Am I being mugged? Extra charges from the builder
Discussion
JustinP1 said:
Here's a legal solution to this:
Your contract is with the builder. Not the electrician. You don't really need to speak to the electrician, although what is beneficial is that they've made a mistake on their bill.
If this *were* to be put before a third party, such as a court, the fact that they've tried to include on an invoice things that were clearly not used will be a very heavy dent to their credibility.
In fact, after this, I wouldn't trust any of the invoice at all. Google 'Van Halen brown M&Ms'.
To solve this from a legal perspective, you agreed to pay £1200 in your quote to the builder for the agreed works. You then agreed to pay the direct rate above that for the additional works.
If it were me, I would split their invoice accordingly. All the extra you need to pay for is the additional works. How much of the invoice is that?
The reason I say this is that you may very well find that the builder has quotes £1200 for the original works, and the electrician has charged £2400 for them. If that's the case then that £1200 difference is the builder's problem, not yours.
I would have agreed with that had the OP not have agreed to pay the builder's costs above £1,200.Your contract is with the builder. Not the electrician. You don't really need to speak to the electrician, although what is beneficial is that they've made a mistake on their bill.
If this *were* to be put before a third party, such as a court, the fact that they've tried to include on an invoice things that were clearly not used will be a very heavy dent to their credibility.
In fact, after this, I wouldn't trust any of the invoice at all. Google 'Van Halen brown M&Ms'.
To solve this from a legal perspective, you agreed to pay £1200 in your quote to the builder for the agreed works. You then agreed to pay the direct rate above that for the additional works.
If it were me, I would split their invoice accordingly. All the extra you need to pay for is the additional works. How much of the invoice is that?
The reason I say this is that you may very well find that the builder has quotes £1200 for the original works, and the electrician has charged £2400 for them. If that's the case then that £1200 difference is the builder's problem, not yours.
This is where the OP needs to be very accurate:
Did he:
a) Agree to carte blanche indemnify the builder for any additional costs over £1200.
or
b) Agree to pay the direct cost for the additional works not covered in the original quote.
The facts will define what the agreement was. However, I do have to say that b) would sound more likely.
Did he:
a) Agree to carte blanche indemnify the builder for any additional costs over £1200.
or
b) Agree to pay the direct cost for the additional works not covered in the original quote.
The facts will define what the agreement was. However, I do have to say that b) would sound more likely.
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