Back in September of 2021, I researched local handyman businesses near DeRuyter NY, to take on rescreening several large windows on a porch at a family-owned camp on DeRuyter Lake. I live in South Florida and was up for a vacation. I found Brennan Alt, who at the time had a business called Handyman at Your Command and is now in business with his brother Kris Alt, now known as ALTimate Handyman. He came out to the property and gave me a "guestimate" of $250.00 but said the pricing would change once he was able to come back out to take final measurements. I told him I would be in touch with him in the Spring of this year, (2022) to get on his calendar, and make a specific trip up here to oversee the project. On March 25th, I reached out to Brennan to give him my arrival week of May 21st to make sure I could get on his calendar. The camp is not winterized, but after it was opened up, I contacted him on May 9th to tell him he could go out and get accurate measurements so he would know the exact cost for materials, labor, etc. I received the updated estimate, which reflected $505.00. I agreed to the price, and we set a date for him to come out on May 30th to do the project. I called him on May 27th to touch base and ask him when he would be arriving on the 30th. He asked if he could change the day from Monday to Sunday, and I agreed. He then said he would be bringing different options for the quarter-round border for the screens and that he would use what he needed and then return the rest or adjust the pricing if he needed more. I said that maybe the price would go down if he used less material, and he said it never goes down; if anything, it would go up. I pushed back a bit to say that I wanted to keep the price as close to his estimate as possible, as that is what we agreed on. He said it was just an "estimate" not a "final" and that we didn't sign anything. I mentioned to him that according to one of the owners of our camp, who is a real estate lawyer, an email is just as binding as a contract. However, when Brennan and I looked at the email together, it clearly had the word "estimate" in the subject line. We discussed the costs outlined for materials and labor in the email and agreed that those shouldn't change, and that pricing would only change if he discovered something prior to starting the job, at which point we would discuss the issue. I agreed to that approach and when we ended the call, I felt it was very amicable and that I would see him on Sunday. Within a short time, I received this email. TWO DAYS BEFORE HE WAS TO START THE JOB!! "We are no longer going to be able to do the screening job. Based off our phone call earlier I do not think we are a good fit to do business together. I think it would be best to part ways now before any work has begun. I am sorry it didn't work out." I was very taken back by this, and reached out to him by text, phone, and email asking for the courtesy of a call back to discuss this. He emailed me back and told me that as far as he was concerned, there was nothing further to discuss. This is a classic example of "bait and switch" and it is important to note that through my connecting with him last fall, another owner of our camp who lives in Fayetteville, NY, used his services on an agreed upon price, but received an invoice higher than what was agreed upon, without any discussion about the change in price. I traveled up to upstate NY specifically for this project at great personal expense. I DO NOT recommend using ALTimate Handyman. Find a company that will accurately bid out the job so you know exactly what it will cost, agree in advance of any potential unforeseen charges, and hire a company that keeps their word to complete the job they say they are going to do. Big waste of my time and money! read more