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.

Agree, and this situation occurs a lot more often on sites like Nextdoor. People need to find a person/business whom they like and trust and hire that person/business. Free estimates are not free. They are a cost of doing business

And conversely most who are looking for a contractor specify, at a "reasonable cost". Can't think of a more stupid question to ask.

So, you would hire a contractor without knowing the actual cost?