Talk of The Villages Florida - Why is the cost a secret?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by villagetinker (Post 2385578)

When I see this, I tend to send a PM to the poster asking for a reply or a phone call to clarify. For example, I recently mentioned the cost for a driveway refinish, and one of the immediate comments was very negative about the cost, and yes it was high, but there were other reasons for this choice WHICH ARE NOT PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE or meant to be public knowledge.
SO IMHO, just contact the poster to ask about the 'reasonable' cost.

Yup. If someone needs additional details all they need to do is ask…….privately

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy and Ed (Post 2385689)

Yup. If someone needs additional details all they need to do is ask…….privately

Even then, they aren't you, they may not have your values or views on money, wealth, spending, needs and wants. And remember, the older people get the more they realize that they can't take their money with them. Different generations, different views.

So judgements just tell us who you are, not who they are

The solution is simple. Post the price, but don't classify it as "reasonable."

Common sense! Cost can be different depending on many factors decided between the customer and contractor. Simple.

Quote:

Originally Posted by asianthree (Post 2385640)

OP you are forgetting the one reason post is always posted as reasonable? If post would include the actual cost of the project, think of how many posts would be on the negative side.
Ya know How would that cost be reasonable?
You really paid that much for that __________?
Did you not get 3 quotes before you spent that much money?
Or the best

I only paid $_________, you chose poorly.(Indiana Jones)

Now the post that asks first does this sound out of line for cost, gets a far better response, for the project.

A personal example to rebuild our birdcage. No deviation in size, it’s a rebuild.

$25,000 First company (original) already had the engineering. Saw the pics total rebuild.

$19,880 Second company, guy was very nice, reputable company. Quote did not include demo. Comment was Wow this is a new cage, and needs a total rebuild, sorry for your loss.

$49,875 Third company walked out back, took one look at our house, and said when you own a premier house, never skimp on the rebuild. Even if your insurance won’t cover it, you need something impressive.

Guess which one I am going with…Dingdingding….#1

The cheapest isn’t the best nor the worst. The reputation and chemistry means a lot. A rewiring of my PA home with a new addition brought out a lot of quotes. I went with a master electrician who was also a volunteer fireman. Combination of talent and sense of responsibility. Still a friend of ours and we’ve dined together and cruised together.

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2385566)

Often, a poster will recommend a contractor who did a good job for them at "a reasonable cost". A reasonable cost means nothing to me. Why not tell us how much they paid for the service? Why is it that many posters seem to think that they should hide the actual cost. I have no problem revealing how much I paid for a specific service that many people are interested in. What am I missing?

I recently had someone ask me about pricing of a service that I posted about. I didn't feel comfortable giving the price because I didn't want to influence the person's expectations. Every house, job, etc. is different and circumstances change. I didn't want anyone blasting the vendor because he potentially quoted them a higher price than I paid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2385567)

Just a guess: while you might thank them, they may fear that a majority of ToTV experts will criticize them for paying too much and getting ripped off. I might use “reasonable price” rather than subjecting myself to that.

I do not give the price because everything is a variable. The materials I use may be every different than what you would choose. The company may have raised their rates. My space may be smaller or larger than your space, etc ...

When I say affordable or reasonable it's because I've gathered at least 3 quotes and compared their ratings against cost of the job.

I agree. I always post my costs

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2385566)

Get 3 bids, some contractors give you more value at the same price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulajr (Post 2385676)

I can sum it all up..
Because, it is really None of your business what I paid….

Than why post about paying a reasonable amount?

Probably someone would hold them to that price even though what they wanted the contractor to was apples to oranges! If you call a reputable vendor in or around The Villages, they will tell their show up and hourly prices!

If someone goes ahead the price was reasonable.

If somebody goes ahead with a job, then you know the cost was reasonable to them, otherwise they would not have done it.

People are looking for posted prices so they can make a preliminary estimate of what their job might cost. It’s understood that the timing and the details matter a lot. But if there are multiple posts and all the particulars are listed then you can adjust and make a decent guess. If the guess is wrong, no big deal you will find out when you get actual quotes.

I think recipients just want data and prefer to make their own judgements as to whether it is relevant or not.

But posters don’t necessarily want to be simple data providers. They have other reasons for posting about their projects. And, as others have mentioned, they don’t necessarily want feedback other than positive feedback on the prices paid as they are fait accompli. I get it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2385580)

That is why they need to post the price. They may think they are getting a reasonable price, but they may not be.

People tend to think differently. Most things you can research cost on line. Part of reasonable is quality.