Is this dodgy? (Plastering) Updated with another Q. at post 37

NervousHomeowner

Looking for a bit of advice really! Not sure if I'm being taken for a ride or I'm just worrying unnecessarily!

I recently got some quotes for plastering my bathroom. It's a fairly small bathroom, but needed a fair amount of work as it had previously been entirely tiled. Local plasterer quoted me £280 for it, so we agreed and he came back to do the work. On coming to do the work, he said that there was actually more work than he'd been anticipating and it would be an extra £60, which I agreed to because his quote was very low anyway.

The work itself is good but I think he also under-estimated how much work it was going to be, because yesterday he came back after lunch and said that he wouldn't manage to get the work finished by the end of the day and could he just come back and do a full day's work tomorrow, which I agreed to.

Anyway, so he came back today to finish the work and began to take off a toilet roll holder which was cemented to the wall. When he took it off, he realised it was actually fixed into the wall and took a huge chunk of wall with it. He's now come to me and said it's going to cost an extra £80 to sort out this hole, which I have just agreed to pay him.

However, I am wondering slightly if I'm being taken for a mug here? I feel like maybe he under-charged me to get the job and has then over-charged in other places to make up his money? Or under-estimated the work in the first place, even though very little has changed in the bathroom since he came round to give me the quote. His quote has now only worked out £60 cheaper than the other guy who quoted me - and the other guy was charging me VAT on top of the work, which this guy isn't (has requested cash) so now I'm worried I'm being over charged. For the record, the current amount I have agreed to pay him is £420 for 1.5 days work.

Have I done the right thing here by paying him the extra here or is there something else I should have done in this situation?

Dukesy

A quote is a quote. Any half decent tradesman will build in a little contingency to his quote to make up for any missed problems that there may be, and it is absolutely not right to be forking out extra because the tradesman has underestimated the amount of work to be done.

To give an example, OH is a carpenter and joiner and due to the specialised nature of much of his work, he often ends up working all over the country - if he underestimates the time the work will take, for example, he will take the hit for an extra nights accomodation/an extra journey/ his extra time etc.

Aside from that, we've only paid for a plasterer once, as we normally do our plastering by ourselves, but in our last house we had a lot more plastering done than it sounds like you're having done for around £300. Possibly the chap we used really needed the work, but it sounds like your plasterwork is starting to get really expensive.

NervousHomeowner

Dukesy wrote: »

A quote is a quote. Any half decent tradesman will build in a little contingency to his quote to make up for any missed problems that there may be, and it is absolutely not right to be forking out extra because the tradesman has underestimated the amount of work to be done.

To give an example, OH is a carpenter and joiner and due to the specialised nature of much of his work, he often ends up working all over the country - if he underestimates the time the work will take, for example, he will take the hit for an extra nights accomodation/an extra journey/ his extra time etc.

Aside from that, we've only paid for a plasterer once, as we normally do our plastering by ourselves, but in our last house we had a lot more plastering done than it sounds like you're having done for around £300. Possibly the chap we used really needed the work, but it sounds like your plasterwork is starting to get really expensive.

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, that's what I thought. I just assumed (maybe stupidly) that a quote was a quote and he'd stick to it because he'd have weighed up the cost properly before quoting me. I don't do building work but whenever I do a piece for someone, I factor in the length of time to do some extra work, just in case because things inevitably get changed or go wrong.

But yeah, I don't really know what to do now because I've said 'yes' and he's started the work. It's just getting so expensive now and I feel helpless to say 'no' because I'm in the house on my own. At least the work itself looks good and fair enough he didn't expect the hole in the wall but I honestly don't see how it is £80 worth of extra work when it's maybe taken him an extra half an hour.

I guess this will be a lesson for next time and I'll get recommendations from family instead of going with whoever gives me the best quote.

Dukesy

I think that as you've now agreed to pay him extra, you're probably a little stuck with that as a price. You could go down the route of telling him that you've been given advice to the tune of 'a quote is a quote', and try to renegotiate what he wants down to a price that you'd be more comfortable with, pointing out that you are, after all, paying in cash (emphasising this, as presumably he's not declaring it to HMRC), but I understand if you're not comfortable with doing this.

I'd chalk it down to experience, and make damn sure that if he comes up with any extra expenses, you give him a flat no. DO NOT AGREE TO ANY FURTHER COSTS!

order

Sounds like he deliberately under estimated to get his foot in the door then ramp up the cash as he see's fit.
There is a difference between a Quote and an Estimate, look here but basically the quote is what both parties have agreed to complete the work. An estimate is what it will probably cost, when the work starts there may be further costs involved which can not be foreseen.
If a trades person comes into your home and destroys or damages your property they should rectify the damage, and or have liability insurance to protect them and their customer, and property. I'm guessing the cash in hand plasterer did not mention this.
Lesson learnt; always get a written quote, even for cash in hand jobs, ensure it is a quote and not an estimate.

Dimey

Yes you've agreed to pay it now so best just cough up and clock that one down to experience.

But definitely don't pay any more & don't give a tip. Tell the plasterer for his own info how the price rises made you feel. Customers who feel uncomfortable or a bit ripped off don't come back with repeat business, nor do they recommend the plasterer to friends. And he's lucky because many people would have made him stick to his quote or walk away. Suggest he pays more attention to his estimating in future.

IMO the fair price was the extra £60 in the middle. Once the toilet roll holder was off the wall it wouldn't have taken £80 extra to plaster that little area.

NervousHomeowner

Dukesy wrote: »

I think that as you've now agreed to pay him extra, you're probably a little stuck with that as a price. You could go down the route of telling him that you've been given advice to the tune of 'a quote is a quote', and try to renegotiate what he wants down to a price that you'd be more comfortable with, pointing out that you are, after all, paying in cash (emphasising this, as presumably he's not declaring it to HMRC), but I understand if you're not comfortable with doing this.

I'd chalk it down to experience, and make damn sure that if he comes up with any extra expenses, you give him a flat no. DO NOT AGREE TO ANY FURTHER COSTS!

Thanks for this! I'm kind of considering whether I can barter him down now, because he made this huge show of 'Oh this hole is such a big issue, it's gonna take me hours to fix it blahblahblah' but he's just sorted it out in under an hour. I feel like he's definitely upping his price for things for no reason.

The stupid thing is that I can't even afford the £80 he wants. He's upped the price by £210 in total now and that was the money I'd put aside to pay the tiler next week.

I feel so bloody stupid right now. I wish I hadn't agreed to the £80. I really wish I hadn't. I have no idea what to do, I feel like crying.

Dukesy

NervousHomeowner wrote: »

Thanks for this! I'm kind of considering whether I can barter him down now, because he made this huge show of 'Oh this hole is such a big issue, it's gonna take me hours to fix it blahblahblah' but he's just sorted it out in under an hour. I feel like he's definitely upping his price for things for no reason.

The stupid thing is that I can't even afford the £80 he wants. He's upped the price by £210 in total now and that was the money I'd put aside to pay the tiler next week.

I feel so bloody stupid right now. I wish I hadn't agreed to the £80. I really wish I hadn't. I have no idea what to do, I feel like crying.

Don't feel so bad about it - we've all done things which we quickly regret. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

This guy sounds more and more like he's got you down as a soft touch who he can tap for as much as he can get away with. If I were you, I really would go for the bartering attempt. As I mentioned in my previous post, try and use the fact that you're paying in cash, which he is never going to declare to HMRC as a bargaining point (don't actually threaten him with HMRC, but if you can drop the hint, that would be good). Try and be as friendly as possible, but make it very clear that you do not accept and had not budgeted the amount that he is trying to extort from you.

NervousHomeowner

Dukesy wrote: »

Don't feel so bad about it - we've all done things which we quickly regret. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

This guy sounds more and more like he's got you down as a soft touch who he can tap for as much as he can get away with. If I were you, I really would go for the bartering attempt. As I mentioned in my previous post, try and use the fact that you're paying in cash, which he is never going to declare to HMRC as a bargaining point (don't actually threaten him with HMRC, but if you can drop the hint, that would be good). Try and be as friendly as possible, but make it very clear that you do not accept and had not budgeted the amount that he is trying to extort from you.

Thank you! I know it's just one of those learning curves you've probably got to go through but I just feel so dim for it!

I think I'll take your advice and try the bartering thing. I've got the £80 in cash but I'll see if I can get him to accept less. Boyfriend's 'little' brother has just come round so I feel a bit braver for having him in the house so I'll barter!

Dukesy

NervousHomeowner wrote: »

I think I'll take your advice and try the bartering thing. Boyfriend's 'little' brother has just come round so I feel a bit braver for having him in the house so I'll barter!

Perfect! Good luck with it, and do let us know how you get on.

NervousHomeowner

Dukesy wrote: »

Perfect! Good luck with it, and do let us know how you get on.

Thanks! Shall update later once he's gone..