Ever have one of those days where you just wonder why you bother. First job, lounge, reception room stairs and landing in a B&B, they had picked the cheapest of the cheap loop piles that fell to bits as soon as you looked at it. Job took twice as long as it should of plus whoever do the prep previously had made a right mess so all gripper was to rip up and replace. Next job was a staircase where the customer had supplied his own carpet, again previous prep was shocking so all had to be replaced which I hadn’t quoted for, then the carpet was a cheap stripe that looked pissed and to top it off his staircase want straight either and ran out 15mm from top step to bottom step. Oh and between those 2 jobs I drove out 20 miles to fit a dining room only to find him glossing the skirtings
That’s a big work load! There’s a reason I like to provide my own work and I visit every job in advance. Whilst I hit problems (who doesn’t?!) they aren’t many thankfully. I’ve also stopped fitting customers own unless it’s genuinely something I can’t source.
It was a stupidly big work load today, the joys of contracting for a shop. I’ve told him it’s to much for 1 day. He’s used to his old fitters who used to slash and go. I refuse to rush and I won’t skimp on the quality of my work. If I run out of time in the day then so be it
What day. Some shops will load you up. It’s tough to allow enough time, especially if there is unexpected prep work needed. It’s always been a problem I think. It also make fitters skip the prep work. Why not just charge for the full prep? The customer gets it cheaper, the shop doesn’t have to pay the fitter and the fitter does twice as much work, works late and gets paid the same? Can see who wins and loses Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sadly the shops I've known don't care and don't pay fitters extra for prep work. Not in their interest to try and sell prep as it can put the customer off... All it means is poor workmanship and customers getting a bad deal.
No shop doesn’t charge extra for prep and I used my own gripper. At the end of the day it’s my name on the finished product so I’d rather do the job properly.
I’m training up my eldest lad so I find it’s best to teach him the right way right from the get go instead of cutting corners
First thing you need to teach him is avoid shops like the one you are fitting for! That's a long day with them jobs crammed in so it only tells you that the shop is after the quantity and not the quality. Get what you saying its your name etc but you working for the shop that isn't bothered about giving their fitters pressure and with their rep you'll get tarnished with same brush.
To be fair to the shop I’ve done work for them on odd days for the past 2 years and this is the first time I’ve actually looked at the work and thought “bloody hell, that’s to much” I’m reducing my days with the shop after next week and concentrating on my own private work. I don’t want to ditch the shop work completely as he made sure I was the fitter that had constant work when everything went quiet
Get what you saying and defo worth keeping aslong as they don't push you to 'just slash it in'... Build up more of your own work and you won't look back, its just the bloody paperwork
Easy yes but when you have to do half a dozen quotes every other night after work just to keep up, your day then turns into a 14hr shift!
Fair point. Time is definitely the biggest issue. I find it’s not the estimates themselves but the planning that takes longer for me.
It's the whole shebang, getting out measure which is near impossible for me during the week unless it's really local, looking into material cost then quoting aswell as bouncing backwards and forwards when customer changes their mind on design etc .....wish I'd have done better at school
2 stairs in a day no bugger that, the last week before Christmas maybe just to get done before closing but rest of the year no chance. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
