Under-specify, then over-charge

This is a practice we come across quite often. It works because there are a lot of people out there who just look at the price tag, and don't actually check what they are buying.

It works like this. A customer sends a supplier details of their problem/requirement. The supplier sends back a really low quotation. The customer rubs their hands together with glee, and signs on the dotted line. It's only when it's way too late that the customer realises that a whole list of essential goods & services were missing from the quotation: and these will all need to be purchased as "extras". Maybe this is just carelessness. Maybe it is a lack of professional attention to the client's needs. Maybe it's straightforward deceitfulness. I leave it to you to decide which is the least desirable option here!

Either way I guarantee you'll end up paying way over the odds for the finished job.

We had an example recently. A customer wanting to replace a couple of PCs, improve the WiFi signal & network in a machine in the works (near a welding bay). So we worked out what he needed, did a competitive quotation and (fortunately) delivered it in person. His immediate reaction was "You're a grand more than the competition"! When I expressed surprise at this he was clued up enough to compare the two quotes. It turns out the "competition" hadn't included new monitors (the existing ones are broken), hadn't included updating the PCs that were due to remain in-situ, hadn't included a replacement WiFi router, hadn't included for cabling past the welding bay, hadn't included for backup, hadn't included for anti-virus (the two latter were on a separate quote) and hadn't included VAT. Which all added up to a lot more than the £1000 difference in the quotes.

Two lessons to take from this. As a buyer, make sure the quote covers everything it needs to before you sign. As a supplier, take the proposal to the customer in person. It gives you a fighting chance against the charlatans.