3 Signs You Were Given a Poor Quote on Your Shutters in Gainesville
When you invite a shutter professional, home remodeler or any other home service rep into your Gainesville home, you place a lot of faith in those people. Unfortunately, some home service providers might exploit that trust, particularly when they give you a quote. To help ensure you get quality home services, Sunburst Shutters Gainesville has put together some tips on how to recognize when you’re being fooled during a shutter quote, and the steps you can take to protect yourself when receiving a Gainesville shutter quote and picking a shutter company.
Remember that while our experience is mainly in shutters and window accessories in Gainesville, these points can apply to any home service, from home security installers to painters and beyond.
Symptoms of a Bad Shutter Quote
The biggest giveaways that you’re being fooled during a shutter quote apply to almost every home service sector. Here are a couple of the most frequently-seen red flags.
1. The Quote You’re Given Is The Best By Far
If you get a shutter quote from someone and it’s far and away the best you’ve seen, pay close attention. The service provider may be quoting you for a super basic product without features that you may have thought came standard. Remember the saying, if it sounds too good to be true, it just might be.
2. You Get A Great Price Quote Sight Unseen
Some shutter companies may quote you an excellent price on shutters without ever going near your window, asking about your specific wants, or even measuring the windows. A lot goes into choosing the right shutter, so if your shutter company doesn’t get all the little things correct, there might be a significant difference between a quote and the final price.
3. The Dealer Insists That Their Product is Identical to the Name Brand
A reliable sign of a bad shutter quote or any home service quote is if the sales representative insists that their product is just like a popular name brand. Every product is unique–from material used to construction methods to paint finish and beyond. Yet, companies who offer cheaper products commonly parrot that theirs is just like brand X. They do this to make you feel like you’re getting a proven product for a lower price, when in reality, you’re just buying an inferior product at a matching price.
Tips To Guard Yourself Against Bad Shutter Quotes
Knowing these symptoms of a bum quote can save you money and stress in the long run, but you can also take some precautions to make sure you do business with a good shutter company.
1. Check Credentials
Do a little research on your shutter dealer or home service provider. Resources like the BBB or Angie’s List can give you a good picture of their reliability.
2. Get Your Quote in Writing
You can’t always trust a quote you hear on the phone. Getting a price quote in writing ensures that the details (including square footage, shutter extras, and installation specifics) all correspond with what you have in mind. And make sure the details are on the quote–like the total square footage, name/brand of the product, and –in writing!
3. Work Locally
Working with a local shutter company or local contractor gives you fewer hoops to jump through when making sure a quote is for exactly what you want. Sunburst Shutters Gainesville is locally owned and managed, and we work to simplify the entire shutter-buying process from start to finish.
