That fancy foundation repair pitch I almost fell for 3 years ago
Guy came by my house in St. Albert back in 2021. Said my basement wall had 5 feet of bowing. Quoted me $12,000 for helical piers. I was skeptical. Called three other contractors who all said the same thing. No bowing. No cracks. Just normal settling from a dry summer. Walked out and saved my wallet. Has anyone else had a contractor try to sell you a fix for a problem that wasn't really there?
Totally feel for you on this one. It's such a slimy move to make people panic over something that isn't even there. I had a roofer try to sell me a full replacement once for a few loose shingles, and it turned out I just needed a quick patch for like fifty bucks. These guys bank on homeowners not knowing much and being scared to ignore a problem. Good on you for calling around and trusting your gut, that saved you a ton of money and stress.
Oh man, it's the same everywhere. I had a plumber try to tell me my whole water heater was about to blow, but it was just a bad valve. Fifty bucks to fix versus fifteen hundred for a new one. It's wild how fast they jump to the most expensive option.