got homeowner a check , they get 10 bids!

have been coming here for years , 1st post . today just takes the cake , i dont know if this will help me , but i need to vent ! bad! contingency agreement ? legal/illegal? ethical ? just live with it? all part of it? sick of sorry lying homeowners , wow ! i'm po bad! 21 yrs in business , i'm ready for a change ! chasing , selling , estimating , something has got to give , not to mention economy is horrible in central arkansas. 1 thing after another , oh lets not forget the uh , yea , i need an estimate for a repair! these people dont have a clue ! how about handing a bill for 125 to the big shot doctor who says can you come back friday ? i am not kidding ! the end is near , dont know what im gonna do , but i have just about had it !

Hey SED. Are you still mad or do you feel a little better?

sed, almost 20 years in business here, 3 years ago I was in the same situation. I also decided that was enough for me. Now I do only repairs. no more installs. every call I get I tell them there is a minimum charge if I come out to look at the house. some go with it, some don't. Its their choice. I don't advertise, its all word of mouth. each year I get more and more work. But the important thing is, every second I am working, I am getting paid for the work I do.

the othert roofing companies are fighting each other for work while I go in and repair their roofs and get a new customer for the next 15+ years.

Dear SED: Welcome. Let loose, this is a crowd that knows exactly how you feel. Another tip is the post I just did about Qualifying Questions. But we don't have to fix it, we can just listen.

I used to feel that way. Then I built a website and right there on the front page, I stated I charge for estimates or proposals. Also that I had a minimum fee. The phone calls slowed, but now, every caller is seriuos about hiring me, not just looking for quotes or estimates. It won't work for everybody, but it does for me. :)