To save $2,000, penny-pinching Karen chooses a budget handyman over a respectable contractor, pays the price later when he refuses to fix the amateur's mistakes: ‘Not worth my trouble’

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Sep 6, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

We've all been there–painting ourselves into a corner of overspending that forces us to face the consequences of our expenses–but there are some things in life that you can't cut corners on, and home remodels are one of those things. If you don't have money for a remodel, don't do it! Because once you embark down the path of expensive remodels, there's no turning back. 

However, the Karen in this next story, a penny-pinching, cheapo haggler, decided she didn't feel like paying market value for her bathroom remodel after haranguing her contractor for months over every nickel and dime, but this ultimately cost more than just a couple thousand dollars, it would cost the integrity of her entire house.

But this professional contractor, u/Beautiful-Chard-1152, had grown tired of constant nagging and negotiating that belittled his craft. So when the Karen accepted the bid of an amateur handyman for $2,000 less than his, he was relieved… At least, until she came crawling back, begging for him to fix the myriad of problems that plagued her cheaply done remodel. Scroll on to read how this blue-collar employee stood up for his craft against the likes of a discount-mongering, entitled Karen.

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    33 A
    via Lisa-Blue - Getty Images Signature via Canva
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    I don't accept jobs fixing other handyman's mistake. This lady has been giving me work but shes a pain in the Always arguing about price.
    via Beautiful-Chard-1152
  • 03
    to save herself money she hired another handyman to do a bathroom remodel that bidded lower than me for $5,000 instead of my $7k but there were a lot of mistakes, including plumbing problems.
    via Beautiful-Chard-1152
  • 04
    She then calls me to fix them at hourly wage for $300-400 total maybe. Told her politely no, not worth my trouble fixing this, doesnt make sense to me anymore."
    via Beautiful-Chard-1152
  • 05
    Gotta learn to respect yourself in this line of work. Theyll step over you if they can. In the beginning i used to eat and do work basically for free, which maybe you have to at first but she made her bed now she gotta sleep in it. Thoughts? Has this happend to you? Would you have done the work?
    via Beautiful-Chard-1152
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    stevenj444 Sure, ladyI'll fix your bathroom. Let's see the original quote was $7000 but now I have to fix this other guys mistakes so you're looking at about 10,000 now
    via stevenj444
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    campbell-1 I have a policy in work and life: I don't allow other people's problems to become mine.
    via campbell-1
  • 08
    elech333 I had this exact thing happen to me with my hardscaping business. Guy wanted his retaining wall replaced. I came out to look and discuss. He had a long, rotting, leaning (failing), wooden retaining wall that reached 5 or 6 ft high in between his and his neighbor's
    via elech333
  • 09
    house. His was on the high end, with a slope up to it, so quite a load for the soil above the wall, and only around 12 ft back. And he had a fence atop the wall to "keep in" (demo and rebuild as part of new wall build).
    via elech333
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    He wanted basically the same rebuild put back the same way. I explained I'd only do a block wall, with proper drainage etc, and an inspection. There was no way we could match on price so I wished him the best. He was just insistent that cutting all the corners would be good enough.
    via elech333
  • 11
    Two years later he called me again, but he didn't remember me. He introduced himself and said he had just got a new wooden retaining wall two years ago and it was already failing, and did I offer repairs on walls or just new installs? I told him I remembered him and had all his old photos, and that no, I couldn't help him.
    via elech333
  • 12
    I said remember what I told you two years ago, that if I built you a sub-par wall, there would be no way to repair it. I said if you can't afford to pay me to build a proper wall now, there's no way you could afford to pay me to build it for half as much now and then rebuild it for the whole cost later, that's 150% (50% now and 100% in a couple years) instead of just 100% now.
    via elech333
  • 13
    I had literally foretold exactly what would happen and he ignored my advice, then forgot I was the one he had spoken to and called me for advice again when he got exactly the consequence I warned him about.
    via elech333
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    No Tiger 9060 I had an almost exact experience except he had me build the new fence and hired someone else to do the wall for half my price. I told him the wall would fail. 8 months later I charged him to disassemble the fence I built, tear out the wall he
    via No_Tiger_9060
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    had built and rebuild it the correct way and then rebuild the fence on top of the new wall I built. Needless to say he paid me over $40k for the job. The fence and wall are both looking great 2 years later. Moral of the story-sometimes it's worth it.
    via No_Tiger_9060
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    Critical-Potential30 I juuust gave a family friend an estimate to do a full bathroom and kitchen remodel. I spent the better part of a day designing multiple options, researching, compiling materials... A day after I submitted the estimate, I found out that she took everything and gave it to her friend that said "he could do it for half the price".
    via Critical-Potential30
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    They're working directly off my plans and her excuse as to why she didn't hire me? Because the home is 1 hour away and she didn't want me to have to spend all that money on gas and have to drive so far. GREAT LADY, BECAUSE THATS WHAT I CARE ABOUT.. MY COMUTE TIME... people and it'll always be the family and Friends that get over on you the most.
    via Critical-Potential30
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    someonesgonnaknow HVAC guy I knew said he never turns down a job, just charges enough to be worth it. If he didn't want to do something just charge three to four times what it's worth, if they still wanted it done it was now worth the hassle.
    via someonesgonnaknow
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    su_A_ve You could make it a learning lesson with a potential good outcome. Charge whatever it would cost plus a chunk more provided the total would be more than the 2K she saved. They will realize that going cheap ended up costing them more. But next time they can hire you to do the job right from the get go. Or it would happen again.
    via su_A_ve
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    Cecil Obrien When someone tries to haggle on price I don't work for them. Create a core client base of people who value professional work and will pay for it. These people then refer others to you who are just like them. Birds of the same kind flock together.
    via Cecil_Obrien

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karens remodel thread contractors haggle tools bathroom bid entitled expensive Reddit contractor blue collar cheap money karen budget entitled people handyman
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