My wife and I contracted with Les to fix a sliding glass door, which was delayed once (beyond his control) due to weather. In the interim, our garage door motor broke, so we asked him to look at that as well when he came out.
The initial estimate for the sliding glass door ($450-600) seemed a little high, but when he explained that he may have to remove/replace some tile to complete the job, but would need to inspect prior to finalizing the quote, I was okay with his estimate.
He came out on a Tuesday, took a look at the sliding glass door, and determined that it could removed out the exterior of the house without damaging the existing floor. I asked him at that point for a revised quote, yet HE WOULD NOT PROVIDE ONE to me. I should've known something was up at that point, but as I was grateful for him simply coming out, I bit my lip. In the end, the door needed to be removed, the underside of the door cleaned/dehaired, and the wheels replaced (I was told the cost of this part was $100, but didn't independently verify). After 2 hours of labor, I was informed the fee was $400 (that pencils out to $150/hr of labor for him and his son to remove my sliding glass door, replace the wheels, and put the door back up. I felt this was a little high, but I paid w/ a card, and the work was excellent. For this part of the project, 4 stars (5 stars quality, 3 stars price).
So WHY 2 STARS ON THE OVERALL RATING? I asked him to take a look at the garage door motor, and he confirmed my suspicions that it needed to be replaced. I asked him for an estimate, and he told me $450-475 (approx $300-325 for the motor, $150 for the installation). I asked him whether any one brand was better than any other, and he said "They're all good quality, Chamberlain, Genie, Craftsman." He confirmed that he would get the parts and come out the next day (Wednesday) to install, RAIN OR SHINE (it was projected to rain that afternoon/evening, but according to him, since he'd be inside the garage, the job could proceed).
That night, I decided to do some price comparison, and realized that every single garage door motor I found was between $175-200, and that Lowe's offers $97 installation. The next morning, I texted him and expressed concern about the overall cost of the project given what I had found online, and told me I would be willing to pay $350 (the $200 high end price for a product with a lifetime warranty on the motor and any belt/screw drive, plus the $150 installation fee he had quoted me), but would be willing to pay more if he could show that the parts he was getting cost more than the $200 I found online (who knows, maybe they're higher quality?).
He responded back by saying that "the Depot stuff is, in my opinion junk for the most part" (IF SO, WHY DID HE SAY THAT THERE WAS NO ISSUE WITH QUALITY AS LONG AS I WENT WITH A MAJOR BRAND?!). He then talked about how he'd provide additional services like adjusting and lubing the door which justifies his higher price (indeed, I was willing to pay him $150 to do work that Lowe's charges $97 for). He then offered me to do the work for $425 in a text sent at 10am.
I still thought this was excessive, as he had not commented at all on my question about the cost of parts. However, I still wanted to work with him (why, looking back, is beyond me), so I asked him to bring it in at $400 in a text sent at 10:45am.
He then responds back at 11:30am saying that my negotiating with him "feels like a debate or trial", that "it sounds like we are not a good match for the garage door", that "I likely would not be happy with the services even at $400" and wishes me happy holidays. I immediately called him to tell him that there was no bad intentions on my part other than wanting a fair price for the work being provided. He eventually agreed to do the job for $400 cash, but when I asked him to confirm that he'd still be out that day to do the job he promised, he said "Well, I've already reassigned your crew to another job, so today's not possible." WHAT? His position? "If you are negotiating a price with me, we don't have a deal", and he will go so far as to pull a crew from a job if you even ask about price WITHOUT NOTIFYING YOU AS A CUSTOMER THAT THIS IS A POSSIBILITY SO YOU CAN MAKE THE CHOICE WHETHER TO CONTINUE WITH THE WORK.
He then said he would schedule me for Thursday, WEATHER PERMITTING (even though the job is inside the garage). His reasoning for the change from his previous statement? "I don't want to walk in the rain and get my tools wet." That was enough for me, I contracted with another vendor and am very happy with the results of my garage door.
Bottom line: If you have no concerns parting with large chunks of your net worth, and will NEVER question his prices, Les is a good contractor who does quality work. But HEAVEN HELP YOU if you even once question his pricing structure. He'd rather not work with you than negotiate a fair price. read more
