Friend gave us a higher quote for the job

[ZizzyK]

We are looking to do some work in our office space. We were planning to use a close friend and neighbour for the work, however the quote they provided is much higher than what we were quoted by other people. We are now not sure whether to give the friend the work.

AIBU for considering giving the job to someone else?

What would you do in a situation like this

[Weareallvirgins]

I would never mix buisness with friendships

[billy1966]

@BellaFranksLily

I’ve had something similar, when I had a quote from a contractor. A friend then said her Dad who was a contractor could beat the quote. I said great and had him come over, and to my surprise he started the job. I then received an email quote the following day and his quote was actually much higher. I called my friend thinking it must be a mistake, she said that the quote was the quote. I said ok, but you knew the price to beat, so surely you knew I was trying to save money. She said well just pay him for a days work. £200 on top of the original contractors quote. Thanks friend! After that I’ve tried to avoid using friends for jobs as it feels awkward! Often contractors are quoting for different ways of doing a job, I would go with the most reasonable quote and avoid things getting awkward with your friends. :)

That was no friend.

Only a complete CF/con artist starts a job having not given the quote they were asked for.

That's a man trying to bully a woman.

I would be so unimpressed and he could sing for his 200..... as for the so called friend🙄

[ilikemethewayiam]

I agree with PP don’t ever have friends or family do work for you. On a similar note I reluctantly sold a car to a friend. My then BF was a vehicle technician and looked after our car like a baby. She begged us to sell it to her because she loved it (sports car). I reluctantly agreed as she had just lost her Dad. I stressed it was sold as seen. She knew it was well looked after which is why she wanted it. We even sold it to her for less than we would have put it on the market for. My BF spent an entire day servicing it our expense, replacing all the usual service parts, cleaning it all inside and out etc, so she had a car in perfect condition. Once she got it she treated it like a rally car. Screeched into the car park at work, wheel span out again, didn’t clean it or generally look after it. Within a few months the clutch went. She went round slagging us off to everyone saying we had sold her a lemon! I was furious, we bent over backwards to ensure it was perfect for her. Never again would I sell anything like that to a friend or relative and the same goes for doing work for family and friends.

[RhubarbCustardy]

I'd go elsewhere. A friend did some work in our house and it wasn't the best of jobs. My husband wouldn't say anything about the things needing to be put right. I told him not to use the guy for this reason alone. Would he listen?

[Overdale]

Always use Friends n Family even if they quote more

They have always saved us more on other costs making them cheaper overall

[Youdoyoutoday]

Nope, use someone else, I got burnt this way by a neighbour and now will never chuck some work his way and whenever I do have work done, he drives really slowly past my house, weird!

[Silverstar20]

Tell the friend why you are giving the job to someone else.

[Theflooringguy]

I’d discuss it with the friend, explain that you have had another quote that was lower and has he (the friend) made a mistake please? Tell him you know he wouldn’t overcharge you intentionally and that’s why you’re telling him. He will either justify it - i.e. he’s doing it in a better way or with different / better materials as happens regularly in my job, or apologise and see what he can do. If you tell him you still consider him a friend and don’t want this to affect the friendship then all will be well. If he gets a strop on then you have unmasked him and move on!!

[Barney60]

Not offering you mates rates, then tell him quote was higher, so sadly you need to give work to cheaper quote, no sentiment in business.

[GiftedFish]

As a Tradie myself they probably don't want the work.
I've just finished work for a friend and it is a pain in the ass. Makes me feel awkward giving them their bill, I worked for them on a "mate rate" so end up doing myself out of quite abit of money. It's my own fault but being a friend I feel obliged to do it cheaper than I would a stranger.
So I genuinely believe your friend doesn't want the work maybe to save some awkwardness.

[Stolengoat]

People always go for the lowest quote and then complain about a crap job. Just because someone is more expensive, doesn't mean they are a rip off. This is why there are so many cowboy builders in this country, people only see the price, not the value.

[Hattie1970abc]

We run a company and if a friend of ours has had a quote from others and they’re cheaper we would appreciate being told about the other offers because we would see if we could match them. If you go to someone else without letting us know then it may cause offence. It depends how much you value their friendship. People are so busy at the moment in the building trade and he’s maybe inflated his price because of the demand. Just be straight.

[Theflooringguy]

Yep, totally agree, be straight with him.

[SparkyBrad78]

The most important thing is to ensure the two quotes are for identical work. Quite often people assume the price is the only difference. For example the friend may be quoting with better materials, more thorough work etc. Get a break down. I am in the trades and tradesmen love to quote low and add extras later, your friend may have included these extras already. I find non-trade-persons often fail to understand the differences in quotes and simply look at the final price. VAT is another factor that adds on cost. Honestly, before you jump to the other quote do your due diligence. Hope this helps

[Hesma]

Go with the best quote... business is business

[Hawkins001]

this question is for anyone that can answer it, is there a way that you can have a contract with say x company to quote for x tasks needing doing,.But then if any other items come up with needing doing that are extra, instead of that company completing them and adding onto the bill,.instead they pass on the details to you, and then you can hire any extra people to complete those tasks , so then the original company can finish their tasks ?

[SnackSizeRaisin]

It might be worth paying more for a better service or higher quality, cheap can mean rubbish. I wouldn't automatically go with the lowest as it may turn out to be poor value. A third more isn't a huge difference anyway.
But you shouldn't feel obliged to give your friend the work if you prefer the other quote - just as they shouldn't have to give you mates rates, you shouldn't pay them more than you otherwise would.
I would probably get a third quote, work out what exactly each one covers, check the recommendations for each tradesman, consider how certain you are that your friend will do a great job, and decide from there.
Personally I would pay a bit extra for someone I knew was good and reliable.

[SnackSizeRaisin]

I’d discuss it with the friend, explain that you have had another quote that was lower and has he (the friend) made a mistake please? Tell him you know he wouldn’t overcharge you intentionally and that’s why you’re telling him.

Don't do that it just sounds stupid. One person charging more doesn't mean they are ripping you off and it's pretty rude to imply they are. There could be several reasons for the difference. Why does an Aldi trolley of food cost less than one from Sainsbury's? Is it because Sainsbury's are actually overcharging all their customers? Or are there real reasons that the Sainsbury's trolley should cost more to produce, transport and sell?
You can ask why his quote is more than the other of course. Although you.may be able to work it out (experience, quality,includes more stuff, doesn't really want the work, etc)

[Theflooringguy]

It sounds honest - not stupid!

[Tooshytoshine]

I would clarify/double check with the person who gave the lower quote the exact work, check reviews and expected level of finish. If they are the same as your friends then go with the lower quote.

Your friend may simply be a more expensive or skilled trades person. They do vary and if it is quite a simple job then they aren't the right person to ask as they need to charge their rate. I wouldn't over think it.

[user1497207191]

@Tooshytoshine

I would clarify/double check with the person who gave the lower quote the exact work, check reviews and expected level of finish. If they are the same as your friends then go with the lower quote.

Your friend may simply be a more expensive or skilled trades person. They do vary and if it is quite a simple job then they aren't the right person to ask as they need to charge their rate. I wouldn't over think it.

Whilst I agree, the trouble is that a tradesman giving a low quote may not be honest enough to tell you he's buying the cheapest quality materials he can get hold of. He's going to give you the "top quality" story, regardless.

I remember a decorator many years ago who did our house exterior. He was always holding "quality" paint tins as he was working (as he quoted for), but he once left his van doors open and I looked in and saw loads of tins of cheap paint from a discount/bargain store. I kept an eye on him for the next few days and caught him pouring the cheap paint into the quality tin.

Since then, I've tried to source the materials myself and just pay "labour only" rates.