Another EC price.

[LarryFine]

I'll see if I can collect in advance when I get there.

I would at least get a signature on a contract first.

 

[readydave8]

I looked at this small job a few days ago. I gave him a price and he said he would "consult his wife" and get back to me. Yeah, right. I know when I'm being blown off.

Today he calls and wants to confirm that I will be there tomorrow. "Um....you said you would consult your wife and get back to me. We didn't make an appointment." He was sure we did. "Ok, well I have tomorrow open so I can be there. If I remember correctly I quoted $749." He remembers $640. I check my notes...$749. "Sounds like maybe you are calling back the wrong contractor. Did you have someone else come out and look at the job? He swears he didn't and after some prodding accepts the $749 quote even though he already thought $640 was too much.

There are a lot of red flags here. I thought about calling back and cancelling the job but decided to see what happens. So I going out to the job tomorrow fully expecting to find somebody else is already there doing it. Oh well. And if I end up doing it I figure it's 50/50 if I get paid. I'll see if I can collect in advance when I get there.

let us know how it went

 

[Coppersmith]

let us know how it went

I am able to report that I completed the job and I received payment promptly. I did have him sign a contract prior to work being done. Apparently the red flags I was picking up were valid, I was just not interpreting them properly. This guy:

@ Birddogged and micromanaged me the entire job.

@ Didn't understand why I was changing the 30 amp fuses to 15 and 20 amp breakers on his 15 and 20 amp circuits and said he would change one of the circuits back to a 30 amp breaker after inspection because his RV was plugged into it. I explained the fire risk and he said "well nothing bad has happened so far".

@ Attempted to get a discount when paying. (Which is fine. I told him no.) I'm guessing the bogus price he said I quoted was a negotiating ploy.

@ Called to tell me the job failed inspection, then said just kidding.

@ When I asked what the inspector looked at he said the inspector took a brief look and called it good, but then he forced the inspector to look at every nook and crannie of the work done. It was still good.