A client's last minute call on a Friday almost cost me a $5000 job

I mean, it was just a normal week, finishing up a rewire in this old house in Portland. The homeowner had been super chill, but on Friday at 3 PM, his boss calls and says the whole office needs an emergency panel upgrade by Monday. He asks me if I can quote it right then. I was tired, wanted to get home, and just gave a rough number over the phone without seeing the place. Big mistake. I drove over after and the job was way bigger, with extra circuits they didn't mention. I had to call him back and basically admit my quote was wrong, which made me look bad. He almost went with someone else because of the mix-up. It taught me to never, ever give a final number without being on site, no matter how much someone pushes. Has anyone else had a client rush you into a bad quote?

2 comments

2 Comments

foster.drew1mo ago

Heard a similar story from a buddy who does tile work. A guy called him on a Thursday needing a bathroom floor done before a party that weekend. My friend gave a quick price just based on the square footage the guy said. Showed up and the old tile was a nightmare to remove, plus the subfloor was rotten. He had to eat the extra cost and time because he already gave his number. Makes you wonder if some people leave out details on purpose, you know?

hart.reese1mo ago

That's rough for your buddy, but giving a number without seeing the job is asking for trouble. Most people aren't scheming, they just don't know what to look for. They see tile and think it's a simple swap. A quick site visit or even a video call to check the subfloor would have saved him from eating that cost. You gotta protect yourself because the customer often doesn't know what they don't know.