One good thing to come out of the economic downturn....

[kevmiles1]

Anyone who has been looking at having work done or get a quote and in the past and has been let down, or been told that there chosen craftsmen cant do it for 6 months or more?
Well, now as the building industry has been hit so hard you will probably find you will get a much better service, you might even get the work done this summer and more than likely even cheaper than any quotes before

 

[CHRIS]

Is it a good thing that these same tradesmen have to work 1/3rd more to pay the same bills that they had last year as the price of materials have shot up in the last year as well?

Its good for no one and will make the quality of work worse as they have to do more jobs to make the same money, believe me I deal with contractors every day and its getting worse. Pay a fair wage and get a fair product, treat people with respect and they will respect you.

Plain selfish I say.

Availability - fair enough but not driving down wages to below cost.

 

[AMc]

My experience is that the new build market has slowed so there are a lot of general labourers in easy supply.
All the skilled trades I need are as busy if not busier than ever because fewer people are moving and more are 'improving' their current homes. Materials don't seem to have got cheaper & things imported have gone up by 10% or more.
The only certain impact I've found is you now need to worry more about suppliers going bust - so you have to do a risk calculation before you hand over 1/2 the money for say £8K of glass or £4K of joinery in case the firm ceases trading between ordering and delivery. Some of my other trades don't turn up because they have to run to sites where they've fitted equipment but not been paid - if they don't get there before the administrator then they don't get their goods or their money.

At least my (increasingly large) mortgage is on a lower rate. I never thought it would be good to be paying the building society's standard rate.

 

[hoppy]

more than likely even cheaper than any quotes before

I guess i am one of the fortune one's.. my enquiries are still coming in.... I have one golden rule...dont drop your standard and dont drop your price...plus the lowerst price will not always be the best.. As they say..pay peanuts and you get monkeys

 

[Feltwell]

Materials don't seem to have got cheaper & things imported have gone up by 10% or more.

That's because most imported items, especially from China, are usually paid for in US dollars - but the companies get paid by you and I in Sterling.

Not that long ago it was $1.9 to the pound, now it's more like $1.4 to the pound.

It's having a big effect, China isn't the cheap option that it once was.

One tip is to have a retention of title clause in your terms & conditions of sale - that way if the customer goes bust you can reclaim the goods from the administrator, we have done this several times recently. Not sure how you stand if those goods have been "installed" in any way though.

 

[DaveBrigg]

A carpet fitting friend of ours who had traded successfully for over 25 years went into liquidation last week. The recession was the major, though not only contributory factor. They tried selling the house to raise money, but there are few buyers, and plenty of others desperate to sell. Not much to smile about.

 

[Pford75]

The trend for stripped floors and laminate (which many believe can be self-fitted) is another major factor in carpet fitters going out of business

 

[asenath]

plus the lowerst price will not always be the best.. As they say..pay peanuts and you get monkeys

Generally true but not always - there are some honest hard working people who are not out to fleece everyone of their money nor provide standard services for less. If you are willing to spend a bit of time researching what you need doing and the companies you have asked to give quotes . . . and you are happy with the price . . .then you have secured the deal that you want.

There are far too many companies feeding off the worries of householders up & down the country and charging extortionate prices so I suppose the quote couold be turned on it's head - " Just because it's the most expensive doesn't mean it's the best either!"

 

[Lime]

more than likely even cheaper than any quotes before

I guess i am one of the fortune one's.. my enquiries are still coming in.... I have one golden rule...dont drop your standard and dont drop your price...plus the lowerst price will not always be the best.. As they say..pay peanuts and you get monkeys

I think a revised version is pay huge bonuses and get bankers... who is best suited to fit your kitchen?
The price of a job has very little to do with quality of workmanship.

 

[Penners]

pay huge bonuses and get bankers.

I presume that's cockney rhyming slang...

 

[FamilyWiggs]

pay huge bonuses and get bankers.

I presume that's cockney rhyming slang...

Scrooge Monuses?

Which, incidentally, could be defined as selfish idiots - which seems apt.

 

[AMc]

One tip is to have a retention of title clause in your terms & conditions of sale - that way if the customer goes bust you can reclaim the goods from the administrator, we have done this several times recently. Not sure how you stand if those goods have been "installed" in any way though.

It doesn't help you as a customer if you're ordering from a supplier who wants a significant payment up front - you're placing a bet they won't go pop with your cash in hand. As established companies are going to the wall you can't be sure it won't happen.

One of my suppliers retains title until he's paid for heating systems. He fitted one through a 3rd party who went bust before the installation was complete - leaving the job and the end client in a mess & the supplier unpaid. The contracts clearly showed the goods were still his but the administrator had no interest. The end client had no interest in paying for goods installed. Eventually he informed the police and went to retrieve his property, one of his staff was assaulted, he was taken to the police station and was left without his goods. Now if he hears the rumour someone is going to the wall he collects his property immediately.

 

[Feltwell]

It doesn't help you as a customer if you're ordering from a supplier who wants a significant payment up front - you're placing a bet they won't go pop with your cash in hand. As established companies are going to the wall you can't be sure it won't happen.

No, it only works if you're a supplier. As a customer if you can pay by credit card (of course not everyone accepts them) then I believe you can usually claim the loss back from your credit card company.

Retention of title can lead to an argument with administrators, we've had to threaten legal action a couple of times to get goods back. It can work though, we've had items back several times with no argument - but we've never tried it for goods that have been installed, it's always been recovering goods from a wholesaler in our case.