Cost to fix contractor screw up

[snydesc]

https://i.imgur.com/xWqGN9c.jpg

I hired a well reviewed gutter company to put gutters on the garage I built. Besides the concrete, this is the only other task I had someone else do (Everything else I did myself). When they finished their work I noticed they put a rather large hole in my siding (seen in the picture above). They also cracked 3 other pieces of siding right along the bottom edge of the piece of siding. I had to pay 50% down ($350) but held off on paying them the other half. Their billing person is going to call me tomorrow and I would like to give them an amount I want off. How much do you think is a fair value I should request?

If I want to replace the siding pieces I would need to take the downspouts off. They suggested that they can replace the pieces, but they already screwed it up, and would prefer to do it myself. Since this is the back wall I was thinking of cutting a small piece of vinyl siding and using a Tear-Aid Type B patch.

I plan on posting a thread in the garage gallery but if you are curious to see the garage, I have an album here

 

[bczygan]

Get 3 bids from qualified contractors.

That is your cost.

Bill

 

[apollo11]

access denied

 

[shelteredV]

How the hell did they do that??? Jeez, I sure wouldn't want them back. Tell them that they have been paid in full and have them write a letter saying so to avoid any future conflict. The siding is easy enough to fix, do it yourself. The leader looks out of square to the corner too...

 

[James-W]

It isn't all that difficult to replace a piece of vinyl siding. If you want to do it yourself, I would price what the siding costs, figure out how many pieces you need, and then add on something for your labor.

I suspect it will take maybe an hour to replace a few pieces. The hardest one will be the very first piece. After that, you will know what to do and it should go fairly quickly. You can actually buy a tool for removing vinyl siding, but for just a few pieces it isn't totally necessary. If you are careful you can do it without the tool.

 

[Barnabas]

As bcyzgan said, get quotes from qualified contractors. After you get the check, you can decide who (maybe you) will do the work.

 

[T_R]

I'd tell them you don't intend to pay them any more money and see what they say. Then fix it yourself and be done with it.

 

[apollo11]

so why can you guys see the pic and I can't?

 

[panchohughes]

so why can you guys see the pic and I can't?

Refresh the page a few times. I was not able to view it either at first. It kept saying access denied.
Hope that helps.

 

[6768rogues]

There is no reason to waste contractors' time with trying to get 3 estimates for something that minor. I think $150 is fair. The material will not cost $50 and $100 is fair for your time doing something that should not take more than an hour. If it was damaged by them, they should have the option of fixing it or hiring someone in their network to fix it. If you want to keep them away, be fair with the price. If you fix it and they take you to court for their money, you will probably lose if you did not give them the opportunity to fix it or have it fixed.

 

[jhelrey]

Looks like it's winter... and that stuff gets fragile when it's cold. I've done the same thing to my house.

Regardless, you'll be waiting until spring to repair it. I'd inspect the rest of their work really well and tell them you want a credit of $200. That will pay for the stick of vinyl (which you may already have) and the labor for yourself to do the job.

 

[rustyjames]

Agree that having contractors come out and give estimates isn't proper. I also think $150.00 is fair.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Getting three contractors to come out and give you a price is foolish.

Estimates may be free to you, but they cost the contractor time and fuel, and if you don't intend to have them do the work it is borderline fraud.

I've driven 100 miles to a customer's house only to have them say "we are getting three estimates for our insurance company". That's BS. Insurance companies have Claim Reps on salary to do that work.

 

[James-W]

Getting three contractors to come out and give you a price is foolish.

Estimates may be free to you, but they cost the contractor time and fuel, and if you don't intend to have them do the work it is borderline fraud.

I've driven 100 miles to a customer's house only to have them say "we are getting three estimates for our insurance company". That's BS. Insurance companies have Claim Reps on salary to do that work.

I understand what you are saying, but I don't get why you say it is BS? In the past I have been told by my insurance company to go get 3 estimates. What am I supposed to do if I can't get 3 shops to give me an estimate? Obviously I can't give the job to all 3 shops, only one of them will get the job. It may not be a ideal situation for a repair shop, but that seems to be the way our system works.

 

[850xpeps]

I understand what you are saying, but I don't get why you say it is BS? In the past I have been told by my insurance company to go get 3 estimates. What am I supposed to do if I can't get 3 shops to give me an estimate? Obviously I can't give the job to all 3 shops, only one of them will get the job. It may not be a ideal situation for a repair shop, but that seems to be the way our system works.

Getting an estimate on a $200 job is pointless.

 

[Northislander]

I understand what you are saying, but I don't get why you say it is BS? In the past I have been told by my insurance company to go get 3 estimates. What am I supposed to do if I can't get 3 shops to give me an estimate? Obviously I can't give the job to all 3 shops, only one of them will get the job. It may not be a ideal situation for a repair shop, but that seems to be the way our system works.

Exactly why my company yellow pages add does not say free estimates. I charge $100.00 for an estimate that comes off the price if i get the job.

p.s. I don't get called a lot for estimates but we're still busy.

 

[brewchief]

I'd let them fix it and pay them once fixed. If you must get an estimate simply call a siding contractor or two and explain what happened, they should be able to give a price over the phone, it's replacing a couple of pieces of siding, not a big deal.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

I understand what you are saying, but I don't get why you say it is BS? In the past I have been told by my insurance company to go get 3 estimates. What am I supposed to do if I can't get 3 shops to give me an estimate? Obviously I can't give the job to all 3 shops, only one of them will get the job. It may not be a ideal situation for a repair shop, but that seems to be the way our system works.

The insurance company asking you to do their work is BS.
They have salaried employees who will write a claim.
They use the "get three estimates" line as a stalling tactic to get you to do their work for them.
Also, they find many times the claim is dropped because the insured doesn't have the time or inclination to jump through hoops.
You are not required by law to get three estimates.
You are allowed by law to use the contractor or body shop of your choosing, not someone on their "approved" list who is willing to work for the pennies they pay.
Rarely do they honor any of the estimates given to them. Sometimes they do, but in many cases they will have their Claim Rep review the claim and re-price it after you have done the legwork and after 3 companies have done the insurance company's job for them.
The insurance company does not hire the contractor, the homeowner does. The insurance company does not pay the contractor, they pay the homeowner for their loss and then the homeowner pays the contractor.

 

[apollo11]

Refresh the page a few times. I was not able to view it either at first. It kept saying access denied.
Hope that helps.

That worked, thanks

 

[James-W]

The insurance company asking you to do their work is BS.
They have salaried employees who will write a claim.
They use the "get three estimates" line as a stalling tactic to get you to do their work for them.
Also, they find many times the claim is dropped because the insured doesn't have the time or inclination to jump through hoops.
You are not required by law to get three estimates.
You are allowed by law to use the contractor or body shop of your choosing, not someone on their "approved" list who is willing to work for the pennies they pay.
Rarely do they honor any of the estimates given to them. Sometimes they do, but in many cases they will have their Claim Rep review the claim and re-price it after you have done the legwork and after 3 companies have done the insurance company's job for them.
The insurance company does not hire the contractor, the homeowner does. The insurance company does not pay the contractor, they pay the homeowner for their loss and then the homeowner pays the contractor.

You sure have a low opinion of insurance companies. The last time we were in a wreck was when an uninsured woman hit my wife's car. The police were there and they gave the woman a ticket.

I talked with our insurance agent and explained what happened, he said he would get a copy of the police report. He asked if the car could be driven safely, and I said it was, but I wouldn't want to drive it more than absolutely necessary. He said take it to three nearby shops and get estimates.

I did what he said, then brought him the estimates. All three estimates were fairly close on price. He said take it to the one you want to fix it and have them call me with the bill. The insurance company paid the whole thing, they even waived the deductible. Tell me again how terrible insurance companies are.

I am quite certain the insurance company went after the woman to get her to pay for the damages, but the point is, we got the car repaired without hardly any hassle at all.

 

[Earp69]

You sure have a low opinion of insurance companies. The last time we were in a wreck was when an uninsured woman hit my wife's car. The police were there and they gave the woman a ticket.

I talked with our insurance agent and explained what happened, he said he would get a copy of the police report. He asked if the car could be driven safely, and I said it was, but I wouldn't want to drive it more than absolutely necessary. He said take it to three nearby shops and get estimates.

I did what he said, then brought him the estimates. All three estimates were fairly close on price. He said take it to the one you want to fix it and have them call me with the bill. The insurance company paid the whole thing, they even waived the deductible. Tell me again how terrible insurance companies are.

I am quite certain the insurance company went after the woman to get her to pay for the damages, but the point is, we got the car repaired without hardly any hassle at all.

I think you may be one of the few who have had good experiences. Insurance is usually one big scam. Your insurance guy probably looked up your account and saw you have paid 100s of dollars a month for years on end with no claims, so he figures big whoop this person has paid in triple the amount this is going to cost to fix. I'll be a nice guy and waive his deductible to. Not saying ALL insurance is bad, but there in business to make profits. And the profit is off of YOU.

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[6768rogues]

Car insurance is different from home insurance, and this post was not even about an insurance claim. I have never taken my house through a drive in claim center.
Call the company, tell them you want $150 off for taking care of the damage, and see if they go for it. You make over $100 for something that should take no more than an hour. Things happen and if you come out of the other side undamaged, get on with your life. They can't send someone out with materials to do the job for free, so try to end it. If they did a good job on the gutters and their original price was fair, I would probably just have them pay for repair materials and do it myself. I invest less than an hour, no out of pocket money, so what.

 

[ard]

I did what he said, then brought him the estimates. l.

They love compliant customers.

(Did YOU get reimbursed for YOUR time wasted chasing after 3 estimates???)

I've had a mix of experiences- however what I will do is precisely what the POLICY says I must do. When a company starts making up 'here is how we do it so you need to do xyz' then I have an issue.

One estimate, they have a problem THEY can take issue with that one estimate.


For the OPs issue, 1000% agree that you should NOT waste contractors time on this....

 

[oilslick]

You sure have a low opinion of insurance companies. The last time we were in a wreck was when an uninsured woman hit my wife's car. The police were there and they gave the woman a ticket.

I talked with our insurance agent and explained what happened, he said he would get a copy of the police report. He asked if the car could be driven safely, and I said it was, but I wouldn't want to drive it more than absolutely necessary. He said take it to three nearby shops and get estimates.

I did what he said, then brought him the estimates. All three estimates were fairly close on price. He said take it to the one you want to fix it and have them call me with the bill. The insurance company paid the whole thing, they even waived the deductible. Tell me again how terrible insurance companies are.

I am quite certain the insurance company went after the woman to get her to pay for the damages, but the point is, we got the car repaired without hardly any hassle at all.

What about wasting two shops time getting estimates? Is your time worthless, neither is their's. They should have sent an adjuster out, but that costs them money! I worked with a bodyman for 21yrs and he didn't piss around with anyone getting told to get three estimates. Every time, they got an education, and usually he got the job and an adjuster was sent. People need to value time.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

If you must get an estimate simply call a siding contractor or two and explain what happened, they should be able to give a price over the phone, it's replacing a couple of pieces of siding, not a big deal.

I am a contractor and if someone called me and stated this and sent a bunch of photos I would give them a price over the phone without wasting my time driving there




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tracs]

https://i.imgur.com/xWqGN9c.jpg

I hired a well reviewed gutter company to put gutters on the garage I built. Besides the concrete, this is the only other task I had someone else do (Everything else I did myself). When they finished their work I noticed they put a rather large hole in my siding (seen in the picture above). They also cracked 3 other pieces of siding right along the bottom edge of the piece of siding. I had to pay 50% down ($350) but held off on paying them the other half. Their billing person is going to call me tomorrow and I would like to give them an amount I want off. How much do you think is a fair value I should request?

If I want to replace the siding pieces I would need to take the downspouts off. They suggested that they can replace the pieces, but they already screwed it up, and would prefer to do it myself. Since this is the back wall I was thinking of cutting a small piece of vinyl siding and using a Tear-Aid Type B patch.

I plan on posting a thread in the garage gallery but if you are curious to see the garage, I have an album here

That is certainly not "a very large hole". Just tell them if they want the rest of the money then they need to come back and fix it. Don't waste time calling anyone else or trying to make money by doing it yourself. Give the company the chance to make it right.

 

[James-W]

What about wasting two shops time getting estimates? Is your time worthless, neither is their's. They should have sent an adjuster out, but that costs them money! I worked with a bodyman for 21yrs and he didn't piss around with anyone getting told to get three estimates. Every time, they got an education, and usually he got the job and an adjuster was sent. People need to value time.

OK, so they send an adjuster to my house to look at the car. The adjuster says it should cost $1200 and writes me out a check. I go to get the car fixed and it costs $2100. Now what do I do?

No thanks, I will get the estimates and we will go from there.

 

[like2wheel]

OK, so they send an adjuster to my house to look at the car. The adjuster says it should cost $1200 and writes me out a check. I go to get the car fixed and it costs $2100. Now what do I do?

You, or the repair shop calls the adjuster for a supplement.
Very common, happens all the time. I've gotten them myself. in fact I'm in the middle of one right now.
It is their fault if they miss something.

 

[James-W]

You, or the repair shop calls the adjuster for a supplement.
Very common, happens all the time. I've gotten them myself. in fact I'm in the middle of one right now.
It is their fault if they miss something.

Suppose they just say I got ripped off by the body shop I selected to do the work, there is no way the cost should have been that much. Now what? Hire a lawyer? No thanks, I will just get the estimates and let my agent know the cost.

 

[like2wheel]

Suppose they just say I got ripped off by the body shop I selected to do the work, there is no way the cost should have been that much. Now what? Hire a lawyer? .

Doesnt have to work like that.
Wouldn't you show the repair shop the estimate from the adjuster before they fix the car??
If there's a problem, they contact the adjuster for an agreed value for the repair.
That is how it's done every day.
But you do whatever you are comfortable with.
no need to panic.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Doesnt have to work like that.
Wouldn't you show the repair shop the estimate from the adjuster before they fix the car??
If there's a problem, they contact the adjuster for an agreed value for the repair.
That is how it's done every day.
But you do whatever you are comfortable with.
no need to panic.

Yes,
When I managed a body shop it was common on jobs over $1500 that the adjuster missed some hidden damage. You can’t see all the damage until you start to take it apart. Sometimes we would get an add-order approved over the phone, but if they missed a lot the adjuster would come out to the shop to review and approve the additional $$.

Years ago I was insured with USAA and had a lady back her car into my car’s front end. The next day a USAA adjuster showed up at my house, wrote the estimate, printed a check on the spot. I took his estimate to the local body shop and the car was repaired as agreed. No wasting my time driving around, no wasting shop’s time writing an estimate.

 

[ard]

Suppose they just say I got ripped off by the body shop I selected to do the work, there is no way the cost should have been that much. Now what? Hire a lawyer? No thanks, I will just get the estimates and let my agent know the cost.

And what happens when you get paid for the lowest estimate (or whatever) and when they start the work they discover more damage?

Do you then pull the car out and get 3 more estimates?!?


I wont let adjusters look at a car until I get it to my shop and they tell me what they think. Frankly dealing with adjusters with the instant check thing is a waste of my time AND pisses me off.

 

[bobbyjean]

I did some similar damage to my garage twice... one time with a pressure washer...and another time while adding fill at backwall...shocked to see the quality of the siding...it looks great but seems very brittle...its certainteed...matches the house....very different quality

 

[58Yeoman]

access denied

The easiest way is to set your cursor to the left of the first i. in the url, click it so that the highlight goes away and you see the blinking cursor to the left of the i., then hit the delete button twice to remove the first i. It will show the pic.

 

[58Yeoman]

access denied

Getting three contractors to come out and give you a price is foolish.

Estimates may be free to you, but they cost the contractor time and fuel, and if you don't intend to have them do the work it is borderline fraud.

I've driven 100 miles to a customer's house only to have them say "we are getting three estimates for our insurance company". That's BS. Insurance companies have Claim Reps on salary to do that work.

Hey Scott, how are things going in Indiana? Gotta be better than Illinois.

 

[58Yeoman]

A year or so ago, I had hail damage to the roof of my house. State Farm sent an adjuster, and she said that only three sides were damaged and needed to be replaced. The roofer who had given me the estimate said to call SF and tell them to send another adjuster, and he would be there to talk with him.

After the second adjuster left, I had the whole house roof shingles replaced.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Hey Scott, how are things going in Indiana? Gotta be better than Illinois.

Thanks for asking...

I'm driving 250 miles per day covering Lafayette and Logansport from my house in Indy. No company reimbursement but I do get the tax deduction

Been at it for 3 weeks now. First week I outsold everyone else in our territory, 2nd week a big goose egg, and this week sold 1 job. So like anywhere it has its ups and downs. I've met some very nice people and been able to help them with their projects

Seems like 1 out of 3 people you meet are formerly from Illinois

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

And what happens when you get paid for the lowest estimate (or whatever) and when they start the work they discover more damage?

Do you then pull the car out and get 3 more estimates?!?


I wont let adjusters look at a car until I get it to my shop and they tell me what they think. Frankly dealing with adjusters with the instant check thing is a waste of my time AND pisses me off.

You let the insurance company start the claim, you take it to the shop of your choice, show them the insurance paperwork, and if they find more damage they get an add-order from the insurance company. Most common way and most efficient way to handle it. The insurance company may be paying for a rental car for you so they get back with the body shop pretty quickly.

 

[James-W]

And what happens when you get paid for the lowest estimate (or whatever) and when they start the work they discover more damage?

Do you then pull the car out and get 3 more estimates?!?


I wont let adjusters look at a car until I get it to my shop and they tell me what they think. Frankly dealing with adjusters with the instant check thing is a waste of my time AND pisses me off.

So you are taking it to the shop anyway to find out what is wrong and what it will cost to fix. How is that different than getting an estimate to turn in to the insurance company?

Also, why is it important to you to go out of your way to get the insurance company upset? You want the insurance company to pay for the repairs without any hassle, so why talk to them with a chip on your shoulder? Wouldn't it make more sense to just go get the estimates and turn them in?

Anyway, you don't have to pick the lowest bidder to do the work, you can pick the shop you want to repair your vehicle. The insurance may not want to pay the cost of the highest bidder, but you can negotiate that with them. The smart way to do it is to pick 3 shops that you know do very good work so whichever shop ends up doing the work will be OK with you.

 

[b-boy]

The insurance company asking you to do their work is BS.
They have salaried employees who will write a claim.
They use the "get three estimates" line as a stalling tactic to get you to do their work for them.
Also, they find many times the claim is dropped because the insured doesn't have the time or inclination to jump through hoops.
You are not required by law to get three estimates.
You are allowed by law to use the contractor or body shop of your choosing, not someone on their "approved" list who is willing to work for the pennies they pay.
Rarely do they honor any of the estimates given to them. Sometimes they do, but in many cases they will have their Claim Rep review the claim and re-price it after you have done the legwork and after 3 companies have done the insurance company's job for them.
The insurance company does not hire the contractor, the homeowner does. The insurance company does not pay the contractor, they pay the homeowner for their loss and then the homeowner pays the contractor.

Even if I'm the one doing the hiring, and not the insurance company, I'm still going to call more than one person for an estimate.

I had a estimates for a new boiler range from $3,500 to $14,000. No way am I not getting multiple estimates. Plus, I want to ask questions to ensure the guy I'm hiring is the right guy.

The only ridiculous part of getting 3 estimates is getting 3 companies to actually show up to give you an estimate. I usually get stiffed about 3 out of 5 times.