Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Paying to get a quote from Handyman

61 replies

ClaymationHeartsStillBeat · 24/02/2022 15:06

Is it normal to have to pay for someone to come out and quote for a job? If so how much do you get charged??

OP posts:
Star81 · 24/02/2022 15:12

Never have done that and never would

saveforthat · 24/02/2022 15:13

No it's not normal

Ludo19 · 24/02/2022 15:24

Nope. I once had a handyman mainly joinery work, came our to price the job then asked me for a deposit......I said no and showed him the door. You pay when the job is done to your satisfaction not before.

StoneofDestiny · 24/02/2022 15:26

Not normal at all.

billy1966 · 24/02/2022 15:27

Nope

SW1amp · 24/02/2022 15:28

I’ve never ever been asked to pay for someone to come and quote…
It’s the cost of their job, not the cost for
the potential client

reluctantbrit · 24/02/2022 15:37

Not for a handyman but we had it a couple of time for work where the plans were only drawn up against a deposit/fee.

The reason was that we then owned the plans, we could go to whereever and then ask for a quote for the work. In one case it was for bespoke build-in furnitures for two rooms, incl. wood samples and a 3D drawing, a lot of work if we would just walk off with it and go somewhere else.

A normal Handyman for small jobs, no.

MintyFreshBreath · 24/02/2022 15:37

He needs a new career, as a comedian! There’s no way I’d pay anyone to come and give me a quote, far too much pressure to hire them. Most tradesmen are aware that they will go to a lot of houses and get turned down for jobs, it’s just the nature of it. So they charge the jobs they get accordingly. That’s what my ex-neighbour told me anyway and he was a plumber.

MsFogi · 24/02/2022 15:38

No way would I pay for a quote!!

poodlepoop · 24/02/2022 15:40

Nope

Momicrone · 24/02/2022 15:42

Tell him to take a hike

Brainwave89 · 24/02/2022 15:44

Not from a handyman no.

Justcallmebebes · 24/02/2022 15:44

Of course not. You'd never have to actually work. Just get 10 quotes in a day and charge a tenner each. Genius 👍

FunkyPhantom · 24/02/2022 15:48

Invite him round then charge him an entry fee into your home 👍

MrsDeadpool · 24/02/2022 15:48

Nope.

Booper42 · 24/02/2022 15:53

@FunkyPhantom

Invite him round then charge him an entry fee into your home 👍
Do you know how much work it takes to produce a quote? Its a lot of work! A visit to look at the work and measure up, getting the costs together, prepare the quote and send it, then deal with the questions that the client forgot to ask before - and once you have done all of that, you might be lucky enough to get a 'thank you, we will think about it!' These quotes are generally done when you get home at night, or at the weekend when everyone else is relaxing.

There are a lot of people out there getting quotes just to see how much a job would cost, without any firm plan of doing the work. I can understand why this tradesmen wants to charge.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 24/02/2022 15:54

Nope!

TenoringBehind · 24/02/2022 15:58

No. Don’t touch them with a barge pole!

Whingasaurus · 24/02/2022 16:02

Yes really good tradesmen have started doing this. So many people waste trades times by getting their 3 quotes or using the quote to firm up plans or just get ideas. Plumbers, electricians, repairmen all have a call out charge builders are starting to treat quotes like a call out charge. There's more work out there than workmen basic laws of supply and demand are changing the way things work. The charge should be deducted from the job.

Wexone · 24/02/2022 16:05

Its not the norm but i wont be surprised if it did. Alot of people get tradesmen's over to price things etc, then decide they don't want to do it or think they can do it cheaper themselves. it takes time to do up these quotes, measure up , cost everything do research and gauge when they will be able to do it aswell as cost money to do. Some people just get quotes for the crack. I seen someone put something up on Facebook the other day, they are doing a self build on their own house but had sent the build out to builders to quote costs on it so they could draw down their mortgage. Now these builders wouldn't be getting the job, but they were expected to price it ( for free). The person asking couldn't understand why no one was coming back to her

Chely · 24/02/2022 16:05

Nope!

Somanysocks · 24/02/2022 16:06

It is a lot of work to prepare a quote but I don't charge, never even thought to.

I do however blacklist people who ask for more than one quote when I think they have no intention of giving me the job.

TooWicked · 24/02/2022 16:10

The excellent handymen/tradespeople in my area have started doing this.

We had a tiler out to give us a quote in January, the earliest he can fit us in is end of May. The handyman we use regularly on our rental properties charges £30 an hour and is batting work away as he's so busy. I would pay both of them for their time in coming out and preparing a quote.

Shiningpath · 24/02/2022 16:12

Only seen it once but it was an extremely unusual job that requires a lot of research into methods and materials before a final quote could be produced.

MistOverTheDowns · 24/02/2022 16:14

@Justcallmebebes

Of course not. You'd never have to actually work. Just get 10 quotes in a day and charge a tenner each. Genius 👍
Exactly!

Don't pay for a quote. If you engaged them, how do you know if they'd even turn up?