Challenging Contractors
 

Hi Folks.

whine
Why can't it be easier than this?

I called a contractor and said I wanted an estimate for grading and
clearing an area for a storage shed.

After two weeks, he calls back and wants to come out. I'd already moved
on to making other arrangements, but hey, I'm flexible.

He drives out and glances at my backyard, ignores my writeup of the
preparations, and launches into a sales pitch to clear and revitalize my
whole property.

After that, I could barely get his attention back on the work I wanted.
He gave an estimate for the whole property (almost three grand) and
dropped it twice while I tried to get him to focus on the shed prep.

He finally gave me an estimate for just the shed work, but continued
pushing for the whole enchilada as he left. He called back this morning
with another price drop.
/whine

He has a point that the yards need attention, but it's not a high
priority. I can't spend that kind of money on an impulse purchase.

What do people here think? Would you try to work with this fellow, or
continue calling people and trying to get estimates? There don't seem
to be many people interested in this kind of job.

Thanks,

-dreq

On 2005-03-25, Derek Mark Edding wrote:
Hi Folks.

whine
Why can't it be easier than this?

I called a contractor and said I wanted an estimate for grading and
clearing an area for a storage shed.

After two weeks, he calls back and wants to come out. I'd already moved
on to making other arrangements, but hey, I'm flexible.

He drives out and glances at my backyard, ignores my writeup of the
preparations, and launches into a sales pitch to clear and revitalize my
whole property.

After that, I could barely get his attention back on the work I wanted.
He gave an estimate for the whole property (almost three grand) and
dropped it twice while I tried to get him to focus on the shed prep.

He finally gave me an estimate for just the shed work, but continued
pushing for the whole enchilada as he left. He called back this morning
with another price drop.
/whine

He has a point that the yards need attention, but it's not a high
priority. I can't spend that kind of money on an impulse purchase.

What do people here think? Would you try to work with this fellow, or
continue calling people and trying to get estimates? There don't seem
to be many people interested in this kind of job.

Thanks,

-dreq

Ask him if you can pay it over the next 24 months with no interest.
That might shut him up. He is interested in maximizing his income now.

Tell him this is all you can afford now, but if the job is done well and
when you are ready you will give him the opportunity when you have the
funds to do the rest.

I would get a very specific contract though because he sounds like the
type that would do more than you asked when you were not there and then
expect you to pay the extra.

Obviously he has been successful in bidding up jobs in the past.
--
Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

is a garbage address.

Derek Mark Edding wrote:

Would you try to work with this fellow ...

No.

He's already shown himself to be a poor salesman because he wouldn't
listen to his customer.

He's already shown himself to be a poor cost estimater because he's
changed his price twice.

This leads one to speculate that he is also a poor performer, and the
job he would do on your yard would not match the specifications and not
fulfill your expectations.

Daniel B. Martin

No.

He's already shown himself to be a poor salesman because he wouldn't
listen to his customer.

He's already shown himself to be a poor cost estimater because he's
changed his price twice.

This leads one to speculate that he is also a poor performer, and the job
he would do on your yard would not match the specifications and not
fulfill your expectations.


Daniel, that's spot-on!!!

I have been almost beggared by contractors who didn't do what they were
contracted to do, or did it wrong in spite of detailed specs from me (and as
a tech writer, I can write an accurate and precise spec) because they wanted
to do it their way. But some did extras I had specifically said NOT to do,
and then threatened to sue me for the money for work I didn't want or could
not afford. They were so focused on the money they wanted and felt
"entitled" to, they got pretty ugly.

I say if they don't want to understand WHAT you want, and HOW you want it,
they won't either listen OR give you what you want. But I can pretty much
guarantee that they will find a way to make you pay them what they want.

Apparently there are a lot of well-heeled people in the area who would
rather throw money at something than think a job through or supervise a
contractor, and it has spoiled the greedy and dishonest contractors till
they think they can treat everyone like that.

I believe that single women are the most victimized by contractors and
repair people, but it is obvious that anyone honest and polite is easy to
take advantage of in the same way.

There ARE honest workers out there, this guy sounds too greedy to even
pretend to care about you, I wouldn't take a chance on him!

And no matter HOW nice or receptive someone is, DO write up a DETAILED list
of what IS and ISN'T to be done. Be specific. State who pays for what
materials, and what grade or quality will be used. Make sure the final
statement in the contract says that if any changes to this contract are
needed, they will NOT be paid unless approved by the homeowner in advance of
the work.

If there is a cost or price difference in one approach over another, choose
which one YOU want used, and specify it.

If they won't sign a contract or give you a big song and dance about how
their word has always been good enough, tell them thanks but no thanks. If
they're that straight up, and DO plan to do what you asked, AS you want it
done, they should not have any problem signing a contract saying so.

Without a contract, they can do anything they please after the work has
started, and you are over the proverbial barrel.

BTDTBTTS.

--
laurie (Mother Mastiff)
Please review my draft web page about my birds, www.mothermastiff.com
(You can use the Contact page to send feedback!)

N.B., Please remove "your teeth" to reply!

This guy took *2 weeks* to call you back, and you still talked to
him????????

I can't quite find my point in there, but I think it is somewhere in the
direction of "he does not care about you as a client"!

Just my $.02,

Anne Lurie
Ne Raleigh


"Derek Mark Edding" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hi Folks.

whine
Why can't it be easier than this?

I called a contractor and said I wanted an estimate for grading and
clearing an area for a storage shed.

After two weeks, he calls back and wants to come out. I'd already moved
on to making other arrangements, but hey, I'm flexible.

He drives out and glances at my backyard, ignores my writeup of the
preparations, and launches into a sales pitch to clear and revitalize my
whole property.

After that, I could barely get his attention back on the work I wanted. He
gave an estimate for the whole property (almost three grand) and dropped
it twice while I tried to get him to focus on the shed prep.

He finally gave me an estimate for just the shed work, but continued
pushing for the whole enchilada as he left. He called back this morning
with another price drop.
/whine

He has a point that the yards need attention, but it's not a high
priority. I can't spend that kind of money on an impulse purchase.

What do people here think? Would you try to work with this fellow, or
continue calling people and trying to get estimates? There don't seem to
be many people interested in this kind of job.

Thanks,

-dreq