Kitchen fitter not honouring quote

Doozergirl

Rosa_Damascena said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Louise__3 said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Every case is different, but I would put this one down to a genuine omission on his part. Yes, he said he'd fit 'all the appliances', but - D'oh! - he later realised that one item was 'gas' and was wise enough to not touch this.

It's an 'error'. The question is, what do you do about such an error? I like the personal aspect of his quote; "I will do this, I will do that..." - it's all pretty clear, and you should feel confident about what's covered. So my first gut response is, I'm glad he isn't doing the hob 'cos he clearly ain't GasSafe. It just strikes me as a genuine omission, and one that he brought to your attention right away. As a 'clued-up' customer, I think it would have crossed my mind to wonder who's going to do the gas hob - you haven't mentioned this, and I hope it ain't you... On the other hand, it was mainly his mistake, so perhaps he should swallow it, pal...?

All that work must come to a couple of £k at least? So we are now quibbling over what is likely a 30-minute connecting-up task, costing - ooh - £50 tops? Is this the way you want to start this professional relationship?

If you really begrudge coughing up this extra wee bit, a good approach could be to acknowledge that you understand that 'gas' shouldn't be touched by him, and you do accept it was a genuine omission. However, you were restricting yourself to a tight and fixed budget, so really didn't want additional expenditure; how about we split the cost of the gas hob install 50:50...?

Bottom line - he made an error, a small one, an easy one, BUT he ain't obliged to stick to the original quote; you cannot force him to. He is fully entitled to say 'sorry, if this is what happens with a genuine small error on my part, I think our relationship has broken down so I'm walking...'. It's not a situation you can hold him to. 
. 

I t hink you’ll find you’re wrong there...from citizens advise “ After you say yes to a quote, it’s a binding agreement between you and the contractor, whether it’s written down or not. But having it in writing means you can check what you agreed and prove it if there’s a dispute later.”

my point is, i agreed to hire him based on his overall cost. I had others that were more expensive but based on his quote, went with him. The has fitter is an extra 150, which may be nothing to you but some of us have a budget. In addition to other extra expenses expected wit such works, this all adds up

the relationship is a 2 way thing..if I suddenly tell him I want him to do something else because i forgot to mention it, I expect him to charge me. It makes a nonsense of agreeing to and signing a quote. 

A kitchen is a big expensive project and if it doesn't go well you'll likely be very disappointed with the finished result.

A happy worker is a busy worker and IMHO creating a problem at the start over a small cost isn't the best thing to do for either yourself or the fitter. 

Forget about it and if you are delighted with the job he does then £150 on top might not even cross your mind, if you still feel it's a problem ask if he'll split the difference or knock £150 off the bill. 

Although it is a two way thing and you don't want to be a doormat for lots of added cost here and there this issue does sound genuine and if the guy hates doing the job due to animosity between you it will likely reflect in the quality of his work.  

Agree with this but I would also feel reluctant to proceed based on trust. Is this a genuine mistake? If this chap fits kitchens day in, day out - I am told this is lucrative compared to general building work - I cannot understand the oversight. Gas hobs are still popular, and with good reason. My instinct would not be forgiving here, I see it as a prophecy for things to come.

I disagree. The person isn't a gas fitter.  It isn't logical to assume that someone carrying out general kitchen fitting tasks is going to pay out big sums for regular gas training and insurance for tiny little jobs, when being a gas engineer full time pays better than being a kitchen fitter.  He's been fairly comprehensive with the quote and used the word "I".  

I don't think it's many people's intention to go in and annoy people on day 1 for what could be a matter of £50 for a simple reconnection with the right person. 

If it was sharp practice, he'd say nothing until the end, when asked.  "I only quoted to fit, not connect.  I'm not a gas engineer."  is a lot easier.   As it is, the conversation may well have gone something like that on day 1. A misunderstanding and an oversight on perhaps both parts.  

See it as a prophecy though, and you will find trouble - seek and ye shall find.  Nothing in renovation is guaranteed to be straightforward and easy, because you don't know what you're going to find when you strip something out.  If you assume that every extra is sharp practice, then you've ruined the relationship before you begin. 

Any sign of general mistrust in initial conversations and our company wouldn't be quoting, even.  I haven't got time for it.  It will be a disaster; as we learned hard and fast.