Be careful! They quoted $300 because we had one hole to dig which is their minimum. Paula quoted me for a 16" x 32" hole as per my installation instructions. One difference was that we needed a cement block inserted into the cement which I hadn't seen in the instructions. Their contractor argued with my husband that it was a much harder job and complained continuously throughout about how hard it was. They increased their cost by $200 even though digging and cementing a hole for a fence is $25-35. make sure you are prepared for an increase on site with this company.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $500.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Hi Nadia,
Actually, if you look at the instructions of your basketball net again, the hole that was required needed to be 22" wide at the bottom and not 16" as you requested. The safest way to install large posts such as a basketball net is to have the base significantly larger than the top which is the only way we would agree to do the job - it would have been unsafe to install it according to the specifications you requested. As for the 32" depth, this is actually not deep enough for Toronto frost line (as your instructions came from California the 32" depth would not be enough for our Canadian winters) and for this reason we actually needed (by code) to dig deeper than you requested. When we got to the site and saw the actual dimensions on the paperwork we spoke to your husband and explained the added cost BEFORE we did the job. He agreed to the price increase before we even started digging. We are very clear in our confirmation email (that we send to all our clients) that our prices are an estimate and that we will do an onsite assessment when we arrive and only then give you the price. This is exactly what we did and you had every opportunity to decline the price increase and we would not have done the job, the choice was yours.
It's unfortunate that you do not feel that the extra effort we put into installing the post safely and to code was not worth the price increase, however it is something that should have been addressed when we told you the new price and not after the job was already done.
We thank you for your feedback and we hope you and your family enjoy your new basketball net.