So I was on a job and a couple a mugs stop by - see !
"Need a drywaller?"
"Well I got one."
"Yeah but we're cheaper!"
"Ok, ok so give me a bid."
This was a good size house - almost 5500 square feet - and we had a bid for almost $30 grand.
Well the mugs came up with a bid for $18,000 and it was too cheap to pass up. They had all the necessary insurance, licenses etc. tho nary a compadre uttered a word of ingles!
They seemed to start off ok but suddenly disappeared!
Phoning the mugs, I heard, "Hello, the voice mail box you have reached is full and can not accept messages - please try again."
Eventually we got the job done, but the delay took its toll. A month delay worked out to be worth about $12,500 in interest on the construction loan.
Moral of the story:
Low price isn't - necessarily !
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Landscape Rip Off - My Money is Gone !
I hate to say it - but this one happened to my own mother!
Mom found a landscaper after visiting his nursery. Having an existing business, Mom figured this guy was legit. He came and looked at the property with grandiose ideas of a pond, a vineyard, a family orchard - a whole new shangra la!
Twenty grand for the whole project!
Knowing something was up, I asked to see the plan.
"Well he has a drawing and I'll get a copy of it," she said, having given him ten thousand dollars to start the job.
After a few improperly installed irrigation lines and dropping off about 20 plants (at about a $9.95 value each) which my Mom planted, he asked for the second $10,000.
By this time Mom got wise and refused. Needless to say he never showed up again and when he was summoned to court at small claims - he showed the judge pictures of work that we had done claiming it was his own!
Moral of the story -
Get it in writing - a full description of the work!
Get a plan - a scale plan with all the details noted!
Pay only a minimal deposit - wait for results before shelling out money!
Check for a valid contractor's license - a lot of landscapers don't have them.
Mom found a landscaper after visiting his nursery. Having an existing business, Mom figured this guy was legit. He came and looked at the property with grandiose ideas of a pond, a vineyard, a family orchard - a whole new shangra la!
Twenty grand for the whole project!
Knowing something was up, I asked to see the plan.
"Well he has a drawing and I'll get a copy of it," she said, having given him ten thousand dollars to start the job.
After a few improperly installed irrigation lines and dropping off about 20 plants (at about a $9.95 value each) which my Mom planted, he asked for the second $10,000.
By this time Mom got wise and refused. Needless to say he never showed up again and when he was summoned to court at small claims - he showed the judge pictures of work that we had done claiming it was his own!
Moral of the story -
Get it in writing - a full description of the work!
Get a plan - a scale plan with all the details noted!
Pay only a minimal deposit - wait for results before shelling out money!
Check for a valid contractor's license - a lot of landscapers don't have them.
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