Bidding for Free a Losing
Battle
I thoroughly enjoyed the article by Dan Kolbert (Business,
4/11) touching on the fallacy of "free" estimates and
"competitive" bidding. That so many consumers and contractors
won't grasp a basic axiom of business - that the bitterness of
low quality will linger long after the sweetness of low price -
is mind-boggling.
Some years back I adopted a policy of politely informing
potential clients that free estimates are one of the
professional courtesies I reserve for established customers.
Quotes on work for all others are billed at my regular hourly
rate with a...