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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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 ) 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:

threeleftfeet · 31/05/2012 13:20

Yes, strike them off your list! What a knob!

cantspel · 31/05/2012 13:30

If he was unreasonable depends really on the type of bathroom shop it was. If it was an upmarket whirlpool bathy type place then i can see what he was getting at and he probably has alot of his time wasted by people who's expectations are bigger than their budget.

If it was a local shop catering for normal loo, bath, shower type buyers than he was being a twat.

I am waiting for my new bathroom to be delivered. We used a local shop that knows it target buyers. We went in once when he gave us a run through of what was available for the spave we were fitting out, gave us loads of brosures to look at and we went back once we had choosen. The sales man was great and even mixed and matched a few bits and pieces for me. All in all the fittings came to just under £1100 and i will buy tiles and flooring on top. Family is fitting it for me and i will get a tyler in to do the floor and walls.
I hope to spend no more than another £1000 on those as it is only a small loo and bathroom.

I prefer a small local independant as on the whole you get a much better service.

Original poster

oopslateagain · 31/05/2012 13:36

It's actually quite a small showroom, no glitz and glamour. I did point out our bathroom is tiny and we want the basic shower, loo and sink unit, nothing flashy (except for the wet walls, which will have sparkles ).

OP posts:

cantspel · 31/05/2012 13:42

Then he was a twat. The shop we have bought of never even asked our budget. Everything in the show room was priced and when i muttered that the i could get the front panel cheaper elsewhere he offered me a discount.

ExitPursuedByABear · 31/05/2012 13:45

A few years ago I was getting quotes for a new kitchen. One chap came roundl, looked me up and down and said

"You do realise our kitchens start at about £20,000 don't you?"

Cheeky fecker - who was he to judge how much money we had?

Disclaimer - we didn't have that much.

He never even bothered to come back with a quote.

Shakey1500 · 31/05/2012 13:50

Exit that's awful!

OP if you go elsewhere I'd return to the showroom an tell him that the sole reason you didn't use him was based on that comment. Might make him think

glenthebattleostrich · 31/05/2012 14:31

Exit we had similar when we were refurbing our first house ten years ago. We had savings and DH had made a nice profit on his first flat and we got the house stupidly cheap because it needed completely gutting and was a reposession.

Kitchen salesman walks in and looks around, see's me in my scruffs because I was helping strip out the bathroom and said I don't think our products are suitable, we supply high end products and they are very expensive. I asked how much his clients typically spent and took great pleasure pointing out that was below our budget and that I would be calling his boss to discuss exactly why we would not be using that company.

Pedallleur · 31/05/2012 14:38

The son of a friend sells kitchen/bathroom stuff (and does v.well). He loves make-over shows as the next day people walk in and want 'that £100 tap that was on telly last night' he tells me it generally costs £7 as a lot of this stuff is made in China and the price 'talked up'. So be aware of this when going to these places

Original poster

oopslateagain · 31/05/2012 14:39

If we don't go with this company, our next choice is the local firm from the next village - the man who came to measure up was lovely but about 7 feet tall (I'm hardly even exaggerating, he had to duck through my doorway) and watching him faff around in my tiny bathroom would be most amusing!

OP posts:

LEMONAIDE · 31/05/2012 14:39

He is being a prat. You can get a lovely bathroom for less than that, even the DIY stores have some lovely suites in them quite reasonably these days.

The labour is what will cost you and not without good reason as quite often you dont know what you are dealing with until you remove the old bathroom.

I ruled out a blind salesman when he walked into our conservatory said "oh its really small" then on their form where it said "take photos for promotion" ticked "no" right in front of us.....twat.

Noqontrol · 31/05/2012 14:45

We got a builder to do our bathroom and we went to the plumbers merchants to choose the stuff we wanted. The builder then got it through his account as he got trade discount. We ended up with a beautiful bathroom for 3k including labour. It's worth considering doing it like this op, your money stretches a lot further.

Ormiriathomimus · 31/05/2012 14:51

Ours cost 1600. A few years back admittedly. Had to buy special shower bath as we couldnt fit both bath and shower in. Shaped shower door. Really nice loo and basin. Lovely taps. And we chose the tiles that we wanted. Bathroom fitted by plumber. Tiles done by ..erm...tiler. Floor and finishing done by DH. Helped that DH was a self-employed carpenter at the time so got trade discount for parts and mates rates for plumber. But even so...

TapirBackRider · 31/05/2012 15:25

We had our bathroom done in 2007 - it was done by local tradesmen, and cost us just over £1,500; and was for everything; plumbing, pipework, tiles and included the price of the new bathroom suite.

KitCat26 · 31/05/2012 16:58

We did ours in 2006, it around £1200. Suite from homebase, tiles from B&Q, local plumber to install and DH did the tiling (tyre fitter by trade).

YANBU I would strike any shop off the list if the salesperson had an attitude I didn't like. I don't mind people judging my taste but not my or anyone else's budget!

TeWiDoesTheHulaInHawaii · 31/05/2012 17:19

Is it wrong that I want you to go for the tall bloke just for the visuals??

IAmBooybilee · 31/05/2012 17:23

erm, argos have a basic bathroom suite for under £300.

workshy · 31/05/2012 17:27

susannelinder

how do you know if people are on commission?

oldraver · 31/05/2012 17:37

TeWi that reminds me of when I got an electrician round. I vaguely knew him and was at ease with him and had the price beeb ok given the job to him on that basis.

However he was rather.... rotund, and his face went white when I showed him the loft doors he would have top get threw.... I never got his quote

LentillyFart · 31/05/2012 17:40

I had a bathroom gutted, re-plastered, tiled, floored, new fixtures and fittings, walk in shower, lighting - the lot. Around £2000. As squeaky said upthread - go to a small operation and get it done by them. The service and work standard will be better - no question. And no smug fuckwads with an eye on the commission.

Original poster

oopslateagain · 31/05/2012 18:03

Had another man round tonight from another local firm, he seemed OK until he started doing the 'sucking teeth' thing when I said I wanted wet wall over the entire bathroom, not just the shower. I have spoken to three different plumbers/builders, and they all said the same thing - wet wall is more expensive than tiling, but much much cheaper in labour as it goes up so fast. Tonight's man said it would take at least five days for 'his' carpenters to wetwall the entire room! He was implying it would be more expensive in labour costs. And everything I pointed at, he said "that's not cheap you know...".

I said we would be ripping out the old bathroom anyway, taking down the old tiles, and skimming the walls, and he looked worried and said how much work it would be and then just kept putting obstacles in the way, saying all the problems we would come up against. In the end, when he said "shall I give you the quote for the whole job then including stripping out the old bathroom?" I just said yes, bet it's insanely high.

It's looking increasingly like we'll be going with the Giant. must remember to charge camera batteries

OP posts:

Glittertwins · 31/05/2012 18:12

We had a very good bathroom fitted and the only reason it cost more than we all bargained for was because of the shower doors which are centre opening on a quadrant. If we hadn't had that, then we could have got it for £3k.
It certainly didn't cost more than £3k to fit either which included underfloor heating installed, fully tiled and new lighting put in.

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