Roofer overcharge ?

Aylesbury_Duck

geoffwba said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

geoffwba said:

Following recent storm and high winds, I've had a dislodged clay/concrete roof tile put back in place by a local roofing company.  They charged me a whopping £375 to do the work but all they had to do was climb up a ladder (there were two men) and do the necessary. It took less than 10 minutes.  The business is a limited company with a sole director and I have checked their Companies House credentials and that they are registered for VAT.  On the director's initial visit when he visually looked at the problem from below, I did verbally accept the quote but only because I wanted the job done quickly to avoid water ingress.  After complaining about the cost after the work was done, he tried to justify it by saying that the quote includes VAT and other business overheads.  Despite me chasing twice for a detailed breakdown of the cost, nothing is forthcoming and all I have is an initial written invoice quoting £375 but I have no idea of the amount of VAT levied.. After my initial acceptance of the quote I was asked to pay £100 up front for materials , which I thought wasn't right.    I think I have been vastly overcharged so where do I stand with regards to possible further action and maybe submitting a "poor" review ?  It is interesting that there are 25 Google reviews on this business and amazingly all but one are 5 star.  I paid the cost by bank transfer as they would not accept payment by credit card.

It's "doing the necessary" that forms much of the cost.  They need to know what to do and how to do it.  That's what you're paying for, not just their time.

What other quotes did you get, and how did they compare?

I only had this one quote because time was of the essence, there was a hole in the roof where the tile was and I didn't want the situation to deteriorate with rain or snow ingress. Another roofer I contacted wasn't available for four weeks so that ruled him out.

So pricing probably reflected speed of response, then.  Would you have been happier to wait a week and pay 50% less?  Good, reputable roofers are always in demand after a storm.  Those available at short notice are perhaps not the ones you want to be dealing with.

geoffwba

Cheslea2010 said:

If you weren't happy with the quote then you shouldn't have accepted it. You entered into a verbal contract with the contractor when you agreed to the quote. There are no hidden charges and the job has been done at the agreed price. Would you have preferred he sat there all day? Why should they give you a breakdown of cost, the job has been done. Perhaps you can do the job yourself cheaper next time.

Cheslea2010 said:

If you weren't happy with the quote then you shouldn't have accepted it. You entered into a verbal contract with the contractor when you agreed to the quote. There are no hidden charges and the job has been done at the agreed price. Would you have preferred he sat there all day? Why should they give you a breakdown of cost, the job has been done. Perhaps you can do the job yourself cheaper next time.

A bit of a glib comment if I may say so !  You don't know my personal circumstances- I am a 77 year old pensioner with weakened legs following two hip replacement ops and there is no way I can climb a ladder safely.

born_again

geoffwba said:

Cheslea2010 said:

If you weren't happy with the quote then you shouldn't have accepted it. You entered into a verbal contract with the contractor when you agreed to the quote. There are no hidden charges and the job has been done at the agreed price. Would you have preferred he sat there all day? Why should they give you a breakdown of cost, the job has been done. Perhaps you can do the job yourself cheaper next time.

A bit of a glib comment if I may say so !  You don't know my personal circumstances- I am a 77 year old pensioner with weakened legs following two hip replacement ops and there is no way I can climb a ladder safely.

To be fair many of us younger ones would not be wanting to climb a ladder & get on the roof.

The point being made, was that you agreed to the quote. Time to query the price was at that point.
So a cheeky do you do discount for pensioners 😜can sometimes work.