"We usually do 7-10 days tops. Short enough to protect us, but clients don't feel cornered."
7-10 days seems reasonable, but lately even that's pushing it. We've started adding a brief disclaimer about material price volatility—clients appreciate transparency, and it covers us if prices spike unexpectedly.
7-10 days sounds fair enough, but do you find clients actually read the disclaimer closely? We've tried something similar, and half the time they still act surprised when prices shift...maybe it's just human nature?
"half the time they still act surprised when prices shift...maybe it's just human nature?"
Honestly, I doubt most clients read disclaimers closely—or at all. I've had people genuinely shocked after a storm spikes material costs overnight. Human nature indeed...but 7-10 days still feels like a fair compromise.
"7-10 days still feels like a fair compromise."
Yeah, I get why you'd say that, but honestly...is a week really enough time for most homeowners to make a decision? When I was getting quotes for my deck, it took me at least two weeks just to compare options and crunch numbers. Maybe a sliding scale could work better—shorter windows for volatile materials, longer ones for more stable stuff. Seems fairer to everyone involved.
I see your point, but honestly, even two weeks feels tight to me. When I was shopping around for new windows, it took forever just to get callbacks from contractors, let alone compare quotes and figure out financing. A sliding scale sounds reasonable though—maybe something like 7-10 days for lumber or copper (stuff that fluctuates a lot), and 2-3 weeks for things like flooring or fixtures that don't jump around as much. Seems like it'd save headaches on both sides...
