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Review content:
The differences between Thomas Construction and Contractor ""X"" , who I ultimately went with on my bathroom remodel are:\r
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Thomas Contruction: \r
1. Spent 5-10 mins max in the bathroom and the rest of the time at my dining room table doing a hard sell\r
2. Took no measurements\r
3. Spent 3+ hours selling me on how great the company was -- walked me through an entire binder page by page about the company and finally talked about the bathroom for maybe the last hour, along with horror stories about other contractors.\r
4. No details given regarding the estimate. Just wrote the total cost in large numbers on a blank paper and then proceeded to drop the estimate a total of $3,000 within 5 minutes. Of course, to get that price, I had to sign now or it would go back up $2,000 over night. It was like dealing with a used car salesman.\r
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Contractor X :\r
1. Total meeting lasted no more than 45 mns and contractor spent the enitre time in the bathroom. He took measurements, drew a picture of the layout, and made notes.\r
2. Told me he'd work up an estimate with a couple options and get back to me in a few days.\r
3. Sent me the estimate which was fully detailed on what would be done and products used. The estimate was $1,300 LESS than Thomas' sign-now-or-else offer, plus I would get better products (cultured marble vs acrylic). Contractor X saw problems Thomas did not, such as light switch would be inside of shower and needed to be moved. In addition, Contractor X would be doing more work such as moving light switch, removing old tile; whereas Thomas was putting acrylic walls over the old tile, and still Contractor X estimate was lower.\r
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Under pressure, I am embarrassed to admit that I signed with Thomas Construction that first night and gave a deposit, but regretted it as soon as he left. The next day I signed the ""Right to Cancel"" which you can execute within 3 days to cancel the contract and I faxed it to them. I checked my bank and they had already cashed the deposit check (must have been at the bank when the doors opened!) Right to Cancel stated I would have my deposit returned within 20 days and guess what, still trying to get the deposit money returned to me. Contractor X said they do not even cancel the deposit check until the 3 days Right to Cancel expires. \r
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Last, but not least, I had called Thomas Construction to come to my home in response to a promotion that they would give me $50 just to come in and give me a free estimate. Well, big surprise, I never got the promotional $50 either!\r
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Don't fall for this scam. It's not worth 3 hours of your life listening to their rhetoric -- no matter what they offer! If they were a business that had a quality product that they truly believed in, they could sell the work without using promotional enticements, pressure sales pitches, and horror stories about competitors.
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