underpriced job

Camille_2

Hello, not to sure if this is the right place for this!

I have a dilemma at the moment, i priced a job for someone, to paint there windows, i did this price about 4 months ago, and finally was given the go ahead, 3 weeks ago. The dilemma is, I priced the windows and fascia, the customer has metioned that the guttering and downpipes were included(they were not), also, she said that the windows wouldbe prepared for me(they have not been) and also they have weathered alot more since I priced them.

I have been working there this week, and will be going next week for 4 days..Originally I priced it for 3 weeks work, It now looks like it will be 5 weeks...which means Ill be working for about £40 a day....I know its probably my mistake as its my 1st job priced as self employed.....What implications would there be, if I got payment of £400 for the 2 weeks work i will be doing, and then not return to finsh the job....Its not the way I'd like to do this, but I'd rather stay home, than work for £40 a day...I can just feel myself getting demoralised!!!

newfunk

As long as you don't rip the customer off, and do enough work in two weeks to justify your £400 payment, I dont see a problem....If you have not signed a contract, or had a lot of money up front, there will not be alot they can say, except be a little annoyed.

A word of advice, in future get the customer to detail in writing what exactly they expect your to price.

I had the same problem a few years back, and basically, I just cut my losses and did not finish the job.

They do not own you, you are just working for them. They could throw you of the job, and you would have no come back.

zzzLazyDaisy

Well, actually that isn't strictly true.

You have a contract. The fact that it isn't in writing doesn't make it any less legal and binding, it just means that the terms of the contract are more difficult to establish.

In essence it is your word against the customer's word.

In my view your mistake was in starting the job without making clear that things had changed and this would mean that the price would be more. That would have given the customer the opportunity to either agree to the new price for the job, or simply not to go ahead.

If you walk off the job and refuse to finish it, they have the right to get someone else in to finish the job and then sue you in the small claims court for the amount of the bill. It would then be for you to persuade the judge that the extra work they had done was not included in the work that you had charged for.

Or, they may simply refuse to pay you for the work already done (assuming they haven't already paid you up front?) Then you'd have to take them to court to get your money.

Either way, it could be messy.

I'd say that the best thing would be to explain that the job is going to take longer than expected and that it will therefore cost more, and try and agree an acceptable compromise with them.

(PS the views expressed above are simply my personal thoughts, and should not be taken as legal advice)

mancitychick

Personally I would at least speak to your customer. If you are just starting out in your business you do not want to get a bad reputation before you have even got off the ground. I would guess that word of mouth and recommendations from previous customers could/would generate a fair bit of your business.

newfunk

I see your point, but if they were to work and get paid for a part of the job, and finished that part completely, so nobody had to finish that! Anything else would be a new job surely? Also if the client agreed to pay them as the job progressed, after they have completed parts of the job, I really can't see what they could do...Its as you say, word against word, especially if they paid you in cash.

The best way is to discuss it with the client as lazydaisy says...But i would find it highly unlikely that anyone would pursue you for that job!

bikertim

I think you should tell the client that the extra work was not quoted for and will cost more.Always list in your quote what is included in the job you are quoting for and make a note that any unforseen extras will be extra at an agreed price.Always remember there are rogue customers aswell as builders.Some people will let you work for nothing if you let them

katiepops_2

You should always always always put a quote in writing detailing exactly what the quote covers. If as you say the customer's windows have got worse since you quoted, you should also write somewhere on the quote that the price quoted stands for xx amount of days only and must be requoted after that.

Personally, I think you should just bite the bullet and complete the job. At the very least, if you don't have any other work on at the moment, then you are at least working and earning something, even if not a huge amount, and secondly, if you do a good job then your customer will be more than happy to recommend you to all her friends and family, which could lead to more business for you.

Kate

Jacster_2

I would talk to the customer, and try to agree a reasonable price.

If you get more money, great. If not, I'd finish the job, and chalk it up to experience. Consider finishing the job an investment in your reputation, particularly if you are starting up on your own and will be relying on word of mouth for new business.

Best of luck.

YorkshireBoy

I have a friend who used to do electrical "foreigners" many years ago. He got into a dispute with a customer over some additional work and it got really messy.

It finally ended with the customer paying up, but then "shopping" my friend to the Inland Revenue. The IR then tried (unsuccessfully) to assess him for unpaid taxes based how much work they thought he was doing a year. The correspondence lasted several months before the IR dropped their investigation.

On this basis, I'd say do the full job whilst trying to negotiate some compromise. If you get some extra payment then great but, either way, chalk this one down to experience. I can guarantee you will not fall into the same trap again.

Finally, don't forget to put up your "Camille - Painter & Decorator" advertising board on the property whilst your working there.

Murtle

As above - I wouldn't recomend not completing the job, especially if you rely on word of mouth. You might find yourself mentioned on the Vent board here

chalk it up to experience.

See if you can get a youngster to help you paint it - pay them some pocket money.....isn't it the summer holidays?? I'm sure they could use the money!!

Get everything in writing in future.

Communicate with the person. Advise that you hadn't realised how much more weathered the wood was, question why it wasn't prepared etc.

JanCee

You should definately finish the job and count it as valuable lesson for the future. Some things are best learnt by experience and I am sure you will not make the same mistake again. I can't imagine that the customer would be happy to pay before the job was finished, I know I wouldn't, and after reading your post I will make sure I never ever part with a penny to a tradesperson until a job is fully completed!!