Showerthought: The weird way people keep writing 'estimate' on their bids

I've seen three bids this month from other contractors where they wrote 'estimate' at the top but then put a hard deadline for acceptance and a line saying 'prices subject to change'. That's not an estimate, that's a quote with an escape hatch. One guy in Phoenix sent me a copy of his bid for a kitchen job, and it said 'Estimate: $25,000' but then had a tiny note saying materials could go up 15% after 7 days. How does that help the homeowner plan? It just sets everyone up for a fight later. Do you think some folks just use the word 'estimate' because it sounds less scary than 'quote'?

2 comments

2 Comments

kai_bennett3d ago

Exactly, that's just a quote with a disclaimer. Got a bid last week with "estimate" in huge font, then three pages of terms locking in the price for the client but not the contractor. It feels intentionally misleading.

the_oliver3d ago

That part about "locking in the price for the client but not the contractor" is the real trick. I read a whole article on how some companies use the word "estimate" as a legal shield. They get you to agree to a fixed cost on your end, but their fine print lets them add charges for almost anything later. It turns the whole idea of an estimate upside down. It's not a guess at a price anymore, it's a one-sided trap.