Are there no honorable people left?

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Low-balling or going for the cheapest price has no bearing on how honorable a contractor is. He's either honorable or not, honest or not, competent or not, etc. You may reduce your chances of having a bad experience by putting more faith in reviews and referrals than simply on price - but you aren't making an honest contractor become dishonest by trying to get the best deal possible.

... and there are plenty of dishonest contractors at the high end of the price scale - probably just as many. They price themselves double where the legitimate contractors are and then prey on people - usually primarily seniors - with a hard sell approach and BS "facts" and scare tactics to coerce people into hiring them.

Let me be a bit more precise with this. A low price is not necessarily indicative of a dishonest contractor. But low balling knowing that one is going to "find something" mid job and jack the price mid stream is dishonorable conduct. And it does happen.

 

[CPanther95]

Let me be a bit more precise with this. A low price is not necessarily indicative of a dishonest contractor. But low balling knowing that one is going to "find something" mid job and jack the price mid stream is dishonorable conduct. And it does happen.

I was talking about a customer trying to lowball a contractor.

 

[DizBelle]

So, we finally have the landscaper back to finish the job - which is laying a paver path from the driveway in the front, around the side of the house, and into the back yard (basically elimating the side yard which gets swampy anyway).

DH was VERY clear on what his expectations were on grading the surface, compacting the surface and how it should be sloped to allow for proper drainage and the method that was to be used to install the pavers. He wanted a trench of poured concrete around the "free" edges which the edge pavers would be mortared to and the field would be laid on sand.

The only thing they did right was the trench in the back yard. The grading wasn't right pretty much everywhere, it wasn't compacted properly, and they didn't do the trench for the pathway in the front. They basically mortared the edge pavers to the fabric liner that was laying on the prepared bed of crushed concrete. NOT SECURE AT ALL. The edges of a paver path/patio MUST BE SECURE to hold the rest of it in place.

AND, DH went with the guy to the equipment rental place to rent the compactor. Back at the house, DH gave the guy a gas can with almost 8 gallons of gas in it to use for the compactor. The tank on the compactor holds about a gallon and it should use no more than 2 tanks of gas (2 gallons) in a day. And it came with the tank full. The gas can was left empty. He basically stole 6-7 gallons of gas from us. DH called him on this today and he eventually admitted that he took the gas.

No honor I tell you.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think we pay contractors a fair price. We usually get 3 estimates for a job. If they're all in the same ballpark cost-wise then we go to references, who we kind of have the best gut feeling about etc.

I am also nice to them. I do leave drinks. I've been known to make cookies. I know they work hard. I'm not trying to bribe them. I'm just trying to be nice.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

We hired the guy across the street to pressure wash our house. The job took longer than he had anticipated due to the height of the house so I paid him more than we had agreed because of his time involved . He did not ask for it but I wanted to keep,good neighbor relations and to show appreciation.

Afterward I discovered that he left a part of the house untouched and apparently he helped himself to some gas for my mower to help fuel his equipment. I had just filled my container a few weeks earlier and the week before I had MUCH more than I did the next time I used it following his time at my house If he had mentioned to me that he needed to use some I would have thought more kindly than to just take it and think I would not notice.

 

[DawnM]

I can't even get into all of it without getting VERY angry.

Yup, horrible, crappy work, bad work ethic, shotty work, rude people.