Be careful - Elderly relative given excessive quote
In Mid August 2024 a representative from Houseproud SCM visited my father-in-law to quote for a relatively simple job to clean and reseal his driveway. My father-in-law is 91 years old.
The quote he received was £3,500. As this was the first quote he received and he is a very trusting individual, he accepted the quote and paid a £1500 deposit. On the paperwork he received, Houseproud SCM stated that the balance of £2,000 must be paid in "cash".
When my wife and I discovered that he had accepted the quote, we sought clarification from Houseproud SCM in terms of the cash payment and also why it appeared so expensive. Houseproud SCM advised that the "cash" payment could mean card payment. This was very unclear.
In addition they advised that they have a set fee of £29 +VAT per square meter. Using this calculation, they overcharged the quote for father-in-law by £882, I sought clarification again from Houseproud SCM about this £882 discrepancy. They declined to respond.
I was able to obtain a refund for my father-in-law, as it was within the first 14 days.
We then obtained another quotation from another company, on a like-for-like basis, for just over £500 (including VAT). Seven times less than Houseproud SCM.
Whilst this company may be good quality, my conclusion from this experience is that they took advantage of an elderly perspective customer.