Quick question about an invoice we got from our engineer.. We had a structural wall removed and had the plans drawn up through a draftsmen who also worked with an engineer. This was all paid for and fine.
We then had the builder carry out the work.
Now a week later we get an invoice from the engineer for "Answering builders queries regarding onsite conditions. With the amount of $198 incl GST
Just wondering if this is normal? If so who should be paying this, us or the builder?
Thanks
You are not liable for work you have not ordered, don't pay.
Builder, if he needs engineer's opinion he should pay for it.
I agree,
Dont pay, but first check your agreement to make sure there wasnt something sneeky saying that you were liable for any enquiries regarding the project by either yourself or any relevant 3rd parties.
Engineers are like accountants and solicitors, they think they have to charge for customer service. Your builder likely enquired about better clarity or questions of suitability of his design.
The builder wont pay it, they dont have one bit of binding material, check your contract/agreement, but commonsense says its a bit rude
Sounds like a bit of a rort to me.
I would check with the engineer (or even the builder) if the site conditions that needed checking was something that should have been within the engineers scope of work for the job. They could be trying to charge for additional work outside their scope. Have a look at the quote they gave you to see what was covered.
If it was due something they failed to include in their documentation, they shouldn't charge you for it.
$200-300 is about what and engineer would charge for a site inspection, so unless it was agreed that the engineer was required/scheduled for a site visit and inspection they shouldn't be so narky about a bit of advice for a job they are involved with.
Thanks guys, it did seem a bit odd to us but we were not sure. It was only a small job, which the engineer was already paid for and we never signed anything as it was all done through our draftsman. Will check with them if they had to agreed to anything on our behalf but I doubt it. Have emailed our builder about it too to see what he says too
The quote from the engineer was just a simple emailing stating "This project would cost $360 + gst" which was sent to our draftsman (She got us 3 quotes) Details of the work had been talked about over the phone between them.
Engineer never had to visit the site