Devious Pricing

atari

Should a homeowner be responsible for change orders when the Contractor took 2 weeks to get the pricing to him?

And all the time they were doing not just change order work but also the original bid work.

And just what are the pay range for a journeyman in Los Angeles?

Thanks.

Speedy Petey

ABSOLUTELY! Why not???
Was it a change? Was it in the original price?

2 weeks is a while to get a change price to a customer, especially if they are on the job with them, but not unheard of.
Are they in the middle of doing contract work? Is the change critical RIGHT NOW. If yes and no then you can wait for the price.

This sounds like yet another case of a HO trying to get out of paying for something.

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fridaymean

If you/they asked for it, then you/they need to pay for it.

As for your second question...are you asking what they get paid per hour, or what they charge per hour for a journeyman? They are two different things.

Mike Finley

Not just no, but Hell No!

What part of "change order" is being misunderstood here? A change order is a written contract that tells the customer what is going to be done, for what price and usually how long it is going to take to do it. If you are doing work without the customer signing the change order, you don't have a change order, you're just doing more work without a contract.

bigjay

When working for a homeowner in California the laws are very specific regarding the terms in which change orders must be done to be valid. First of all, any work involving over $500.00 materials and labor must be accompanied by a specifically formatted "Home Improvement Contract." The contents of these contracts are very specific and must contain certain information as mandated by the contractors state licensing board. Among the information contained in this contract it specifically states that all change orders must be in writing and signed by both the owner and contractor to be valid and no work is to commence prior to the change order being agreed to and signed. A change order is just an ammended contract and becomes part of the contract once it is executed. It is like the old saying no ticke no laundry. I never start work on a change without a signed and approved change order. If you do the work for a change without approval it's like starting a project without a signed contract. Either way contract or change order you don't have anything unless it is agreed to and signed.
If you do not follow the guidelines set forth by the licesing board regarding home improvement work and the specific paperwork involved with it, the contractor can face disciplinary action against his/her license and not being paid if the homeowner files a complaint. The state views it as the contractors responsibility not the homeowners to know the laws concerning their business.

Romex-Racer

Non union is around $27-$30. Union is $34 + Bennies. I charge $82 per hour for my non union journeymen electricians. I don't do extra work without a signed change order, if the workis done and suddenly it's more expensive than you anticipated (by the way, all work is more expensive than HOs anticipate), discuss this calmly and try to reach an agreement, suddenly declaring that you'll not pay is counterproductive.

Whoop! Whoop!

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Whoop! Whoop!

Bill

{I don't do extra work without a signed change order}
Romex-Racer, dead on, I have done change orders in the past without paperwork, sorry I did, NEVER again, I don't care how small it is this way come time for pay, they can not say different, matter of fact my contracts states that any change orders are subject to time and materials then the price is given for that area and type of work involved.

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Is it beer thirty yet
Virginia Department of Licensing
Virginia Plumbing Codes

atari

great comments from everyone.

currently talking it over with the contractor.....and I am definitely not trying to get out of paying for services. HOWEVER, 2 WEEKS!!!

c'mon........that's irresponsible for any type of company. And any contractor worth his salt should know to deal with a homeowner more "carefully". Sure a GC knows to ask and demand a price or knows what price to expect.....but a homeowner needs to be "told' what hourly rate is. especially when the hourly rate does not show up on the original bid.....or the extra sub panel bid.

all original estimates and 1 extra sub panel bid.....have been paid for. that's about 13,000 dollars worth of work.......is it not safe for a homeowner to assume that all that work could take about 3-4 weeks?

(btw the 2 week late estimate come in at over 20,000 dollars.)

i agree that calmly talking things over with the contractor is the best method.........going to court only makes both people lose money.

worst case i'll just repot it to the better business bureau......but that's only cause the general manager is an azz......everyone else is super nice.....but he's the one that made the mistake and of course is trying to make excuses and cover himself.

p.s. Should a homeowner know the difference between I.D.ing swithes and tracing?

atari

Well I did sign a change order but it had "NO PRICE"....the journeymen said they did not have authority to quote. That I would get my invoice from the home office tomorrow.

Tomorrow turned into next week....and next week turned into 2 weeks!

It's the age old problem........."had I known the price, I would not have authorized it".......

Responsibility goes both ways.....and in California the law protects the consumer much more than busieness's.

luckyshadow

Why would you sign a blank change order ?? In my opinion you are liable for the charges due to the fact YOU authorized them !!
Would you sign a contract to purchase a new car with out knowing the cost of the vehicle ?