Am I being ripped off?

ffacoffipawb

Got a company from ratedpeople.com to replace a sink in our bathroom, install a bath panel and regrout the floor.

Got quoted £600 for the job. I didnt think this was too bad but my wife thinks we are being ripped off.

They had to smash the old sink as it couldnt be removed. This they told us to place in our normal waste bin which seems a bit dodgy.

They left the box for the new sink, which they have not fitted yet. It was just £38 from B & Q so they bought pretty much the cheapest one available. As tradesmen they would probably have got it cheaper.

Also they purport to be a Limited company but there is no such company registered at companies house nor a director under this person's name either. 

I am happy (willing is a better word) to pay the £600 but my wife is vehemently against this. Thinks the job is worth £300 tops. We did not get new taps with the sink, we will be using the old ones. Materials used are £120 if I am being generous. Seems like I am in the wrong job.

So I feel a bit stuck here.

Perhaps I should ask for a receipt on headed paper!

davidmcn

Bit late to be having second thoughts about the price you agreed to.

Yes, bog standard (ha!) bathroom fittings are pretty cheap, I would expect to be paying mostly for labour.

What's "dodgy" about putting the sink in your normal landfill waste?

Not sure why pretending to be a limited company would benefit them, it's the other way round which might be dodgy. Are you sure it's not just a c0ck up (whether by them or you?).

Ectophile

How about insisting that you must pay the limited company named on the paperwork, and not anybody else?  That could get interesting if the company doesn't really exist!

John_

You agreed the price, so I think that you really ought to pay. It’s annoying, so learn from it and specify the job more precisely in the future.

ffacoffipawb

Ectophile said:

How about insisting that you must pay the limited company named on the paperwork, and not anybody else?  That could get interesting if the company doesn't really exist!

That thought has crossed my mind. A cheque payable to the limited company.

John_ said:

You agreed the price, so I think that you really ought to pay. It’s annoying, so learn from it and specify the job more precisely in the future.

You havent met my wife. He said new taps were included in the ratedpeople messaging then he later said that he couldnt do the taps for that price but that was after they had started the work.

ffacoffipawb

So taps were included and then were not.

Petriix

It sounds like a couple of hours work for one person. That's £235 per hour. It's definitely not a great price.

It's customary to choose the actual sink (or whatever) you want and maybe even procure it yourself, otherwise you're likely to end up with the cheapest option by default.

In future, get a couple of quotes for comparison and ask for a breakdown of parts and labour including the hourly rate. That makes it easier to spot when someone's not entirely honest.

pinkshoes

Quite clearly the £600 included taps. They cannot change their mind after starting work.

Send them a message stating that you expect the taps to be included as agreed, so you will be deducting £100 for the cost of a tap and getting someone to fit it.

Pay the remaining £500. Send a cheque to the limited company. If they don’t like this, then it perhaps a discount equivalent to removing VAT would be relevant?

ssparks2003

Are you happy with the work? Did you agree the price up front? If the answer is yes then pay the man. It's called common decency. 

ffacoffipawb

ssparks2003 said:

Are you happy with the work? Did you agree the price up front? If the answer is yes then pay the man. It's called common decency. 

Even paying for the taps that havent been supplied?

The work isnt great, some of the floor grout has already cracked and come away and nothing has been sealed yet. They were supposed to be here at 9:30 but no sign of the, yet.

Sink not fitted yet either.

DoaM

That's carp workmanship. They've not channelled out the old grout first - they've merely put a smear of new grout on top (by the looks of things). And if they fitted that bath panel ... 😮

tl;dr ... I agree with your wife ... £600 is a rip-off price for the work, especially if the cost of materials is £120 of that.