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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To take my business elsewhere - I think this salesman was sneering at people on a tight budget

46 replies

oopslateagain · 31/05/2012 12:36

We have been getting quotes for a new bathroom. At one showroom, the biggest in our area with a good reputation, the salesman was quite nice and chummy (of course), showed me some catalogues and the usual stuff. Then he asked me my budget, and I was a big cagey (as you are Wink) and said it was 'flexible'. He pushed for a figure, so I said we were thinking £5000 or so but could push it up quite a lot if necessary. You could almost see the "£" signs light up in his eyes, and he became even more 'chummy' and made a comment about "some people walk in here expecting a bathroom for £3000, they're living in cloud cuckoo land".

I thought that was really rude. We just got an unexpected windfall, three weeks ago our budget would have been around £2500 with a bit of leeway. And yes, a perfectly good new bathroom is possible with that budget - if you do a lot of work yourself and buy the basic no-frills variety of everything.

It seemed like he was - I can't quite describe it - trying to make me feel good about having a decent budget, while wanting me to join him in sneering at those stupid people who haven't got a lot of money and yet want something decent done. Does that make sense?

They have a good reputation and I'm sure would do a good job, but WIBU to strike them off our list purely because of this salesman's attitude.?

OP posts:
eurochick · 31/05/2012 12:38

I won't ever give money to someone I don't feel comfortable with. Vote with you £££ and go elsewhere.

workshy · 31/05/2012 12:40

there is an old saying in sales that people buy from people and it's absolutely true

he wants you to spend a large amount because he is probably on commission and will view people on a lower budget as not worth his time

the man is an idiot and if you can get what you want from elsewhere then I would

dexter73 · 31/05/2012 12:40

I wouldn't strike them off the list because you say they have a good reputation and will do a good job which is a massive plus in their favour. He does sound like a bit of a tit though.

StanleyLambchop · 31/05/2012 12:41

We had a perfectly good bathroom fitted for £2000. Perhaps he is the one in cloud cuckoo land.

ChuffMuffin · 31/05/2012 12:42

He's sneering because he'd get less commission. And he's a prize dick from the sounds of it.

If I was buying something with "flexible" prices I would bluff and say I had minimal funds (£3000 in this example sounds right) so then when you work up you're getting a better deal. If you said you had £5k for example, say the company would do it for you for £4,500 "as a favour" but in reality they might have done it for £3750+. If that makes sense. Not sure it does!

I work for a company with flexible prices too :(

AKE2012 · 31/05/2012 12:45

Id steer clear of him maybe not the shop if they are a good shop. I prefer to see how cheapily i can get things with a high quality finish so dont think id his type of customer.

blueglue · 31/05/2012 12:45

The main thing when you get a bathroom is to be careful re quality of workmanship, reliability and reputation. The whole experience can be a nightmare and very disruptive. If you think the co. will do a good job, why don't you use them but just buy from a different salesperson.

HillyWallaby · 31/05/2012 12:53

It depends what kind of service he was offering and what you were expecting.

If you are talking complete design, supply of medium to high end fixtures, all fitting, plumbing, tiling and finishing then yes I am afraid you would be in cloud cuckoo land expecting that for £3k. Even £5k isn't going to go terribly far in all honesty, unless you employee individual tradesmen and oversee it yourself.

Things like this can cost as much or as little as you are prepared to pay when it comes to picking out the sanitary ware and the tiles etc, but the labour cost is the labour cost just the same. so having a really professional service to fit entry range products is where it can all become poor value for money in the long term.

If you decide to play around with the layout of the existing suite then pipework under flooring has to be moved, and there will be hidden costs to factor in, for example you decide on a power shower and you choose one, but then you forget you will have to pay an electrician to put a socket in your airing cupboard for the pump, and run that cable to the bathroom, which may involve going under the floor or through the loft. All that stuff costs, even if you are buying a cheapy cheap suite.

If you are asking one company to handle it all he will sub-contract electricians/tilers etc and charge you a mark-up on what he has to pay them.

CarpeJugulum · 31/05/2012 12:55

We chose (or rather didn't chose!) a window company based on the salesman running down his competitors and the "idiots" who didn't go with his company.

Nuff said - we went with the competitor who was fair in his analysis of all other options.

Shakey1500 · 31/05/2012 12:57

Incredibly rude. If you're happy with the product I'd be tempted to go back with "due to unforeseen circumstances, we've had to revise our budget to £3500, won't be a problem for you will it? You know, given how disparaging you were of people with a similar budget?"

And watch him squirm.

squeakytoy · 31/05/2012 12:58

You will get a much better service by going into a small plumbers merchant, looking at the brochures they have, and getting a recommendation off them for a decent plumber.

HillyWallaby · 31/05/2012 13:02

I hate it when I am asked for a budget because I think two people could end up with exactly the same thing, one for £4k and one for £5.5k, because the salesman assesses roughly what standard/quality you expect for your money and then just guides you towards whatever gives him the best margin.

However, I do understand that he wants customers to be realistic about what to expect from £3k or £5k - no good swooning over a £20k bathroom or kitchen and then constantly asking them to hide a cistern behind fancy tiled boxing, or have taps floating on a wall, or doing fancy patterns in the tiling or whatever, if it can't be done on a tight budget. these people can waste a great deal of time coming up with amazing designs and ideas based on what you tell them you like, only to have tea spat on them when they give you their price.

I think you should start by asking him what is the average fit cost for a bathroom the size of mine, with X,Y, and Z included? Then work backwards from that.

HillyWallaby · 31/05/2012 13:03

sorry, by average fit cost I mean jus the cost of labour alone, not the whole cost of the refit.

BarredfromhavingStella · 31/05/2012 13:05

We had a lovely bathroom supplied & fitted for around £3200 so have to say he just sounds like a snobby twat tbh -I would absolutely take my business elsewhere.

BrittaPerry · 31/05/2012 13:06

I was under the impression that a bathroom cost a few hundred pounds...

eek.

(saving for first house deposit and can only afford a dooer upper - had thought we could do basic kitchen and bathroom and lick of paint/carpets on a repossessed house for about 5 grand or less, and we were even thinking that could wait as long as there is running water, as it is a lot of money...)

BrittaPerry · 31/05/2012 13:08

Should add that we are looking at houses under £50,000, or even a flat for less, so £5,000 is a big proportion of that.

NiniLegsInTheAir · 31/05/2012 13:10

britta don't worry, we just had our bathroom totally redone (new suite, tiling, paint job, flooring & new boiler) for £3k, with great quality stuff (Bristan taps & Mira shower anyone? Wink) and did none of it ourselves. Our plumber got us an excellent tradesman discount - it helps to be pally with folks in the bizness. :)

NiniLegsInTheAir · 31/05/2012 13:10

And yes - that salesman sounds like a twat. Take your money elsewhere OP, people like this don't deserve your business.

HoneyDragonWearingLederhosen · 31/05/2012 13:11

I was looking at kitchens with my friend once and we laughed as one of the displays was my kitchen in a different colour. The salesman was annoying us by constantly telling us horror stories of the poor customers who had dreadful kitchens through not going through him.

The nosy sod wanted to know what I paid for my kitchen (the one in suestion was £16'000), he was very fucked off when I said £700.

Dh had purchased the demo model from a trade show and fit it himself Grin

SusanneLinder · 31/05/2012 13:11

My bathroom was about £1800 and it is stunning. Got a local firm in to do the job. It pays to shop around.....

I never ever use firms that have salesman on commission-ever. Did once and had to take them to court for a botched job that I could have got professionally done for half the price.

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 31/05/2012 13:11

You can do it really cheap Britta

Just don't see this knobber!

We have a small bathroom and just painted over some wood panelling that was there which looks really nice now, replaced the tiles, put some wood on the floor and varnished it and had the wall plastered and painted for about £500. My DP did some of the work too which saved ££.

Its nice to have a lovely new bathroom when you have the money though, £3,000 is a good budget and this man sounds like a smarmy old dickhead.

workshy · 31/05/2012 13:12

you can buy a bath, toilet and sink for a couple of hundred pounds

the biggest cost in a bathroom is the labour -especially the tiling

a good quality fit will often cost 3K+

HoneyDragonWearingLederhosen · 31/05/2012 13:12

Admittedly the show kitchen had stupidly expensive appliances in it - we don't have those!

jubilucket · 31/05/2012 13:14

I know just what you mean about squirmy salespeople, I wouldn't want him to benefit from the commission on my money either. Take stock and think about it a little more, also as others have said next time you talk to one, start about 25% lower and see what they offer IYSWIM. I wouldn't write off the store completely, but next time you go in (assuming he hasn't already created a provisional order for you or anything like that), make sure you find a different salesman.

Original poster
oopslateagain · 31/05/2012 13:18

We have spoken to a local firm, the man was lovely and is sending us a quote this week, he said it's likely to be around £4500 - and that's for a complete refit, new floor, walls, replacing and moving all the pipework, the lot.

It's a shame; I really liked the 'big' company, and was shopping around just for the sake of it really, I had just about decided to go with them just on their reputation. I can't help thinking that if they did do the job, I'd always be looking at my lovely new bathroom and thinking "yes, but it was sold to us by a twat".

OP posts: