Our company always provides free estimates. As a home and or business owner it is always alright to ask any contractor if they provide free estimates. Questions keep our customers informed, and we hope to carry that throughout all of our projects. The only time where our Free Estimates are no longer free, is when we have moved passed the estimate and onto the design phases of the project. When we begin to have plans made up, designs provided, and a formal material list with samples have been put together our company does charge a small fee. With our company this fee is nonrefundable but is full reimbursed if the customer selects our company to provide them with the service.
It’s always acceptable to ask for a free estimate, across all industries, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Why should you have to pay for someones opinion? In fact, it is advisable to get bids from at least three different contractors when taking on a big job. Good luck!
Anytime you contact a contractor for an estimate, it should always be free. There are exceptions to this. If a contractor has to travel outside of a 40 mile range, it is appropriate to charge a $20.00 travel fee which can be deducted from a final bid price if the contractor wins with his proposal. Other than that, there should never be a fee for a proposal.
We will always provide our potential clients with a free estimate…
It is ALWAYS appropriate to ask for a free estimate. Roofing Specialists-Portland never charges for estimates. We also recommend you get at least three estimates before choosing a roofing contractor to use.
As long as its in my service area. Some of my pluming work can be flat rate. So that makes certain bids easier.
If the location where the job is to be performed, is a very long distance from the base of operation. A small travel fee may be requested.
I generally will give free estimates to the point of what it will cost them to complete the job. However, I do not provide a breakdown of anything simply because if I do so then some other unlicenced “Joe” that is friends with the homeowner can take my list and get materials without having to figure it.
This entirely depends on the contractor and the type of work that is being estimated. My field is painting and I will always give a free estimate as long as it is in my area (around a 50 mile radius of my home). If someone needs a bid and I have to travel more than that then I would ask for some compensation and the possibility of me doing some kind of work when I arrive, regardless if I win the bid or not. Offering services to the potential client allows for compensation for self and a sense of money well spent by the potential client. In my field I would offer gutter cleaning, power washing, ect.
As a small business owner, I always give free estimates. I believe this pays off in the longrun. If you give a little time it will come back to you. I have gotten jobs by not charging for small repairs. A year ago, I was called to estimate a church. When I got there they asked me to check a small leak. After measuring the roof and caulking a few nail holes, the pasture asked how much he owed me. I told him not to worry about it. Six roofers came before me to stop the leak. They all charged for a simple repair. The leaks were unstopable. Two weeks later the pasture called to tell me I had the job.
No i dont think there is any time to charge for an estimate as that would detur alot of people from even considering hiring a company that does.
There is never a time when a customer should not receive or expect a free estimate. Especially, for SOLAR!
Free estimates seem to be a no-brainer these days. However, I have been put in tough positions when people take advantage of free work. I have recommended to some of my clients my personal electricians or plumbers. They have been called so many times by some customers for “free” estimates on jobs that never happened. After some time, my subcontractors told me to stop sending them leads untill they get some jobs from them. Unfoturnatelly some folks out there just have many ideas of things they want to do around the house, but when they see that work isn’t quite free, they never start any of their ideas. So when customers call more then twice for free estimates on different projects that never materialize, we tend to stop answering.
Pure Plumbing will always provide our customers with a free estimate.
When advance planning or scope of work has not been addressed.
Anyone can ask for a free estimate anytime they wish, but some exceptions to this policy is when a customer tells me that they need several quotes after a home inspector writes up several problems with a potential home they are trying to purchase. I would charge a fee for this depending on what all was written up, how involved the estimate needed to be, etc…and also if a customer needs competivie bids for Insurance purposes. In this case, I charge a small fee, based on the scope of the work, to provide a competitive bid …
All estimates should be free. It gives the customer a chance to interview the contractor and also provides the contractor the opportunity to earn their business by proving there expert knowledge with nessisary code requirements, and there experience with products of the trade.
A contractor should always provide free estimates.
I will provide a free estimate when a customer inquires about a major repair or system replacement. During a diagnostic, I will provide an estimate for repair or replacement however I do not waive the diagnostic fee. I have had occasion where I have had a customer contact me and ask for an estimate to compare for insurance purposes, in those instances I would offer the service of a full evaluation to cover any pre-existing issues they had (hot and cold spots, undersized equipment etc etc). I would offer this service for a fee, typically the equivelant of a diagnostic fee.
All the companiew suppose to offer a free no abligation estimates for any of the projects that customer need. It is not a service call or sale over the phone so there is no reason to charge for an estimate.
We always offer free estimates!