Ridiculous charge for just a quote

Fraise

spacey2012 wrote: »

This is a verbal contract
It will cost £xxx to get drawings done is that fine if we agree on that.

This is not.
Yeah ill get a quote, what I have not got the job, ok here is a £900 bill then.

For their to be a contract their has to be a meeting of minds and what this meeting of minds is has to be clearly set out for both parties.

I think a few soothsayers need to put the teddy back in the pram.

I do agree on one point, making any part payment counts as interim and then he would have a case as you have made acceptance.

But what you've said is exactly the point. This is a verbal contract. And as the Op seems vague about what the builder told his wife regarding the cost of having the drawings done, a judge may think the OP has either been forgetful or not totally honest. Let's face it, if you call a builder and say you want a huge amount of work done and the builder agrees to get drawings done by an architect, you're bound to ask the cost, especially when the builder says he'll deduct it if he gets the job.

Also, the OP said in post 3


My thinking is to try and come to an agreement in the middle. I think the builder's annoyed at us not taking him up for the work.


The judge will wonder why the OP would agree to 'meet in the middle' and offer about £500 for drawings, that he claims are no good.

If the OP posts them up I'm sure someone will be able to advise him and tell him if they are rubbish or not

comeandgo

You should ask him for a VAT invoice detailing the items - then you have something concrete to argue against.

Fraise

comeandgo wrote: »

You should ask him for a VAT invoice detailing the items - then you have something concrete to argue against.

The builder may not be VAT registered though if he doesn't meet the threshold. Same as the architect if he's only part time. VAT invoice means nothing, but I would ask for a standard one at the very least.

Leif

I am not convinced any of us know the actual legal standing of this so-called verbal contract, especially since as far as I can tell there was no agreement as to hourly rate, or a fixed sum, hence it is a scoundrels charter. How on earth can you have a contract with no agreed sum and no agreed hourly rate?

As I understand it trades spend a lot of their time preparing quotes. I had some consisting of many pages of itemised costs. Another included CAD drawings. They were free.

Funky_Bold_Ribena

I recommend utilising a free half hour at a solicitors before doing anything. It might just save you a whole heap of stress. Not to mention £900.

mart.vader

FWIW, If you're worried that any offer might be taken as an admission of guilt, do what solicitors do, mark the letter Without Prejudice

This means (in theory) that your offer of £50 cannot be used in court to show an admission of any debt.

NB. However, just marking any letter Without Prejudice may not mean that it actually is, and conversely, not marking a letter Without Prejudice doesn't mean that it isn't Without Prejudice. Ain't the Law wonderful ?

How rough are the drawings ? If they're not to scale or showing dimensions, and maybe, they could be of someone else's house, then I would not pay at all. If, on the other hand, the builder has used his best crayons, I would pay what I thought they were worth !