Competition

Forestboy1978 · Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:54 pm

There's a handful of companies that do fencing around our way that are decent. We do fencing and we're decent. We're all in line price wise. Sometimes we are a bit cheaper, sometimes they are type thing.

There is this one company who just destroy our prices by 30 sometimes 40% and they've got tons of great reviews. We simply can't compete with them. The weird thing is we are always repairing their fences. They do a shit job. How are they getting such good reviews and how can one company undercut the majority of companies by up to 40%. Yeah they don't bury their posts deep enough which is obviously a time saver but not by much. Unless you're breaking through concrete it doesn't save that much time on the grand scale. They're lines are a bit shit too but again it doesn't take much extra time to line the posts up to a couple of string lines.

Anyone else ever have this experience?

lemoncurd1702 · Sat Dec 19, 2015 7:22 am

Yes. Similar story with a block paving contractor this way, two actually and not pikeys.
One of them is all cash and they both employ Â£40 a day cash in handers.

Some of they're work looks good some looks shite, it seems to be whatever they think they can get away with.
I was told one of them excavates a metre from the kerb and a metre from the garage and lays over the what remains.

Andy Meechan · Sat Dec 19, 2015 8:18 am

Forest,

They're maybe building fences 30-40% cheaper than you but they're maybe only making pennies on their fences. As for reviews they're likely done within a couple of weeks of fences going up not after they've faced the elements for a while. You don't want to start competing with them on price either or you'll be skint. If potential customers ask why competition is offering fences much cheaper just explain you do honest days work and they're also maybe a connection between the cheap fences and your often repairing them. Maybe all cash work too.

Hope this helps. Andy

Forestboy1978 · Sat Dec 19, 2015 9:21 am

Cheers for the feedback.

Yeah he's hand picking his reviews. He's got lots of time gaps between work so I assume he is. Also, he's got tons of 10/10 reviews but on every page he has a howler and a really bad write up. He's also got a gallery of 12 photos and no photos next to a single review.

We on the other hand have the same score as him but great write ups and a mix of 9s 9.5, 10s etc with photos of before and after next to 90% of our reviews and a gallery of 300+ photos and so far not a bad review.

Guess I'll just keep on keeping on and try not to worry about it.

Ta

lemoncurd1702 · Sat Dec 19, 2015 9:34 am

The 10/10 reviews are either friends/relatives or simply by making a few bogus e-mail accounts and doing his own reviews.
Look at the wording, you can usually tell if they've been written by the same person.

rxbren · Post: # 107297Post **rxbren** Sat Dec 19, 2015 5:49 pm

Alot of the time its people who do fences on the side so they get materials off site no way you can compete with that.
What review site are you on and does it work

michaelthegardener · Sat Dec 19, 2015 7:19 pm

here's my take on it

some of the reviews are fake some are done before its obvious its a shit job and some are done by morons who think its a good job ???
but what gets me is these people who do this shit must think its uality work they post it on there facebook pages and the like for example

quality eh ???

Forestboy1978 · Sun Dec 20, 2015 4:34 am

rxbren wrote:Alot of the time its people who do fences on the side so they get materials off site no way you can compete with that.
What review site are you on and does it work

Checkatrade. I resisted for years cos i know it's just a money maker but more fool me. It's better than our next best advertising by a factor of about x10 for ROI.

We do put up before, during and after images next to nearly every review though and I stick the dog, van or truck in the images as a water mark.

It is not cheap mind...

dig dug dan · Post: # 107305Post **dig dug dan** Sun Dec 20, 2015 8:53 am

michaelthegardener wrote:here's my take on it some of the reviews are fake some are done before its obvious its a shit job and some are done by morons who think its a good job ???
but what gets me is these people who do this shit must think its uality work they post it on there facebook pages and the like for example

quality eh ???

Thought you hadnt got any pictures of your workshop base being constructed? :p

Sun Dec 20, 2015 12:59 pm

nice work Michael :;):
theres plenty like that about who just are blissfully ignorant
I wouldnt say we are the best builders in Luton ,but we are in the top 1 and that reputation sells itself
(this came from the head of Luton building control not me)
LLL

rxbren · Post: # 107317Post **rxbren** Sun Dec 20, 2015 7:11 pm

Looked at checkatrade a while back but unsure of the costs only met one person who is kn there but they were on about leaving due to reviewers snagging ridiculous items and his son having to redo a whole job, don't get me wrong it might be him as the work I seen of his wasn't particularly any good and was dearer than we would have been by around Â£300

Forestboy1978 · Sun Dec 20, 2015 9:22 pm

rxbren wrote:Looked at checkatrade a while back but unsure of the costs only met one person who is kn there but they were on about leaving due to reviewers snagging ridiculous items and his son having to redo a whole job, don't get me wrong it might be him as the work I seen of his wasn't particularly any good and was dearer than we would have been by around Â£300

Yeah there is that. So far it's been good to us but yeah you can't cut a corner without the worry of it biting you in the ass.

I would imagine it differs region to region though. For example I know they don't know much about it up north and guys are moaning at little benefit. The magazine didn't pay us this year either. Next year I'll just be on their books but not in the magazine.

Forestboy1978 · Sun Dec 20, 2015 9:24 pm

Also, there is not much point in re doing a whole job. The customer is gonna screw you for the review anyway. However, if the job is shit, then ethically you should re do it anyway.

rxbren · Post: # 107325Post **rxbren** Sun Dec 20, 2015 9:56 pm

Its good to hear so.e positive feedback about it not sure if will take the plunge in it I suppose it couldn't hurt to try a year but begrudge paying out so much money to the parasites

mickg · Post: # 107326Post **mickg** Sun Dec 20, 2015 11:44 pm

I was in checkatrade for 12 months, the vetting procedure is very through and I did get a few enquires but not one job transpired from the initial enquiry but that's not to say it does not work for other contractors