Charging for a bid?

[Heather Smith]

I am just a homeowner who needed a bid done on some very minor water damage in my master bathroom. I was given a name and number by a relative who said he does great work.  I call him, he comes to my home, asses the damage and tells me he’ll send someone out to take some measurements.  Someone comes a few days later, was here for less than an hour and left.  I didn’t hover but he had a tape measure so I assumed He took some measurements.  They send me a bid a few days later, I send it to my homeowners insurance company and wait to hear from them.  My insurance company told me that the quote didn’t seem right and they want to send their own adjuster out.  The quote that they gave me was less than half of what this general contractor had in his bid.  My insurance company informs me not to sign anything and not to use them because they double charged for everything.   A few weeks later, I get A bill for $1300 in the mail for this company.  I was never informed if I didn’t use them, I would get charged X amount.  I never signed anything.  Am I liable for this bill?  Can they put a lien on my house?  The house isn’t even in my name, it’s in my husbands name.  

[Will Barnard]

Does this relative hate you? What a terrible referral to what appears to be a crook. They did zero work and have nothing signed on paper therefore they have no right to bill or charge you for anything and unless you agreed to pay for the bid, then tell them to kiss off and tell your family member some choice words too!

This contractor can not file a lien against your home as they did not perform work, did not file and record a pre-lien, and if they try to, you can go to the contractor's board and file a formal complaint. You may want to do that now just in case so it is on record what these guys are trying to do. If they are trying to scam you, they are likely doing it with others.