Quote questions and troubleshooting
The questions below are the ones that come up most often. Each answer links to the page that explains it in full.
Totals and pricing
Section titled “Totals and pricing”The lines add up to more than the total. Where is the missing money?
Section titled “The lines add up to more than the total. Where is the missing money?”An optional line is being quoted but not counted. A line marked Optional without Include in quote total ticked shows on the quote with its price — labelled Optional (Not included in Total) on the client’s copy — and is deliberately left out of the figure the client is asked to approve.
The client sees the extra and its price without it inflating the number they say yes to. See optional lines.
The client approved a higher total than the one I sent
Section titled “The client approved a higher total than the one I sent”They took an optional line. The form the client replies on lets them tick an optional line to bring it into the total before accepting — so an accepted quote can legitimately be worth more than the one that went out.
Open the quote and you will see Include in quote total now ticked on that row. See the form the client replies on.
The client is choosing between three brands — do I send three quotes?
Section titled “The client is choosing between three brands — do I send three quotes?”No. Put all three on one quotation as optional lines. The client ticks the one they want, includes it in the total and signs, and the quote that comes back tells you which they chose — priced and approved. Keep the shared work (installation, labour) as ordinary lines so only the competing options are being chosen between. See what to use optional lines for.
What is the best way to offer an add-on without pushing it?
Section titled “What is the best way to offer an add-on without pushing it?”Quote it as an optional line. Selling a laptop, add the AMC and the headphones as optional — the client sees each price while they are already deciding to buy, and takes them or not by ticking a box before signing. The total they are asked to approve never includes anything they did not choose.
Include in quote total does nothing on my ordinary lines
Section titled “Include in quote total does nothing on my ordinary lines”Correct — it only applies to optional ones. An ordinary line is always part of the total, so there is nothing for the tickbox to decide. Mark the line Optional first and the tickbox becomes meaningful.
My discount is being read as a percentage when I meant a flat amount
Section titled “My discount is being read as a percentage when I meant a flat amount”The discount column is read according to Discount on per Item, set on the quote form itself. Change it there and the numbers in that column change meaning. It is worth setting before you start pricing lines. See creating a quote.
How do I discount the whole quote rather than one line?
Section titled “How do I discount the whole quote rather than one line?”Use Additional Discount, on the quote’s summary. It comes off after the lines are totalled. The Discount column on each row is for the case where one particular line is being sold cheap. See discounts.
The tax total looks far too small
Section titled “The tax total looks far too small”Tax is charged per line, not on the quote, so a quote where only one line is taxable produces a small tax figure however large the quote is.
On a $155.75 quote where only a $40.00 installation carries 10% tax, the tax is $4.00 — the parts on that quote are zero-rated. See how the total is worked out.
Which figure is the client actually being asked to pay?
Section titled “Which figure is the client actually being asked to pay?”Total Amount on the Quote Summary. Quotation Total is the lines with tax; Additional Discount comes off it; Total Amount is the result. In Table View those appear as Total (exc tax), Tax Amount and Total (inc tax).
Dates and advance payment
Section titled “Dates and advance payment”Is the Due Date when the client has to pay?
Section titled “Is the Due Date when the client has to pay?”No. It is when the quote expires — how long your prices stand. Nothing is owed until the quote becomes a job, contract or invoice. The 7 / 15 / 30 Days shortcuts set it relative to the quote date.
I asked for a 20% advance but Received Advance Payment says $0.00
Section titled “I asked for a 20% advance but Received Advance Payment says $0.00”Those are two different things, deliberately. Advance Payment to be charged (%) is what you are asking for, as a percentage of the total. Received Advance Payment is what has actually arrived. A gap between them means the deposit has not been paid yet.
Sending, and the client’s reply
Section titled “Sending, and the client’s reply”Did the client ever get the quote?
Section titled “Did the client ever get the quote?”Check Quote Activity on the quote page. It records the quote being created, being sent, and anything the client did — named and timestamped. If it shows Sent and nothing since, they have it and have not replied.
To chase, send it again — and consider Whatsapp or Both for a client who never opens email.
The client says there were no Accept / Reject buttons
Section titled “The client says there were no Accept / Reject buttons”Send E-sign pad with email was not ticked when the quote went out. Without it the quote goes as a document to read, with nothing to press. Send it again with the tickbox on, or record their answer yourself with the Status dropdown.
Can I give the client fewer than three options?
Section titled “Can I give the client fewer than three options?”Yes. Accept / Reject / Modify is only the default — how many options the client gets is part of the email template settings, reachable from the gear beside the Message.
Can I change the wording that goes out with every quote?
Section titled “Can I change the wording that goes out with every quote?”Yes, and change it once rather than per quote. The gear beside Message opens the template the emails are generated from; every quote sent afterwards uses the new wording.
Different clients need the quote to look different
Section titled “Different clients need the quote to look different”Use Layout Name above the preview to switch templates — a detailed layout for one client, a summary layout for another — before sending.
I just want the PDF, not an email
Section titled “I just want the PDF, not an email”Download at the bottom right of the preview window saves the PDF without sending anything. The download icon on the quote’s action bar, and in each row of Table View, does the same. It is the same document the client would receive — and printing it is the same document again, there is no separate print layout. See downloading and printing.
The client said no — should I delete the quote?
Section titled “The client said no — should I delete the quote?”No. Set the status to Reject instead. That keeps the quote, its pricing and its history for when the same client asks again. Deleting is for quotes raised in error, and it asks you to confirm before it goes. See deleting a quote.
Statuses
Section titled “Statuses”The quote says Approved and I never touched it
Section titled “The quote says Approved and I never touched it”The client approved it themselves. They reviewed it on the reply form and signed it electronically, which marks the quote Approved without you doing anything — the signature is recorded on Quote Activity, with who and when.
Do I have a signed record, or just a click?
Section titled “Do I have a signed record, or just a click?”A signature. When the quote goes out with Send E-sign pad with email, the client signs it on the reply form before approving. The signature is held against the quote on Quote Activity, and it appears on the client’s copy under Customer Signature, at the foot of the quotation alongside the notes, description and terms. See what the signed quote looks like.
The client wants to change their answer
Section titled “The client wants to change their answer”They cannot. A client responds once — reopening the link after submitting tells them they have already submitted their response to this quotation. If the deal has moved on, send them a new or revised quote rather than expecting them to resubmit against the old one.
What does Revised Request mean?
Section titled “What does Revised Request mean?”The client wants changes before they will commit — the result of them pressing Modify rather than Accept or Reject. The quote comes back to you to rework and send again. See quote statuses.
If I change the status by hand, does the client find out?
Section titled “If I change the status by hand, does the client find out?”No. Setting the status records what you already know — typically an answer given over the phone. It sends nothing. To go back to the client, send the quote again.
Converting and copying
Section titled “Converting and copying”Does a quote have to be approved before I can convert it?
Section titled “Does a quote have to be approved before I can convert it?”No. Conversion is available whatever status the quote holds. Approval is the usual cue, not a gate.
Can one quote become more than one thing?
Section titled “Can one quote become more than one thing?”Yes. A quotation is not used up by converting it — the same quote can become a job to do the work and, later, an invoice to bill it. Each is recorded against the quote on the timeline.
Do I have to retype the quote into the job or invoice?
Section titled “Do I have to retype the quote into the job or invoice?”No. What you convert into arrives already built from the quote — client, site and the priced lines. You check it and save. See what carries across.
Job, invoice or contract — which do I pick?
Section titled “Job, invoice or contract — which do I pick?”It depends what you sold. Job for one-off work somebody has to go out and do. Invoice when nothing needs doing, or it is already done. Contract when the offer was an ongoing arrangement rather than a one-off.
I quoted a package — do I have to build the contract from scratch?
Section titled “I quoted a package — do I have to build the contract from scratch?”No, and this is the best reason to use packages. A package is a predrafted contract, so converting a quote that carries one produces a contract that is already assembled — terms and schedule included.
I copied a quote and its history is missing
Section titled “I copied a quote and its history is missing”Copy Quote takes the content across — the client information and the quotation itself, lines and prices — but not the status history. The copy is a new quotation and starts at status New.
Where do I put a note that the client must never see?
Section titled “Where do I put a note that the client must never see?”Add Comment (Private note), on the timeline’s + menu. It stays internal: it is not part of the quotation document and does not go to the client.