Annual Rant - Ode to fake phone calls

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

And so the season begins, much like it does every year. The ads come out, the phone begins to ring, and some of those would be callers pose as home owners whose sole purpose is to milk you for information and pricing so they can take their brand new HD machine and proceed to blast away for beer bucks. ENOUGH! We all know what a home owner acts like when they call. The tone, the questions, the demeanor is just not a same as your information troll.

What the heck is wrong with Beth? She's usually so helpful. I'll always be helpful. But seriously, am I really expected to endure argumentative phone calls where the "homeowner" (read that as hack wanna-be) gets downright nasty when you insist you have to see the property to give a proper quote and that you won't give anything by phone? HA!

Maybe it's the recession, or maybe it's the fact that work is hard and no one gets it all handed to them on a silver platter. Get over it, screw your head on straight and think about what you are about to do. Be legal, be licensed, be insured, and be careful. I totally do not get the mindset of all that matters is the money, and the customer satisfaction is secondary. That's another pet peeve that irritates the cheese out of me, the lack of understanding or caring about the effects of actions upon the industry and all of us in it. Read my lips, if you are a lousy hack who doesn't care about the work or the law then it reflects on all of us when you are stigmatized, and believe me, you will be stigmatized. Adjust your attitude and business practices or get the heck out.

I think this is enough rant for half a cup of coffee..... :cup:

Share your sentiments!

Beth :lol:

[Bilge Cleaner 14]

Getting started in this business, friends told me to just call a few cleaners/competitors and have them come out and quote you on some work that way I could know what to charge!, I can't do that as I feel I'm getting a education at someone else's expense. But I don't see why it is even nessesary for someone (else) to do that when there are forums like this out there?? but I guess that cuts into their beer time

[plainpainter 217]

Beth - because of your suggestions over the phone with me and another guy on the net, Brian Phillips, I am only quoting folks who will meet with me. If they want a 'free' estimate - they're going to have to commit to time out of their day. Imagine if every contractor insisted on this? Folks may stop getting 6-7 estimates for a lousy house wash.

And about bottom feeders calling contractors milking for information - that's the total epitome of scum! Whatever happened to working for other companies and learning the 'ropes'? I must have worked for perhaps 10 years with other guys, spending years getting good and then making notes how long projects take - getting hints here and there from a boss, neighbor, paint store clerk as to the 'going' rate. And then doing a few 'weekend' jobs on the side. These idiots that come out with a home depot unit - and think all they do is spray water, is absolutely ludicrous! Charging $125 for a home wash when I gave a $375 estimate for the same thing - makes me look like an idiot.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Don't mind me, but I think it is better to be honest, and call someone who is out of your service area to learn that or network on the forums. I hate that people would have you come alllll the way out to look at their property, give prices, leave literature, and not being forthcoming about it. Just bugs the cr*p out of me.

I have a lot more respect for the guy who calls and says help me I'm new and I don't know what I need to do. That's the guy I'll help.

Welcome to TGS. Please add your signature. :)

Beth

[Doug Dahlke 114]

Got one of those calls last week. I'm sure more are to come.

[Adrian 155]

Very Nice post Beth. I agree with you on the fact that most of us have been around long enough to know whether we are talking to a potential customer or a contractor testing our rate matrix.

Hopefully my posting this response will be a helpful addition to this thread.

Simply ask them if they are a contractor as well before offeing any qualifying questions or to come out to jobsite for est. I really enjoy hearing them stumble over their words and lies. The pshycology involved will be very rewarding. You can almost hear their nylon brain gears breaking teeth.

I have had other contractors disintegrate and simply abort the call after some qualifying questions. I actually love when that happens, and it does happen year after year. Honesty IS the best policy. I really don't mind helping new startups as I have in the past. But let's start by being honest. That's more of a solid foundation.

I also agree with Dan in the statement " I will only meet with customers that are willing to make time to meet with me". That just steps it up a notch.

Why is our time any less important that their time?

Again, great thread. Hope I have only been positive sounding in my post.

[Scott Stone 604]

My favorite are the caller ID calls, where they are calling from their company phone number. That gets really fun.

[Adrian 155]

My favorite are the caller ID calls, where they are calling from their company phone number. That gets really fun.

Wow!!! what a dead giveaway. They must not know of *67.

[charlie 14]

Had one email me

Charlie

[big mike 14]

I've had 5 confirmed competitors this spring alone. (2 yesterday). What gets me is the contractor who has been around for a while (you know who you are), but feels the need to shop my pricing. Just dumb. I never give a phone quote unless its a past client wanting maintenance.

[charlie 14]

Its kind of funny all they have to do is get on the net half of you guys say what you charge already. All I ask from a fellow contractor is be legit and insured. After saying that they will find that running a business can be costly.

Charlie

Edited March 27, 2009 by charlie

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

It just gets me going....nobody likes to have their time wasted, it should be by honest choice that we decide to help.

I help guys in MD all the time, but NOT if they act like children....

Back to work for me. No more rant from Beth... :lol:

No more coffee either!

Beth :groovy3:

[charlie 14]

Beth coffee in the morning and then liquor in the afternoon.

Charlie

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Beth coffee in the morning and then liquor in the afternoon.

Charlie

Woohoo! It's Friday! Almost there!

Beth

[Bilge Cleaner 14]

"All I ask from a fellow contractor is be legit and insured"

I went through this with my bilge/tank cleaning business, I had a carpet cleaning guy cleaning bilges and pumping the oily waste into his vac tank for half the cost I was charging he was not DEP/EPA licenced so he didn't have his truck DOT inspected or have to carry pollution Ins ( about a extra $8000.00 year),when I called him in to the local enviromental enforcement they just shrugged it off yet if I was late by one day with my monthly report they would threaten me with a $10k fine!!!!???

[CCPC 26]

I do most mo my estimates for standard house washes and roof cleaning off site. Fortunately I don't have to many guys posing as home owners just to get an idea of what to charge.

I have a theory that most of the these jack legs that you all are hearing from are finding your numbers via yellow pages. I don't advertise in the yellow pages anymore, and ever since I stopped; I don't get hardly any of those calls anymore. Most of my new customers find my by way of the Internet, and I'll tell you, the quality of the customers and jobs I'm getting from that avenue are top rate.

I hate the yellow pages. Cheap, Cheap, fishing, cheap.

When I do get calls like that, and I of course I usually know it's someone fishing for information, I will either call them out, or I'll give them a hugely inflated price on the job in question. I figure if they want to know what they should charge to TRY and do what we do, I might as well give them some lofty goals to meet.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Some of the people who call and ask for pricing over the phone are rather insistent about it.

These are the ones that are the dead giveaways. Especially when they argue with you. 2nd flag!

Customers don't do that. They will acquiesce to a visit and often want to be there so they can talk to you personally.

Some contractors who couldn't get us to spill it on the phone have actually called back and gave us some fake addresses albeit with another person as a confederate.

Map software and reverse lookup helps to sort them out most of the time.

Rod!~

[Henry Bockman 14]

I get the same calls too Beth. I think they want to compare everyones prices in the area so they can "undercut" us. That's fine let them try! On deck cleaning and sealing they have to have a license. On house washing with that 2-4GPM power washer they will take all day to wash a house and end up making no money in the end.

I don't mind helping other guys out when they start up either but I agree, if they were only honest when calling to figure out pricing they would get a lot more usable information.

Sometimes I call them back about 20 minutes later as a follow up call to see if they have any questions.. <G> That's when it get's really fun!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I get the same calls too Beth. I think they want to compare everyones prices in the area so they can "undercut" us. That's fine let them try! On deck cleaning and sealing they have to have a license. On house washing with that 2-4GPM power washer they will take all day to wash a house and end up making no money in the end.

I don't mind helping other guys out when they start up either but I agree, if they were only honest when calling to figure out pricing they would get a lot more usable information.

Sometimes I call them back about 20 minutes later as a follow up call to see if they have any questions.. <G> That's when it get's really fun!

Had one get pissed at me the other day when I would not give him a phone price, and the more I very nicely said no, the angrier he got, until I finally said I didn't how much he demanded, I wasn't giving them to him - mind you, I had no info from him, although caller ID showed him to have come in from SW DC with reverse lookup (a real money haven that) and I'm pretty sure I know what company he worked for. They are not licensed. I think we discussed them recently. ;) Calling from home or a friends place I suspect...

I get guys who call and tell me exactly who they are, and I help them, send leads etc. But then, I appreciate the honesty and respect, and give it in return.

Beth

[FullBlast 14]

Yep had the same thing a few weeks ago, a guy called from a cell phone and gave a fake name number and address and I was supose to call him back, I called the cell number and they acked like they didn't know who I was talking about, I let it go a day or two and called it again just got vmail, He called me back and told me that he had lost his phone and someone else must have been using it. Joke joke!!

[plainpainter 217]

Oh I just had one of these wee-wees just call me - god, how uneartly annoying. 'I'm just asking how much it would cost...' over and over and over again. 'Oh you mean you can't give a quote over the phone?'

Guy lives in apartment building wants to know how much to wash the building - it was so blatantly obvious he wanted to do the job, he even made the verbal mistakes of putting himself in the situation. I don't understand why these douce bags just don't own up to what they're doing - pumping for info.

This is my favorite line - 'I don't know, I've never done it before - how much would you charge?' LOL

[4000psi 16]

Hey I started out calling other companies but I told them "I was starting a PW biz. They sent me to TGS. Best thing ever.

[plainpainter 217]

Hey I started out calling other companies but I told them "I was starting a PW biz. They sent me to TGS. Best thing ever.

Two things you did right, firstly you introduced who you were and secondly you had the intentions of starting a biz - this guy just wants to make a few bucks.