Overcharged by a handyman

Hi has anyone been charged for a quote?
I had a handyman quote to fix my carport and also to install two 1metre by 1.2 meter roman blinds, they left a mess and holes in the wall and I was charged $175 Any advice much appreciated .
Sue

 

How many people did the job?

Did they give you a price for the blind installation before they came?

Was filling the holes part of the quote?

 

Maybe the problem was a blind installer (drunk) or a blind installer (failing/failed eyesight)

(please forgive my humour but couldn't resist )

 

How did you contact the tradie?

 

I regularly see a truck getting around, with the signage
"Blind Man Driving"
Am sure its a window covering company........
But am sure 50% of the population will consider it SEXIST

As per others here, more specifics required

 

HI Thanks for the responses, love the humor
The handyman had young apprentice with him and no I did not get a price for the installation up front, but I certainly expected him to cover holes in wall and not leave a mess.
I have been in this small town for just over a year and have not yet found a good handyman , this guy advertises in the local paper, he has just bought the business. Maybe I am being naïve but in the past I have not been expected to pay for quotes. And have been charged a rate reasonable for the work done. First try he put the blind on back to front,and had to let him know...oh well he wont be getting the carport job, and I will be very careful next time.

 

If you think that's bad my neighbor paid her handyman $1,100 to hang approx 15 paintings on her wall.

 

Handymen charge circa $60 per hour these days. Depending on the type of blind and handyman experience with blinds, blind install could range from 15mins to 60mins. I figure he has spent an hour per blind and charged circa $55 for the quote. Maybe ask for the invoice to be itemized and then challenge the quote item on the basis you were not advised there would be a charge for quoting.

 

Totally not right to be charged for a quote.-especially if he never told you before!
If the handyman is any good at connecting with his customers and fair in price he will get the job 8 out of 10 times .Anytime someone says they will charge me for a quote i say ;
are you serious??!! Sorry mate yr not getting my business now or ever again.

 

Sometimes in small towns it's worth paying the travel fee to get a better handyman from the next town. Depends where you are of course and what's around

 

Things are different outside of Sydney, v there isn't a phone book full of hundreds of handymen you can call. There may only be one guy servicing 50km radius! Time to travel and do quotes takes time and fuel, plus take time away from other jobs

 

Yes in the country they sometimes charge for the quote. But they should let you know and let you know how much up front. When possible, I give them the flick.
There are still handymen in country towns who charge $80 per day.
Hanging blinds is a pain but it sounds like it would've been better if you'd just done it yourself. I have to hang some now too and am putting it off because I don't like it.
Also, other people working in the house invariably scratch the floor, chip paint off doors and plaster off walls etc. I'd rather do it quietly by myself if possible.

 

Sue, its never good to hear of poor service or overcharging however in this instance it seems you have contributed to the issue by not clearly communicating your expectations & failing to agree the /hr rate in advance.

Please don't take this the wrong way and be assured that it happens more than many would appreciate. I've done a lot of project work (numerous 1b plus... no that's not an error) & it always comes back to clear & concise communication of job requirements up front. It takes at least 2 parties to do business & I always assume I'm in the drivers seat.....

Thankfully it was an inexpensive lesson for you. I've seen the same lesson learnt with a few more zeros attached. Manage trades like a Project Manager....

 

Was it a quote to do the works or was the actual work done and he invoiced you? You say a quote in your OP then said he installed the blinds backwards which tells me they performed the works.

What needed to be done to fix the carport?

A mess and holes in the walls wouldn't really be acceptable. If they got the measurements wrong and had to reinstall the blinds then they should patch up their mistake at their own cost.

 

Who were you before you were Stoffo? And why the name change?

 

The original post clearly answers all but one of these questions.....

 

Well, not really. The OP actually doesn't make much sense to me unless the OP is using 'quote' in the wrong context and should be using 'invoice' instead.

She said she got a quote done. Definition of a quote is to give some an estimated price of a job or service. not actually getting the work done which is what she is indicating in her post.

I would assume if she had have been given a quote for the job she would have known the cost beforehand then told the handyman to proceed based on the quote.

If she is questioning the price of the invoice then that leads me to think there was no quote given.

Anyway, the only actual question in the OP is asking if anyone has been charged for a quote. The rest are statements so not entirely sure what she's trying to resolve which is why I asked for clarification in my post.

 

Hi just tried to draw a blind and it fell down!

Thanks for all your responses, that is great I have to go to work now (am in WA) so will read them after work, was so amused when blind fell down had to share it . Sue

 

The pen is mightier than the sword

 

We obviously have very different comprehension skills....