Painter Or Friend For Hire?
Serena and Matt needed to repair and paint all of the rooms on the second floor of their new house. Matt called in a couple of contractors to give quotes, but Serena really wanted to use her friend Patty's husband Joe. She knew he did good work, and she knew they could really use the money. However, Matt was leery. He had hired friends to do work before, and it ultimately ruined the friendship. Serena assured him that that everything would be fine, and that she'd deal with Joe directly so Matt wouldn't need to get involved at all.
So, Serena called Joe and told him the prices for the other quotes, and if he could match the best one, the job was his. Joe agreed to the price and the time frame, and immediately he and his assistant got to work. Everything was looking fabulous and going smoothly until Joe underestimated his time, and the job went over by three days…
Serena really didn't mind the extra time, that is until she received Joe's final invoice - with 3 days of labor overages for both he and his assistant! Under normal circumstances, Serena wouldn't put up with any games like this from a contractor of any sort. She would simply remind Joe that he gave a quote and not an estimate. If he took longer, that was his problem.
But now Serena is in the awkward position to confront her friend's husband, and she's overwhelmed with the potential harm the confrontation could do to the friendship. Worst of all, she can just hear Matt saying, "I told you so."
Should Serena treat Joe like anyone else who she made a deal with? Or should she pay a little more and compromise what she feels is right out fear of losing a friend? What would you do? Tell us what you think!
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