Money Moral Dilemma: Should we use the builder who messed us around on the quote?

ChilliBob

For me it's the 'not got much work on' line, every trade I have ever worked with either was mega busy, or made damn sure that was the impression they gave! 

ThisIsWeird

ChilliBob said:

For me it's the 'not got much work on' line, every trade I have ever worked with either was mega busy, or made damn sure that was the impression they gave! 

Yes! Refreshing honesty from the builder?!
This builder was mega-b before, and then did what many (most?) builders do during such periods when they are 'booked out for the foreseeable'; quickly rough out an inflated quote with significant overheads so that, if a customer is actually desperate or keen enough to go for it, they know they'll be well compensated for all the extra hard work they'd have to do, but wouldn't otherwise - not for 'normal' money. And I'll repeat - working out detailed quotes takes many hours. 
We've heard of such 'taking advantage' quotes many times on here. The "I don't need the work, I could barely fit in the work if I even wanted to, but - hey - if you are willing to pay a  silly premium, I'll move heaven and literal earth to fit you in!"
I can understand it.
And the guy's honesty now - a frank, "We don't have so much work on, therefore..." - is quite refreshing! Most builders, I suspect, would fudge a better-sounding excuse, such as, "Customer let us down/ changed their plans/is skint.../ we've shifted jobs around and there's now an opening/ Planning has put new obstacles in the way...", or whatever. This guy is seemingly just saying it as it is.
An honest little bleeder. With a good building reputation. Hmmmm. Snap him up.

lincoln_dj

Tradesmen often over-quote if they're busy or don't want the job all that much at the time. It's nothing personal and happens all the time. It's certainly not a show of "poor ethics" like some people are claiming.

I'd be more than happy to take them on at the lower price, especially as they've come recommended. It's really not that deep....

Ed264

This stinks. Keep away from him.

telsco

The builder is basically telling you he's going to use very cheap materials on your house. Probably even leftovers scraped together from other jobs. If you are ok with that then expect problems later on.

ThisIsWeird

telsco said:

The builder is basically telling you he's going to use very cheap materials on your house. Probably even leftovers scraped together from other jobs. If you are ok with that then expect problems later on.

Where has that been said or implied?

Emerion

It is very common among trades people to quote an inflated price when they don’t really want the work at the moment because they can tell it will be an awkward job, or because they are too busy. If you bite, they might try to make room for you sooner rather than later. I know this is the case because my dad was a builder. He only ever did this with repeat customers that had been difficult first time round,  but other builders that he knew did it more often. It doesn’t mean that the tradesman will turn out to be dishonest. Also, some tradesmen will underestimate to get the job and  then “discover” that prices have gone up further down the line, and “unfortunately” have to ask for more money to complete the job. In much the same way that some estate agents will suggest your house will fetch 25% more than it possibly could, just to get your business, and then plan to “regretfully” advise  you to cut the price a few weeks down the line. I would take the advice of people that have recommended this builder. My dad placed one advert when he first started out, and never had to do it again. This was because he was so reliable and did quality work. People were prepared to wait until he was available, because word of mouth said they could trust him. This was genuine word of mouth, not trust pilot. If you have recommendations from people that you know, he is the right choice, no question. 

456Home

Maybe a job cancelled and he is now free, a recommendation is very important too. We took five tenders for a move which varied widely, we didn't use the cheapest, we used the recommended - they were worth it! He might have dodgy ethics but what you need is a great job, not to build a relationship! Good luck! X

NudeJude

Personally I would be asking to see work that he has done recently, and physically go and see it, and speak to the clients about how happy or otherwise they were.  We had an extension done at very short notice, having already got planning permission etc.  We got three quotes, chose the middle one because he had good reviews, but also asked to see other work as mentioned above.  Having done all this, we asked when he could start, and he told us next week.  Because we'd never had any building work of this nature done before, we didn't even think of this as a red flag, so agreed that he should make a start.  He laid out the cost of absolutely EVERYTHING, every screw, every bag of cement, sand, etc.  He told us that if the weather held, he would expect the job to take 6 weeks.  He gave us a schedule of how far they should have got by the end of each week (weather permitting), and a schedule of payments to be made at the end of each week, provided the work was done to that point.  We were lucky, the weather was fantastic.  The work was completed in the stated time, and we were VERY pleased with the finished job.  There were one or two complaints made about some of his staff, who were rude and sometimes careless, but all in all, we were happy with what we got for our money.  So the fact that he was available immediately, wasn't a red flag at all.  Therefore I wouldn't let his suddenly being available put you off.  Maybe he didn't get all of the jobs that he thought he would when he quoted you, maybe someone cancelled leaving a gap in his schedule.  Maybe you should ask how come he's suddenly free?  From our experience, I would be more concerned with seeing past work carried out by his company, and speaking to the people that have employed him in the past. 

ThisIsWeird

Emerion said:

It is very common among trades people to quote an inflated price when they don’t really want the work at the moment because they can tell it will be an awkward job, or because they are too busy. If you bite, they might try to make room for you sooner rather than later. I know this is the case because my dad was a builder. He only ever did this with repeat customers that had been difficult first time round,  but other builders that he knew did it more often. It doesn’t mean that the tradesman will turn out to be dishonest. Also, some tradesmen will underestimate to get the job and  then “discover” that prices have gone up further down the line, and “unfortunately” have to ask for more money to complete the job. In much the same way that some estate agents will suggest your house will fetch 25% more than it possibly could, just to get your business, and then plan to “regretfully” advise  you to cut the price a few weeks down the line. I would take the advice of people that have recommended this builder. My dad placed one advert when he first started out, and never had to do it again. This was because he was so reliable and did quality work. People were prepared to wait until he was available, because word of mouth said they could trust him. This was genuine word of mouth, not trust pilot. If you have recommendations from people that you know, he is the right choice, no question. 

Amen to that.

Provided this builder has a good repute, and he would appear to have, then there is nothing truly alarming going on here. In fact I think we can accept that everything he has told the OP has been frank, honest and true.

Regardless of who you go with - due diligence.