Companies that charge for quotes

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kissingmybbgoodbye

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Today I walked into cupboard/kitchen store to ask for a price of a standard 3 door cupboard for the bedroom , nothing fancy. The sales person insisted I need to pay her R250,00 for a design/quote. Just walked out went to a competing company about 700 meters further and within 5 minutes had a price from the owner.

Needless to say that the first company never will see me again. It was just a simple cupboard for the bedroom, nothing fancy which will take them hours to design.
 
Once had a guy try to charge me R650 for coming to my house to do a quote for repairs.
 
I think they have to tell you upfront... telling you afterwards isn't on.
 
There's a quote and there's an estimate. A quote is what you will pay and the estimate is an approximate value.

Some companies want to quote you then stipulate terms depending on whether you accept or not. I know Acer does this with PC's. They will give you a quote, but if you refuse to accept, they will charge (crazy). If they have to do some work apart from just turning up and giving their opinion, then maybe that's why.

A certain online dealer told me some work would be free of charge for testing some components I bought there, then tried to charge me when they realised the fault was not on their product. This is also not allowed.
 
Yup, they have to tell you upfront.. so YOU have the option of accepting or decling their offer...

Also had a company awhile ago take in a machine to quote on repairs.. came back with a R20k quote on a machine worth R5k... told them I'm not interested in repairing it.. they then gave me an Invoice for R400 for "Quote Rejection"... which I basically told them to stuff as I had no contract with them to say I would pay them anything in the event I didn't approve their quote...

They fought with me, but gave up eventually when it became clear to them I wouldn't pay and I wouldn't be bullied into paying either.
 
..

well a lot of companies charge a call-out fee if they have to come to your house but I feel anything over R60 is pushing it

Also: If they charge so much just for a quote chances are they are not making much money from actually doing work and that could be a warning sign
 
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Got a reply from the franchisor, about how much time their trained consultants spend to give me a quote to my exact specification.

On a kitchen maybe yes, but not on a standard bedroom cupboard, which years ago I got a free quote & drawing and all from an other company within like 15 minutes (for a larger cupboard with drawers as well)

I told him to go take a hike and rubbed it in to him as well about the lost sale and future sales. Why is it that South African Companies love to rape consumers

Its not that they come to your house take measurements etc. (I have to supply them the measurement in the shop which the well trained cupboard designer just punches in a computer program)
 
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