underbid jobs

[jmack]

you should have noticed the compromised roots from the get go and all the obstacles as well. If you had actually assessed the tree when you bid it you would have bid it properly.

You do get out of your truck when you write a bid yes?

lose the tude

 

[Ryan Gossen]

The difference in these examples is that in the second, you get information you didnt have when you bid. In this case, its totally ethical to re-consider the price of your services.

In the first cexample, you made a mistake. You can either live with it or ask someone else to accomodate it. As your client, I might let you revise that bid, but I would consider myself to have cut you some perhaps undeserved slack. Also, Id be thinking, "this guy screwed up the bid, what is he going to do to my trees?" Of course, this is guy already played you off annother bidder, so maybe quality is not his priority.

I dont mean to sound judgmental here, Ive done it myself, everyone has. I think if your reputation is a big deal to you, eat that bid. If your imediate finnancial situation is more important, let your reputation take the hit. Long term and short term interests are different here.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

It takes several years and a lot of experience to price jobs correctly,if I mess up on a price these days [before I start the job] I either tell the customer the job needs to be more money ,or I don't do it ,it's that simple,if I realize i've messed the price during the the job,I just get on with it..

 

[P_woozel]

I would really piss you guys off then. I have driven off jobs with the whole crew if they have been underbid to the point of no recovery. People make mistakes in bidding, there is no need to continue that chain of poor judgement by staying and doing the job. I call and explain to the arborist who did the bid and take the crew to the next gig on schedule. I've worked for several "experienced" arborists in this area who bid difficult jobs without ever leaving the customers deck. This leads to many tough jobs and sometimes they really blow a bid bad to the point that it dont matter who you got on your crew and what gear you have its not recoverable.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I thought thats HOW you gave a bid. You walk the property, you look at accessability, you look from a distance, you look from under the canopy, you look for irrigation, you look for landscaping to work around , you look for overhead utilties, so on and so on. You look at everything.

When I walk away from writing an estimate, I have every fine detail worked out, I know how the job will be carried out, I know approx. how long it'll take to get it down, and cleaned up, I know where the chip truck will be parked, I know what time the friggin mail man comes, I know what day is garbage day, I know if there will be a school bus dropping 20 kids in front of the work site and what time.

As a homeowner, this is what I expect when I ask for a bid. Come back and tell me you want more money, or walk off the job, and you'll be talking to my lawyer. Not to mention the bad press I'll make sure you get. Small town newspapers just LOVE press releases that are ready to print.

You are a hack or a shyster, and either way you deserve to go down hard.

 

[jmack]

I would really piss you guys off then. I have driven off jobs with the whole crew if they have been underbid to the point of no recovery. People make mistakes in bidding, there is no need to continue that chain of poor judgement by staying and doing the job. I call and explain to the arborist who did the bid and take the crew to the next gig on schedule. I've worked for several "experienced" arborists in this area who bid difficult jobs without ever leaving the customers deck. This leads to many tough jobs and sometimes they really blow a bid bad to the point that it dont matter who you got on your crew and what gear you have its not recoverable.

yes brother

 

[jmack]

As a homeowner, this is what I expect when I ask for a bid. Come back and tell me you want more money, or walk off the job, and you'll be talking to my lawyer. Not to mention the bad press I'll make sure you get. Small town newspapers just LOVE press releases that are ready to print.

You are a hack or a shyster, and either way you deserve to go down hard.

please, constuction jobs with set budgets go over, bring yer lawyer, if its unsafe its unsafe, no one is gonna get hurt by press or lawyers

 

[clearance]

As a homeowner, this is what I expect when I ask for a bid. Come back and tell me you want more money, or walk off the job, and you'll be talking to my lawyer. Not to mention the bad press I'll make sure you get. Small town newspapers just LOVE press releases that are ready to print.

You are a hack or a shyster, and either way you deserve to go down hard.

Running to lawyers, what most Americans can't stand, over something so petty, note this everyone. I'll bet Mark is one of those mega-whiner customers where you think, I shoulda bailed on this loser, ever been there anyone? This kind of guy, "my drive way is cracked from your boom truck" (with grass growing through the cracks), "You scuffed my house, all the siding needs to be replaced" (siding from the 70s, already dented), and my all time favorite, "you said you would take the wood" even though on the quote is says firewood stays, run away, run away.

 

[jmack]

Running to lawyers, what most Americans can't stand, over something so petty, note this everyone. I'll bet Mark is one of those mega-whiner customers where you think, I shoulda bailed on this loser, ever been there anyone? This kind of guy, "my drive way is cracked from your boom truck" (with grass growing through the cracks), "You scuffed my house, all the siding needs to be replaced" (siding from the 70s, already dented), and my all time favorite, "you said you would take the wood" even though on the quote is says firewood stays, run away, run away.

thank you from nyc, the capital o lawyers j

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

please, constuction jobs with set budgets go over, bring yer lawyer, if its unsafe its unsafe, no one is gonna get hurt by press or lawyers

THAT is one of the silliest statements I've seen on any site.


Nobody gets hurt by press or lawyers?

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Running to lawyers, what most Americans can't stand, over something so petty,

Breach of contract is petty? You promise me something and then reneg, and that's petty to you?

I guess we know what YOUR word is worth.

I'll bet Mark is one of those mega-whiner customers where you think, I shoulda bailed on this loser, ever been there anyone? This kind of guy, "my drive way is cracked from your boom truck" (with grass growing through the cracks), "You scuffed my house, all the siding needs to be replaced" (siding from the 70s, already dented), and my all time favorite, "you said you would take the wood" even though on the quote is says firewood stays, run away, run away.

Clearance, you have the brains of a maggot and the morals of an alley cat. You are the kind that give business people a bad name. Come on to my property and make an honest mistake, and we'll work it out. Break your word, and you'll hang as high as I can pull you up.

And that's the right thing to do. Contractors who don't stand by their bids are on the same level as dishonest used car salesmen. If you don't know how to bid, that's YOUR problem. Go work for someone else who does.

 

[tophopper]

Contractors who don't stand by their bids are on the same level as dishonest used car salesmen. If you don't know how to bid, that's YOUR problem. Go work for someone else who does.

 

[clearance]

Breach of contract is petty? You promise me something and then reneg, and that's petty to you?

I guess we know what YOUR word is worth.





Clearance, you have the brains of a maggot and the morals of an alley cat. You are the kind that give business people a bad name. Come on to my property and make an honest mistake, and we'll work it out. Break your word, and you'll hang as high as I can pull you up.

And that's the right thing to do. Contractors who don't stand by their bids are on the same level as dishonest used car salesmen. If you don't know how to bid, that's YOUR problem. Go work for someone else who does.

Pretty easy to talk on the net, if I ever met you it would be worth it, even after the lawsuit that you would be sure to file against me.

 

[clearance]

Mark, what do you do, for work? Are you a tree guy? Have you ever run a saw, a decent saw? Climbed a tree? Or do you just hang out here like some priest, lecturing away at the great unwashed, when your not checking out altar boys?

 

[sawn_penn]

Someone requests a service, you provide a quote, sure you can withdraw the quote until they accept it. Until they accept it there is no contract.

ALL contracts should be made so they can be broken. I'm not saying that breaking a contract isn't serious, but there can be many unforseen circumstances.

If a party to the contract breaks the contract, then the other party can expect their resulting losses to be made good. If the tree is half down and left in a dangerous position, then the homeowner losses may include paying someone else to finish the work. If the tree hasn't been touched, and there is no other work held up as a result, then the homeowner losses are probably negligible.

I figure that contracts are broken from the homeowner side far more often than from the arborist side. Ever had anyone give you the OK to go ahead, and then cancel the work before you commence? I'm sure it happens all the time.

Open an honest communication is the most important thing if you need to back out of an agreement. If you forgot to price in (say) weekend penalty rates for workers, then say so. Try and work out a way to make everyone happy(ish.)

That's all the courts would want you to do.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Must be beer-thirty in the U.K.!

Either that or we've stumbled on another village idiot.

YOU AGAIN NOBBY NO MATES...

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

THAT is one of the silliest statements I've seen on any site.


Nobody gets hurt by press or lawyers?

You'd be the one getting hurt ,if a fool like you took me to court,and i'm not joking!!!!!!!!!!! [see Tree c.o.c.k.s post I deleted my original post by accident ]

Tree-men are a funny breed,i'd steer clear of them if I were you..

Taking people to court ,going to the papers,your a bloody joke mate..

 

[teressa green]

Go on Lee ,just say it how it is ,,,,,Methinks this is gonna get fruity ,,,,,,pretty true though ,court cases etc ,,,it aint happening ,,,,,must be a BRIT thing ,,,,,,

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Go on Lee ,just say it how it is ,,,,,Methinks this is gonna get fruity ,,,,,,pretty true though ,court cases etc ,,,it aint happening ,,,,,must be a BRIT thing ,,,,,,

I'd like to see the average home owner take a British tree surgeon to court ,or tittle tattle to the papers.... :hmm3grin2orange: WHAT A LAUGH THAT WOULD BE..

 

[computeruser]

Someone requests a service, you provide a quote, sure you can withdraw the quote until they accept it. Until they accept it there is no contract.

ALL contracts should be made so they can be broken. I'm not saying that breaking a contract isn't serious, but there can be many unforseen circumstances.

If a party to the contract breaks the contract, then the other party can expect their resulting losses to be made good. If the tree is half down and left in a dangerous position, then the homeowner losses may include paying someone else to finish the work. If the tree hasn't been touched, and there is no other work held up as a result, then the homeowner losses are probably negligible.

I figure that contracts are broken from the homeowner side far more often than from the arborist side. Ever had anyone give you the OK to go ahead, and then cancel the work before you commence? I'm sure it happens all the time.

Open an honest communication is the most important thing if you need to back out of an agreement. If you forgot to price in (say) weekend penalty rates for workers, then say so. Try and work out a way to make everyone happy(ish.)

That's all the courts would want you to do.

Excellent post. At last, some clarity and reason.