builders invoice higher than agreed

superstud

Hi all
I was quoted £3200 for a patio and drains replacing.

A day into the job the builder said he was sorry to take it on as it was a bigger job than he thought.

It took them a few more days to finish the job - jcb broke, concrete truck turned up late.

Upon completion he said he'd work out the final amount.

When i got the invoice there's an extra £1400 (£900 of which is broke down as labour.)

There was extra materials and skips etc. So we thought thats will be the extra.

No mention during the job of any extra labour etc.

what do you guys suggest i do? I've already paid the original quote. So just the 'extra' need advice on...

phill99

Did you receive a written quote? Or was it an estimate? Have you paid any money over?

superstud

It was a verbal quote. I've paid the original price £3200. There's just the "extra" remaining which of course was not agreed

superstud

The jobs finished so i paid the original amount i agreed. But need advice on this

phill99

But did he say it was a 'quote' or an 'estimate'? Their is a legal difference which is why I'm being pedantic.

superstud

On the phone he said i've worked out the quote for you. So i gave the ok to start.

however, on the invoice it says 'as per original estimate' £3200
Extras ...

Dan-Dan

He is trying it on , tell him you`ll pay for extra materials , but you cant see that its your fault he didnt assess job properly

superstud

A builder friend said don't pay anymore then the original quote as they will be making money.

What could he do when i refuse to pay the extra labour? You hear stories of builders... these have done bits of wofk for me before however ie not cowboys

phill99

If you genuinely believe its a 'quote' then that is a fixed price for the work involved. That is all you owe him. If he has worked his labour element and materials then that is his fault. Its about business risk.

Also if he didn't advise you of additional costs during the project, then thete is no way he shouldn't be slapping these on the bill at the end.

Stick to your guns and don't be intimidated by him.

Going forward, when you have this level of work done, you really should be getting written quotes so that you have something to refer back to.