Charging for estimates
tgray@aol.com
Sat, 19 Oct 1996 23:48:26 -0500
I recently hurt my arm and had to refer a client to a former
employer I'm still friends with whose work and
professionality I respect. The client called me back a few
days later complaining about the other arborist--called him
a name and said he wouldn't have anything to do with him.
His feelings were based partly on the fact that the other
arborist charges for estimates. I do not, and I was not
aware that the other arborist did. My client, a
professional himself, thought that charging for estimates
was unconscionable. He believes that estimates are not
charged for in any comparable profession and considers free
estimates essential as a show of good faith.
I declined to take sides, although I basically agree, but I
told him that many respected arborists have begun to charge
for estimates and suggested that perhaps their choice had to
do with spending more time estimating, compared to other
professions such as architecture and construction. I also
cited the case of the homeowner getting 15 estimates for a
$50 stump removal. But what about other professions? In which
others are estimates charged for? Do people tend to shop
around between arborists more than they do among, say,
plumbers?