RDP I need some INPUT...LUMBER YARD ADVISE.

[Dansblown73Nordic]

So I added a 28x60 addition on my 40x60 Pole Barn. I called a couple local lumber yards. I had a builder but I agreed to get the materials myself. So I got two estimates. One was about 4k less than the other one. So I went with the cheaper guy. Basically the same exact materials. So they dropped off all the material. The building is now all built. So I call the lumber yard to pay my bill. He says well I have to total it all up. I will text you later with the exact total. So a couple days goes by. I get a text. I don't know how to tell you this but I made a HUGE mistake. The materials should've been $3,689 more than I quoted you. I never added in a whole page of material. So I have the original quote. After he sent the text. I went over the quote with a fine tooth comb. I see now where this DUMMY had three numbers to add together. I guess he never learned to add three numbers. The thing is I never looked his figures over. Didn't think I need to. He gave me a total and I said when can you deliver it? So what is the RDP solution. He says I should pay what I think I owe. I did return some stuff and it dropped from $3,689 to $2,767. The thing is if I was a contractor I would either be forced to eat $2,767 or Charge the customer or tell Him to go take a math class.

 

[X Hoser]

What was the next closest bid? I'm sure there is still some profit or at least a break even for him so maybe split the difference? Easy to tell him to pound salt, a deal is a deal. But, an honest mistake is an honest mistake. He should shoulder some, if not most of the burden. It should not exceed the next closest bid tho. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Wheeler]

Treat him as you would like to be treated.

 

[Done-it-again]

If all the line items are correct, just not added together correctly then you owe. You did go with him cause he was cheaper in theory, so it’s one of the instances if it was to good to be true, it was.

ask him to split the difference. We have all made mistakes before.

 

[Javajoe]

Yea split it with the lumber yard, or just tell him to use his PPP check to pay the difference

 

[CoolCruzin]

A mistake
I would just pay it .
We all mess up

 

[4Waters]

Sounds like it was still a few hundred cheaper, just pay it, you were going to pay it if the mistake didn't happen.

 

[CarolynandBob]

Does anyone know the mark up on lumber? If you can find that out then I would pay his "cost" of the lumber. He shouldn't make a profit on his mistake.

 

[Your ad here]

Your post is a bit confusing but it sounds like you bought lumber direct from the material yard and they messed up on their invoice? Think Karma here... Don't take advantage a guy because he had trouble adding numbers. As a consumer it sucks but accidents happen. If you have to squeeze him a bit I guess you can try to get him to offer the cost price.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

Did the lumber yard provide the line item quote to you at beginning? Did you not add the line items up yourself to realize their quoted total didn’t match the total of all line items? If this is the case, I’d pay the true total owed.

If you weren’t provided a line item quote upfront, then I’d ask the yard to split difference and negotiate from there.

 

[FreeBird236]

Everyone seems to be being quite fair with the lumber guy and I agree, but what was the total bill, is he still making a good profit? I'd want to know the bottom line and go from there, but I'd definitely lean towards giving him a break for his mistake.

 

[Looking Glass]

Treat him fair,and he'll remember for future purchases. I'm confident he will always think very highly of you and your Character.

 

[Singleton]

So I added a 28x60 addition on my 40x60 Pole Barn. I called a couple local lumber yards. I had a builder but I agreed to get the materials myself. So I got two estimates. One was about 4k less than the other one. So I went with the cheaper guy. Basically the same exact materials. So they dropped off all the material. The building is now all built. So I call the lumber yard to pay my bill. He says well I have to total it all up. I will text you later with the exact total. So a couple days goes by. I get a text. I don't know how to tell you this but I made a HUGE mistake. The materials should've been $3,689 more than I quoted you. I never added in a whole page of material. So I have the original quote. After he sent the text. I went over the quote with a fine tooth comb. I see now where this DUMMY had three numbers to add together. I guess he never learned to add three numbers. The thing is I never looked his figures over. Didn't think I need to. He gave me a total and I said when can you deliver it? So what is the RDP solution. He says I should pay what I think I owe. I did return some stuff and it dropped from $3,689 to $2,767. The thing is if I was a contractor I would either be forced to eat $2,767 or Charge the customer or tell Him to go take a math class.

based on the fact you picked the cheapest quote, you already know WHAT you want to do. You are looking for RDP to say it is OK to not pay. IMO, if the vendor gave you a line item quote, but it was just summarized wrong, you pay full amount or ask for a slight discount (5-10% of total corrected cost). If you were the lumber yard what would you do?

 

[Royally PO'd]

In 45 years of contracting, I never had a supplier screw up on pricing but did on amount of material. My problems were with competitors low-balling the bid , then up charging at the end. If you feel he made an honest mistake adding the items, see if he will make some kind of adjustment in your favor. After all HE made the mistake.

 

[YeahYeah01]

So I added a 28x60 addition on my 40x60 Pole Barn. I called a couple local lumber yards. I had a builder but I agreed to get the materials myself. So I got two estimates. One was about 4k less than the other one. So I went with the cheaper guy. Basically the same exact materials. So they dropped off all the material. The building is now all built. So I call the lumber yard to pay my bill. He says well I have to total it all up. I will text you later with the exact total. So a couple days goes by. I get a text. I don't know how to tell you this but I made a HUGE mistake. The materials should've been $3,689 more than I quoted you. I never added in a whole page of material. So I have the original quote. After he sent the text. I went over the quote with a fine tooth comb. I see now where this DUMMY had three numbers to add together. I guess he never learned to add three numbers. The thing is I never looked his figures over. Didn't think I need to. He gave me a total and I said when can you deliver it? So what is the RDP solution. He says I should pay what I think I owe. I did return some stuff and it dropped from $3,689 to $2,767. The thing is if I was a contractor I would either be forced to eat $2,767 or Charge the customer or tell Him to go take a math class.

I'm an estimator by trade. I stare at numbers all day, shit happens. Hopefully I catch any mistakes before it goes out but every now and than things happen.

In this situation I would probably just pay the bill. While construction is booming right now this is still money they are out and that hurts. If you can afford and it and you received the materials then it's fair to pay it.

Dumb mistake but it's a mistake.

Good luck.

 

[Justfishing]

It is the responsibility of the lumber yard to be accurate. They are the professionals.

I would guess this is a large order. What percentage of the total is it? On the total order i would assume it at least covers their cost and still likely made a profit. Unless they were a really small business i would say we agreed on a price.

 

[lbhsbz]

If I fucked up on a quote (and I have) I would expect the quoted price to be paid and eat the difference.

if they quoted you a price and you accepted, that’s what you pay. This is his job...he’s not stupid, he “messed up” to get the business and is trying to guilt you into paying more.
Nope.

 

[mash on it]

He had one job.
He failed. Should he be given a partisipation trophy? Or why get a quote in the first place?

Just my $.02

Dan'l

 

[WhatExit?]

Do the right thing - take Wheeler's advice (post #2) and know that karma is for everyone

To those who say "too bad he screwed up, etc."...
I'm glad you've never made a mistake at work
Be sure to tell your suppliers that if they make a mistake you expect them to eat it
And when you do make a mistake do not go to your customer and ask them to help you out

 

[DC-88]

Send the same list to a couple lumber yards today and it will make you feel like you got a smokin’ deal with how prices have jumped to all time highs . Even the yards we’ve had accounts with for decades have limits to what they’ll drop without setting up a job acct. so they can send the pre lien/ 20 day notice . If you received one of those , a big yard will have no problem spending the $ to foreclose on a lien .


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[t&y]

So I added a 28x60 addition on my 40x60 Pole Barn. I called a couple local lumber yards. I had a builder but I agreed to get the materials myself. So I got two estimates. One was about 4k less than the other one. So I went with the cheaper guy. Basically the same exact materials. So they dropped off all the material. The building is now all built. So I call the lumber yard to pay my bill. He says well I have to total it all up. I will text you later with the exact total. So a couple days goes by. I get a text. I don't know how to tell you this but I made a HUGE mistake. The materials should've been $3,689 more than I quoted you. I never added in a whole page of material. So I have the original quote. After he sent the text. I went over the quote with a fine tooth comb. I see now where this DUMMY had three numbers to add together. I guess he never learned to add three numbers. The thing is I never looked his figures over. Didn't think I need to. He gave me a total and I said when can you deliver it? So what is the RDP solution. He says I should pay what I think I owe. I did return some stuff and it dropped from $3,689 to $2,767. The thing is if I was a contractor I would either be forced to eat $2,767 or Charge the customer or tell Him to go take a math class.

Legally I would say you are good just paying what was quoted. Now morally, that might not sit well knowing these guys really don't make much mark up on Lumber Products especially in today's pricing. Maybe come back with an agreement to pay him his cost minus any mark up or delivery fee's for the lumber pricing at the time of the quote. That way you are still getting a smoking deal, and he is not losing his ass.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

If I fucked up on a quote (and I have) I would expect the quoted price to be paid and eat the difference.

if they quoted you a price and you accepted, that’s what you pay. This is his job...he’s not stupid, he “messed up” to get the business and is trying to guilt you into paying more.
Nope.

I would tell him you will pay cost for the extra he fucked up but not as bad as he fucked up at cost

 

[dribble]

Legally you are on solid ground. If it were me, I would negotiate to split the difference of the 2700 and give him $1350.00.

 

[lbhsbz]

Legally you are on solid ground. If it were me, I would negotiate to split the difference of the 2700 and give him $1350.00.

Why? None of this is his problem.

 

[Done-it-again]

Why? None of this is his problem.

Still don’t know if the line items are listed correctly but the sub total of said line items were added Incorrectly

if that is the case then you still stand by your opinion?

 

[lbhsbz]

if I get a quote that I decide to accept based up the big number at the bottom...then that’s what I’ll pay.

 

[dryhoze1]

Treat him as you would like to be treated.

Someday I’d like to buy ya a beer..
‘We’ve never met, but I’d like too.

 

[zhandfull]

Not sure where you are located. If in California and the lumber yard filed a preliminary notice correctly. You could end up with a mechanics lien on the property if you choose to play hardball and not pay the total line item cost of lumber.

Best response yet was from Wheeler "Treat him as you would like to be treated".

 

[YeahYeah01]

Interesting the responses on both sides of the fence. I like to treat people pretty fair, if it was my mistake I would probably offer some sort of discount or cover it completely.... But... If this exact situation happened to me from the consumer standpoint if the guy apologizes and it was an honest mistake, I might take a small discount if offered, just for the inconvenience, but I would pay the bill. As long as the costs are comparable to other lumber yards, that's the cost you would have paid anyway.

Wheeler's responses perfect! That's all I like to roll also.

 

[Looking Glass]

I said it before, make things Right, Whatever you feel is RIGHT. I can promise you that this Man will never Ever forget how you treated him and in the future it may Suprise you.

Life is so messed up these days and stress and B.S. help him and take a Load off him. I know how I would feel if it were me that made an Honest mistake.

KARMA is a Real Thing.

 

[wet hull]

If the guy shows you his cost pay it. Not fair for him to loose out. As a owner/builder you won't deal with him again so you could tell him no and move on. Myself as a contractor I depend on my relationships and loyalty to get good pricing. If a mistake is made I would pay in full to my vendor as I value the next deal we do. Just do what will allow you to sleep at night.

 

[highvoltagehands]

“He says I should pay what I think I owe.” Sounds like the supplier is good reasonable guy who just made a mistake. And if he didn’t have an issue or charge you restocking fee for the returns, I would definitely pay him the full amount. Going forward I would have him quote my future purchases, it just might earn a discount.
Let your conscience be your guide.

 

[DLC]

If you were a contractor you would have looked at both lumber bids side x side to see where one guy was cheaper than the other guy, might be worth while to buy some at one Supplier and some at the other Supplier all depending on your needs & also to make sure the list is 100% complete.

I would pay the full amount.

 

[LuauLounge]

Never burn a bridge, his fault, your fault, doesn’t matter. You just didn’t get as good a deal as you expected.

 

[Rajobigguy]

Typical mark up on lumber is about 30%. He screwed up but it was an honest mistake. Just ask for a 10% discount to make up for the headache and you should both be able to walk away happy.

 

[Happy Smitty]

As a GC I rely on material suppliers to perform and get it right. Risk and reward. My lumber supplier quotes me and I commit to a client based on this price. Then supplier discovers a mistake. I can ask my client to pay it and possibly jeopardize future work. 99% of the time my client will not pay it.

Should I pay it?

No, I did not make the mistake and should not risk my business for their mistake. This happens all the time. If I cover the cost every time this happens I would go out of business. If I pay them, then where is the incentive for them to get it correct in the future?

I will however work with them on future work to help recoup where possible and maintain a positive working relationship.

If the mistake is obvious to both parties during bidding then its a slightly different case where there really should be shared liability.

As a

 

[stingray11]

Always get a quote and then sign off on it and they are legally bound to hold that price. If you get a estimate then it is precisely that an estimate and the price can change. So look at your slip does it say quote or estimate.

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[2Driver]

In the long run you will usually get farther by helping out the guy that made an honest mistake than trying to save a buck. Since he was cool about asking you to pay what’s fair, flip the question back on him.

 

[Dansblown73Nordic]

Sorry was away on vacation. So yes it was a line item quote. But now that I just spent 20 minutes looking it over. I find that he has charged me for $1360 in materials that I never got. Most of that was for plywood that was on the quote. I told him from the beginning I didn't need any plywood. I had a 100 sheets in my shop. Plus he added $500 for Misc Hardware? The hardware may or may not be legit. I think im more pissed now that this CLOWN has tried to charge me for shit he is very well aware of. I didn't even get. I have only dealt with one person from the beginning. What a CLUSTER FUCK TO BUY SOME LUMBER!!!!

 

[Dansblown73Nordic]

Always get a quote and then sign off on it and they are legally bound to hold that price. If you get a estimate then it is precisely that an estimate and the price can change. So look at your slip does it say quote or estimate.

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He sent me a complete explanation with the quote that states that the price was good for a month. He said a couple things could change with the design but would only be a couple hundred more possibly.

 

[Dansblown73Nordic]

I want to explain that I'm not out to rip the place off or anyone else for that matter. I think im more pissed now that he hasn't even taken the time to get the real number of what I actually bought. The guy texts me a number of $3,689 that I owe and If I paid it that day. I would've way over paid. Just SMH!!! My plan is to split the difference with him although if you take off the plywood, concrete and the $500 misc. hardware that he has listed. He has a list of hardware in another spot he charged me for. Were getting much closer to the original number or close enough I would just pay the difference and be done with it.

 

[Carlson-jet]

How is a contract not a contract?
Propose a quote, make the bid and accept what you put fourth.
Sometimes you bite the bear.. Sometimes the bear bites you. Who hires people who can't do simple math?
That is on them. I know that will not be popular but I ate shit on so many jobs because of the people I hired who were MY Responsibility rain or shine.

 

[wishiknew]

bottom line is you cut the framer out of the supply of lumber .He would of made a deal with the lumber sales without you being involved. it got screwed up because you did not do your homework and didnt check the bids.this is getting to be the new thing people are trying to save money and want to supply all lights and switichgear on electrical jobs the only problem is when it is ordered wrong and gets to job whose responsible to install wrong stuff??? the owner with a change order to the installing sub to get the right stuff. many different ways to make or save money in const you just get a hard bid from your subs.

 

[hallett21]

bottom line is you cut the framer out of the supply of lumber .He would of made a deal with the lumber sales without you being involved. it got screwed up because you did not do your homework and didnt check the bids.this is getting to be the new thing people are trying to save money and want to supply all lights and switichgear on electrical jobs the only problem is when it is ordered wrong and gets to job whose responsible to install wrong stuff??? the owner with a change order to the installing sub to get the right stuff. many different ways to make or save money in const you just get a hard bid from your subs.

When I was an apprentice, the building purchased 4-500 fixtures. Non dimming ballasts..... we changed them all lol.


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[wishiknew]

When I was an apprentice, the building purchased 4-500 fixtures. Non dimming ballasts..... we changed them all lol.


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this is exactly what I am talking about everytime someone orders switichgear and panels I know its going to be messed up and then they are responsable for the fixing of whats wrong and no warranty on items supplyed by others

 

[Instigator]

Why? None of this is his problem.

More material was delivered than was totaled on the quote.
Get out your original quote and offer to pay that amount.

 

[wallnutz]

I would ask for naked pictures of his wife to see what he was dealing with at home and go from there
Honestly I would pay the difference. I have messed up on quotes before and shorted myself pretty good. I have gone back to the customers on a few occasions and told them that I had messed up, but told them I wasn't going to do the upcharge thing. Most of them paid the difference without squawking about it, and I think our quality of work helped greatly with that. So if they did everything they told you and did it in a timely manner and the customer service was good on the returns pay em.

 

[hallett21]

When everything was delivered did you sign a ticket with the plywood on it?

At this point I would be on the phone with my sales rep and his/her boss. Review the ticket and figure out what the hell you actually took delivery of.

Then figure out how much the “unpaid” material equals and go from there.

Did you pay full retail or did you get contractor pricing due to the size of the order? If you already got a discount I would pay the difference or maybe ask for another 5% because you feel a bait and switch was pulled.

Mistakes happen.

Not the same but it reminds me of how if I (contractor) miss something on the plans I have to do it for free. But, if the plans/arcitecht/engineer/customer miss something I’m supposed to be a buddy and give them a deal.


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[hallett21]

I would ask for naked pictures of his wife to see what he was dealing with at home and go from there [emoji28]
Honestly I would pay the difference. I have messed up on quotes before and shorted myself pretty good. I have gone back to the customers on a few occasions and told them that I had messed up, but told them I wasn't going to do the upcharge thing. Most of them paid the difference without squawking about it, and I think our quality of work helped greatly with that. So if they did everything they told you and did it in a timely manner and the customer service was good on the returns pay em.

So if she’s a smoke show he pays nothing? Just trying to understand the scale


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[HB2Havasu]

If his price was less than the next highest bidder I would just pay him. If he was higher than the next highest bidder I would call him and tell him you will only pay him that amount otherwise you would have never used him in the first place. We all need a Mulligan once in a while. I would just do the right thing!