sterry56 had some really good advice about bidding on commercial jobs.
It concluded with: "Do whatever it takes to become King of The Hill".
Well, my competitor did just that last month. I lost out on a 25K job to him.
I can't prove it (don't really want to try), but I'm pretty sure that he was able to underbid me because he paid slave wages to illegal immigrant workers. Had I got the job, I was going to pay a couple of guys $15 hr.
I also heard through the grapevine, that he used his connections to find out in advance what MY bid was. Again, can't prove it, don't want to try.
I've seen his work. On a scale of 1 to 10, he's about a 6 on a good day.
I had educated the customer on what to look for in a quality job. But I guess that price was their only concern.
I'm sure that when sterry56 made that statement, he meant "Legally and ethically, whatever it takes".
I'm sorry for that loss, but I like your attitude about not wanting to try to prove the other guy a cheat. Things like that burn me up an I dwell on it to often. Your good work will more than make up for it in the end.
Kyle
Well, you do have to live with yourself (and he with himself). Sometimes I wonder how people can rationalize their unethical actions. In any case, if this customer has any clue about quality, the job may eventually come back.
June
My philosophy is, it's better to be creative than competitive. Let that job go, there is a better one right around the corner.