Asking For a Price
Over The Phone Is Not Fair To You As a Home Owner
As an owner of a Cleary Plumbing,
Inc. I deal with people price shopping every day. People call and try to
describe their plumbing issue and then ask for a ball park price or estimate
over the phone. For the person giving
the price over the phone, this becomes a very difficult situation every time.
In my opinion, a price over the phone is not fair to the homeowner. First off, you
are calling because you have a plumbing issue that you can not solve, so
describing the problem over the phone may be difficult. Secondly, there are few
plumbing problems that are exactly the same from one home to another. Lastly,
you as the consumer would not be getting the service and attention you deserved
if the issue were not observed first hand by a professional.
I am one of those people who always gave
prices over the phone. I may still give a range occasionally, but I learned
that I was not being fair to my customers by giving them a price I could not
fully stand behind without seeing the issue at hand. I later decided that I
would rather lose a sale over the phone than let my reputation as a Good Service
Provider be tarnished. I understand people need to budget and see if they can
afford the service they need, so a range can be a compromise. The biggest
problem with getting a price over the phone is when the problem described does
not match what exactly is going on. What ends up happening is the work ends up
being totally different or the work becomes more extensive than the price that
was given over the phone. This puts both the owner and the service provider in
a bad spot. The owners wants the service provider to honor the verbal price
over the phone and the service provider claims there is no way they can do the
service for that price. Now, you as the homeowner
are not getting the exceptional service you expect and deserve.
I am not naive and I know price is
one of the most of important factors in deciding on what we choose, but how do
we choose a Plumbing Company without a price over the phone? Making a list of
other things that are important to you is essential. There are many things you
can learn over the phone that can help you choose. Some of them are: Trip
Charges or Service Fees, Warranties, Guarantees, Maintenance Plans, Method of
Charging the Customer, Licenses, Accreditation, Financing Options,
Availability, Technicians Level of Expertise, and a Level of Comfort with whom
you are talking to. In asking the right questions you can ultimately compare
apples to apples when choosing your next Plumbing Company. By making a list
that is not only based on price, you are able to see the true valve of the
service. Not until you see perceived value will you ever agree on a price being
charged. Understand what matters most to you in a service company and then
choose the one that best fits yours needs.
West Palm Beach Plumber
Wellington Plumber
North Palm Beach Plumber
Palm Beach Gardens Plumber
Loxahatchee Plumber
Royal Palm Beach Plumber
Jupiter Plumber
Palm Beach County Plumber
Stuart Plumber
Lake Worth Plumber
Boynton Beach Plumber
