KOSINSKI CONTRACTING

Ed and his team constructed a solid limestone pad with a 6' x 6' pressure treated wood border all around the limestone, and tamped down the limestone to ensure a solid, level surface. The quality of the work itself was done well, but that's not to say there were no snags along the way. Ed came out on an evening and we discussed the plan for the limestone pad, how the work would be performed, and approximately when the job could be completed. He called me back a few days later and left a voicemail with the total cost of the project, which he said would be $2,280. My wife & I were OK with the price for the work to be performed, so we decided to go with Ed. He began the work a few weeks later, and worked 3-4 days in a row until the work was completed. During the time he was working, he requested that I provide him with a check on the 2nd day of work. I would have rather just given him a check at the time of completion, but I trusted him to do a good job, so I thought it would be fine to write him the check the next day. The one morning before heading off to work, I brought down a check and said, "Ed, it is $2,280, right?" He responded with "No, I have $2,500 written down on the paper in my truck." I'm not sure what paper he was referring to, as he never provided my wife & I with a written estimate/quote with the work to be performed. Shame on him for not being professional and providing us with a written quote/contract. Shame on me for allowing someone to perform work of this cost without signing/reading anything put down on paper. I did have the voicemail he left weeks before, saved on my phone, so I played it back to him. I put my trust on what he said in the voicemail he left, which wasn't good enough though. He couldn't seem to remember why he gave me that price, but that was the only price provided during our multiple conversations over the phone/in person. I asked why the sudden price hike, and he stated that since I later requested that the limestone be tamped down, it would costs more money in materials. He then goes on to tell me that since he made the limestone pad slightly wider (less than a foot wider), the price would now be $3,000. Going from $2,280 up to $3,000 is approximately a 32% increase in total costs. He never mentioned any changes regarding the overall price until I was about to write him the check that morning. I ended up writing him a check for $2,780 for the project. Going from $2,280 up to $2,780 is about a 22% increase in total costs, which I am not happy about. I understand that when undergoing a project, there can be variations to overall costs, but a 22% increase in the total project cost is unacceptable when there is not communication made to me about changes in costs throughout the time work is being performed. So the total costs went from $2,280 up to $2,500, then up to $3,000, then down to $2,780 after I refused to pay the 32% price hike. I believe I really should have only wrote him a check for $2,280, and not $2,780. I wanted the job done right, so just wrote him the check in the amount of $2,780. In summary, I was satisfied with the quality of work that was performed, but felt like he was playing games with me, ripping me off, and playing bait and switch with me at the end by increasing the project cost. I like knowing ahead of time what the total costs will be for any project, and understand there may be minor cost increases (not a 22% increase though). Because of the price hike, I would not be comfortable having Kosinski Contracting doing any further work in the future.