Builder wants to charge me £200 for a Quote!!

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Really appreciate any advise on this....

I posted a job on Rated People website.

I got 3 interested responses very quickly and contacted them all to make arrangement to come and give an quote for the work required.

One tradesman didn't call me back, but the other two did. I was pleased with the ideas they both came up with, but both quotes were coming in at twice the price that I had put down in my orig job remit online.

I left it with both saying I will have to think it over.

Inbetween now and last June, my family has been thrown into disaray with my fathers emergency open heart surgery and further relapse, my mothers myeloma condition worsening. My priorities have been caring for my elderly parents. I did sometime in the autum find time to go to the warehouse (Cliftons) to see the range of products that this particular builder had suggested for the job, as this was his supplier.

I received this message via rated peoples website this morning...

hi, i have had clifftons ring me on a couple of occasions to say you had been in, i am a little baffled as it was back in june when i first quoted on the work and i still havnt heard anything from you,
please could you let me know where we are up too as
it would be nice to have an idea of your intensions,

I replied this morning, apologising for not getting back to him sooner, and explained this situation re: my father. I Advised him that my brother had very kindly offered to sort my bathroom out for me, as he was now going to do his own, so he would project manage and do them both.

I've then just got the following response....

i am unfortunatly going to have to bill you for the consultation fee, of paying for the lead initially, and then my time spent trying to assist with the design layout,
plus the fact that you have been on two occasions that i know of into clifftons where i hold an account and used my name to get prices, i am somewhat annoyed tht during th last seven months even after leving you with messages you have not even bothered to reply or let me know your decision,
i will therefore be presenting yu of a bill for £200

I'm feel I've been bit by a truck and am horrified, can he do this?:(.

I can barely type from shaking but don't know how to reply and who to ask for help.

Do I contacted Rated People or do I respond to the builder directly and then... what do I say?

I haven't signed anything with the builder, but really need some advise?

Sorry for the long post.

heraz

Why would you pay £200 to them as it was just for a quote and for them to throw around some ideas is that right? they have not done any work for you and from what i can make out and if i had quoted a job seven months ago i would have forgot about it by now if they hadn't got back to me just forget about it no contract saying you would pay him £200 so...

phill99

Tell him to stick it. He is being a bully and hasn't got a leg to stand on, especially as he didn'y mention it up front. The arrangement between the builder and RFated People isn't your concern.

white_star

Thanks for your response heraz.

Yes your right. They haven't done any work, just came around one to measure up and give ideas, and then he called a second time to give me his written quote and a catalogue of products from Clintons. I hadn't even decided the suit or the type of shower enclosurer. This has just come out of the blue after all this time, I'm really surprised as he seemed a nice guy when he came round, full of great idea's.

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phill99 wrote: »

Tell him to stick it. He is being a bully and hasn't got a leg to stand on, especially as he didn'y mention it up front. The arrangement between the builder and RFated People isn't your concern.

Hi

Do you think he has to pay RF for my job referal? I must admit I haven't used RF before and can't think now what made me even try (maybe their was a competition on their website?). I have always gone off personal recommendations from family or friends.

I do hope he is not out of pocket because he didn't get my job (but then nobody has, as its gone on the back burner), I know its especially hard for a lots of self employed businesses, but at the same time I certainly havent got that kind of money to waste on bathroom quote.

Alan_M_2

Tell him to whistle.

It would be different if he'd told you up front he will charge a fee for a quote.

Spending time with people and providing an estimate/quote is all part of advertising.

If I charged people for an estimate I wouldn't need to actually sell anything, I could live off estimate charges!

fluffpot

From the other side of the fence...

In fairness, the builder does say that he's had to pay a fee to Rated People, so he is actually out of pocket, and that's not counting the time he's put in to visit (x2) and write up the quote. It does sounds like he also gave you advice, which is now enabling you to let your brother do the work.

I do lots of quotes and to do them properly they take time and knowledge and I know that some people just use my quotes to give to another electrician who says 'great - I'll do it for X% less'. I agree that this is part and parcel of winning work, but in this case it does sound like he's done a bit more than was normal, plus having to pay the Rated People fee.

I can see why he's wanting some sort of compensation for this, although I'm not sure he's gone about it the best way but demanding £ from you. Could you speak to him calmly and see if you could come to some arrangement? At least to reimburse the fee he's paid - for which you could ask to see an invoice and get a receipt?

Fluff

victor2

You win some and you lose some. The builder's just trying to recover some of his cost as maybe he feels you've taken advantage of him. If a tradesman advertises in the local paper, you would not expect his bill to include the cost of the ad, even if you gave him the job.

You owe him nothing. Try to keep it civil, but there's no agreement or contract to be enforced.

real1314

Presumably you can put a comment on rated people about the fact that he's tried to bill you without any actual contract.

Russe11

Quite a lot of people will charge for quotations, simularly lots don't but then factor it into the prices they quote.

To give an free estimate, then explaining should the customer wish a detailed breakdown of the work and costs in a written quotation and the charge for this is £x amount. Sounds fair enough.

If anything they should be paying for a lead!

Topplasterer

Hello
Sorry I have to disagree with you on this I used to be a member of rated tradesman and everyone one knows its just the way the system works, they only allow a max of 3 tradesman to quote on any job so 2 are always going to dip out, its the chance you take. He is trying it on full stop, you must be informed of anything like this in writing, I would just tell him to contact your soliciter