Aarp

[peter d]

I had carpel tunnel surgery done on both my wrists.
When I went in for the surgery the doctor told me it would take him about 45 minutes to do the surgery. He was doing several of these that day.

The bill from the doctor was $4,500 for the surgery.
This was his bill only and only included his labor. The materials used were billed by the hospital. That's $4,500 for 45 minutes.

I also received bills from the hospital for the use of the opertating room and recovery room. I also received a bill from the anesthesiologist.

All total the costs were around $10,000 for this.
I was only there for a few hours total.

Imagine if they had to come out to my house to do the work.

Did you get an advocacy organization to dispute the charge on your behalf to get a refund?

 

[LarryFine]

When a dispute is filed, it is up to the contractor to prove that the charges are legit ...

What do they accept as proof? Sometimes, my only 'proof' is that I gave them a price, and they said "okay" and signed the contract.

A contract doesn't prove legitimacy; it just proves agreement. I imagine the AARP customer admitted she agreed to the price first.

 

[growler]

I have been back to read this article several times and I get more upset every time I read it. It appears that this guy "Burley" is a real winner.

His tips for negotiating a price for repairs:

#2. Pay only for time and materials, agree to an hourly rate for labor and not a fixed price. Pay no more than retail for parts or purchace them yourself.


The very worst I have ever seen anyone get screwed on a contract was this real dummy that agreed to a time and materials contract without a price cap. They loaded that job up with four or five helpers and one journeyman (maybe) and they decided to stay forever.

I have never seen so many man hours billed for such crap work but there was a contract.

As far as paying no more than retail for parts then just who does this guy think will warranty the materials if they are purchased by the customer. If he thinks that Home Depot and Lowe's provide a labor warranty to replace items purchased he had better check into it a little more.

The extra cost of materials is to cover the cost of stocking them and replacing them when all that chinese made stuff falls apart in a couple of months. Does he understand that when a customer buys an item that is incomplete that the service person is on the clock while a replacement is found.

I really think that most consumer groups tell customers to get a fixed price so they will know what the final bill is going to be and not go with an hourly rate.

The good news is that I'm keeping a copy of his article just in case I find any AARP members that I want to sucker in. This guy advises a nice time and materials contract and you can buy your own material if you want to. I'm on the clock so take as long as you like. Any beer in the Frig ? :grin:

 

[emahler]

One of you AARP members, with some writing skills and business understanding, should write a response.

 

[aline]

I wish I could go back and charge more to their credit card when after completing a job for $200 I call around and find out that all the other contractors would have charged $500 to $800 for the same job.

You never hear anyone complain that the contractor charged them too little.
They call around and find out all the other contractors would have charged much more for the job. Do you think they'll call you to complain that you don't charge enough and want to give you some more money.