, the man that owns the house did say he was in no rush to get it done. I've been chatting another plaster who told me he priced it at 6,900 and said he couldn't do it a penny under. Only superman could have come out of it at 5,800 and he didn't even price it!:rolleyes)
 
It turns out it was a fella who teaches in a tec and did it evenings and weekends, the man that owns the house did say he was in no rush to get it done. I've been chatting another plaster who told me he priced it at 6,900 and said he couldn't do it a penny under. Only superman could have come out of it at 5,800 and he didn't even price it!:rolleyes)

That's good to know. You can't win them all
 
At the end of the day most plasterers look at a job and put a price in that is sensible and fair. The still are plasterers that go either way to the extreme. I have had the look from customers when you tell them your day rate after they have asked for a day rate basis. I don't believe I have ever over charged a job but on the other hand im not going to half kill myself to price along the lines of the numpties that charge feck all but don't know what they are doing. Some customers don't take into consideration what we also spend on the advertising for them to find us in the first place, collecting all materials of which I never charge my time or fuel as that's just me. At times I do feel as if us plasterers are not looked upon as tradesmen as ive been on jobs where all other trades just named there rate and that was a done deal. If I put a price in and don't get it I never worry as I know my price was in the correct ball park. The are plenty of chancers out there. My favourite example of this that springs to mind is a job I done last year.my price including material 560.As normal top quality clean and tidy job. When I finished the customers told me about the other quote they got was 1450 and they guy was telling them he is looking after them. Oh and don't get me started on the customer saying can you start next week as the other guy can..

Just totall fxxxxxxx vajoiners
 
Listen to this one then..... was due to start a rendering job a couple of weeks ago. Only 1 gable end. Absolutely hammering it down so I rang the customer explaining that wel need to put it off until we get a drier day. All is fine...... 2 hours later she rings me back saying she has arranged for another plasterer to come and do the whole lot in 1 day, in the rain and only charge half of what I quoted. I explained it needs a scratch and top coat and the rain would just wash it away..... her reply.... well the other bloke said he would just make the render dryer so the rain water will just help it!!

I havent drove down that way in a while to see but I should really
 
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Listen to this one then..... was due to start a rendering job a couple of weeks ago. Only 1 gable end. Absolutely hammering it down so I rang the customer explaining that wel need to put it off until we get a drier day. All is fine...... 2 hours later she rings me back saying she has arranged for another plasterer to come and do the whole lot in 1 day, in the rain and only charge half of what I quoted. I explained it needs a scratch and top coat and the rain would just wash it away..... her reply.... well the other bloke said he would just make the render dryer so the rain water will just help it!!

I havent drove down that way in a while to see but I should really

Take pictures
 
I'm still on a battle of negotiations with a female client for over a month now. Quoted 6 digits (Nigeria currency) materials inclusive, for a 7 bedroom duplex and she called it robbery. I guess she has had other quotes being excess of what I quoted, she called me yesterday asking what my workmanship is from my quote, I told her 5 digits, she laughed and hung up. I'm still waiting for her to call me for the job, I know only a hungry, unprofessional plasterer will bill her lesser.
 
My prices are always fair but I have had customers turn round and say so and so can do it cheaper, my reply is always the same you get what you pay for.
 
Well maybe he'll call you back when the others have ballsed it up. Then charge him more to fix it. Pisses me right off. I quoted an empty house, all in materials etc was £1400 ( i know people moan about prices but that's what i charged ) Was about 4 or 5 days for 2 plasterers. When i told him, you'd have thought id just shown him some child porn or something. He said, my mate would do it for £400. I said, well he's a better man than me, get him to do it, and walked off. Three weeks later, " can you come and meet me at the house, got some plastering for you to do"...Well f'ck me, my 5yr old could have done better. All walls and ceilings looked like they had been artexed, no beads, loads of crazing. I just laughed and said this is what you get for £400 ( including materials )...Can you fix it it? Yea but its now £2000. and i want £1500 upfront...he gave it to me there and then.

put your prices up buddy, Iv boarded and skimmed kitchens for more than that.
 
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