Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

I don’t think he’s coming back!

29 replies

sandwichsue · 16/08/2025 12:04

We had a firm in to do some gardening for us yesterday. Clear a few shrubs and return the area to grass. Area approx 4m x 3 m. We got a detailed quote from them and were happy with the price and proceeded with the work.

approx an hour in the lead guy came and said he needed to hire a piece of equipment which was
going to cost £200 on top
of the quote. He came across a stump and he hadn’t seen it before so needed to grind it out.

Husband was pissed off as we had a quote for the work and felt we are already paying enough. He went out to speak to them and the lead guy got stroppy and
walked off the job. He came back after 10 mins and husband spoke to him again agreeing to pay (since otherwise we were gonna be left with a garden of waste!)

they finished the day and said they would return this morning to complete. they haven’t arrived. It’s 12 noon and I’ve heard nothing. I sent a message which isn’t delivering. We haven’t paid anything yet. I feel like they aren’t coming back. Any advice?

OP posts:

Original poster

sandwichsue · 17/08/2025 09:49

Yes it’s grand. The heavy work is done I can do the tweaking myself. As you say I just needed to be more clear before the job was completed. I certainly will in future.

OP posts:

FinallyHere · 17/08/2025 10:58

there is a lot to learn when you are dealing with trades in areas that you don’t understand. For example, the quote said ‘remove green waste’ so that rubble and any other non green waste would not be included.

It might help for you to think of these unexpected costs as part of your learning curve rather than ‘being ripped off’.

You can think of a business transaction as successful if both sides are happy with the outcome and would happy do business together again. You can now consider the suppliers tried to rip you off and never deal with them again or you can be glad to have learned a bit about what is involved and what can go wrong and be better prepared in future.

full disclosure, I started off thinking it was all about having a detailed contract and am much more relaxed nowadays. Been working with the same suppliers for decades, it really is a partnership where we each respect the other and can always speak up if something isn’t what we expected. That takes a bit of experience, too

BeltaLodaLife · 17/08/2025 11:05

TripTrapSnipSnap · 17/08/2025 08:16

I must sound really harsh! I promise I don't mean to, I think I was just annoyed yesterday, probably about something else all together. To be fair to you, I wouldn't necessarily have known these things either.

It's a certain type of language with builders/tradesmen, and communicating really clearly is very important because a lot of assumptions can be made on either side. I remember the first time we had people in to re-lay our front porch and I was so surprised that they just laid it and didn't really ask how I wanted it done, and I didn't think to specifically tell them before the job started.

He probably just assumed that you would know that they don't take actual rubbish.

It's not always possible to know exactly how much soil you might need to fill a space at the beginning of a job as it depends.

If you ever have anything else done you know to ask lots and lots of questions to be absolutely clear on everything.

Anyway. I hope you aren't too disappointed and that you can enjoy your garden.💐

Edited

That mistake was his, not hers. He don’t quote for a certain tonnage of soil. He quoted for doing the job of levelling it all. That’s binding. He can’t ask for more money for more soil because he gave a quote for the total amount needed to level. His error.

That’s how quotes work. They are legally binding. The guy was a cowboy.

He should have estimated for the levelling off if he wasn’t sure; then he could negotiate the change. Or he should have quoted for X amount of soil and told her it may not be enough. But he quoted for the job and then didn’t complete the job.

TripTrapSnipSnap · 17/08/2025 11:12

I don't disagree but I don't think its helpful to keep going on about whose mistake it was because it won't make any difference now. All OP can do is be aware for next time.

Flip

1 2