electrician overcharged me!
Snoop Drew
Fault Circuit Interruptor (GFCI) in the garage, and install two new ones in
the kitchen to bring it up to code.
The guy charged me $261 per GFCI, for a total of $783. He spent an hour to
do the job. I told him before I signed the work authorization that this
seemed expensive and asked about a discount but he just frowned. Is this
really a fair price?
Their yellow page ad reads "reasonable prices" and "complete professional &
reliable service" with "30 years experience!!"
I don't think someone who has 30 years of professional experience would say
that $783 is "reasonable" for installing three GFCI outlets, with no new
wires to be run.
i have no one to blame but myself, but do i have any recourse? Can't i just
call the guy to complain and ask for a partial refund? Or can I really win
in small claims?
yes, I deserve an award for stupidity and gullability, but i think there's a
special place in hell for people like this...
Greg O
"Snoop Drew" <snoo...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:e4Cqc.4691$zw.4@attbi_s01...
> I hired an electrician from the yellow pages to replace a faulty Ground
> Fault Circuit Interruptor (GFCI) in the garage, and install two new ones
in
> the kitchen to bring it up to code.
>
> The guy charged me $261 per GFCI, for a total of $783. He spent an hour to
> do the job. I told him before I signed the work authorization that this
> seemed expensive and asked about a discount but he just frowned. Is this
> really a fair price?
You got screwed, but you agreed to it before hand!
Greg
Drew Volpe
> I hired an electrician from the yellow pages to replace a faulty Ground
> Fault Circuit Interruptor (GFCI) in the garage, and install two new ones in
> the kitchen to bring it up to code.
>
> The guy charged me $261 per GFCI, for a total of $783. He spent an hour to
> do the job. I told him before I signed the work authorization that this
> seemed expensive and asked about a discount but he just frowned. Is this
> really a fair price?
You shouldn't have signed the work order. Tell your friends not use
that guy and next time don't sign a work order unless you're
comfortable with the price.
dv
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The geographical center of Boston is in Roxbury. Due north of the
center we find the South End. This is not to be confused with South
Boston which lies directly east from the South End. North of the South
End is East Boston and southwest of East Boston is the North End.
DaveG
supply stores, probably less then $10. So you paid almost $800 for no more
than $45 in parts and an hours labor.
Add in drive time, and the total would be closer to $200 give or take.
I'd say you were overcharged by perhaps $500 or more. Next time, get a
least 3 estimates. I'd still call and ask a few other pro's in your area
what they'd charge, then go back to the company you hired and ask them why
they are so overpriced. If you get nowhere, offer to take your story to the
local news "I" team, and see what happens.
HeatMan
More at the bottom.
"Snoop Drew" <snoo...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:e4Cqc.4691$zw.4@attbi_s01...
Flat rate is a program used by a lot of contractors that are supposed to
reward the customer by using an average amount of time to do a certain job.
Tech A can do this job in 20 minutes, but tech B takes 1 hour and 20
minutes. Average that out and you get 50 minutes. You get charged the 50
minutes whether tech A or tech B come out to do the job.
You have to sign a authorization before you start the job. That gives them
permission to do the work at the price on the contract. You can also refuse
the work and pay a diagnosis fee for them coming out.
In some areas you are allowed to request a pricing breakdown. Some techs
will look at you funny if you ask for the breakdown.
It's also called up front pricing and several other names. It can be a good
thing and it can be a bad thing.
I won't have anything to do with it. There are a lot of people in my
industry that love it. They say it's really helped the bottom line. I
think it's a way to help people that really have no clue how to run a
business....
I have more if you want to hear my ramblings......
xrongor
what you like, this is bullshit.
sometimes you have to be good to have good karma. other times, you need to
be the karma. i think this is one of those times.
this guy deserves to be fished. you gotta get a few fish and place them in
his car, under his porch, wherever you can. where they will die, rot, and
stink. go in to the workplace to talk about the bill and leave a few fish
above the tiles in the bathroom ceiling. be creative. it will take some
effort but it will be worth it.
it wont really accomplish anything, but hey. like i said. sometimes YOU
need to be the karma.
randy
"Snoop Drew" <snoo...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:e4Cqc.4691$zw.4@attbi_s01...
RB
knowing the price before authorizing the work. Don't sign a contract
until you understand it and agree with it.
RB.
m Ransley
charges. I hope not cash.
Then negotiate. You signed a deal but so what they are crooks. Forget
the bbb
Childfree Scott
> do the job. I told him before I signed the work authorization that this
> seemed expensive and asked about a discount but he just frowned. Is this
> really a fair price?
No.
> Their yellow page ad reads "reasonable prices" and "complete professional &
> reliable service" with "30 years experience!!"
You might be able to sue them in small claims for false advertising.
Emphasis on 'might'
> i have no one to blame but myself, but do i have any recourse?
No.
>Can't i just call the guy to complain and ask for a partial refund?
You can ask, but it probably won't do you any good.
>Or can I really win in small claims?
Unlikely.
> yes, I deserve an award for stupidity and gullability
If you thought it was unreasonable, why didn't you get a second quote?
Jim85CJ
$200. I went and bought the replacement parts myself and did the work
myself.
Jim85CJ
dadiOH
> The guy charged me $261 per GFCI, for a total of $783.
<snip, snip, snippety snip>
Barnum was right.
--
dadiOH
_____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
____________________________
m Ransley
forget I have the money the crook doesnt. Then we can let a court decide
if need be. I have had to do it several times unfortunatly, 3. All
three i prevaled. Its their immediate Ace card. Court will take a year
and guarntee nothing even if they win. Spitting on the street is
illegal to .
Jim85CJ
know what you are talking about. Issueing a stop payment on a check is
the same as "passing a bad check". Period. The guy didn't get ripped
off. He agreed to pay a price for a service. The service was performed
(and he was happy with the results) and now he has buyer remorse.
Go buy a car. A few days later you decide you got taken on the price.
Stop paying for the car and see what happens.
Doug Miller
>I hired an electrician from the yellow pages to replace a faulty Ground
>Fault Circuit Interruptor (GFCI) in the garage, and install two new ones in
>the kitchen to bring it up to code.
>
>The guy charged me $261 per GFCI, for a total of $783. He spent an hour to
>do the job. I told him before I signed the work authorization that this
>seemed expensive and asked about a discount but he just frowned. Is this
>really a fair price?
No, it's not. Not even close. So why did you sign the work authorization if
you thought the price was too high?
>
>Their yellow page ad reads "reasonable prices" and "complete professional &
>reliable service" with "30 years experience!!"
>
>I don't think someone who has 30 years of professional experience would say
>that $783 is "reasonable" for installing three GFCI outlets, with no new
>wires to be run.
It's not reasonable. I make the decision not to do business with companies
that charge unreasonable prices for their goods or services. You made the
decision to do business.
>
>i have no one to blame but myself
Quite true.
> but do i have any recourse?
Recourse for WHAT? You signed the authorization, knowing the price
*beforehand*.
>Can't i just call the guy to complain and ask for a partial refund?
Of course you can. And he can tell you to go fly a kite.
>Or can I really win in small claims?
Don't be ridiculous. On what possible basis do you have a claim against this
guy? He quoted you a price, and you AGREED to it.
If you take this to small claims court, you will lose. And you'll wind up
paying *his* legal fees in addition to your own. Depending on the laws of your
state, you might also open yourself up to civil or even criminal penalties for
filing a frivolous, baseless lawsuit.
>yes, I deserve an award for stupidity and gullability
Yes, you do. And another one for chutzpah, for even dreaming that you might
have a basis for a small-claims action.
> but i think there's a special place in hell for people like this...
Why? He quoted you a price. You agreed to it. Was someone holding a gun to
your head, forcing you to sign that work order?
Yes, you were cheated. But you had _full_knowledge_ that you were being
charged more than you wanted to pay, and sat there and watched it happen.
You've just paid your tuition at the School of Experience. Instead of blaming
the electrician, take responsibility for it yourself, make sure it doesn't
happen to you again -- and above all, be thankful that you only had to pay
seven hundred bucks for this lesson. What if you'd been having an air
conditioner installed, and paid seven *thousand* dollars for a job that should
have cost two?
zxcvbob
> you were royally screwed. purposefully. flat rate schmat rate. call it
> what you like, this is bullshit.
>
> sometimes you have to be good to have good karma. other times, you need to
> be the karma. i think this is one of those times.
>
> this guy deserves to be fished. you gotta get a few fish and place them in
> his car, under his porch, wherever you can. where they will die, rot, and
> stink. go in to the workplace to talk about the bill and leave a few fish
> above the tiles in the bathroom ceiling. be creative. it will take some
> effort but it will be worth it.
>
> it wont really accomplish anything, but hey. like i said. sometimes YOU
> need to be the karma.
>
> randy
>
Shrimp work better. They stink more, and they are smaller.
HTH, :-)
Bob
indago
And definitely report this to your local Better Business Bureau...
MLD
replaced two GFI's at $15 ea. Shut of the power to the outlet and replace
one wire at a time (or make a sketch). The toughest part of doing something
like this is the thinking about it--doing it is the easy part.
MLD
Curmudgeon
He was upfront and above board about what he was going to charge you to do
the work. He didn't raise the price afterwards and hold your feet to the
fire.
You, on the other hand, agreed to the work and the price and now, after the
fact, are whining about being overcharged.
Yes, you got overcharged. But you called him...he didn't call you. You
dropped your pants, bent over and said please. Don't bitch about it now!!
"Snoop Drew" <snoo...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:e4Cqc.4691$zw.4@attbi_s01...
Jeff Wisnia
Years ago I heard a story (probably apocryphal) about a guy who got so
pissed off at the screwing he got from his bank that he placed a raw
fish in his safety deposit box and walked away smiling.
I had visions of bank personel in the vault holding a cat up and moving
it arond like a stud finder trying to locate the safety deposit box the
stench was leaking out from.
Jeff
--
Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying."
Terry Cano
as to reasonable cost and materials. In fact, that is why the
automotive flat rate manual was born.
So we relie on the interigity of the contractor or repair person.
The company I work that manages 34 apts bldg...has a saying.
We want or contractors and repair persons to make money so they
stay in business and are around when we need them...
but we are not going to be ripped off.
We have paid for rental of airless paint sprayers when one failed in the
middle of a job
which wasn't our responsibilty...but hey, it's $60 or $100 worth of
goodwill....
but inflating prices to that degree is wrong.
Terry
"Curmudgeon" <ga...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:kjMqc.4921$YB6....@bignews3.bellsouth.net...
ryeish
wrote:
Even worse are the "bellies" off of a softshell crab...they go ripe in
hours. :D
If you want to be a mean SOB toss something in that will juice a bit
first...that way it will seep in the cracks. Cat urine is a nasty one.
Adam Russell
"ryeish" <cas...@hotmail.net> wrote in message
news:rqbna055fu1p3u2go...@4ax.com...
> If you want to be a mean SOB toss something in that will juice a bit
> first...that way it will seep in the cracks. Cat urine is a nasty one.
Wouldn't that make him liable for damage to other customers property?
jim
let him do the work... yes, it was too high... it should have been like
about $200 if it just took one hour to do the job.....
$150 per hr. and $50 for parts....
xrongor
to jail. at worst you will pay a small fee, and maybe hurt your credit
rating a little. plus it will take the guy forever to press any civil
charges, and cost him money.
if you want to go this route, its a little better to drain your account so
the check bounces. then it doesnt legally appear so purposeful as stopping
the check. depending on what has happened the last week this may cause some
other check to bounce too, but normally you dont have 3-4 700$ checks
floating. this is also why you need at least two checking accounts. one
for normal use and one for when you feel like you are taking it up the
ass....
but let me tell you a story.
<rant on>
when you were a little kid, you were threatened with 'this will go down in
your permanant record". as you know by now, it was a lie.
as an adult there is somewhat of an equivelent. your credit rating.
business and banks and the government love to toss the ole 'oh but it will
hurt your credit rating" out there to keep you in line. well im going to
tell you a little secret. dont play this game. screw your credit rating.
nobody is really expected to have 'perfect' credit and the banks have their
own definition of it and guess what, paying all your bills on time isnt
necessarily a perfect rating. insurance companies also use it as an excuse
to jack your rates. its all part of the matrix.
credit rating is just another scare tactic used to keep you in line as a
normal average american peon. plain and simple. the best way to avoid this
is to buy a house. buy it while you're young and while your credit is still
ok. once you've got a little bit of equity in a house, your credit rating
matters very little. you can ALMOST always borrow what you already have.
ok rant off...
randy
"Jim85CJ" <jim_...@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9tJqc.21318$KE6...@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
xrongor
electrician was counting on. he had a guy standing there handing him a bill
for 700+ for installing 3 gfi outlets and no wiring. he didnt know what to
do so he paid it. now he has found out how badly he was purposefully
screwed.
at some point, the ramifications of not making your car payments and simply
turning the car back into the bank are less than being screwed outright. if
you got ripped on the car bad enough it is probably worth it.
see my other post if you want to know what i think about credit ratings.
randy
"Jim85CJ" <jim_...@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:rVJqc.21330$KE6....@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
xrongor
from them. but thats no excuse for the electrician to royally screw him.
randy
"Jim85CJ" <jim_...@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:rVJqc.21330$KE6....@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Jim85CJ
Jim85CJ
people who passed bad checks. you can go to prison.
Michael Shaffer
HeatMan
"Michael Shaffer" <michael...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:rz0rc.113$Sx2.102@okepread01...
> Sue him.
>
He probably can't win. He was given a contract to sign.
Mike J
>
> > yeah, but in the end its not really a 'criminal' offense. you wont be
going
> > to jail. at worst you will pay a small fee, and maybe hurt your credit
> > rating a little. plus it will take the guy forever to press any civil
> > charges, and cost him money.
> >
"Jim85CJ" <jim_...@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2h2hluF...@uni-berlin.de...
> "but in the end its not really a 'criminal' offense"
> my wife used to write up the papers for an attorney who went after
> people who passed bad checks. you can go to prison.
>
Everything depends on state/jurisdiction you are in. Also it would be very
difficult to
prosecute somebody, who got cheated, "felt bad" and cancelled the
payment....
Laws were written to target individuals, who open new account and write
number of
bad checks, with knowledge of insufficient funds.
This sounds like civ dispute case.
Don't get me wrong attorneys can always send threats, but this would not be
an easy
for her/him case to win. Call 10 electricians get average price. Show that
charged price was
unreasonable. File complains, document, document, document....
( And never, ever, ever again sign w/a, w/c if you don't agree with it )
Offer $300 - $400 settlement. Write "full & final settlement payment" on the
check. move on.
Doug Miller
>he doesnt have buyers remorse. he has expected ignorance that the
>electrician was counting on. he had a guy standing there handing him a bill
>for 700+ for installing 3 gfi outlets and no wiring. he didnt know what to
>do so he paid it. now he has found out how badly he was purposefully
>screwed.
>
version is that the electrician presented him with a quote *before* doing the
work, he thought it was too expensive, but signed it *anyway*.
Doug Miller
>Sue him.
For WHAT?? Did you read the post? He authorized the work, _in_writing_, at the
quoted price, _before_ the work was performed. See below:
>>
>> The guy charged me $261 per GFCI, for a total of $783. He spent an hour to
>> do the job. I told him before I signed the work authorization that this
>> seemed expensive and asked about a discount but he just frowned. Is this
>> really a fair price?
You see that? "before I signed the work authorization"
RB
bill (and the attorney's fees for the electrician) perhaps he will have
learned something.
RB
Stormin Mormon
will fix your problem?
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com
"Snoop Drew" <snoo...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:e4Cqc.4691$zw.4@attbi_s01...
I told him before I signed the work authorization that this
seemed expensive
i have no one to blame but myself,
charge
up 1/2 ton pickup truck no name with a ladder rack
Those trucks sometimes have religious bumper stickers.
The sum total of their work usually is shoddy in workmanship to say the
least.
I too have been overcharged by religious zealots that claim the Lord helps
them everyday.
Their maligned Christian belief system may make them think their way is the
only belief system for ones reverence of the Lord.
When you (the customer) ask about their work-in-process, they tend to
buffalo you with BS anytime thinking
you maybe questioning their competence by changing the subject to about the
Lord.
It sort of gives you an idea while they are talking about the Lord they try
to convince themselves by using their customer as a sounding board.
Instead they just continue bending their customer's ears about the Lord.
You do quickly develop a skepticism about anyone that tries to induce
anything about the Lord into a conversation unrelated about work.
Snip
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.688 / Virus Database: 449 - Release Date: 5/18/2004
m Ransley
different than stopping payment because you found out you were
overcharged. Passing a bad ck you can be open to 3x the ck penalty.
Stopping payment you argue your case. I have 3 times, I showed the judge
that my account could cover it. The person just says they felt
intimidated by the contractor and thought it was a days job and after
completion reviewed it with a friend. Bottom line is who has the money,
The contractor probably cashed it the minute the job was done.
m Ransley
they are worse than old pickup drivers . They even get on TV
Jeff Givens
wrote:
>This is called Flat Rate.
[...]
>It's also called up front pricing and several other names. It can be a good
>thing and it can be a bad thing.
>
>I won't have anything to do with it. There are a lot of people in my
>industry that love it. They say it's really helped the bottom line. I
>think it's a way to help people that really have no clue how to run a
>business....
I was wiring my basement as it was being finished and when I opened up the
main service panel I notice a neutral all burned up. All connections were
tight. So I figured I'd call in a guy and ask him his opinion on the matter
- cause mainly.
The guy showed up, in a spiffy nice jumpiest, and after discussing the
issue of the neutral (and deciding it wasn't an issue), he asked me if he
wanted me to have him cut and reterminate the wire. Note that he was called
also to give an estimate on installing a ceiling fan box and switch. So I
figured that since the guy was here (we were paying for him to come -
charges to be removed form any future work done) and in the box already, I
would pay a small fee to have him cut and terminate. He whips out a pack of
slickly prepared laminated 8.5 x 11 sheets, all nice with colors and
pictures (obviously prepackaged) with the rate sked. Let's see, cutting a
wire and terminating, $90! They literally had an entry for this. The main
reason, the ceiling fan estimate, was over $700!
Needless to say I told him to bolt.
The whole operation had the look and feel of some sort of franchised outfit
with some parent corporate entity pushing all the materials and pricing and
stuff. It was pretty sad.
_________________________________________________________________
JG... Jeff Givens
mailto:jgiv...@comcastXX.netXX
"My hovercraft is full of eels."
m Ransley
price for what i later paid 210. Scammers.
Mary Shafer
wrote:
> I don't think someone who has 30 years of professional experience would say
> that $783 is "reasonable" for installing three GFCI outlets, with no new
> wires to be run.
>
> i have no one to blame but myself, but do i have any recourse? Can't i just
> call the guy to complain and ask for a partial refund? Or can I really win
> in small claims?
Call him and ask for a partial refund. If you don't ask for it, you
won't get it.
Forget small claims court. The Supreme Court has held that
advertising claims don't have to be strictly true.
Don't take the advice to stop payment on the check or anything. The
electrician can put a mechanic's lien on your house that will prevent
you from refinancing or selling it if you do so. It's a lot easier
for him to put the lien on than it is for you to get it cleared.
Mary
--
Mary Shafer Retired aerospace research engineer
mil...@qnet.com
zxcvbob
How 'bout calling the IBEW and complaining to them? Say you were
charged $700 for one hour of labor and $20 worth of materials (and by
whom), and you're gonna talk to the local TV station's investigative
reporter about it. Peer pressure might can work for you here. I don't
think any tradesmen want their fixed rate price book exposed to public
scrutiny.
Bob
feeling taken
Will his lue on oermit cone back to me. He charges 250 percent more.
--
For full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/electrician-overcharged-me-525396-.htm
trader_4
the work? Did he give you a firm price at all? Verbally? Were there witnesses?
That's what counts, not what's on a permit. The price on a permit could
help as supporting evidence in a dispute, but that's about it, it's not binding.
Bottom line, you should have a written contract before the work starts.
Pthirus Pubis
> What if an electrical company lies and puts a price in the permit gor kess than galf of what he charges? And he threatens to lien your house within one day of completion. He bever did things I wanted and was sloppy and refused yo give me detailed
> itemized accounting.
> Will his lue on oermit cone back to me. He charges 250 percent more.
>
How much did he charge?
How long was he at your house?