Improving your home should be exciting, not stressful. From small to large projects, revamping your home should be an enjoyable experience. However, sometimes the experience can be less than pleasant, especially if you find yourself being over-charged or misled by a contractor’s ‘low price guarantee’. However, if you do your research, and know what to look for before you choose a home improvement contractor, you will end up with a home has increased in value more than what you spent on the home improvement project.
When you are carrying out home improvements, trust is everything. You want a contractor who is reliable, professional, produces quality work and is honest. You want a contractor who offers clearly laid out and reasonable prices and a price promise, not just a discount here and there or ridiculously high discounts which point to an inflated starting price. Andrew Kirkcaldy, group brand director at online retailer AO.com says, “It’s more credible to have an everyday low price and price promise than a discount. It’s a confidence and trust element.”
In this article, we will provide you with practical advice and tips that will aid you in finding a trusted, reputable contractor who offers quality work at an everyday low price, or promises a genuine price match.
First things first: take your time to shop around for a contractor. It can be hard to know whether you are getting a fair deal on your home improvements if you do not have prices to compare. Before you start making concrete plans, it is a good idea to receive a minimum of three bids for a project. Make sure you provide each contractor with as many details as possible and carefully read their estimates to ensure you are comparing “apples-to-apples.”
Once you receive the project quotes, research each contractor, looking at previous projects and reading online reviews. If you find that you really like the work of the contractor who had the highest project bid, it might be worth asking if they offer a price match.
Many contractors will lower their cost if they knew they are competing for work. In a recent Angie’s List poll, more than 80 per cent of contractors suggested they would lower their prices to get a job.
Remember to always ask if the contractor offers any discounts or a price-match. You want a good deal and quality work, so there is no harm in asking for it. Even if a contractor does not offer a price-match guarantee or if the offer you find does not fall inside their terms and conditions, you might be able to get a price-match regardless at the discretion of the contractor. When it comes to home improvements and receiving a good deal, it never hurts to be savvy and ask.
Before accepting a price match, it is important you understand the contractor’s terms and conditions to ensure they are offering you the same quality product and service. Beware of contractors that merely use the price match guarantee as a way to pull people in, yet what they are offering is an inferior product or service.
If you find a cheaper price from another contractor and want a competitor to honor it, you may find the process is not as simple as you expected. Price-match guarantees can sometimes be riddled with complicated terms and conditions, so avoid jumping into a deal before you read the fine print.
For example, at Windows on Washington, the terms and conditions are quite simple. WoW guarantee that if you can find a lower project price that offers equal quality product and installation, we will match it. All you need to do is provide us with a clear and honest evaluation. We call this our “apples to apples” comparison. Look for contractors who offer similar, uncomplicated terms and conditions.