Going with a cheaper quote to save money on tradesmen costs?

When hiring tradesmen, It's always good to try and save a few bob and shop around a bit for a good deal, but are you really getting good value for money by going with the cheapest quote?

After all, you get what you pay for and this refers to most things in life. Some may ask the question, why the need for multiple quotes in an industry that says specifically do not go for the cheapest? Ask yourself this, is the job really going to be as cheap as the quote once the work has started and they are half way through the job? Even if it is, how good is the quality of the work if it comes so cheap? An old trusted cliche should spring to mind "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." You can however get a good deal with a trusted company, as long as you're careful and stick to your gut.

There are many tradesmen compa‎nies out there who offer a variety of trades and services to customers, these services usually fall into the catagory of most jobs that you would require, these are usually branded as a one stop shop. These are handy if you have used a company for one trade but then need something different the next time round, without the need to go looking elswhere. If you've found a company that you trust, it could be one that you have used in the past or one that has come recommended, why not contact them and tell them that they have been recommended to you and that you'd like to use them. Tradesmen companies rely on recommendations, it is one of the most important part of their business for generating customers and you'll already be in their good books by simply mentioning that they have been recommended to you and that you'd like to use them for the job.

Here comes the part that could save you some money! There's absolutely no reason why you can't negotiate a more desirable price with your chosen tradesmen company based on the fact they've come recommended to you and that you would like to use them over a competitor. Repeat business and recommendations are more valuable to a company than anything else, along with providing an excellent service of course! A tradesmen company will usually be prepared to negotiate or drop the price for you or at least offer you a percentage off the total quoted price, after all you could end up being a repeat customer yourself. This has got to be easier than going around he houses for lots of different quotes from companies who have no proven track record with you or anyone you know. This includes companies you might find on comparison sites with so called great reviews but reviews from who exactly? These people you don't know and you can't speak with them either. It must also make you wonder, where are the negative reviews that have somehow not made it onto their profile pages? We discuss this issue in one of our other blog posts. Anyway...

Saving money is a good thing but don't take unnecessary risks just to get the cheapest quote. Make sure the first thing on your list is finding a reputable company, then once you've done that, try to negotiate money off of their quote if you are not happy with what they are quoting you.

If a company charges by the hour, try and negotiate a set price. Jobs will usually take longer than expected and an hourly rate could turn out rather costly for you, a tradesman will always have an idea on how long a job will take to complete if you've given them enough information on what needs doing, so getting a set price shouldn't be too much of an issue, if they run over time through fault of their own, it comes out of their pocket not yours.