Customer Wants a Breakdown

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480sparky said:
Next time someone asks for a breakdown, give 'em one:

mancrying2.jpg


"Jeez, man, I don't know what I'm going to do.
I can't make any money these days because of
spiraling gas prices, and insurance is through the
roof! You should see my balance sheet. It'll make
you puke. My ex is forcing me to pay her lawyer
to sue me for back child support. And the IRS, cripes,
there's no stopping them! There's no way I can buy
more duct tape and baling wire to keep my 1984 Mazda
pick-up running. And the Department of Transpor-
tation wants to evict me from living under the I80 bridge....."
Click to expand...

Hey..wait. How did you know all that about me?:grin:
 
I am not involved in the contracting field, nor have a built a home. I work in the consulting field.

Reading through all of the responses provided a little more insight as to how a contractor puts together an estimate.

Regardless, if i were to recieve an estimate i would still ask for a breakdown. Why shouldnt i have one? I just want to make sure im getting what i am paying for, specifically, not just paying for the job to get completed. I am always looking to find a discount, specifically offering cash for services.

This may stem from my own personal distrust of most people, i apologize if i offended anyone.
 
I guess i may have misunderstood the original post. I was under the impress ion that a customer was given an estimate that had only a bottom line price on it. Basically here is a piece of paper with a number on it and that is how much your job will cost.

In that case, i would ask for a breakdown.

I'm also coming from the consulting field, where hourly rates are given directly to clients, and multipliers/markups are clearly indicated. I have a biased opinion.
 
James@CHA said:
I am always looking to find a discount, specifically offering cash for services.
Click to expand...



The only way cash is an incentive to lower the price on a job is if the contractor doesn't intend to pay taxes. That should let you know that you are not dealing with a legal operater to start with ( a cash deposit in the bank is no different than a check or credit card). If the contractor is not operating legally to start with just what makes you think he is going to be so honest with you ( a crook is a crook).

No one likes taxes but legal businesses operate within the law. This includes taxes, codes and warranty. If the contractor is willing to break one of these laws ( the most serious one as far as punishment goes ) then what would make you think that he will obey the others.

What type of discount does your company offer for cash payments?
 
growler said:
The only way cash is an incentive to lower the price on a job is if the contractor doesn't intend to pay taxes. That should let you know that you are not dealing with a legal operater to start with ( a cash deposit in the bank is no different than a check or credit card). If the contractor is not operating legally to start with just what makes you think he is going to be so honest with you ( a crook is a crook).

No one likes taxes but legal businesses operate within the law. This includes taxes, codes and warranty. If the contractor is willing to break one of these laws ( the most serious one as far as punishment goes ) then what would make you think that he will obey the others.

What type of discount does your company offer for cash payments?
Click to expand...
many sellers have discount terms like 2%10, net 30. a lot of sellers also offer discounts for paying by cash as opposed to credit card to avoid the CC fees.

there is nothing wrong with offering financial incentives for your customers to pay you in the way you choose.
 
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