"MRS. CLEAN" wrote in message
ups.com...

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"MRS. CLEAN" wrote in message
ups.com...

Do contractors bluff their way into men's lives in the same fashion
that they do women?

Or, are men smarter than women on projects?


I think women are sometimes hesitant to keep asking questions until they
understand what they're paying for. I was never totally knowledgeable
about
everything I've paid for (major car repairs, furnace/AC, electrical), but
one of my criteria for hiring people has always been to insist on someone
who is willing and able to answer questions.

You can often stack the odds in your favor by getting referrals from
other
people who've been happy with a particular contractor. If you can't find
friends who've used a certain type of service, do what someone did in a
large office where I used to work: She put notes on the mirrors in the
men's
& women's bathrooms, saying she was looking for a good electrician. The
place was too big and too busy for her to walk around checking with
everyone.

I remember asking specifically how long the job would take (electrical
svc panel) and he said "I don't know." He actually refused to give an
estimate on labor. We all know that this job should take 2-3 hrs. He
then said about the same as parts (labor).

That is $333 per hour.

Does it say stupid on my forehead? Don't pee on my leg and tell me
it's raining.


That's why it's good to get referrals. Sometimes, there really IS no way of
knowing how long something will take. But, at least you can know ahead of
time that the person you're hiring isn't an asshole. My ex-wife just had a
new wire run from the house to the free standing garage. Looks like it was
done beautifully, based on the parts that are visible. I asked her how much
it cost. She said she hadn't gotten the bill yet! I was only partially
surprised at the idea of working this way, but the electrician is a guy who
did some work for us in the past, and whose prices were VERY reasonable.
So....there's the other side.