Need Opinions-Bill way over quoted price

I have a fiberglass tractor hood that was really messed up. Smashed in the front and pieces missing. The local tractor painter didnt want to touch it due to the missing pieces and needing to mold it up etc etc. I found a local guy that specializes in repairing fiberglass,mostly on boats. I emailed him pictures of the damage, plus pictures of a hood that was not damaged. I talked with the fellow over the phone about the job. He said he could fix it. I said "how much?". He said he would have to see it in person. During the course of the conversation I did tell him that a new hood it 2K. He came out and looked at the hood. He gave me the "this is going to be a hard one" song and dance. When I asked him "how much?" He says $800 if I can do it inbetween big jobs. Might take a little to get it done. $800 was more than I wanted to spend, but thats the way it goes sometimes. That was three weeks ago. Tonight I get an emailed bill for $1440.75. No explanation. No phone call. Just a bill. Needless to say I am a little HOT! I looked over the bill, and some of the material just seams way high. 1.5 gallons of fiberglass resin to repair the front of a 40 HP tractor?
I own a business so I know how projects go sometimes,but I also have taken a loss on many projects due to my error in quoting. Since I didnt get anything in writing, and he has the hood, I am kinda screwed.Any input on how I should handle it? Attached is a pic of the damaged hood....

If it were me I would go talk to the guy and point out that he quoted you $800 not $1400. If he won't work with you on that I would be inclined to tell him you're just gonna spring for a new one and he can keep the repaired one. That will get him to budge a little. Remember, he doesn't have anything in writing either.

Dad worked at a JCPenney auto center for several years. They always said you should NEVER be more than 10% off (that is over or under) your estimate. I think that without him telling you of the extras, 10% over would be a reasonable offer to make.

A good faith estimate might vary some, but an 80% increase??
If he won't stand close to his estimate I'd let him keep the hood.
And let him know I would be telling people to get estimates from him in writing.

Years ago our fire chief got an estimate from the local body shop to prep and paint a turned in oil truck that became our new tanker. It was going to be a fill in job to keep the cost down. When it was done the price was about three times expected. The chief talked to the guy, told him that the association just couldn't afford it so the shop would have to keep the truck as payment. The bill came down a lot. I would suggest you tell the guy that for the difference that you will get new.

My insurance company paid for mine on my JD.

I agree with others about "$800 or he has himself a hood". However,I would not say that until much later in negotiations. Right now I would call to thank him for getting it fixed and remind him of his $800 estimate. Memory works different depending on who is paying and who is recieveing. Good chance he will say "oh yea I remember now,boy did I ever miss the mark".

The thing that really pisses me off is he just sends some high bill with no explanation. My attitude would be different if he would have called and said "hey it took longer than I thought." The kicker is I run a machine shop and gave a buddy a verbal quote of $40-50/bushing for 16 bushings. Price came in at $87/bushing. I charged him $47 and told him I took a bath on it, and cant do it for that again. I ate $480 because I stuck to my WORD.

Some States have rules on how far over a bill can be from an estimate.

I'm not a lawyer but I have taken busisness law classes and you can only charge 20% over the quoted price and verbal contracts can be legal.

This is a tough one. I have done fiberglass repair for many years and ate a few due to my own mistake on the estimate, but never charged more than the quote without calling the owner first to talk about the issue I ran into. It looks like you lost a pretty big chunk of the hood. 1.5 gallons of resin seems a little much, but if he was over mixing he can not save it and it sets up. That is his fault if he was mixing more resin than he could work with before it set. I can replace a sub-floor in an 18 foot boat with 6 gallons and that includes sealing all the new wood used including stringers and a layer of mat over the entire job to seal it up good. Polyester resin sets rather quick and does not give you much time to work if you are not ready or over catalyze it assuming that is what he used. Your hood looks like it made out of epoxy to begin with.
If he had to make missing parts it does get time consuming.
I don't know about your state but, In CO If I do not get a signed work order stating the quoted price I cannot charge more than 250 for any repair.

Let's see here. This just a rough guess.
Labor - 8 hours for lay up and glass work @ $75 per hour if he is a real business with overhead.
$600.00
Resin - 1.5 @ 65 ea.
$97.50
Shop materials - 10% of labor. Includes abrasives, fillers, tapes, chip brushes, haz waste removal.
$60
Paint - 1 qt with solvents and catalysts.
$65
Paint time - 1 hour @ $75
$75

$897.50

Talk to him and ask why the big increase. If he goes on and on about time then you know he is not sure of his abilities. If it is materials well then he is out of touch with what they cost.

I always tell people if you break anything fiberglass or plastic pick up and bring all the pieces. It saves a ton of time laying up missing sections.

Greg

For less than $600 more you can have a brand new one. Tell your repairman this. I vote for the new one, not a patched one.

Maybe he was looking at the wrong bill and sent the wrong price to you. One can only hope. But, I'd do as others suggested and give him a call, but I would also record the conversation (if legal in your state that is)for future use. A friend just won a court case because of the recordings he had.

Was it an estimate or a quote? Big difference! If it was a quote and no additional work was added or approved by you, he is obligated to the quote. One of the things I remembered from a basic law course was that if an agreement is mutually agreed upon by both parties it is considered a binding contract even if it is verbal. Having it on paper makes it so much easier to prove though. $25 over is one thing but $800 becoming $1440 is a big difference.

Here you have contracted for a service. Courts will find a contract exists when the actions of the parties show an intent to form a contract. By you leaving the hood for repair at an $800 quote demonstrates your intention to contract for that price. Before you speak to him (with someone as a witness) carefully think out BOTH sides of the argument, or write to him via certified US mail. No e mail junk! Always keep a calm and level head. Be firm on the $800 price quote, as it appears (from your facts) there is
no consideration to support amending the original terms of the repair. Remember you did not have to have him repair it, but you did because of the $800 dollar figure. It appears he is trying to change the terms of the repair contract without valid consideration. He is a sophisticated businessman and as such he should have foreseen any "unexpected costs on HIS part,"
or "I forgot..." It appears he is just trying to unjustly enrich himself. Because of the picture you took showing the damage BEFORE the repair, such a wide dollar figure difference would show his action was unreasonable. Just a few suggestions

Here in Florida a lot of bodymen are more concerned about getting the job and a deposit rather than the accuracy of their bid or finish date. I learned the hard way never to take work to one that was complete or I wouldn't walk away from. When a jerk around starts,give them a packet of ketchup or a check for the agreed upon amount. They usually take the check.

On the laer he had 12 hrs @ $65. Then he had a helper at 8 hrs at $20/hr ??? Resin he charged $117/gallon. 38 x 90 matt was $85. Then a bunch on minor thinks like sandpaper, hardener etc etc.

I don't think I would pay him anything. The hood looks like it's made out of SMC not fiberglass. Fiberglass doesn't stick to SMC. It's a completely different repair method with different product's.

Harry

I like California law on autos they must give you a written estimate and can't go over that by one penny without getting your permission. My buddy took his small motor home in and the charged him double for he work. He took it the special court setup for this and the guy had to do the work for nothing. Sure dies make one an honest guy real fast.
We need this law nation wide it works great.
Walt

Your a good man as am I. I own a auto repair shop and when I bid a job I stick to it, even if I loose.

Casey in SD

As a contractor here in TX if I don't have a signed work order approving the work and cost and another saying the work was performed satisfactorily I have no way of forcing payment.

I would have a conversation with him about the quoted price. If he holds firm your choice is to pay him or tell him to get screwed and find another hood.