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Thread ID: 132251 2013-05-12 02:37:00 Commercial version of CGA in NZ -- Responding to an overpriced trade services invoice Chilling_Silence (9) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1340818 2013-05-12 22:54:00 Have they tried praying?



:devil
pablo d (15490)
1340819 2013-05-12 23:10:00 Is the contractor a "cowboy" or is he a member of Certified / Master Builders Association ??? If he is a member, it may be worth contacting the Association and ask them what they think ... they don't like their members "ripping people off".

If you haven't paid the account yet, don't ... think the C/M BA may help with quoting of work completed, especially if it's one of their own members.

There's also the Disputes Tribunal ... or "Fair GO" ... lot of builders don't want the hassle. And you'll find a "cowboy" builders site somewhere on the net where you can leave a comment about cost/time/quality of the work your builder has done ... just be careful what you say and word it so that you can't be had up for a defamation case !

Having said that, it may be a case of "Caveat emptor ... let the buyer beware"
SP8's (9836)
1340820 2013-05-12 23:15:00 Chill, FYI i just had my 2 car garage reroofed with new iron and trusses (50%of them) replaced as they were getting rotten due to leaks and it cost me 4k
Also it has a parapet wall so internal gutter on one side which was replaced also (the guttering not the wall)
A good price i thought

Edit: But the labour was $60 an hour for two... cash, and it took them 1 weekend
Gobe1 (6290)
1340821 2013-05-12 23:22:00 Have they tried praying?
:devil

:lol:


Is the contractor a "cowboy" or is he a member of Certified / Master Builders Association ??? If he is a member, it may be worth contacting the Association and ask them what they think ... they don't like their members "ripping people off".

If you haven't paid the account yet, don't ... think the C/M BA may help with quoting of work completed, especially if it's one of their own members.

There's also the Disputes Tribunal ... or "Fair GO" ... lot of builders don't want the hassle. And you'll find a "cowboy" builders site somewhere on the net where you can leave a comment about cost/time/quality of the work your builder has done ... just be careful what you say and word it so that you can't be had up for a defamation case !

Having said that, it may be a case of "Caveat emptor ... let the buyer beware"
Thanks for that, some solid advice, will find out.

Small Claims may be an option, but we're wondering if the church actually has a leg to stand on if they *did* take it that far :-/
Chilling_Silence (9)
1340822 2013-05-12 23:24:00 Chill, FYI i just had my 2 car garage reroofed with new iron and trusses (50%of them) replaced as they were getting rotten due to leaks and it cost me 4k
Also it has a parapet wall so internal gutter on one side which was replaced also (the guttering not the wall)
A good price i thought

Edit: But the labour was $60 an hour for two... cash, and it took them 1 weekend

Wow OK crazy that's *significantly* cheaper than the invoice we've received and it sounds like you got more work done outta it, but that's roughly about what we would have expected too. Thanks for the heads up!
Chilling_Silence (9)
1340823 2013-05-13 00:37:00 Wow OK crazy that's *significantly* cheaper than the invoice we've received and it sounds like you got more work done outta it, but that's roughly about what we would have expected too. Thanks for the heads up!

No problem, the total labour was about $800 (very cheap) of the total bill so materials was about $3200 ($2200 was for the iron)
Gobe1 (6290)
1340824 2013-05-13 00:47:00 Yeah sounds like you got a lot more than we've had done too :-/

Yours was what we would have expected to pay for it. Appreciate the heads up :)
Chilling_Silence (9)
1340825 2013-05-13 02:44:00 Anyone is entitled to challenge a bill. The law of contracts does not impose an open cheque book.

Your church can reasonably ask for details of the work and itemisation of the bill. If the church wants to dispute the amount and the contractor won't compromise then the Disputes Tribunal is your best avenue.

You'll need an assessment by someone else as to what a reasonable cost is and that person should be paid for their time and expertise. A quantity surveyor would be good but probably overkill.
Winston001 (3612)
1340826 2013-05-13 03:40:00 Thanks mate, appreciate your input :) Chilling_Silence (9)
1340827 2013-05-13 03:43:00 That really sucks Chill, hope you guys are able to get it sorted. If not, name and shame. wratterus (105)
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