A badly built quote costs you twice: it loses jobs, when the client cannot follow it or compares it poorly, and it loses margin, when a forgotten item ends up at your expense. The good news is that the same mistakes come up again and again. Here are the ten most common, and how to catch them before you send.
1. Vague lines
"Plumbing works: 2,400". The client does not know what they are paying for, cannot compare, and haggles over the total. Break it down: supply and fitting of each item, quantities, units. Precise lines build trust and avoid arguments at the end.
2. Forgetting side items
Strip-out, waste removal, protecting the property, the final clean: these take time and are often forgotten. They are the first place margin leaks. For a full structure, see our guide to writing a quote.
3. No validity date
Without an expiry date, the client can pull out your quote months later at outdated prices. Give a specific date: see our article on quote validity periods.
4. No deposit
On a materials-heavy job, no deposit means you are financing the work. State the amount, when it is due and that work starts on receipt: see our guide to asking for a deposit.
5. Missing payment terms
Due date, accepted methods, late payment terms: without them, every delay becomes a negotiation. See our article on invoice payment terms.
6. Wrong tax
A wrong tax rate changes the final price the client pays. Check the rate that applies to the kind of work and the client.
7. No caveats about existing conditions
Damp walls, old pipes, rotten timbers: what only shows once work starts should be flagged in the quote. One sentence avoids a dispute. See our article on quote vs estimate for where firm prices end and estimates begin.
8. Forgetting travel
A distant job with no travel line costs unpaid hours on the road. See our article on charging for travel.
9. Arithmetic errors
A quantity copied wrongly, a total that does not match the lines, a discount applied twice. Software does the sums; if you quote by hand, always recheck the total.
10. Sending too late
A quote sent two weeks after the visit arrives after your competitor's. Send it within two or three days, and follow up if you hear nothing: see our article on following up a quote.
Why these mistakes keep happening
Most of these mistakes come from quoting in a hurry, from memory, late in the evening after a day on site. The fix is not more effort but a better system: saved prices for your usual items, standard lines for strip-out and waste, a default validity period and deposit, and totals calculated automatically. Once those are in place, each quote starts complete, and your time goes into the specific details of the job.
Pre-send checklist
| Check | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| Detailed lines with quantities and units | |
| Strip-out, waste and clean-up priced | |
| Travel priced or included | |
| Caveats about existing conditions written | |
| Tax rate checked | |
| Validity date stated | |
| Deposit and payment terms stated | |
| Total rechecked | |
| Client details correct | |
| Sent within three days of the visit |
Print this list or keep it handy. After a few weeks it becomes second nature.
Fixing a quote already signed
If you find a mistake after signature, do not quietly change the quote: offer the client a revised quote or a change order and have it signed. A signed quote binds both sides to what was signed. If a client later disputes the amount, the steps are in our article on invoice disputes.