I hired Miller Roofing to replace the roof on my home. Rick Miller wrote up a proposal for me that totalled $8525.95. The first item listed on
the proposal was the recommendation to install a plywood roof deck at a cost of $2148.75 if the roof deck is not already plywood. I told
Rick I am a new homeowner and I am not aware whether I had a plywood roof deck or not. Rick told me that if I did not need plywood then I do not need to be concerned with $2148.75 of the total amount on the proposal. A couple days later I went into the attic and saw that there did not look to be any plywood. I called Rick to let him know that it looked like we would be needing him to do the plywood roof deck. I also reminded Rick that I had a leak in the existing roof and I wanted him to make sure there was no damage or wet insulation.
Rick then wrote up a new proposal for me. The first item regarding the plywood remained the same. He added item twelve that said they would
check for any bad insulation or wood due to the leak. However, the final price at the bottom of the bid never changed. It seemed to me that
the cost of the plywood was included in the bottom line price of $8525.95. I accepted and signed the proposal. The job was completed and I
paid $8525.95. At that time, Rick told me I owed an additional $2600 - $2148.75 for the plywood and another $400 some for additional work
that I never knew about nor did I ever authorize. I told Rick that I did not feel that I owed him any more money and that he was taking advantage of me. He apologized for the
misunderstanding but said that he would be getting his money and he would except nothing less then the new amount he was demanding. He obviously did not make the price on his bid clear to me. I believe that the responsibility is on the professional to make sure the customer understands the bid and the cost. In an attempt to resolve the issue and take some responsibility for the confusion, I even offered by telephone and through an email to split the difference by paying $1100 more then the original total. Rick told me no over the phone and never responded to my emails. I have now just been notified that he has filed in small claims court.
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