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

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 9 10

Original poster

Artist bill is nearly twice what I was quoted!

242 replies

krustykittens · 28/03/2019 13:01

Hi all, I have commissioned stuff from an artist in the past whose work I really like. I tell her what I am after, she quotes me a price, sometimes the bill is £5 or £10 higher because of materials but no problem. I commissioned something from her for my daughter's birthday (my daughter knows she is getting it). She quoted me a price and has just come back to me today. The work is done, she bit a bit more work into it than we agreed, the final price is now nearly DOUBLE the quote! I don't want to offend her, I would like to be able to commission from her again, but I do feel really a bit pissed off that the price has increased so much! I was going to offer to pay the difference in another month as I have the original price set aside but no more. But the truth is, I don't want to pay nearly double the quote and feel she shouldn't have put work in that wasn't agreed - or have come back to me if she felt the original quote wasn't going to be enough BEFORE she did the work. What would you guys say? I was thinking of some thing like, "The work is stunning, as usual, but a lot more than I had budgeted for, based on the quote. Can we come to some arrangement?" and leave the ball in her court?

OP posts:

TheInvestigator · 28/03/2019 13:53

Why are people suggesting you try and come to a compromise for the extra work?

You didn't commissions the extra work. She gave a legally binding quote for the work you did commission. She added extra without discussing it first. You don't need to pay a penny extra for it. I'm a jeweller and I wouldn't expect to be paid if I went off and did whatever extra I thought would look good.

IHateUncleJamie · 28/03/2019 13:53

The price on the written quote - or a final price £20-30 more than the quote - is the most you should pay for a piece of art.

It’s no different to any other business transaction. If a block paving firm quoted you £500 but had to get extra materials, you wouldn’t balk at £550 but you would never pay £1000 because of extra fancy brickwork work the guy decided to do because he thought it looked nice, would you?

flowery · 28/03/2019 13:54

"I think she thought it would look good (it does) and got a bit carried away."

As the customer, it is not your responsibility to fund her decision to get carried away.

She will also make more money out of handling this well than by trying to get the money out of you now. If she managed to force you or convince you to pay the extra, she'd get that but lose any future commissions from you or any people you might have recommended her to.

By accepting her mistake and learning a business lesson, she will keep future commissions intact and be more successful.

TheFormidableMrsC · 28/03/2019 13:55

@Worried2019 Did you meant to put a ? What has the OP done wrong?

OP, you have to go back to her. It's not OK to do that and just assume you'll be able to afford it without checking with you first. What a horrible situation she's put you in. I hope you can manage to come to an agreement that suits you.

Plurabelle · 28/03/2019 13:55

I used to be co-partner in a art and framing business. There is no way that we would double a price. We would stick to the original quote - if the costs increased slightly because say, we had to buy some more moulding, then we wouldn't pass the increased cost onto the buyer. (We might take an issue of faulty moulding with our suppliers.) We would not 'get carried away' and put in hours more labour on something. If another option arose which would require that labour we would only do it with the client's consent.

I think the tone of any communication needs to be clear and business. No apologies or appreciative comments. You've not stuck to the original agreement. You didn't seek our consent when you decided to break that agreement. We can't pay you the price you are now asking. We pay the original price. Alternatively we pay the original plus an extra 10% goodwill in full and final settlement.

adaline · 28/03/2019 13:55

I would say you'll pay the quoted price, no more.

If she's gone and done extra work, that's her problem.

Danni91 · 28/03/2019 13:55

I really want to know what it's like!

I would also go back and say 'its beautiful and I know you are running a buisness but it's double the original quote and unfortunately it is now far out of my budget.'

And see what she says

BlueJava · 28/03/2019 13:56

She much have known that it would increase the price when she added extra details. Don't feel bad because she should have come back to you and said "I'd like to do X, Y and Z but it will be £X more - what do you think?"

HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone · 28/03/2019 13:57

I don't understand the posters who suggest you come to a compromise.

You didn't agree or ask her to complete this additional work. You have a written quote and at no point until it was finished did she indicate that it might cost more. There was no opportunity for you to say no to this extra work.

She needs to suck it up and give you the item, which you have been promised, at the price you agreed.

PepsiLola · 28/03/2019 13:57

OP I think the way you have spoke about this on here has been polite and professional, word your response in exactly the same way you have been speaking.

Explain that you requested a quote so you could budget, and you do not have additional finances available. Although you know she has a family to support, so do you which is why you requested a quote to begin with.

Good luck

Margot33 · 28/03/2019 13:58

I would honestly send her a message to say that, " I love your work but cannot afford double the quote. So not quite sure what to do?".

onionchucker · 28/03/2019 13:59

She's being really cheeky. As others have said 10 or 20 quid more than the quote - ok.... but double the price from 300 to 600 pounds. That's outrageous.
Just tell her that you can't afford it, it is double the price quoted and that you aren't paying it. She can then decide what to do from there.
I wouldn't be using her again and would warn others not to use her either.

Skyejuly · 28/03/2019 13:59

I want to see it. Do not pay it though

HeartShapedLocket · 28/03/2019 14:00

It's not your fault she decided to do the extra work without agreeing it or additional costs with you first. You shouldn't have to pay the higher price and TBH I think you should stand firm on it and not feel guilty. It's either you end up out of pocket, or she does (in terms of time spent) but she is the one who has changed the deal without agreement so she should suck it up and hopefully it will teach her to agree amendments and increases before doing the work. It's not fair on you as a customer so you shouldn't feel guilty.

I think you should stand firm on your original price agreed and then offer as a goodwill gesture a token extra amount if she says no to standing by the original price - (this is the art of negotiation!). Be prepared to walk away, but basically she will want to sell this work to you as it's a bespoke item. If she doesn't, then that's her prerogative but clearly she will have lost a very good customer in you and also presumably your recommendation to family and friends.

(TLDR: It should be her hard lesson learned about sticking to the price agreed!)

RockinHippy · 28/03/2019 14:00

I do work that might be similar.

You do not ever do more than agreed with the client & then expect them to pay. She's a CF, who fancied stretching her artistic skills & thought you a soft touch & she could make you pay for it. It is not what you agreed, don't let her guilt you into walking all over you. She's out of order

Mumabear123 · 28/03/2019 14:00

Hi, I am an artist, and there is no way I would ever quote a price and then charge higher than the quoted price. It sounds a bit like you are being taken for a ride. I would tell the artist as kindly as possible, that the price she had quoted is £x amount and so that is the amount you expect to pay..... Unless additions have been made which are at an extra cost... If so.... These extra cost should have been stated along the way. Giving you a completely informed choice all the way through the process. If I were you I'd tell her that you agreed on a price and we're not aware of extra costs and therefore will only be paying the quoted price! The artist can't just add money on to the bill without you being aware of what is being added and why. I hope you get it sorted soon. Xx

spanishwife · 28/03/2019 14:00

As the customer, it is not your responsibility to fund her decision to get carried away.

This - imagine if you went to mcdonalds and got a big mac, but then they charged you £30 because they decided to put some shaved truffle on it... errr you wouldn't pay!

Tell her you'll give her the original price +10% because you're understanding, or nada.

nothinglikeadame · 28/03/2019 14:01

She's a CF trying it on, because you've paid over the quoted price before.

You only have to pay the quoted price. If your work was going to be over that, then she should have informed you and you could have made a decision from there.

She is being unprofessional and basically trying it on. A classic mumsnet CF'r.

BumbleBeee69 · 28/03/2019 14:01

She's taking the utter artistic piss OP. Don't pay this extra charge, stick to the original price quoted by the artist herself, she can't go adding to the order because SHE felt it would look nice and expect to double her fee without your approval.. WTF?!

cookiemonster3 · 28/03/2019 14:03

A quote is a set price and if anything changes it needs to be discussed and a new price agreed.

If the price is subject to change because of materials etc then that's an estimate and if anything changes the price dramatically then that too needs discussed and a new agreement made prior to work commencing.

I would stick to the original price agreed in the quote and not use this artist again and instead go with someone who understands the difference between a quote and an estimate.

effiehabb · 28/03/2019 14:09

I'm an artist and I would never do this, particularly for a repeat customer.

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter · 28/03/2019 14:12

Does she not communicate with you regularly with progress? It's pretty standard that if you're making something bespoke/commissioned/customised that you keep in regular contact - design work I've been involved in always had elements of the work evolving/improving from the original brief as a result of discussion with the client.

effiehabb · 28/03/2019 14:14

Sorry sent too soon, I paint, and when working commissions I send a picture when the painting is nearly done to allow for any reasonable changes from the client which I am happy to include. It sounds as if she's being a little cheeky.

Stormwhale · 28/03/2019 14:14

I'm interested to hear how she comes back to you OP. She has behaved completely unprofessionally and I cant see how she can actually believe this is ok. Has she somehow got the impression you are very wealthy?

ChicCroissant · 28/03/2019 14:15

I would ask for the piece as originally commissioned, without the extra work as you would not have agreed to what has been done.

There is no point in getting in to a discussion about it at this late stage unfortunately - unless the extra work can be undone, but if it is embroidery then it will leave damage to the fabric! Bit of a no-win situation.

Could say that the piece is not what you asked for, and that you are disappointed that you were not consulted before the design was changed and that you will have to reconsider.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 9 10

Swipe left for the next trending thread