I've heard good things about this company (reputable, does good work, fairly priced) so I was really looking forward to working with them.
Sam came out gave us a bid. Price seemed fair. Months passed as we got our project to the drywall stage. I let him know we had construction delays.
Sam revisited the site to update the bid- his choice. I gave him a heads up 1000 sq ft may not require drywall finish- perhaps he could give an alternate bid option. He declined saying it's better to adjust the bid later. (Not in my experience... but ok).
We accept the estimate then discover we're required to have additional work done in an attic space. Sam makes another site visit and says it will be "time and material" due to the difficulty of the work/ cramped location. 2 men @ $45 per hour each + materials. He'll write it up. Perfectly understandable, it's a difficult location.
We receive the written estimate: T&M @$60 per hour each man + 15% more markup. Not the same as his verbal. He also wants plywood laid- for his guys to works off of. That's expensive. Boo.
We find a different drywall company to do the attic work ($40 per hour each man). No plywood needed either. Yea!
The day they finish the attic they give me an estimate on the other drywall work they see needs to be done. It's way less. Darn it.
Discovered we didn't require 1000sf of drywall to be finished & let Sam know, he reduces our estimate slightly. With such a small adjustment there's a $2,800 difference (between attic workers vs River City). Yikes, that's a lot.
I called River City to ask about the bid, had a friendly conversation with the office manager and she encouraged me to call and discuss with Sam. "He's a sweetheart" she says. "We want you to be happy" "It'll be fine, you can work it out".
So I called Sam. Bad move.
I let him know we received an unsolicited bid and asked
if there was any wiggle room to meet in the middle...or...just closer.
Needless to say a "sweetheart" Sam was not. He was focused on the difference between his estimate and the other company and insulted the other workers. (Yeah, the guys we hired simply because his verbal/written bid was jacked up $20 an hour per man.) I told him my intention wasn't to change drywall contractors it was just to clarify pricing.
He was rude, unprofessional and said his estimate was off the table- they wouldn't do our job. "If you want Labor Ready quality work from unlicensed, uninsured workers with no overhead you're now free to get it. But you better put your savings in the bank, you'll need it when they don't stand behind their work and you have to pay for repairs".
I called the office manager back to let her know how the call went. She assured me River City would do our job regardless. We could bypass Sam and go through her.
In the end we chose the other company. They're licensed, bonded insured, and happy. They do awesome work, and are stress and drama free! Zero stars for you River City... read more
