Avoid the Pitfalls - Understand The Difference Between An Estimate and a Written Quote There are really only 3 things you need to know: No1: An estimate is exactly that: it’s a rough guide to what you can expect to pay. What you’ll end up paying can be very different. A written quote is a fixed price – it’s exactly what you’ll pay. No2: With an estimate, if the work takes longer than the kitchen company expected, you pay more than the estimate. If it takes less time than they expected, you’ll probably not pay less than the estimate. No3: Companies that give estimates have good reason to quote on the low side. It helps them get the job and, if they estimate too low, you pay the difference. At My Beautiful Kitchen, we give out written quotations. We think it’s fairer for the customers. However, it can go horribly wrong

How the state of the economy can leave you with a kitchen nightmare… With the economy in trouble, many housebuilders have stopped building houses. This means a lot of joiners, painters, plumbers, plasterers etc. all now scratching around for work. How does that affect you and your kitchen? Some of these out of work tradesman have decided they can make a buck fitting kitchens (yes, even some of the painters). These guys aren’t bothered about customer satisfaction, repeat business or doing things properly. For them, it’s all about getting their next meal and staying afloat for a couple of years until the housing market starts to pick up again. “Kitchens supplied and fitted for £495” One of the advantages of not having to care about quality or customer service is that you can cut corners and use the savings to lower your prices. I’ve even seen the following on a local lamppost: 

The Kitchen Sale That Ends Every Week "Kitchen Sale Glasgow - Offer Must End Tomorrow”  - This Isn’t What It Seems  - You’re given a quote for a new kitchen. It’s quite a good offer, but you want to think it over. The salesman realises this, leans forward and says “Unfortunately, the 50% off sale ends this weekend, you need to buy now to get this price.” Tick, tock. What Do You Do? Welcome to the world of high-pressure sales, where things aren’t always how they appear. Yes, the sale may end this weekend… but an identical kitchen sale in Glasgow might just start again on Monday. “Full-Price Week At Allied Carpets” It reminds me of an old joke by Ronnie Corbett about it being “full price week at Allied Carpets”. In the kitchen industry limited offers come… and come back again. So what’s the purpose of these offers? If you see a newspaper