mm wrote:
....
That's the basis of why I would not pay $100 for someone to measure or write
up a proposal. It's part of the cost of doing business as a contractor in
hopes of getting the job.

Well, it depends wholly on the business model of the contractor or
business. Trust me, you're paying for it whether it's an upfront
specified charge or buried in the proposal. It is a cost of doing
business, true, but as someone else has already pointed out in order to
remain in business one has to cover those costs in some fashion.

You can choose to only deal with businesses whose model is to make the
cost invisible to you, but you're still paying. While you may feel good
about "stiffing" the fella' who doesn't charge when he comes out, you
can be pretty sure he'll think again next time you call and that the
cost of window-shoppers is built into his fee schedule.

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