Used car salesman of residential maintenance.
Their game seems to be to low-ball an estimate just to get their worker (I wouldn't use the word technician for guy who showed up at my house) to the job then "find" something "unexpected" to drive the price up. It's a bait and switch. They hope the homeowner will just go along with it since they are already on site. The worker tried getting my wife to agree to the price increase without calling me first. She told him no. This is another group of hacks trying to scam excessive labor rates out of homeowners with no concept of what a job should cost.
I asked for a price to replace three foundation vents. Remove mortar and original vents, install new slide-in vents which I provided. Estimate $275. Sounded like a fair deal. Each would take an hour if you did it slow so about $100/hr for labor. The worker arrived and looked at the vents, made a call, and left. Later, Ethan called me and said the price went up to $550 - double the original estimate - because the mortar would have to be removed even though I specifically included that as part of the job description. I told him I had a $500 limit on the job including the vents which I already bought leaving $380 for labor. He said, "well if you want us to do it, it'll be 550." I told him I'd rather anyone else in town do it.
Response from Nashville Maintenance Pros
Thank you for sharing your feedback. I understand your experience did not meet your expectations, and I’d like to take a moment to address your concerns.
After reviewing our records and internal communication, it appears that photos showing the concrete encapsulating the crawlspace windows were provided after the quote was client approved and scheduled. Upon discovering this unexpected change, we adjusted the scope of the project to maintain the quality standards we are committed to delivering. The additional work required—removing the concrete, ensuring the new vents fit properly, and paint-matching the exterior to protect your home’s aesthetic—transformed what was initially a two-hour job into a more extensive, full-day effort.
We truly value our customers and strive to provide clear communication throughout every project. However, we were unaware of your concerns prior to this review. We genuinely believe that, had you reached out and expressed these concerns, we could have worked together to find a solution that balanced both the scope of work and cost considerations.
While we may not always be the lowest-cost provider, our commitment to excellence ensures every project is completed to the highest standard. Your satisfaction is important to us, and we hope this explanation provides some clarity on the adjustments made.
Should you wish to discuss this further or explore any resolution, we’re here to help and happy to have that conversation.