Another day, another shonky contractor

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Another day, another shonky contractor

Nat C.
Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2013 · 807 posts · 475 votes

I have been using Thumbtack to find various professional for hire. Thumbtack is similar to Angies List and Home Advisor.

I placed an ad for a HVAC technician. I offered $250 for installation on each AC unit stating that I needed two units installed in two properties immediately and another two units installed next month. 

I had several offers to complete the work and ended up choosing a company that were close by. 

They did not turn up for the scheduled Tuesday appointment and they rescheduled for Wednesday. The tenants were arriving Wednesday night so it was certainly cutting it fine. On Wednesday the AC guy called me and when they were at the job to tell me it would cost an extra $250 due to extra work and materials they needed to buy. I wasn't in a position to say no, so I agreed.

They finished the job in the afternoon and text me pictures and said they emailed me the invoice.

The tenants arrived later that day and told me the AC unit wasn't working. I then looked at the invoice and saw it is for $1410. I questioned the the company on the additional $910 that I hadn't agreed to pay or been advised of and he said it was extra materials and labor.

To make it look even more like they are trying to pull the wool over my eyes, he said the quote of $250 per unit means $250 for air handler and $250 for the condenser. 

Presently I have a HVAC system that isn't cooling. He said they will come and look at it after I pay the $1410. At no point will I pay $1410, I will only pay $500 because that's what I agreed to. He said he will be placing a mechanics lien on the property. 

I did some reading on mechanics liens and I imagine I would have a chance to contest it and I have thumbtack correspondence in writing that the agreed price is $250 per unit. As mentioned he is claiming per unit pertains to air handler as one unit and condenser as second unit. 

How would my Bigger Pockets friends proceed?

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Keith Belzner
Nottingham, MD · Member since 2014 · 109 posts · 37 votes
11y

This quote from the original post has me the most concerned. As a contractor when someone "offers" me the price for a job any reputable contractor will run. You call them they come out and THEY give the price not the homeowner. Now if you want to haggle from there thats another story but they are the ones with the knowledge of your problem. If you want some laughs look up craigslist ads offering jobs for work at absurd prices, for example people have offered $10 per hour for someone to come out and install a deck, not kidding. 

I have seen both sides, from a contractor and investor. Contractors will come to loathe investors who are cheap about everything and investors will complain that contractors are ripping everyone off. Cant we all just get along and make some money.

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  • James DeRoest
    Investor · Century, FL · Member since 2015 · 950 posts · 603 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Nat C.:

     Not only are your responses ridiculous and meritless but you yourself are a highly questionable character. Claiming you need to hide your identity and location is suspicious. 

    This post was nothing about a 'hard luck story', it was about the ongoing battle with dishonest contractors and their tactics. In this case, a contractor who seemingly gave a low bid to get the job and then tried to multiply it by 5. He didn't give a bid that I bargained him down on, it was his original bid he gave me in writing.

    You knowing my name serves me no purpose. You have no business knowing my name. Just because I'm on the internet does not automatically grace you with my name. Get over yourself.

    But I'm confused, you said earlier that this website you were on allows you to see how a contractor is rated and reviews - so I'm assuming that you selected a good contractor in the first place.

    Now here you are on a forum calling them shonky when it's obvious that you made a mistake. Everyone (apart from you) considers a split system to be two units.

    And yes, the only people who ***** about $1k are those that don't have it. $1k is a rounding error.

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  • James DeRoest
    Investor · Century, FL · Member since 2015 · 950 posts · 603 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Dana Whicker:

    A successful business person knows where every $1 is going, and absolutely is concerned about where $1k is going.

     I know where every penny goes. I don't make $1k mistakes, and if I do, I most certainly don't post it to the internet and pretend to be hard done by.

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  • Alex Khojainov
    Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2012 · 25 posts · 14 votes
    11y

    I almost fell over laughing when I read $250 to install an HVAC unit with the expectation of good results.... those guys go to HVAC apprenticeship/school/ whatever for a couple of years.  It's kind of like getting a dentist that will pull a tooth for $50 cash and a pack of cigarettes.  

    Demo, drywall, MAYBE framing you can squeeze the subs for 1K.  Pinching pennies with your electricians, plumbers and HVAC guys will get you 2 Chucks in a truck and have you spending an extra 5K just to fix what they jacked up.

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  • Alex Khojainov
    Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2012 · 25 posts · 14 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Keith Belzner:

    This quote from the original post has me the most concerned. As a contractor when someone "offers" me the price for a job any reputable contractor will run. You call them they come out and THEY give the price not the homeowner. Now if you want to haggle from there thats another story but they are the ones with the knowledge of your problem. If you want some laughs look up craigslist ads offering jobs for work at absurd prices, for example people have offered $10 per hour for someone to come out and install a deck, not kidding. 

    I have seen both sides, from a contractor and investor. Contractors will come to loathe investors who are cheap about everything and investors will complain that contractors are ripping everyone off. Cant we all just get along and make some money.

     Need a level 5 drywall finish, must have license, workers comp, liability insurance and references.  Paying $9 per hour, I'll supply drywall mud, should take less that 20 hours hahahahaha

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  • Michael Campbell
    Flipper/Rehabber · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2010 · 151 posts · 71 votes
    11y

    There's clearly a lot of criticism in this thread about hiring contractors and what to expect.  But what can we learn from this experience?  Here's are two of my takeaways:

    Whenever hiring a contractor, you need a detailed scope of work before agreeing on a price.  The scope of work in this situation probably should have stated whether or not all materials were included in the job by the homeowner or if the contractor was providing some of the materials.

    It's important to have an understanding of what a job should cost.  A lot of people are stating that $250 is a ridiculously low price for installing an HVAC unit.  This is obviously going to vary based on the type of unit.  If it's a through-the-wall PTAC, then $250 is not ridiculous at all to replace an existing unit.  That wouldn't take more than a few hours.  If it's a whole-home air handler and condenser, then clearly $250 is way too low.  The scope of work should state the type and size of the units being installed to avoid any confusion.  If you have a basic understanding of the work that is required, it will allow you to understand when a contractor's bid is unrealistically low.

    Anyway - just my two cents.

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