Hi all! I am in the midst of pricing carpet for my new home in Melbourne. Have had the Carpet Call bloke out as I need the job done relatively quickly (whole other story!). He said he will email a quote though, and that it'll be RRP, and we can "work together on the price". So I am wondering if any negotiating/buying experts here have had experience with this company or know the rough discount to aim for? Any advice muchly appreciated.
I HATE this tactic. I’ve had a couple of instances where I’ve got a quote for stuff and told them it’s a bit much, then they’ve dropped the price, still to high. Dropped price again - Get outa here, you we’re trying to rob me blind with the first price how am I supposed to trust you now?
The art is called bargaining, works both ways.
If they gave you a price and didn't drop on asking, would you trust them more.
Use your judgement and compare from other stores, see if you find value for money is right and then go for it.
I trust them a bit more when they can sharpen their pencil a bit, not when they start knocking more than 20% off without blinking. Yes, negotiating is part of the game but coming in with a really high price, then dropping it significantly without much effort is what gets me. I guess some love the idea of ‘getting a bargain’ because they smashed a huge discount though.
Commission based sales, comes with the territory
…as I need the job done relatively quickly
Disclosing this could cost you more (or it could cost you that extra discount they might've otherwise have given). That goes for most things - not just carpet.
You need it in a hurry - You told him this?
He now knows this and will add 15% to the price… so when you negotiate 10-15% off, he will get the price he wanted in the first place.
Get two quotes… need equivalent product. Carpet isn't carpet, so if you have a knowledgable sales staff, discuss your needs and best bang for buck. I've had no troubles with flooring, once you find a decent sales staff. They exist, but you need to shop around.
Surprisingly I found Harvey Norman pricing quite good, clearly labelled, and bs-free. While I didn't buy from them it provided a good comparison for negotiating elsewhere.
Also, if you just want cheap carpet with cheap install, head straight to Bunnings.
Harvey Norman do negotiate on the list price as well. I have often done this.
My suggestion would be use another company you have shown your hand so they wont give you anything. Also having multiple quotes also isn't a bad thing and don't show your I would like it urgently hand to any one else.
Also the person I live with was treated like an idiot by Carpet Call 3 years ago. I was called a liar from a rep for posting the saga on product review. Fun times.
carpet courts quoted pricing was like 30-40% more expensive at the same price of material i was using for my flooring. definitely shop around or else your paying premium labor costs
They are an individual franchise, you can compare directly with another carpet call
I'll tell you what I will do for you, if we can do the order while I am here today I will knock $500 off for you, shuts up and smiles, been my go to for 30 years lol, rarely fails.
Bingo! Exactly what i was told when the salesman gave me to quote. Next question I asked, is that the best price you can give? Managed to get lower again!
Lol, he added it on top so you didn’t really get a discount
Start at a 90% discount and negotiate from there
How else they gonna pay for them ads?
Thank you for all the comments and advice. I am awaiting a few other competitive quotes, see how we go.
Feels like Carpet Call is perpetually on sale and you've picked the only rare time that it isn't (probably to meet advertising rules). No harm getting a quote but you might want to wait for a sale if you can (noted you said quickly) and cross-compare.
The answer to how much question would depend on the material, quantity, fitting location etc.