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rip off contractors

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:41 pm
by troyster
contractor in town tried to sell me 100' of 12 inch wide aluminum coil stock flashing for $300.00 or $3 a square foot. Went to Rona hardware in town and they sell same stuff for $47 for 50' which works out too $94 for 100' of 12 inch aluminum coil stock. That contractor would have tripled his money. what a crook. Thats why I always check around to compare prices. what a difference.

RE: rip off contractors

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:15 am
by Maureen
Hi Troyster!

You've heard me say it many times over on this board! In this day and age, there is no reason for folks not to be able to get a second or third opinion on cost of materials! You may not get an exact price, but at least a ball park figure for your area.

Good for you! You went that extra mile and found out that this guy was going to charge you 3 times the cost of materials!

We all work hard for our money! Even if we have some extra, we don't need to give it to shysters (I won't call these folks contractors)! True contractors have licenses here in the states. You have a recourse if you're over charged, or if the work isn't up to par, or whatever. A true contractor's business, relies on word of mouth advertising. Their business is based on customer satisfaction.

I'm sure that JD can expand on this topic better than I! But self employment is self employment. If you're self employed, and in it for the long run, you do everything possible to make sure that your customers are not being ripped off, and are satisfied, 100%.

Maureen 8)

RE: rip off contractors

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:53 am
by troyster
I agree Maureen, there are still good contractors out there-they are usually the ones too busy to get ahold of -then there are the Bubba's who got their licenses from a cracker jack box.

RE: rip off contractors

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 8:34 pm
by Greg
Troy, $47 for a 50' roll is a good price, I paid almost $60 last summer @ Lowes. Greg

RE: rip off contractors

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 1:11 am
by JD
I pay around 1.30 a sf for .018 roll stock and a little over $2/sf for pre formed materials. This is the stuff they make aluminum awnings with. I generally don't use the rolled flashing from the home stores. In my business I don't do retail of materials, at least not yet. But if I did, I would charge a competitive retail price.

But, I guess a guy can charge what he wants for a product. It's a person's right to be a good business person or a rip off. The oil companies hike their prices because of a threat of war between England and Iran. With the 2 choices above, I should be getting my gasoline refund check in the mail any day now.

JD

RE: rip off contractors

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:39 am
by Jim from Canada
There are also 3 different guages of stock you can buy. So that has a lot of bearing on price. Colour choices can make a difference too.

Jim

RE: rip off contractors

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 11:34 pm
by Maureen
LOL JD, I'm waiting for my refund check to come any day now also! Every time I pass a gas station out here, the price goes up 10 cents a gallon these days. We'll be hitting the high 3 dollar, to low 4 dollar mark again this Summer. Then in mid Winter it goes down to $2.50 a gallon?

It's really starting to get amusing to find out how many things effect our gas prices! They always seem to hit hard just around a holiday, and then of course go sky high during Summer travel season. Quite a little coinkydink there! But then we're all too ignorant to see those parallels.

I've gotten the boys and hubby used to calling me from Reno before they come home from work. If I need something, they have to stop and pick it up!

This brings up another amusing subject. For years, Warren will not make a left hand turn coming home. He's sworn for years that it wastes time and gas. Now this means, if I need something, it best be on the right hand side of the road coming home.

UPS released just this last week, that they've started using this theory and saving bunches on gas, and time! Boy did I hear a huge 'I told ya so'! I've been griping for years because we only have one store, and two fast food restaurants on the right hand side of the road coming into the Valley. All the good stuff is on the left...... I'm doomed now LOL!

Maureen

RE: rip off contractors

Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:55 am
by troyster
thats cheap gas we are paying 5 bucks a gallon now.

RE: rip off contractors

Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:02 am
by Greg
Well Maureen, now ask him for the print out on the savings from his fleet of vehicles. In a delivery business with thousands of trucks yes you may see a savings, but 1 car?? Your time is worth more than the savings. Greg