I ordered k-style gutters with round downspouts, but our installer brought rectangular ones instead. The mistake was only noticed after the installation process began. The owner acknowledged the error and mentioned that he can't get the round downspouts in the desired color from his supplier. He offered to paint round downspouts a different color to match, but we're not keen on that since painted downspouts can fade over time. Now, he suggests we keep the rectangular downspouts with a $200 discount on the total job price of $4,500. This works out to be a 5% discount for the mix-up. We're unsure if that's reasonable, especially since we live in a high cost-of-living area and the company has good reviews. Each aspect, including the size of our house (1,350 square feet) and the work being done, adds to our uncertainty. What do you think? Is the discount fair? Any advice would be appreciated.
3 Answers
Honestly, if it's just a preference between round and rectangular, $200 sounds fair. However, if the round downspouts were important for architectural reasons, you might want to negotiate for a larger discount.
I think $200 is decent, but it depends on how the labor and materials break down in the invoice. Pushing too hard might not be fair to a contractor who's being upfront about the mistake.
If you're really set on having round downspouts, any discount may not seem worth it. You might want to check if there are any available colors in round downspouts from his suppliers or consider finding someone else to do it right.