Online ripoff???

[alsultra]

I ordered a 30x50 metal building from an online dealer.I got a great price on the building but left the 4 framed openings on the long side at 8x8 until I decided what size I finally wanted to go with.I decided to go with 10x10 openings.Now they want $1500 more!!

They sent me a change order to sign but I am not going to sign it until I can figure out why $ 1500 more.Wouldn't there be less steel with larger openings?Perhaps there would be more steel in the structure around the openings I don't know.I'm trying to contact them on this but they seem to be too busy to talk to me seems they just want the money.Hence the posting.

I'd appreciate any input,I hope to talk with them Monday and hopefully I'll have some Knowledge from you guys before I do.

Thanks

 

[rwhite692]

How much of your money (% of total order) do they have?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Are they providing the doors to fill those openings? 10x10 doors will cost more than 8x8 ones. There may be some structural redesign as well to handle the wider openings. Also, any company is going to include some extra charges in a change order just for project administration - it takes some time on their part to process the change, drawings have to be revised, etc.

You really have to talk to them to find out what the extra costs are for.

 

[mrb]

wait, so you ordered the building already, then changed the sizes of the openings after you ordered it? How long between when you ordered it and submitted the change? A fee to change it after the fact seems totally reasonable.

 

[hetkind]

Also, they might have to change the pitch of the structural members, requiring different size members...time for a long phone call.

Howard

 

[alsultra]

I ordered the building on 10/2.I was undecided on the door openings so we went with 8x8's at first.He said we can always change them later.I paid them 35% to hold the price but didn't get confirmation that they received the money until 10/14.When he called, he said we can now get going on this and I said O.K. I decided on the 10x10's.Then I asked what mfg's I had to choose from and he went silent then he said to call the "project coordinator".I called back to the main number and asked the phone answerer to speak to this coordinator.The answerer said the coordinator doesn't have a direct line- just leave a message.I decided to just E-mail her instead.That's when I got the change order via E-mail.I did exchange several E-mails with her about door selections but didn't get to the $1500 issue yet.Doors are $150 for 8x8 $225 for 10x10.Since the building materials haven't been ordered from his source yet,it seems ludicrous to charge $1500 to change the drawing and I don't think the difference in the amount of steel amounts to that much.

 

[alsultra]

hopefully I'll find out more Monday.

 

[BSmith]

Who'd ya order from? A friend of mine sells these buildings. A simple change to you might mean a big change to them.

They also get you with the changes and additions in many cases. They know how to play the game. $1500 doesn't sound like a whole heck of a lot though.

 

[redsky49]

Not to pile on, but this points out the need to confirm your requirements prior to making any financial commitment. Many Contractors depend on change orders as a profit maker and will pounce on any opportunity to pad their bottom line.

On the other hand, a change such as this may involve a couple hours of CAD time, design and review by a Structural Engineer, added framing requirements for the larger opening, plus all the unintended consequences resulting from the change. Add to this all the additional paperwork and phone time, and $1500 doesn't seem to be out of line.

If you don't like the answer of the manufacturer, can you stop payment on the deposit? Seems like that would be your last resort.

As always, offered only as opinion

 

[alsultra]

I don't want to name them at this time.We may work this thing out yet.This building is a deluxe 30x50 w/eave overhangs and a 3:12 roof pitch.It was ~$16,500 now $18,000 delivered.Price seems pretty good.

It's just that he encouraged changes later after pressuring you to get the order in immediately .

 

[alsultra]

Can't stop payment.I will talk to the project coordinator monday to see what the changes entail.I think the 10x10 openings will be much more practical.Just didn't think it would be so costly.If I leave them at 8x8 I think I will regret it later.

 

[BSmith]

On the other hand, a change such as this may involve a couple hours of CAD time, design and review by a Structural Engineer, added framing requirements for the larger opening, plus all the unintended consequences resulting from the change. Add to this all the additional paperwork and phone time, and $1500 doesn't seem to be out of line.

The way I understand it, all(most of) the steel buildings are made by the same company in Pennsylvania. There is no need to go into CAD and make a few hours of changes, they have the system down. Not to say there aren't other framing requirements along with the cost of a bigger door.

My buddy said that the slider doors (the ones that slide side to side instead of up) add a whole bunch to the cost of the building. There are many structural changes that happen that increase the cost. Have you ever seen the steel buildings that are built with the bottom 4, 6, 8 feet in brick? Cheaper right, less material for them to ship ya? Wrong, cost goes up a ton because of the changes in the structure and framing.

If you want, PM me the name of the company. The one my friend works for goes under a couple different names. If it's them, I can find out the real deal for ya.

I doubt they are getting the best of you, but they might fluff the number a couple hundred dollars. The profit in these buildings isn't what you expect it to be a lot of the time. They get a % spiff from the factory if they sell a certain amount though. The salesman may not see the spiff but he does see his % commission on the initial sale. A couple hundred on this change might all go right into his pocket, depending on his boss.

I've seen my friend put 5, 6000$ profit into buildings. He's also told me that they would sell them at cost + $800 shipping on Ebay. If the shipping is close to Pennsylvania, they win. If it's on the west coast, they lose. But if they hit their number at the end of the year, they win.

They are sales people. They will always push to make the sale and tell you what you need to hear for you to commit today. Did the order mention the deposit being non-refundable? If it did, they figure you aren't going to back out of the deal.

The overall price doesn't seem bad though.

 

[stinkythings.com]

I agree with BSMITH. I have been on the phone with almost every steel building company over this past year. I have been told by numerous salesman that the buildings sold on Ebay are sold for cost just to keep sales volume up. It seems most buildings are shipped from McKees Rocks, PA. I think OLYMPIA Steel Buildings are the parent Company, I may be wrong here though.NCI and their subsidiaries ship from ROME, Ny if you live in the Northeast. They seem to be the other big player in the business.