Did they quote the same thing cook? Quite often the cowboy is the one that under quotes the job then cuts corners to make money. You can lay pavers on a structural slab with plenty of reo and it will look great well into the future or you could be a cowboy and just throw cheap pavers down on some packing sand, good when freshly done but not so good when you've driven on it a few times.
Not to mention that most tradies do have an attitude tax, sometimes known as other things. The bigger the tool you're quoteing for the higher the tax rate. Sounds like that 1st bloke didn't think too highly of you cook. Cant figure out why that would be.
It's always the un regestered trades that bastardize the prices for their professional counterparts. The people working for nothing will be the first to go in a down turn as their margins have been too fine, the real tradies will survive and get back to charging what they should.
