Advice for first time buyers

Cheap Labour and Concrete Prices. We often receive calls from people who have been sold kit sheds from unscrupulous dealers who quoted below cost prices for the slab and erection labour. They do this just so they get the kit price up and the sale in their pocket. The customer then finds that no one will erect their shed or lay the slab for that price. After finding someone to do the slab and erection at a realistic price, the customer will end up paying as much or more than the price quoted for a Ranbuild shed in the first place, but still have an inferior building. Worse still, an inexperienced erector will discover the price is too low and demand additional payment of walk off the job when it is half completed.

Asking for competitor’s quotes and pricing. These businesses operate like a “used car lot” and are trying to haggle as much money out of you as they can. Saying “we will beat any written quote” is merely admitting they are not prepared to give you their best price unless they have to. We will always give you our best price first time. We do not cut the price by cutting something out of the product.

Do you know with whom you are doing business? Can the supplier refer you to satisfied customers in your area and do they have a record of dealing fairly with people over a long term? Some companies merely divert your call to salesman sitting in a rented office somewhere. Note: Goods purchased interstate are not covered by other State's Department of Fair Trade, so you are on your own if something goes wrong.

Does the supplier clearly post a physical address and would they welcome a visit from you at their offices? Are they a real company with substantial resources, experience and expertise and not just two or three individuals with a slick web site and a toll free number? A few so-called garage makers are only $2 companies that have their assets protected under another name. Some are owned by people who have previously gone bankrupt resulting in customers losing all their money, only to restart under a new name.

Is the Engineering provided worth the paper it is written on? Are they original documents and do they have current dates? Is the engineer’s name, address and contact number included? Some companies supply documents that cannot be verified from engineers that do not exist or have long retired.

Who actually makes and delivers the building? Most building kits have fancy names and brochures, but many are not made by a manufacture at all. They are assembled by the dealer who simply bundles components from a multitude of sources that are delivered in bits and pieces. They are merely a member of a “buying group” selling the cheapest parts they can get.

Would you buy a car or house without looking at it? If the supplier does not have a display of the products for sale, it is usually because they are inferior. The supplier of a quality product is always proud to show it off.

The lowest price does not always represent a good deal. It usually only guarantees the lowest quality. No one can afford to give product away freely or below cost, else they will quickly go out of business.

Our final suggestion is read everything you can before signing anything. There is a lot of good advice available if you look for it. For example, The Shed Site explains most of what you need to know when starting out.