Outrageous Contractor Stories

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Guy whose wife is constantly talking him up on a local listserv. They go on and on about being family owned, honest, etc.

After a bad ice/snowstorm a couple of years ago when DH had just had surgery, I got desperate about getting extra snow off the roof. He and his buddy charged me $250 for whaat was literally 15 minutes' work. I always felt like a chump but it was a hard time and i didn't argue with them. I figure they made thousands that day, taking advantage of people in our neighborhood. Every time I see his wife post on the listserv I feel irritated.

Builder here - different locale...same coin - different side. I have had folks ask me to come shovel their roofs because they have leaks - send licensed roofing crews - not laborers so if they fall the homeowner will not be losing his house. Ensure we protect foundation plantings and dig them out afterward. Charged good money but look at my business risk - folks fall off roofs all the times - and it is years of litigation - well you have to hedge that risk and its called price. Sure you could do it yourself - just like a friend of mine did in NJ last year - only problem is that he is now dead - he fell. Everyone wants you to stop the leaks - you would be surprised how tight they get when you have to chase the money. I just sent two my guys to put a 20x20 tarp on a roof, got the call the day before 18 inches of snow, got it done. I have a bill for 558.00 for the client, called her about it and I cannot get a phone call back about my bill. Should have charged her double for that risk.

And by the way - fifteen minutes of work - how did he get to your house ? Who pays for that ? And do you think you were the only freaked out housewife - no - so how does he know which housewife to service ? When demand exceeds price, price increases. You had a two guys come to your house, climb up on a roof after a bad ice storm, and your pissed he charged you 250.00 dollars. How much does your purse cost - or your nice boots ? But you want some poor bastard to risk his life climbing up on a icy roof to fix your house. Sounds like you should have said thanks.

Using a ladder to get on a roof and a shovel WTF. Spare us the pitty party! And if your worker fell off the roof you guys would be the ones to sue not the laborers.

I don't hire manual labor people who charge more per an hour then me and I have multiple degrees w/ almost $100 hour rate.

Trust me - you have anyone on your roof and they fall off - you and your homeowners' insurer are getting sued. And that includes my crews or anyone else's. The difference is that I carry enough insurance so that they will want to come after me not you. Now if it happens you have really deep pockets that's where they are going...if you are not comfortable paying for services - don't. My buddy that fell was a sales rep for a large software company. I am sure he made a reasonable living but not large. So, he may begrudge a guy making 100/hr to go on the roof and clean it off. He elected to do it himself and he fell. I have another neighbor, 52 years old, cutting down a tree, on a ladder, fell off the ladder - and you guessed it - dead. Tree guys make good money - perhaps better than some mid-level white collar folks - but their risk profiles are completely different. And if you normalized their capital income stream based on risk, as the tree guy may be injured and out of work at any time, he may need to charge more. To net it out - do not begrudge the "manual" labor tradesmen for getting paid for his risk and knowledge. Listen to your visceral voice and hire honest folks, and be thankful you have the money to pay someone to climb on your roof so that you do not have to....and for what it is worth, builder here, Master Degree in Computer Engineering. Plenty of work for my computer skills but I chose to build by choice.

your high prices caused this guy to fall of his roof, Congrats!

Umm. No.

$250 to clean off an icy roof is completely reasonable. Completely. I would grit my teeth while paying it, but it's reasonable. You people probably pay your nannies $6 an hour, too...

You can go to home depot and get someone to do it for 40-50 bux which is reasonable for 15 minutes. All the builders do this anyways they just over charge to be able to refund or cover overhead in case a customer complains.

translation - I don't want to pay his fair due somebody with the skills and tools to do the job minimizing the risks (and having enough insurance that if something happens the victim may get enough money to get the needed treatment, even long term, and compensation), but I am too f$$%ing coward and lazy to get up my a$$ and do it myself (yes, when I talk to my friend I love to complain about the greedy contractors but when it is time to move my hands instead of my mouth, well, that's another story). so I go to HD, where I find a long line of desperates who go there every day before sunrise hoping to get hired for a few bucks. I make the price, for one who does not take it, there are 10 who are ready to jump (market competition!). is the price fair? sure, it is just a 15 minutes job, I charge $100 an hour wfor my desk job with my 23 dregrees so I am actually being generous. I can even feel good that I am helping out a poor soul, I am sure in his country he would even be paid less. if he falls and brake a leg, well, that's his fault, these Guatemalan has really not used to the snow, I just dump him back at HD

in short: if you don't want to pay, fair, just do it yourself. exploiting people who are so desperate that are simply at your mercy it is disgusting. we are talking about going up to an icy roof, not raking some leaves or moving a dresser

clap clap clap you're so cool

no, I am not cool. I just have the decency of calling shameful exploiting of others what it is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:16:10-are you in Takoma Park or close in Silver Spring? If so, I totally know who you are talking about. Same thing happened to us when we needed help getting ice dams out of our gutters. I'm still pissed.

LOL
I see her recs all the time

[Anonymous]

PP here. Two of my friends have other homes (besides here) and have flown legal, insured, licensed, skilled workers in from other parts of the country and put them up in a hotel for less than it would have cost to have someone here do the work (without room/board/flight). Two man crew, did great work!

I guarantee if you tell some workers you live in certain areas here, you WILL get the markup!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Two of my friends have other homes (besides here) and have flown legal, insured, licensed, skilled workers in from other parts of the country and put them up in a hotel for less than it would have cost to have someone here do the work (without room/board/flight). Two man crew, did great work!

I guarantee if you tell some workers you live in certain areas here, you WILL get the markup!!

If you are doing extensive work sure. If you are doing the kind of work people are discussing on this thread BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guy whose wife is constantly talking him up on a local listserv. They go on and on about being family owned, honest, etc.

After a bad ice/snowstorm a couple of years ago when DH had just had surgery, I got desperate about getting extra snow off the roof. He and his buddy charged me $250 for whaat was literally 15 minutes' work. I always felt like a chump but it was a hard time and i didn't argue with them. I figure they made thousands that day, taking advantage of people in our neighborhood. Every time I see his wife post on the listserv I feel irritated.

You weren't overcharged for this work. Do you realize how dangerous it is? Why didn't you get up on the roof yourself if $250 was too much for you?

[Anonymous]

We had a contractor do a small day job in our house. He said he'd mail us a bill. We never got a bill. We were about to decide what to do about a bonus check, so called to ask where the bill was. They never got back to us. About 4 months later on a random Saturday afternoon, the guy comes knocking on our door asking where his money was. We asked how much we owed and where the invoice was and he had no idea. We received a bill in the mail about a week later.

[Anonymous]

Ask any emergency room doctor. My brother who is one is always telling me not to go up ladders. Lots of people end up there especially in good weather: Mostly amateur, DIY guys doing home repairs. It's totally worth hiring someone else - licensed, insured, knows what they are doing, rather than risking your own neck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guy whose wife is constantly talking him up on a local listserv. They go on and on about being family owned, honest, etc.

After a bad ice/snowstorm a couple of years ago when DH had just had surgery, I got desperate about getting extra snow off the roof. He and his buddy charged me $250 for whaat was literally 15 minutes' work. I always felt like a chump but it was a hard time and i didn't argue with them. I figure they made thousands that day, taking advantage of people in our neighborhood. Every time I see his wife post on the listserv I feel irritated.

You weren't overcharged for this work. Do you realize how dangerous it is? Why didn't you get up on the roof yourself if $250 was too much for you?

$250 is not a fair wage for 15 minutes of work moron.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guy whose wife is constantly talking him up on a local listserv. They go on and on about being family owned, honest, etc.

After a bad ice/snowstorm a couple of years ago when DH had just had surgery, I got desperate about getting extra snow off the roof. He and his buddy charged me $250 for whaat was literally 15 minutes' work. I always felt like a chump but it was a hard time and i didn't argue with them. I figure they made thousands that day, taking advantage of people in our neighborhood. Every time I see his wife post on the listserv I feel irritated.

You weren't overcharged for this work. Do you realize how dangerous it is? Why didn't you get up on the roof yourself if $250 was too much for you?

$250 is not a fair wage for 15 minutes of work moron.

first it should be $125, since it was 15 minutes for two people. also, it was 15 minutes for the poster who was confortably sipping her hot tee in her warm living room (somehow somebody else's working time in the snow and ice sounds always shorter if you are inside watching TV). at the end, like many posters have noted, you just need a ladder and a broom, no skills. it was not a case where she had a tree down on her house and needed lots of people and tools to remove it. the poster was not forced to pay anybody. if she thought it was too much, she could have simply done it herself (heck, she says it was such an easy, quick job). the fact that she (and apparently all her neighbors) paid that price shows clearly that between doing it herself and paying two people $250 she preferred the second option, so doing the work was actually worth $250 for her. again, shje was not forced to hire these people, easy and quick job, she could have done it herself

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

$250 to clean off an icy roof is completely reasonable. Completely. I would grit my teeth while paying it, but it's reasonable. You people probably pay your nannies $6 an hour, too...

LOL. I was fourth poster at 20:57 - fell off a ladder on a roof job once and broke my ankle. There was no LOL over that, I assure you. The tenor in this thread seems to be highly paid, entitled suburbanites believe anyone who does not wear a startched white shirt to work is worthy of Mexican wages and nothing more. Get your butt up on your own roof for a change!

I have known several people who fell off roofs with disasterous results. Broken back, quadriplegic, and so on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

$250 to clean off an icy roof is completely reasonable. Completely. I would grit my teeth while paying it, but it's reasonable. You people probably pay your nannies $6 an hour, too...

LOL. I was fourth poster at 20:57 - fell off a ladder on a roof job once and broke my ankle. There was no LOL over that, I assure you. The tenor in this thread seems to be highly paid, entitled suburbanites believe anyone who does not wear a startched white shirt to work is worthy of Mexican wages and nothing more. Get your butt up on your own roof for a change!

I have known several people who fell off roofs with disasterous results. Broken back, quadriplegic, and so on.

Thats why you get then to do it 40, don't perpetuate the blue collar rip off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guy whose wife is constantly talking him up on a local listserv. They go on and on about being family owned, honest, etc.

After a bad ice/snowstorm a couple of years ago when DH had just had surgery, I got desperate about getting extra snow off the roof. He and his buddy charged me $250 for whaat was literally 15 minutes' work. I always felt like a chump but it was a hard time and i didn't argue with them. I figure they made thousands that day, taking advantage of people in our neighborhood. Every time I see his wife post on the listserv I feel irritated.

Builder here - different locale...same coin - different side. I have had folks ask me to come shovel their roofs because they have leaks - send licensed roofing crews - not laborers so if they fall the homeowner will not be losing his house. Ensure we protect foundation plantings and dig them out afterward. Charged good money but look at my business risk - folks fall off roofs all the times - and it is years of litigation - well you have to hedge that risk and its called price. Sure you could do it yourself - just like a friend of mine did in NJ last year - only problem is that he is now dead - he fell. Everyone wants you to stop the leaks - you would be surprised how tight they get when you have to chase the money. I just sent two my guys to put a 20x20 tarp on a roof, got the call the day before 18 inches of snow, got it done. I have a bill for 558.00 for the client, called her about it and I cannot get a phone call back about my bill. Should have charged her double for that risk.

And by the way - fifteen minutes of work - how did he get to your house ? Who pays for that ? And do you think you were the only freaked out housewife - no - so how does he know which housewife to service ? When demand exceeds price, price increases. You had a two guys come to your house, climb up on a roof after a bad ice storm, and your pissed he charged you 250.00 dollars. How much does your purse cost - or your nice boots ? But you want some poor bastard to risk his life climbing up on a icy roof to fix your house. Sounds like you should have said thanks.

PP here. The "freaked out housewife" thing wasn't necessary but thanks.

They didn't have to climb up on the roof -- it was a one story section of roof. They leaned a ladder against the house and pulled the snow off.

And as a result, I will never call him again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:16:10-are you in Takoma Park or close in Silver Spring? If so, I totally know who you are talking about. Same thing happened to us when we needed help getting ice dams out of our gutters. I'm still pissed.

Yes I am! Close in SS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I asked a quote from a small contractor to install two exhaust bathroom fans in my attached rowhouse. They wanted to charge me 100+ by the hour. I asked "give me a fixed amount". The came back with a quote of... $4,500.

Not in your area - builder here - just did this for a client plus re-sheetrocked one of the ceilings and painted them both for 3400.00. I thought I priced it too low...sometimes pricing works both ways - some you win and some you lose...

I then asked for a quote from another small contractor who did it for $300 and the fans have been working great.

I can guarantee that they did not vent through the roof for that price, and you will have to redo it before you move. Not legal to vent through the attic. BTDT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I asked a quote from a small contractor to install two exhaust bathroom fans in my attached rowhouse. They wanted to charge me 100+ by the hour. I asked "give me a fixed amount". The came back with a quote of... $4,500.

Not in your area - builder here - just did this for a client plus re-sheetrocked one of the ceilings and painted them both for 3400.00. I thought I priced it too low...sometimes pricing works both ways - some you win and some you lose...

I then asked for a quote from another small contractor who did it for $300 and the fans have been working great.

I can guarantee that they did not vent through the roof for that price, and you will have to redo it before you move. Not legal to vent through the attic. BTDT.

Actually the fans do vent thru the roof -- I was aware venting to attic is not ok.