Quote vs estimate: what's binding in the UK
You gave someone a rough figure over the phone, they held you to it, and now you're arguing about whether it was a quote or just a guess. The words matter more than most people realise.
Where it hurts
A quote and an estimate are legally different things, and mixing them up costs real money. A quote is a fixed price for a defined piece of work. Once the customer accepts it, you've broadly formed a contract at that figure, and you can't quietly bump it up later because the job turned out fiddly. An estimate is your best informed guess. It can move as the work reveals itself, within reason, but only if you've made clear from the start that it's an estimate. That's the general position, not legal advice for your specific dispute.
The trouble starts when the paperwork is vague or missing. A text saying 'about £800' with no scope written down is a fight waiting to happen. Was £800 the ceiling or the ballpark? Did it include materials? What if the customer added two extra sockets halfway through? Without written scope, you're relying on memory and goodwill, and goodwill evaporates the moment an invoice lands.
Most small firms send neither a clean quote nor a clean estimate. They send a number. That number does the legal work of a contract whether they meant it to or not.
What I'd build
This is mostly an explainer, so the practical bit is making proper written quotes the path of least resistance rather than a chore you skip when busy. I'd set up a quote template in whatever you already run (QuickBooks, Xero, or a job app) that states clearly whether it's a quote or an estimate, lists the scope in plain lines, shows what's included and excluded, and carries a validity date and short terms. Then I'd wire it so the details flow from the job record instead of being retyped, and so an accepted quote turns straight into the invoice. The label 'quote' or 'estimate' becomes a deliberate choice you make per job, not an accident of phrasing.
What changes
- Every price you send says clearly whether it's fixed or a guide, so there's no argument later
- Written scope on every job, listing what's in and what's out
- Validity dates and short terms attached automatically, not bolted on when you remember
- Accepted quotes flow into an invoice without retyping the numbers
Related fixes
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