When a Contractor Says, “No Thanks.” It’s Not You, or Is It?
From Anna on May 8th, 2008 in General
You go through the whole process of interviewing contractors, reviewing bids, and finally decide which contractor you want to do your project; only to get turned down when you offer the job. What are some of the possible scenarios when this might happen?
Maybe the contractor is too busy.
Sometimes, it might be something as simple as that. The bidding process takes some time, and in order to keep their crews busy, contractors will bid on several projects at the same time. If several of these projects come through at once, they must prioritize which ones they take.
The legalities of the project may concern the contractor.
Another possible reason that can arise is a specific legal aspect to your project that the contractor doesn’t wish to become involved with. Asbestos removal, for example, might be more than he or she is willing to undertake.
It’s possible the contractor regrets the original bid.
Unless a contractor is very experienced at their trade, it can be hard to compute exactly how much the project is going to cost. If after taking a second look at the project, a contractor realizes the original bid was too low, they might just choose to walk away. They can always discuss their mistake with you and explain where the additional cost will come in. This leaves the decision up to you. However, if you have other options available to you, it may be wiser to take the more experienced contractor.
Maybe there is a conflict of personalities.
To put it frankly, a contractor may just not vibe with you and not want to get further involved in your project. Perhaps he or she senses a personality conflict, or feels you’ll be difficult to please. If they have plenty of other work at the time, they will probably elect to politely turn you down.
Although in many cases the stereotypes surrounding them are unfounded and unfair, contractors tend to carry a bad reputation with them of being untrustworthy. Unfortunately, a few bad apples stink up the cider for everyone else, but it just reinforces the importance or hiring a pre-screened, certified contractor for your project.
