A very wealthy man wanted his roof done. He found some
manual laborers. When they quoted a price he became angry,
accused them of robbing him, and said he would pay one
half of that amount.
The laborers went up on the roof, did half a job. When the
hurricane came, his entire roof went flying and everything
in his house was destroyed or damaged.
This man could have afforded to hire the most famous roofers
and pave his roof with gold, but being cheap he tried to get
a cheap solution, made cheaper still by paying workers so
little they felt ripped off.
The money he "saved" by opting for the "cheapest" solution
cost him more than had he paved his roof with gold.
Perhaps he didn't understand that when a roof blows off,
everything in the house would be destroyed. Perhaps he
thought saving a few dollars by hiring poor laborers would
be of benefit.
Whatever was in his mind the day he decided to pay those
workers half of what they asked should be taken out and
shot.
Every day I see people who try to cut corners, "save" money,
and wind up paying three or four times what they would have
if they had not been so "penny wise" and pound stupid.
When purchasing a home, many people resent the amount of
money they must pay to their lawyer and seek to avoid it.
In these cases what usually happens is that the contract is
so biased in favor of the vendor that the purchaser is lucky
to actually get the property he has paid for.
There is no recourse once one has signed the contract. That
the purchaser shunned legal advice to save a few dollars, (of
course this will all be carefully documented and witnessed)
will cause the loss of thousands if not hundreds of
thousands.
This kind of "savings" is the hallmark of those who always
pay more.
To avoid being "pound stupid" is not difficult.
The wealthy man should have heard the price given by the
laborers, declined and dismissed them and asked someone else.
If they gave a similar price he would know that this is what
he should pay, and pay it.
The idea of never taking the "first quote" might work in a
bazaar when one is haggling over a rug, but not when one is
hiring a worker, be it manual or professional.
When someone feels "ripped off", the resentment carries
forward into the work. Pay half, get half.
When one tries to cut down on expenses by dispensing with
professional advice the flag goes up that this is an idiot
and should be taken for every cent.
Don't count what you pay someone to look after your interest.
Remember if he doesn't you have a wonderful lawsuit you must
win. If you don't pay him, you'll pay someone else, and it
won't be to your benefit.
If the "first quote" is too high, find someone else. But
remember, you get what you pay for.
