894 Overcharged by Workmen ?

Hi,
We are now happily settled in San Vito dei Normanni in Puglia and there is just one thing which I would like some feed -back on please.

We have had a fair bit of work done on the house: new floor tiles throughout, new doors, central heating and air conditioning installed, and I must say that we were very impressed with the standard of work, how quickly they came to do the work and how hard they worked to meet the deadlines. They tended to start work between 5am-6am ( very early mornings for us !) and finsish between 2pm-3pm, but they all worked solidly through with just a short break midway, and so far we have no complaints with standard of work.

The only thing which concerns me is that we have one last major job we need doing before winter sets in , and that is our drive. A neighbour has arranged for someone they know to come and give us an estimate but has said ' don't let them know you are English as the price will rocket'.

Now, I speak OK Italian, but no way would I pass as an Italian, and this has lead us to wonder if we have been overcharged already with the jobs we have already had done. It is no good crying over spilt milk now but obviously, would be interested to know if anyone else has come across this attitude. Seems very silly really as we are here for good and obviously will find out eventually if we have been ripped off.

Anyone in Puglia know any decent builders who might be able to do our drive. We would like a good few estimates now .

many thanks
Alex and Lyn

Category
Building/Renovation

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/25/2005 - 09:58

I don't think you should consider yourself as being 'ripped off'. If you agree to a price for a certain job, and that job is done as promised for that price then you should be happy. The longer you live in your new home the more people you will know and the lower quotations will become.

Obviously the onus is on you to get in a few detailed quotes and find workers with whom you are happy, but in general if you wind up paying say ten percent over the 'local' price for a job you should not be too upset if you are happy with the workmanship. You are a foreigner and you will be 'overcharged' much as any Italian from another region would probably be.

Ask for recommendations (and to view completed projects) locally and the same names will start to crop up. These are the trustworthy guys you want to invite round to give you fair quotations. Always go for someone local and unless you want to become very unpopular never employ another expatriate!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/25/2005 - 11:48

couldn't agree more with the first reply...

having had work carried out here the costs are somewaht comparbale with building work in england .. smaller companies seem to charge a bit less.... local craftsmen or builders working weekends even cheaper....

i look at it this way... i agree the price...the materails used are generally better quality here... and usually a bit cheaper... and at the end of the job if everything has gone as asked i am happy with the price i agreed and also in general with the pleasant companionship of the workmen... they all seem to be a bit more interesting here and are a very good source of other local info

it will help to integrate you more quickly into what is to be your new home

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/25/2005 - 14:24

Hi Alex & Lyn

Good to see that you have finally made the move and that you are settling in.

I agree with the previous points in general but would add that it is still wise to make sure the builder is registered at the local Registro di Imprese and that company is legal and insured.

If you are still uncertain, then there’s no harm in contacting the regional office of the Ordini di Architetti to ask them for some recommendations.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 07/26/2005 - 02:10

Hi everyone,

Yes Charles we finally made it !!!! We have a new E-mail address ( old one gone along with all E-mail addresses we had stored !) if you send me a private message I'll give you new one and update you. I have E-mailed magazine to advise them of new E-mail and new address ( not received magazine for ages ) but had no response.

I think I was a bit alarmed by our neighbours reaction to what we have paid so far, and they were appalled at the quote we got for the drive.

Having said that, we cannot fault the work that has been done already,and as we have had no negative responses to the original post, perhaps we should stick with who we know. Problem is that the quote for the drive is astronomical, so we are getting 2 more quotes to compare and then decide.

It is difficult when you are not 'in the trade' to judge and we do have to watch the pennies a bit as there are still many things we would like to do eventually ( bathroom and lower floors in the trullo-after planning permission grated) . After all , now we are retired , when the money has gone..it is gone !!

Thanks for your replies, we just carry on , on a wing and a prayer !!!

we're off to apply for residency this morning...hope it doesn't take too long !

Alex and Lyn