Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Why is the cost a secret?
View Single Post
 
Old 11-12-2024, 04:26 PM
retiredguy123 retiredguy123 is online now
Sage
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 17,496
Thanks: 3,063
Thanked 16,656 Times in 6,587 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by nhkim View Post
In addition to what everyone else has said here, if I had a vendor I was satisfied with, I wouldn't want to put them in the position of hearing from a potential customer after they gave a quote: Well, someone said on social media that you only charged X amount for their job. Then they have to (a) figure out who the customer was and then (b) explain the difference in costs. If someone is serious about getting work done, they have to contact the vendor anyway. And if they're smart, they'll contact two or three vendors. Yes, this takes time.

What I'm interested in when I'm looking for recommendations (whether it's a restaurant or a home/landscape improvement/repair) is whether folks were satisfied with the product or service. Once I get some answers, then I contact those vendors and make my decision on whether I want to pay that price. And as far as restaurants go, they pretty much all post their menus online.

Research is the name of the game here. We shouldn't rely on others to define "reasonable" for us.
While I agree with what you said, there are some contractors who will try to charge a higher price based on who they are dealing with. Having a price that someone else actually paid puts them in a better position to negotiate a fair price. I consider myself an excellent negotiator, but I have known others who are terrible at negotiating. Believe it or not, some contractors can sense these people and take advantage of them.