You get what you pay for!
16 April 2021
Over the past 12 months many of us have suddenly had time on our hands to begin those household and garden DIY projects we have been putting off for months and maybe even years. However many of us have begun to realise that whilst it may initially seem the ‘cheaper’ option to complete the work yourself, the reality is there are some tasks that should be left to the professionals!
To illustrate our point we have a little story;
A customer asked me how much it cost to install raised floor
I answered him: ‘£1,500 for the area he requested.
He said: ‘That’s too expensive!’
I asked: ‘How much do you think it should cost you?’
He answers: ‘£800 maximum. That's a pretty simple job right?’
Me: ‘For £800 I invite you to do it yourself.’
Customer: ‘But.... I don't know how to.’
Me: ‘For £800 I'll teach you how to. So besides saving you £700, you'll get the knowledge for the next time. But to get started, you need tools (I then list all the tools required)
Customer: ‘But I don't have all this equipment and I can't buy all of these for one job.’
Me: ‘Well then for another £200 more I'll rent our tools to you so you can do it.’ He agrees
Me: ‘Okay! Tuesday to start then.’
Customer: ‘But I can't on Tuesday.’
Me: ‘I'm sorry, but I'm only available Tuesday to teach you and lend you our tools. Other days are busy with other customers.’
Customer: ‘Okay! That means I'm going to have to sacrifice my Tuesday, give up my tasks.’
Me: ‘Oh, I forgot. To do the job yourself, you also have to pay for the non productive factors.’
Customer: ‘That is? What is this?’
Me: ‘Tax, vat, security, insurance, fuel etc.’
Customer: ‘Oh no!... to accomplish this I'm going to spend more money and waste a lot of time!’
Me: ‘You'll also need to collect the materials on time. I'll order you all the materials you need. Truck loading is done Monday evening or Tuesday morning you'll have to come by 6am to get it on the truck.’
Customer: ‘At 6??? Nope! Too early for me! You know, I've been thinking you would be best to get the job done. I'd rather pay you the £1500 actually. If I had to do it, it wouldn't be perfect and it would cost me nearly as much money and time I don’t have.
When you pay for a job and a professional you pay not only for the material used, but also:
- Knowledge
- Experience
- Study
- Tools
- Reputation
- Contacts
- Quality trade materials
- Punctuality
- Accountability
- Professionalism
- Accuracy
- Guarantee
- Problem solving
- Sacrifices
- Safety and security
- Marketing
- Payment of tax obligations
Only by knowing all the elements necessary for the production of a certain work can you estimate the actual cost. With raised floor whilst our site teams may make installation look simple due do their skills it is far from simple. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for, so if you want a team with over 100 years industry experience in the supply and installation of raised floor then you need to speak to RMF. We pride ourselves on producing specification compliant, competitive and comprehensive quotes for all raised flooring works.
Back to News