Nationwide Concerns Over Conservatory Roof Insulation Prices

[TRUSTME]

Since a complainant revealed he had been charged £3200 by a Conservatory Roof Insulation firm for conservatory roof insulation this got me wondering about the ethics involved and following on from this I have arrived at the following personal views:

THE OVERCHARGING ISSUE:

In my opinion a firm or company must not take advantage of the client by overcharging him for work done or to be done. Overcharging is a form of misconduct which shames the building trade and gives certain trades a bad name.

I think if a client is overcharged by 50% of the correct and fair price for a job, any job, then this client has the right to ask the Civil Courts to investigate this matter on his behalf and for the Courts to order the builder to repay to the client an equitable refund. Firms involved in routine and excessive overcharging of clients cannot escape liability by claiming they delegate the pricing of jobs to their often on commission only sales reps and were unaware he/they were ripping clients off in order to boost his / her earnings.

Each week on TV there are numerous programs exposing this practice and it's high time the law intervened and issued legal guidelines to the building trade and others, on what is acceptable in law when arriving at a price for a job.

 

[Inky Pete]

Ain't that why you get three quotes for any big job?

 

[^woody^]

Market rates are market rates. A high cost does not equate to over-charging

IMO, my local Spar shop over-charges me for a loaf of bread because it is 50p (60%) more than it costs in Asda, but I don't see any TV programs about this or protesters outside, or posts on forums

 

[tony1851]

It is not a Court's job to decide what is a 'correct and fair price'. If anyone enters into an agreement with a tradesman, and then some time later finds that a neighbour has had a similar job done for £x less, then why should the tradesman be called to account for his bill?

An agreement is an agreement. The customer should shop around first to satisfy himself on the price for a particular job.

We see a lot on tv about rip-off tradesmen but there are also plenty of unscrupulous customers.

 

[TRUSTME]

THE BROADER VIEW AND PROTECTION OF CONSUMERS!

Look around you, this is Rip Off Britain, look at the prices charged, then compare these retail prices to the actual manufacturing costs, then look at the high profit margins sellers make. At one time we did have in OUR COUNTRY [the voters and native residents country] strict price controls, monitored price restraints and a fair pricing policy. When retail price maintenance was abandoned, since pounds-shilling-pence-was scrapped, then the arrival of VAT [a sales tax] inflation gone mad. Bread costs 20pence a loaf to make - so what should it be sold for by Asda and Joe Blooms Corner shop? Tinned goods in supermarkets cost 7.5pence to 11 pence per can, so what should they be sold at? And is 2 cans for 99 pence a bargain or a rip-off. Our local was selling 4 packets of biscuits for £1-00, they are now 6 month later 2 for a £1-00.

Either it stops or we go bust as a nation. I know we are bust - but the reasons are too complex for me to write out at this time of night. Suffice to say the lunatic Olympic Games bill is now £24 billion, and 15% of the competitors and foreign spectators have no intention whatsoever of going home - we've given them a good excuse to get into the country and won't they exploit it. I expect Politicians to know this and to know inflation needs to be brought under control.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Please keep your boring rants about Rip off Britain in the GD section where they belong.

 

[TRUSTME]

It is not a Court's job to decide what is a 'correct and fair price'. If anyone enters into an agreement with a tradesman, and then some time later finds that a neighbour has had a similar job done for £x less, then why should the tradesman be called to account for his bill? An agreement is an agreement. The customer should shop around first to satisfy himself on the price for a particular job.

* What the neighbour was charged is often immaterial as evidence, its what you were charged that matters, and take it from me many Judges are good at estimating the cost and expertise used on jobs, they often leave the Court and go out to the job to view it.

15 years years ago when short of money I borrowed a £1000.00, the terms were I could pay it back or allow it to run up with accrued interest, I paid back about £1500.00, then asked for the settlement figure to pay it off, I was told I owed them £5600.00, I took them to court and in Court they told the Judge they would settle for £350.00, so I paid this sum a further £350.00 - when many would have handed over a lot more. The Judge does have the power to rescind a deal and to-set-it-to-one side if the terms are unfair. In Court Judges really do side with consumers on this issue.

 

[joinerjohn]

Who's to say what a fair charge for any job should be?. Perhaps the OP thinks that tradesmen should charge an hourly rate for labour of the National Minimum Wage. Perhaps all prices should be fixed by the government, and I mean everything, from a loaf of bread to houses and cars. We should all be on the same wage, work the same hours and pay the same for our shopping etc
Perhaps the OP would like to comment on this idea. No more millionaires, No more poor people, everyone driving around in the same cars. Sounds like some sort of communist fruitopia.

 

[FiremanT]

I am fairly certain, but could be wrong, that the UK has only had retail price controls at a time of national emergency.

TRUSTME is obvioulsy that loud mouth in the pub that everyone avoids.

 

[TRUSTME]

Perhaps the OP would like to comment on this idea. No more millionaires, No more poor people, everyone driving around in the same cars. Sounds like some sort of communist fruitopia.

Communism was a great idea, the problem was Karl Marx worked on the theory 'that those elected to power were honest men, patriots who had the interests and welfare of their brothers and sisters at heart'. He was wrong on this account and his political theory allowed a rogues gallery of mass murderers to take over Russia, Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin', who were just as evil as Hitler.

This country needs more millionaires, we need thousands more of them - because millionaires make money for others. The problem we have his last week the Chairman of Barclays bank just awarded himself a bonus of £9.3 million pounds for last year. In the City of London you have kids earning £3 million per annum and think that's there right. My own son packed a city job in which paid him £100.00 per hour guaranteed + plus overtime because it was not enough.

Does this not indicate all's not well. Strange as it seems we needs poor people, and a middle class and upper class. On TV yesterday they said it costs £100.00 for a family of four to visit Madame Tussauds Wax Works in London. The topic is overpricing, overcharging for jobs and materials, to date two posters above don't agree with me, to them I say enjoy your £6.50 pence a gallon petrol, because it's not going to last, within 3 years you will be paying £10.00 a gallon!. A packet of sixpenny fags is now £5.45 for 20, a threepenny pint is over £3.00, look around your being fleeced left, right and centre! And pay your gas-electric-water bills or you'll be cut off. This was to be a land fit for heroes to live in. Are you happy with it?

PS: Fireman T, I have a fire station officer in my family, also at one time three Policemen, all drunks, all over paid and none of them doing a full days work. Nonproductive jobs should get non-productive wages, not all the perks and the right to retire at age 45 with a pension. We need more salt mines for these workshy swindlers and while were at it lets throw 50000 Vicars and Priests in with them. Look around you, when did you see men working other than on a production assembly line. In the main most builders are workers and I exclude them from my comments,

 

[masona]

The reason they are getting away with it because people are happy to pay for it or can't be bothered to shop around for the cheapest.

People moan about how many Tesco stores out there but it's the same people keep buying from there!

 

[alumni]

The problem we have his last week the Chairman of Barclays bank just awarded himself a bonus of £9.3 million pounds for last year.

Really??

Nothing to do with the remmuneration comittee then?
You know, the non exec Directors who decide what Salary and bonus's the execs shall recieve if they hit the targets set.

 

[S21]

the OP needs medical help - fact!

 

[Alarm]

Funny how this is left open.
A mod asking what is the point?
When firmer discussions with FACTS have been closed.