# Blown-out by Lowes bid!



## silvertree (Jul 22, 2007)

jtterbrock said:


> everone wants to discrecit Lowes/Home De. We have built custom homes for many years, but its all come to a stop here! This is when you weed out the back of truck guy, when i went into business I never thought I would do thier work,it's called survival. They pay within 2 days! Bottom line with my CO. it's my name on the finished product and the residual work is $$$$$$


I'm not knocking all people who work for the big boxes. There is a local guy I know who is making 80K a year doing kitchens for HD (only kitchens), or so he says and I believe him. But this isn't good for the trades because a lot of the people the HD stores will hire will not do good work and the trades in general will go backwards. The big box stores are not set up to service people in the way a smaller contractor can. 
But I have to ask you this, are you saying the money from HD is better than what you made as owner of your company?


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## smellslike$tome (Jan 22, 2006)

jtterbrock said:


> everone wants to discrecit Lowes/Home De. We have built custom homes for many years, but its all come to a stop here! This is when you weed out the back of truck guy, when i went into business I never thought I would do thier work,it's called survival. They pay within 2 days! Bottom line with my CO. it's my name on the finished product and the residual work is $$$$$$


I get paid before I leave the customers house.

I also get paid a fair and right price not what blowes decides to give me.


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## smellslike$tome (Jan 22, 2006)

threaderman said:


> What do you do for evening or week-end calls.Are the charges the same


It depends. If it's 6pm and I'm still in uniform and you're not on the other side of the world probably my regular $59. If I'm out of work mode but not in bed $118-$149. If it's 2:00 am you might have to send your kid to junior college instead of the university after we're through:whistling. I am aware of more than one company around here who will not leave the house after dark for less than $285 and that is just to pull up in your driveway.


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## threaderman (Nov 15, 2007)

Thanks again,I appreciate that.


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## kevjob (Aug 14, 2006)

If they bring up HD or Blowes we just say well looks like your all set, good luck
!:no:


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## silvertree (Jul 22, 2007)

kevjob said:


> If they bring up HD or Blowes we just say well looks like your all set, good luck
> !:no:


If I get to a home and HD is mentioned I give it a shot, after asking how far they got with HD. Sometimes I think people are really asking for a reason to hire my company instead of HD.


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## smellslike$tome (Jan 22, 2006)

It's not always hopeless if the box store has done some install before you. Yesterday, my last call was for water escaping a relief line on a water heater. Got there told the ho "well the first thing I see is that the water heater is improperly installed in that there is no expansion tank but I still don't have enough information so let me run the tests and see if that is your only problem or not." She then informed me that hd had installed the water heater about 4 years ago and she said in a tone that indicated she was not surprised that it was improperly done. So I did the tests and was surprised to find that it was in fact only the lack of an expansion tank that was causing the problem because most of the time, in my experience there is going to be a prv problem as the primary pressure problem with the expansion tank being the secondary pressure problem. So I reported the results explained that I had 2 expansion tanks, 1 was a 2 gallon and 1 was a 5 gallon (you know I'm really not sure if these are the actual capacities or not). I explained that the 2 gallon was probably adequate but that I could install either one. They chose the 5 gallon tank and I added about $166 to the ticket just by offering them a choice. No pressure and no deceit just the option of one over the other. Installed it, tested it, the gauge never moved off of 50 psi. Demonstrated this for the ho so she would see the difference for herself and she was perfectly happy. I don't know this for a fact but I really doubt that they will call the box store for anything else. This by the way was the not the first time we had provided these clients with service.


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## Song Dog (Feb 3, 2006)

smellslike$tome said:


> It's not always hopeless if the box store has done some install before you. Yesterday, my last call was for water escaping a relief line on a water heater. Got there told the ho "well the first thing I see is that the water heater is improperly installed in that there is no expansion tank but I still don't have enough information so let me run the tests and see if that is your only problem or not." She then informed me that hd had installed the water heater about 4 years ago and she said in a tone that indicated she was not surprised that it was improperly done. So I did the tests and was surprised to find that it was in fact only the lack of an expansion tank that was causing the problem because most of the time, in my experience there is going to be a prv problem as the primary pressure problem with the expansion tank being the secondary pressure problem. So I reported the results explained that I had 2 expansion tanks, 1 was a 2 gallon and 1 was a 5 gallon (you know I'm really not sure if these are the actual capacities or not). I explained that the 2 gallon was probably adequate but that I could install either one. They chose the 5 gallon tank and I added about $166 to the ticket just by offering them a choice. No pressure and no deceit just the option of one over the other. Installed it, tested it, the gauge never moved off of 50 psi. Demonstrated this for the ho so she would see the difference for herself and she was perfectly happy. I don't know this for a fact but I really doubt that they will call the box store for anything else. This by the way was the not the first time we had provided these clients with service.


That right there solves the Flat Rate & T/M issue. WTG! When they compare apples to apples now, you are the most professional, educated, courtious to there needs, and you gave them an option to choose. Makes life simple for both parties. Most of the time, from what I have experienced, people go there for what they think is cheaper. But later finds, they should have invested their money with a true service company. 

In Chirst,

Song Dog


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