Lowes Porch

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I have tried several of these services as a consumer and most times I don't even get a call back.

The couple times I got a call back the guys said they would come out and take a look and give me a quote but neither showed up.

Gave me a real bad taste for such services.

I have pretty much gone back to relying on personal recommendations from friends and acquaintances.

OTOH, several people I know have used the HD version of this fairly recently and seemed satisfied.
 
petersonra said:
I have tried several of these services as a consumer and most times I don't even get a call back.

The couple times I got a call back the guys said they would come out and take a look and give me a quote but neither showed up.

Gave me a real bad taste for such services.

I have pretty much gone back to relying on personal recommendations from friends and acquaintances.

OTOH, several people I know have used the HD version of this fairly recently and seemed satisfied.
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I guess that's why when I immediately call a lead I get through porch I usually make a sale assuming they were serious in the first place.

You will get people who are not serious and waste your time. There are usually red flags you hear so you can sort them out. You will also get people who call at 3am.

ETA: The secret to not getting screwed on fees is to limit the jobs you will accept to one or more high value job types. That way when people call you for piddly stuff, you can get a refund based on the call not matching your acceptable job types.
 
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Coppersmith said:
You will get people who are not serious and waste your time.
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I don't know if it is so much that they are not serious but they have no idea what a project is going to cost and have no idea how to go about even estimating it. When they find out what a project might cost them, they decide they don't really need to do it after all.
 
petersonra said:
I don't know if it is so much that they are not serious but they have no idea what a project is going to cost and have no idea how to go about even estimating it. When they find out what a project might cost them, they decide they don't really need to do it after all.
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That is one type of time waster. You can usually screen them out with a few questions and a look at their house on Google maps or Zillow.

There are others including: real estate agents who will ask you to estimate a job they have no intention of buying; and people who call to ask questions about a DIY they are doing.

ETA: And amazingly, people who submit a request and then never answer their phone or return a call or email.
 
petersonra said:
I don't know if it is so much that they are not serious but they have no idea what a project is going to cost and have no idea how to go about even estimating it. When they find out what a project might cost them, they decide they don't really need to do it after all.
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I don't mind consulting with them and giving them ideas on what it may cost - but certainly don't want to have to pay a third party just to have that conversation. If there is only a fee if a contract is executed, that is ok.
 
kwired said:
If there is only a fee if a contract is executed, that is ok.
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None of the lead services work that way to my knowledge. If anyone knows of one that does, let me know. I'll sign up.

"Google local" gives out a tracking phone number so people can call me directly, then they charge me $18 when someone calls. I've had all sorts of none money-making calls including people calling to ask for a job. Most of these calls I can get a refund for, but it takes time to do it. On the positive side, I'm the number one listing on Google search in my local area.
 
Coppersmith said:
None of the lead services work that way to my knowledge.
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Never used any such services, but don't surprise me. They are in the pimping business, it is about making money and nothing else.

Don't sound like a service I am interested in. Even if I were in a metro area, still don't think I would be interested.
 
kwired said:
Never used any such services, but don't surprise me. They are in the pimping business, it is about making money and nothing else.

Don't sound like a service I am interested in. Even if I were in a metro area, still don't think I would be interested.
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It's a form of advertising and like most advertising it costs money. Nothing wrong with that. They make money advertising my services. I make money from the calls that come in. I have gotten many good jobs from these services. They certainly could be better at filtering the leads, but I'd rather qualify them myself than not have the phone ring at all.
 
We've declared a moratorium on any big box, national maintenance, lead generation, and/or internet based 3rd party anything

~RJ~
 
Coppersmith said:
It's a form of advertising and like most advertising it costs money. Nothing wrong with that. They make money advertising my services. I make money from the calls that come in. I have gotten many good jobs from these services. They certainly could be better at filtering the leads, but I'd rather qualify them myself than not have the phone ring at all.
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We don't all sail the same boat. Closest Lowes or HD to me are both around 100 miles. Those two probably are even less interest for my area.

I still get most my work from word of mouth or even social media.
 
romex jockey said:
We've declared a moratorium on any big box, national maintenance, lead generation, and/or internet based 3rd party anything

~RJ~
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Coppersmith said:
Why?
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Most of these services are a scam. If they had anything to offer they wouldn't have to constantly call every electrician in the area to try and get them to sign up.

I think a lot of consumers are leery of these 3 party deals also.
 
growler said:
Most of these services are a scam. If they had anything to offer they wouldn't have to constantly call every electrician in the area to try and get them to sign up.

I think a lot of consumers you want to have as clients are leery of these 3 party deals also.
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FIFY:)
 
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