How to screen time-wasters before a site visit

What a time-waster really is

Owners use the phrase for anyone who takes up a visit and never books. In practice, most of these callers are polite and genuine. They just are not ready, not the decision-maker or not looking for what you sell. The aim is not to be suspicious of callers but to find out, kindly and quickly, whether a site visit makes sense for both of you.

• Price gatherers: collecting three quotes because a landlord, insurer or partner asked for them, with no intention of choosing on anything but price.
• Early dreamers: thinking about a job in a year or two and wanting a rough idea now.
• DIY researchers: hoping a free visit will tell them how to do it themselves.
• Wrong fits: jobs outside your trade, your area or your minimum size.
• Not the decision-maker: tenants, adult children or friends ringing on behalf of someone else.

What a wasted visit costs

A free quote visit is rarely free for you. It means driving, parking, an hour on site, writing the quote and often a follow-up call. Median full-time pay for plumbers and heating installers was £19.00 an hour in 2026^[1], and an owner’s hour is worth more than that once you count van costs and the paid work it displaces.

Example. A fictional heating firm does eight free quote visits a week and wins three. Each visit, with travel and quote writing, takes about two hours. If better screening on the phone removed just two visits a week that were never going to convert, the owner would recover around four hours a week, or roughly a working day every fortnight, for paid work or rest.

Five qualifying questions

These questions work for most trades. Ask them conversationally, not as a checklist, and in roughly this order.

1. What is the problem, and what would you like done? Lets you check it is work you do and gives you a first idea of scope.
2. When are you hoping to have it done? Separates urgent needs from plans for next year.
3. Who else is involved in deciding? Finds out whether a partner, a landlord or an insurer will make the final call, and whether they can be at the visit.
4. Do you have a rough budget in mind? Many callers will not say, but those who do save you quoting a full replacement when they want a repair.
5. Are you getting other quotes? Not a challenge, just information. It tells you how much time to invest in the quote.

Reading the signals

None of these signals means the caller should be turned away. They tell you how much time to invest and whether a visit is the right next step.

Use photos before you travel

For most trades, a few photos or a short video can replace the first visit or confirm that it is worth making. Ask for a picture of the problem, the area around it and anything relevant such as the boiler data plate or the consumer unit. Callers who are not willing to send a photo of a straightforward job are often not ready to book it. Our guide to asking for photos before a visit lists what to request by trade.

When to charge for a survey

Free quotes are normal for small, simple jobs. For others, the visit itself is skilled work and charging for it is reasonable. Consider a paid survey, often credited against the job if the customer goes ahead, when:

• the visit involves design, such as a heating system, a rewire or a landscaping scheme;
• you will produce a written report the customer could use with another firm or an insurer;
• the address is outside your normal area or needs long travel;
• diagnosis is the main value, such as tracing a recurring electrical fault or a leak;
• the customer has said they are only gathering prices.

Example script: For a job like this, the survey takes about an hour and includes a written report with options. There is a charge for that visit, which we deduct from the price if you go ahead with us. For a deeper look at the trade-offs, see our guide to free quotes versus paid surveys.

Protect yourself once the quote is accepted

Screening does not stop at the visit. Material costs move quickly: the construction material price index rose 7.2% for all work in the year to September 2026, and 6.2% for repair and maintenance^[2]. A quote with no validity date can become loss-making if a customer comes back months later. State a validity period, such as 30 days, and say that prices may change after it.

Payment is the other risk. Late payment was a problem for 63% of SME employers that gave trade credit in 2025^[3], and 45% of construction SME employers named it as an obstacle to their business, up from 36% a year earlier^[3].

For commercial customers and landlords, agree payment terms before you start, ask for a purchase order where they use them, and remember that for business customers you can claim statutory interest of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate^[4] and a fixed recovery sum on late invoices: £40 on debts up to £999.99, rising with the size of the debt^[5].

Following up without chasing

Some quotes go quiet because the customer is busy, not because they have chosen someone else. One structured follow-up is reasonable; several unanswered calls are not. A simple pattern works well:

1. 01

   Send the quote promptly

   Within a day or two of the visit, while the conversation is fresh. Include the validity date and how to accept.

2. 02

   One follow-up message

   About a week later, ask whether they have any questions and whether the timing still suits.

3. 03

   Close the loop

   If there is no reply after the validity date, send a short note saying the quote has expired and you are happy to requote later.

Track which enquiries became paid work and which did not, and look back at what was said on the first call. Over time you will see which answers predicted a booking in your business, and you can adjust your questions accordingly.

Saying no gracefully

Sometimes the right answer is not to visit at all. Do it kindly and give the caller somewhere to go. Example: That is not something we do, but a local tree surgeon would be the right person; or: We do not cover that area, but I would suggest searching for a registered firm closer to you. A caller you turn away politely today may ring you back for the right job next year, or recommend you to a neighbour.

Example: tightening up quote visits

Example. A fictional landscaping firm noticed it was quoting for many jobs that never went ahead. It added the five questions to every enquiry call, asked for photos before visiting and introduced a credited survey fee for design work. Over the following season it made fewer quote visits, won a higher share of them and spent less time chasing customers who had gone quiet. The firm did not turn away more callers; it simply stopped driving to jobs that were never going to happen.

Callers who only want a figure need a different approach; see what to say when callers just want a price. For trade-specific enquiry scripts, see our garden maintenance call script and cleaning enquiry questions.