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Personally, the tension that I have in dealing with contractors is not wanting to be taken advantage of. Much in the same way that mechanics and used car salesm

by pyre 14y ago

Personally, the tension that I have in dealing with contractors is not wanting to be taken advantage of. Much in the same way that mechanics and used car salesmen are 'notorious' for taking advantage of people.

ars 14y ago
That's because of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_asymmetry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_asymmetry and the cure is more information. Before undertaking any major project study it intensively, and you'll feel much better about it. If you can't do the study yourself then find a trusted, disinterested, 3rd party to do it for you. (Of course that entails some study itself...)
- 7952 14y ago
  I just built a bike from parts after several days research. Most components are incompatible which makes it a minefield. The internet makes it seem like their is unlimited choice when in fact there are 1000 incompatible choices, and only one that works and is in your price range. It is absolutely worth it as I now have a bike I can repair myself.
dizzystar 14y ago
I've seen this played out so many times, it is quite sickening. I generally found that union folk can't pound themselves out of a paper bag. At the risk of sounding inflammatory, many home owners want everything cheap as humanly possible, so they find people willing to do it for below minimum wage (immigrants) and buy the cheapest, warped material they can find at Home Depot. Sometimes spending a little extra money for expertise is worth the sacrifice. You are, after all, paying for a service that affects the most important piece of property you own, and you may have to live with a regret for 30 or more years. Now days, you can get references, see photos of prior work, and of course someone with high quality tools (not Craftsman) and a truck is likely to be a better choice. Someone that is willing to say "no" to you is also a good sign.
- epoxyhockey 14y ago
  many home owners want everything cheap as humanly possible, so they find people willing to do it for below minimum wage (immigrants) For the record, many home builders also think this way. Unfortunately, most home buyers and owners don't have any sense of what qualifies as quality materials or labor.
  - XorNot 14y ago
    This is more the problem. Just because you're paying more money doesn't mean your buying quality anything - someone may just be pocketing the difference.
  - chiph 14y ago
    The general practice I've seen is that the builder has a couple of low-wage teams to come in and throw it together. And then 1 or 2 guys who come behind them and fix their screw-ups, if the homeowner even notices.
- trhtrsh 14y ago
  That's incredibly inflammatory, because homeowners hire well-spoken American contracters, who buy cheap materials and hire underpaid illegal immigratnts to do the labor.
- saraid216 14y ago
  I know nothing about plumbing. So when my kitchen sink went haywire, I called a plumber. He installed a new waste disposal for me and, according to the Internet price listings for the exact model he put in, overcharged me by about $250. When I implied I knew what was going on, he explained it was for warranties, which... seemed implausible unless he was getting stiffed himself. I decided not to take him to task for it, since he was probably giving me the price his company told him to, but it was still irritating and something I'd like to avoid repeating.
  - bluedino 14y ago
    Does the computer repair guy charge you NewEgg prices to replace a part in your desktop?
jhull 14y ago
probably exactly the way someone feels when a non-technical person wants a website made and a google search tells them it only costs $200
- GFischer 14y ago
  Some websites DO cost U$ 200 :) , a company here in Uruguay has more work than they can handle at a flat fee of U$ 320 (Spanish only, and Joomla template-based)

by pyre 14y ago

ars 14y ago

That's because of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_asymmetry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_asymmetry and the cure is more information. Before undertaking any major project study it intensively, and you'll feel much better about it. If you can't do the study yourself then find a trusted, disinterested, 3rd party to do it for you. (Of course that entails some study itself...)

7952 14y ago
I just built a bike from parts after several days research. Most components are incompatible which makes it a minefield. The internet makes it seem like their is unlimited choice when in fact there are 1000 incompatible choices, and only one that works and is in your price range. It is absolutely worth it as I now have a bike I can repair myself.

dizzystar 14y ago

I've seen this played out so many times, it is quite sickening. I generally found that union folk can't pound themselves out of a paper bag. At the risk of sounding inflammatory, many home owners want everything cheap as humanly possible, so they find people willing to do it for below minimum wage (immigrants) and buy the cheapest, warped material they can find at Home Depot. Sometimes spending a little extra money for expertise is worth the sacrifice. You are, after all, paying for a service that affects the most important piece of property you own, and you may have to live with a regret for 30 or more years. Now days, you can get references, see photos of prior work, and of course someone with high quality tools (not Craftsman) and a truck is likely to be a better choice. Someone that is willing to say "no" to you is also a good sign.

epoxyhockey 14y ago
many home owners want everything cheap as humanly possible, so they find people willing to do it for below minimum wage (immigrants) For the record, many home builders also think this way. Unfortunately, most home buyers and owners don't have any sense of what qualifies as quality materials or labor.
- XorNot 14y ago
  This is more the problem. Just because you're paying more money doesn't mean your buying quality anything - someone may just be pocketing the difference.
- chiph 14y ago
  The general practice I've seen is that the builder has a couple of low-wage teams to come in and throw it together. And then 1 or 2 guys who come behind them and fix their screw-ups, if the homeowner even notices.
trhtrsh 14y ago
That's incredibly inflammatory, because homeowners hire well-spoken American contracters, who buy cheap materials and hire underpaid illegal immigratnts to do the labor.
saraid216 14y ago
I know nothing about plumbing. So when my kitchen sink went haywire, I called a plumber. He installed a new waste disposal for me and, according to the Internet price listings for the exact model he put in, overcharged me by about $250. When I implied I knew what was going on, he explained it was for warranties, which... seemed implausible unless he was getting stiffed himself. I decided not to take him to task for it, since he was probably giving me the price his company told him to, but it was still irritating and something I'd like to avoid repeating.
- bluedino 14y ago
  Does the computer repair guy charge you NewEgg prices to replace a part in your desktop?

jhull 14y ago

probably exactly the way someone feels when a non-technical person wants a website made and a google search tells them it only costs $200

GFischer 14y ago
Some websites DO cost U$ 200 :) , a company here in Uruguay has more work than they can handle at a flat fee of U$ 320 (Spanish only, and Joomla template-based)