Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/05/11) */
On ***.**, ***, I was contacted by Mr*** in response to my ad on *** to provide him with an estimate on a basement renovation project
On *** * I met with him at his house for a lengthy discussion about his project and how best to
proceedAt this time I supplied him with an estimate for the work discussedI reminded him, as I do with all my customers, that this estimate is for the work specified in the estimate and that additional work would be completed at additional cost
As he wished to purchase all materials himself, he asked me to provide him with a complete material list
On ***.* I met with Mr*** again at his house to discuss and explain the materials needed to start the jobIt was agreed that the materials needed which I was unable to explain to him, (concrete pins and shot, electrical materials, etc.) would be purchased my myself and billed additionallyAt this time he asked me to recommend sub trades which I agreed to do
I later contacted a ventilation contractor and a plumber which I referred to him
On ***.* I went to City Hall and began the process of applying for a building permit, as the permit has to be obtained by the contractor who is to do the workHe had stated in his email that he would like to begin as soon as possibleHe also asked me if I could meet with the plumber to discuss changes and requirements for the plumber
On ***.* I met again with Mr*** and the plumber to discuss these changes and the work to be done by the plumberHe asked for additional framing and electrical alterations and I reminded him again that this would be extra to the original estimateEverything seemed to be in order, however later that day I received his email stating that he had decided to cancel the projectI immediately contacted the plumber whom I knew was buying materials for the jobAfter contacting the client, the plumber assured me that the project was not cancelled and if fact, was proceedingI assumed then that it was me that was being cancelled
On ***.** I went again to the Building DeptAt City Hall to fill out the necessary paper work to cancel the permit
I encountered Mr*** about a week later in the supermarket and he asked about his refundI told him I would be in touch with him when I received itNo voices were raised by either party, as I could see nothing to be gained by arguing, ***I was the one who turned and walked away
*** I have never, now or in the past, advertised 'free estimates'My invoice to him is for my time onlyI have not included materials purchased on his behalfThese fees are accurate and fair and well within industry standards
As stated on my invoice, Mr*** still has a balance of $owing, which I am prepared to forgo to effect an immediate and simple resolution to this matter
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/05/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Mr***'s response further proves that I was taken advantage of and that he has misrepresented his services
Mr*** says that I asked him: ' to provide (me) with a complete material list' But he failed to do so, as I indicated in my first letter to Revdex.comNevertheless, he sent me an invoice for 'lists of materials', which is, again, a few line of a preliminary draft of incomplete materials
Mr*** claims that I asked him 'if (he) could meet with the plumber to discuss changes and requirements for the plumber'This is a claim: I did not initiate this meeting, nor did I request any changesThe plumber contacted me to say that he will be coming to meet with the Mr*** to show him what he needs for framing;
Mr*** further reiterates: 'I met again with Mr*** and the plumber to discuss these changes and the work to be done by the plumberHe asked for additional framing'This is completely wrongFraming for the bathroom shower is part of the overall framing job for the basementI did not request ant special structureThe plumber simply indicated to Mr*** what he needs to finish his job
Mr*** also claims that I requested 'electrical alterations'' What he calls 'electrical alterations'' are, as I mentioned in my first letter to Revdex.com, spot lights instead of regular lights in the hallwayHis response to me was rough and ill-advised
Mr*** says that he went to 'City Hall to fill out the necessary paper work to cancel the permit'I clearly indicated to him by email that the Building Inspection does not require him to physically go there for cancellationHe disregarded my notice
*** he says:
'I encountered Mr*** about a week later in the supermarket and he asked about his refundI told him I would be in touch with him when I received itNo voices were raised by either party (...) as I could see nothing to be gained by arguing, especially in public, with such an intractable individualI was the one who turned and walked away"
This paragraph is full of contradictions: AIf ' No voices were raised by either party' why would Mr*** be the one who turned and walked away"? BWhy Mr*** would says ' as I could see nothing to be gained by arguing, ***
cMr*** further adds: 'I have never, now or in the past, advertised 'free estimates' I doubt this is true, *** This being saidMr*** has clearly said in the supermarket encounter that the estimate 'is free ONLY if the job gets done'! DFinally Mr*** speaks of ' industry standards 'I have every doubt that any honest company would dare to advertise NON-FREE estimates or would charge clients if it does not get their businessSuch uncommon practices, as it tuned out to be in this case, are misleading and constitute a clear misrepresentation
In short: given that:
Mr*** misrepresented his services by calling for charges, contrary to 'industry standards', for his initial discussion and/or estimate;
Mr*** misrepresented his services by calling for charges, contrary to 'industry standards', for his rudimentary and incomplete list of material;
Mr*** initiated himself the discussion with the plumber for proper framing for the bathroom;
Disregarded my notice specifically indicating that there is no need to physically go to the City Hall to cancel the permit;
Therefore:
I am disputing the charges related to number to (noted respectively *** *; *** *; *** *; *** ** in his invoice) ;
Since, however, in one hand I am still inclined to a peaceful resolution to this matter despite my other reservations regarding the way Mr*** addressed me in public, and, on the other hand, in order ***, ***:
I am willing, at this stage, to pay the claimed charges for Mr***'s application for the building permit (noted *** * in his invoice), which are $(plus tax) = $
I am therefore requesting a refund of my $deposit minus $= $
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/05/11) */
On ***.**, ***, I was contacted by Mr*** in response to my ad on *** to provide him with an estimate on a basement renovation project
On *** * I met with him at his house for a lengthy discussion about his project and how best to
proceedAt this time I supplied him with an estimate for the work discussedI reminded him, as I do with all my customers, that this estimate is for the work specified in the estimate and that additional work would be completed at additional cost
As he wished to purchase all materials himself, he asked me to provide him with a complete material list
On ***.* I met with Mr*** again at his house to discuss and explain the materials needed to start the jobIt was agreed that the materials needed which I was unable to explain to him, (concrete pins and shot, electrical materials, etc.) would be purchased my myself and billed additionallyAt this time he asked me to recommend sub trades which I agreed to do
I later contacted a ventilation contractor and a plumber which I referred to him
On ***.* I went to City Hall and began the process of applying for a building permit, as the permit has to be obtained by the contractor who is to do the workHe had stated in his email that he would like to begin as soon as possibleHe also asked me if I could meet with the plumber to discuss changes and requirements for the plumber
On ***.* I met again with Mr*** and the plumber to discuss these changes and the work to be done by the plumberHe asked for additional framing and electrical alterations and I reminded him again that this would be extra to the original estimateEverything seemed to be in order, however later that day I received his email stating that he had decided to cancel the projectI immediately contacted the plumber whom I knew was buying materials for the jobAfter contacting the client, the plumber assured me that the project was not cancelled and if fact, was proceedingI assumed then that it was me that was being cancelled
On ***.** I went again to the Building DeptAt City Hall to fill out the necessary paper work to cancel the permit
I encountered Mr*** about a week later in the supermarket and he asked about his refundI told him I would be in touch with him when I received itNo voices were raised by either party, as I could see nothing to be gained by arguing, ***I was the one who turned and walked away
*** I have never, now or in the past, advertised 'free estimates'My invoice to him is for my time onlyI have not included materials purchased on his behalfThese fees are accurate and fair and well within industry standards
As stated on my invoice, Mr*** still has a balance of $owing, which I am prepared to forgo to effect an immediate and simple resolution to this matter
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/05/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Mr***'s response further proves that I was taken advantage of and that he has misrepresented his services
Mr*** says that I asked him: ' to provide (me) with a complete material list' But he failed to do so, as I indicated in my first letter to Revdex.comNevertheless, he sent me an invoice for 'lists of materials', which is, again, a few line of a preliminary draft of incomplete materials
Mr*** claims that I asked him 'if (he) could meet with the plumber to discuss changes and requirements for the plumber'This is a claim: I did not initiate this meeting, nor did I request any changesThe plumber contacted me to say that he will be coming to meet with the Mr*** to show him what he needs for framing;
Mr*** further reiterates: 'I met again with Mr*** and the plumber to discuss these changes and the work to be done by the plumberHe asked for additional framing'This is completely wrongFraming for the bathroom shower is part of the overall framing job for the basementI did not request ant special structureThe plumber simply indicated to Mr*** what he needs to finish his job
Mr*** also claims that I requested 'electrical alterations'' What he calls 'electrical alterations'' are, as I mentioned in my first letter to Revdex.com, spot lights instead of regular lights in the hallwayHis response to me was rough and ill-advised
Mr*** says that he went to 'City Hall to fill out the necessary paper work to cancel the permit'I clearly indicated to him by email that the Building Inspection does not require him to physically go there for cancellationHe disregarded my notice
*** he says:
'I encountered Mr*** about a week later in the supermarket and he asked about his refundI told him I would be in touch with him when I received itNo voices were raised by either party (...) as I could see nothing to be gained by arguing, especially in public, with such an intractable individualI was the one who turned and walked away"
This paragraph is full of contradictions: AIf ' No voices were raised by either party' why would Mr*** be the one who turned and walked away"? BWhy Mr*** would says ' as I could see nothing to be gained by arguing, ***
cMr*** further adds: 'I have never, now or in the past, advertised 'free estimates' I doubt this is true, *** This being saidMr*** has clearly said in the supermarket encounter that the estimate 'is free ONLY if the job gets done'! DFinally Mr*** speaks of ' industry standards 'I have every doubt that any honest company would dare to advertise NON-FREE estimates or would charge clients if it does not get their businessSuch uncommon practices, as it tuned out to be in this case, are misleading and constitute a clear misrepresentation
In short: given that:
Mr*** misrepresented his services by calling for charges, contrary to 'industry standards', for his initial discussion and/or estimate;
Mr*** misrepresented his services by calling for charges, contrary to 'industry standards', for his rudimentary and incomplete list of material;
Mr*** initiated himself the discussion with the plumber for proper framing for the bathroom;
Disregarded my notice specifically indicating that there is no need to physically go to the City Hall to cancel the permit;
Therefore:
I am disputing the charges related to number to (noted respectively *** *; *** *; *** *; *** ** in his invoice) ;
Since, however, in one hand I am still inclined to a peaceful resolution to this matter despite my other reservations regarding the way Mr*** addressed me in public, and, on the other hand, in order ***, ***:
I am willing, at this stage, to pay the claimed charges for Mr***'s application for the building permit (noted *** * in his invoice), which are $(plus tax) = $
I am therefore requesting a refund of my $deposit minus $= $