Contacted by contractor for quote

[john.k]

Ive cut out friends as middlemen......I do the work,dont want some dummy getting half the take......Friend came to me with a contract he had from an oil company ......moment I looked at it I recalled the advert for tenders......he had tendered a whole job price where there were three pumphouses,he had mistakenly tendered a price for one as a price for all three.OOOOps.

 

[adammil1]

Half the shops I’ve sent work to Ive found on Google. I’ve done it on behalf of a 2 billion dollar company and a 2 million dollar company.

No one turned me down for finding them by searching online. Most of the time they are pleased as it somewhat justifies having a website.

My first question is do you take a credit card? Quite a few shops are happy getting paid the same day. Some like to set up a 30 day cycle.

My point being is that the internet is the first place a lot of people look for things. I don’t get the paranoia being located via Google, it’s modern business.

And to the OP, see if they have a credit card. Run the card ahead of time like a hotel does and bill them once they pick up the parts.

Lol I was thinking the same thing it's 2022 where do you think we go to find new suppliers the local telegram office?

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[Freedommachine]

Half the shops I’ve sent work to Ive found on Google. I’ve done it on behalf of a 2 billion dollar company and a 2 million dollar company.

No one turned me down for finding them by searching online. Most of the time they are pleased as it somewhat justifies having a website.

My first question is do you take a credit card? Quite a few shops are happy getting paid the same day. Some like to set up a 30 day cycle.

My point being is that the internet is the first place a lot of people look for things. I don’t get the paranoia being located via Google, it’s modern business.

And to the OP, see if they have a credit card. Run the card ahead of time like a hotel does and bill them once they pick up the parts.

I have often done the same. It's 2022, how else am I supposed to find new vendors? Would it be better to drop into random shops unannounced to request a quote? - I really don't think so lol.

I have been asked; "How did you even find us?" With a tone of astonishment - on more than a few first time calls.

I have also found myself practically begging for quotes on multiple occasions which I find incredibly irritating. I am not in the habit of begging someone to take my money.

I prefer doing business with small shops over large corporations whenever possible but they do not make themselves easy to find. I started my machining career in small 3-8 man job shops, I understand that world and I know how much the work means to them.

I don't know anything about the contractor world that the op is speaking of. His cautious approach is probably reasonable given the nature of the situation. I am only suggesting that folks not apply so much suspicion to new customers who find them through the internet.

 

[jatt]

Still do a fair amount of work for retail customers - the net is where many of them 1st contact me. This amount is diminishing over time.

The commercial guys, whether they windup being ongoing, or for one off stuff - 1st contact on the whole is still the phone.
But yeah I dont normally put them on terms on 1st or 2nd orders. If they ask for terms, send em a basic proforma to fill out. Some of them have never actually sent anyone into my shop. Those guys dont need to know its basically a 'mum and dad' operation. Dont think they care, they just want their stuff. Long as they pay on time, happy days.

Anything commercial through the net, would be trying to do as much research as possible before taking any further.

Having a credit card facility, need one for sure. Seems to be no shortage of options there, even in this backwater part of the world I live in. Bought mine outright and just pay a small percentage of the transaction, so naturally I add a bit extra to the price to cover it. In most case see payment through in a couple of days. Being able to process credit cards over the phone is a real bonus.