What's a verbal quote worth?

Tricky · 22-04-2008, 18:43

Take a hypothetical scenario...

A Tradesman offers to carry out a piece of work and says it'll cost about £100, say. The customer thinks this would be a good idea at that price and books him in. The tradesman comes and carries out the agreed work.

The tradesman then bills the customer for 3 times the previously agreed price.

How should the customer proceed? (Hypothetically speaking, of course.)

dane-katie · 22-04-2008, 18:45

not much you can do really.

know a few tradesmen that have done this kind of thing.

JoeP · 22-04-2008, 19:05

There's an old saying 'A verbal contract ain't worth the paper it's written on'.

I'm honestly not sure what the legal position is but to be honest I'd expect a written agreement before any work gets done for me or by me.

jl-heating · 22-04-2008, 19:21

to be honest i would not work on a verbal quote, never the less

is the work he has done worth the price he is charging you ? sit him down and agree on a price for the work surely there is a midway you can both agree on. ?

i personally would not pay 3 times a verbal amount no matter what he says.. !

Dave650 · 22-04-2008, 19:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by jl-heating

to be honest i would not work on a verbal quote, never the less

is the work he has done worth the price he is charging you ? sit him down and agree on a price for the work surely there is a midway you can both agree on. ?

i personally would not pay 3 times a verbal amount no matter what he says.. !

And that's coming from a tradesman!
Have a word with him and take into consideration the quote and time/quality of work done (ie what its worth).

dane-katie · 22-04-2008, 19:25

can he proove he did the work?

did they do the job as asked? to a standard you wanted?

Tricky · 22-04-2008, 20:05

Ummm... yes, he came and put in the work, it's nigh impossible for me to judge how well he did it. It made sense at the quoted price, but it wasn't worth doing for the amount charged, it wasn't vital - I just wouldn't have had it done.

There were three guys for under a couple of hours I think. But then again we all know tradesmen who never leave each other's side even when the job only requires one of them.

Thanks for the replies, I'm going to bounce it back, I was just curious to know what peoples experiences were on either side of the tradesman/client relationship and if anyone knew the position under consumer law.

Cyclone · 22-04-2008, 20:11

Refuse to pay it, he can take you to court for it, make sure you look like a credible witness when you explain that he gave you a verbal quote and make it clear that you have offered to settle at the original price. A magistrate should find in your favour. It's unlikely that he would even take you to court for £200 though. Oh, and start another thread, tell us about the work you had done recently and who did it (I want to know who to avoid).

Tricky · 22-04-2008, 20:26

Maybe. We'll see how they deal with the issue first.

dane-katie · 22-04-2008, 20:28

are they off the forum?

putting it on here would stop them getting any work at all off here.

What is the actuall job they have done? its not electrical or gas is it?

jl-heating · 22-04-2008, 21:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by dane-katie

are they off the forum?

putting it on here would stop them getting any work at all off here.

What is the actuall job they have done? its not electrical or gas is it?

what you trying to say dane .

cbr900 · 23-04-2008, 07:20

if they do work that is going to cost extra , then they should inform you of the extre a cost before doing the work , don't pay it and they'll have to put it down to experience

dane-katie · 23-04-2008, 08:27

wasnt you was it john! HAHA just kidding!

If its something electrical, and they explain what they had done, we can say if its worth it or not

e5c4p3 · 23-04-2008, 17:43

I don't think it matters that the quote was verbal and not written down. If you asked for a quote and then accepted the one given to you then the price cannot change. The person has said that they can do the work for that price. A quote is fixed. If they were not 100% sure that the job could be done for that price they should have given you an estimate which is basically a rough guess but is not a fixed price and is given on the understanding that the final costs may well change.

You should offer to pay the quoted price they gave you or offer to see him in court where they will obviously demonstrate that they do not know what they are talking about.

They should be paying you for a useful lesson in consumer law.

dane-katie · 23-04-2008, 18:01

the whole court thing.

it wouldnt go there

As neither party has proof of the price said.

Tricky could say "he told me X amount and changed the price after working"

Working could say " i quoted X amount and she doesnt want to pay that"

So a verbal quote is worthless. Although honest good tradesmen do stick by a verbal quote.

Iv said for years now, anything and everything should be down on paper.

All i can sugest, is pay him who he quoted, and tell him to stick the rest where the sun dont shine.

dan2802 · 23-04-2008, 20:06

i agree with dane-katie. pay what you agreed verbally and tell him to do what he see's fit for the balance that was unautherised.

dane-katie · 23-04-2008, 21:07

also ask for a reciept for the payment!

they are trying to pull on stunt, dont let them try another.

Also paying by cheque may be sensible. This way, its on bank statements, and they cant "fiddle" it.

jl-heating · 23-04-2008, 21:08

when ur 7 foot tall like dane u can tell people to go run jump .. us meer mortals can only look on in despair

handypandy · 23-04-2008, 21:46

I wouldn't 'welsh' on a verbal quote, even if it cost me money. How could anyone believe a word you say ever again?
I always prefer to give a written quote, it covers my back as well. Tradesmen tend to take a lot of flack in discussions like this, but not all customers are straight either.
After seeing all these 'rogue trader' type shows that tend to make the public suspect ALL trades, I'd love to see a show with the other side of the story. ie 'Rogue Punters'

Kthebean · 23-04-2008, 21:58

A verbal quote is worth the paper its written on...